The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-24
BUNHAM & TEMPLES AGENCY.

1 IOhlEho AbhNCl.
| Vermont Mutual. ...S3. 900
Total insurance. 800
| Messrs. Graves & Sons loss will be about
| $4,000. Mr.. Shaver, who occupied the
dwelling house, lost personal property,
about 5000 uninsured.
Mrs. John Shaver, to whom we are in
| debted for an account of the event, says
that at half-past eight her husband went
into the tannery with his lantern and saw
that everything was safe. Mrs. Shaver did
not retire until about eleven o'clock. The
inmates of the house consisted of John
Shaver, the foreman of the tannery, his
wife and three small children, and Mrs.
Sellick, aged so, who is staying the winter
with them. Mrs. Shaver slept on the first
floor in the south part of the house. Mrs.
Selick slept up stairs in the north end of
the dwelling, nearest the tannery. About
half-past three in the morning she was
awakened by roaring noise and observ-
ing the light in the room thought thunder
storm was raging. She soon concluded
that the lightning was too regular and 60
ing to the window took in the situation
and promptly gave the alarm by crying
fire. Mr.. Shaver, Mr.. Carpenter, who
lives opposite, Mr.. Dunklee and other
neighbors were soon on the ground and
messengers were dispatched for the fire de-
partment. The fire, however, when first
discovered, had full possession of the tan
merry with an ample supply of bark, oil,
and other combustible material to feed on.
Before Mrs. Shaver could dress the chill
dren the windows of her room we're break
ing with the heat, and in fifteen minutes
from the time they were awakened the
shed of the house, some thirty feet south
of the tannery, caught fire, and some time
before the fire engines reached the scene
both farmhouse and dwelling had fallen in
and were almost consumed.
Mr.. Shaver saved most of his goods on
the first floor, but the bedding IN the
chambers, and the contents of the cellar
forty bushels of potatoes, three tons of coal,
several cords of sawed and split wood, etc.,
etc.-were burned. His loss is about 5000,
and he has no insurance. Mrs. Sellick's
trunk was moved out but she lost part of
her wearing apparel. Mr.. Carpenter kindly
took the homeless ones in temporarily.
The alarm of fire was received at four
o'clock, and Nickwackett engine company
were ready at once, procured team and
with the aid of this and tine help of good
number of the company were on the
ground ready for action at fifteen minutes
past four, remarkably good time consider
ing the distance and the deep mud. At
half past four the hose cart of Washington
engine company arrived at the scene of the
| fire, followed in fifteen minutes more by
Washington engine.
A large number of people started from
the village for the fire, but the mud which
filled the road and sidepaths proved to
| formidable barrier for most of them. A
| few stumbled on and arrived in a bedrag-
| gled condition in time to survey the beds
| of glowing Goals where the tannery and
house had been. Mr.. George Graves, the
owner of the buildings, started for the
scene on foot, but owing to i'll health and
excitement he tainted and was carried into
the house of Mr.. Reed, whence he was
| carried home.
The origin of the fire is uncertain. There
| had been no fire used in the building since
Wednesday. On the afternoon before the
| fire the bark mill had been used some six
hours grinding bark that but for its damp
ness could have been ground in four hours,
and it is possible, says the foreman, one of
the journals might have become heated and
started smothered fire that only broke
out after midnight. BY the burning of the
tannery four men are thrown out of en-
| ployment. A rank of tan bark twelve feet
wide, ten feet high and seventy feet in
length was saved, though it caught fire
several times, even as late as 10 a. m. it
was on fire and required the efforts of a
dozen men to extinguish it.
The heat and sparks ignited Mr.. Dunk
l
the vicinity were in great danger and were
saved only by vigilant watching. Mrs.
Carpenter store up her things" with view
of losing her house but was fortunately
saved the trouble of moving.
The burned tannery was one of the
largest and Oldest in the state, occupying
nearly an acre of ground. The first
tannery was built by Major Graves, an
uncle of the present head of the firm, In
the last century, at least eighty years ago
1t passed successfully through the hands
of Stewart & Cresswell, Wardee Hunt and
Graves & Mason. The tannery building
Just burned was erected by Geo. Graves in
1912. Messrs. Graves & Son have not YET
determined whether they will rebuild or
| not