The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-11-12
Fl an IN MrDDLEBURy.


he basement, Hist floor and part of tho
econd floor were occupied by r. M !
)hapman 81 Co., part of the second floor
" the offices of j. w. Stewart. L.. ID. |
Gldridge, G. M. Wilds, Constable and
Collector Nj. A. Munroe and albert
Chapman, secretary of the Vermont
Merino Sheep Breeders Association,
and the third floor by the handsome
hall of Union Lodge, No 2, IF. 81 A.
NJ, was totally destroyed by fire last
morning
The fire started in the boiler room
in the basement, where the steam was
made for heating the building. A
short time after Seven o'clock one of
the clerks found this room all on fire.
An alarm was Immediately given by
ringing all the church bells and the u.s.
ual amount of yelling, which speedily
brought crowd to the spot.
The pump at Stoves gristmill was
set going as soon as hose could be at
tached, and had a stream upon the fire
in few minutes. AS soon as possible
the steam fire engine was brought out
and the fire started. 1t is claimed by
some that there was considerable delay
about starting the fire, but from all
that can be learned by inquiry it was
not probably more than ten minutes
after the alarm before The fire was
burning and steam was rising, and the
hose laid. The engine house reservoir
was soon pumped dry and then the
engine was moved to the creek. The
hand engine had meanwhile been
brought over and was worked vigor-
ously for some timcsuntil its hose was
attached to the steamer, which for the
remainder of the day threw two ample
streams.
SCENES AT THE BURNING BUILDING.
The clerks at the store commenced
at once moving goods out of the build
ing after the first alarm, but this work
was for time put stop to by some
citizens who seemed to think tho fire
would soon be extinguished. On
Thad's arrival, however, he at once
gave orders to remove the goods, after
which the crowd went to work with a
will and most of the dry goods and q
ried out and deposited on the opposite
side of the street and in the Episcopal
church, which was opened for the pur-
pose. The floor was covered to q
depth of several inches with water,
through which the rescuers had to
wade.
The fire for long time seemed
smothercd and through the dense
smoke pouring out of the basement lit
tie was to be seen to guide tho hose
men in directing the water. 1t seemed
to many for two or three hours as
though the fire could be kept down
and the building saved, as no flame
was visible, and consequently the pro-
gress of the fire could not be judged.
Small ripples of smoke were, however,
all the time flowing out from the walls
toward the top, showing that the fire
was working up the walls. Between
ten and eleven O'Clock 1t became evil
dent that the fire was getting the best
of it. The flames broke out in the sec
ond and third stories before they did in
the first, and the third story became a
mass of raging flame upon which the
heavy streams of water poured in had
little effect. The 1920 train brought
help from Vergennes, with hose
which, after the couplings had been al
cred at the machine shop to fit, was
used to lengthen the hose OH the
ground. One nozzle was then takel
upon Styles Block, from where it for 9
long time played very efficiently.
The efforts of the firemen were
directed to save the adjoining build
ings. beng the Styles Block, occupied
by w. IL. Kingsley, dentist, and j. E.
Gauvin's photograph rooms on one
side and the tenement occupied by the
Star Laundry and Mrs. Campbell's
dressmaking establishment on the other
These had both been cleared of theil
contents. About noon, almost without
any preliminary movement, the burn
ing building fell with grand crash
the walls doubling up and falling into
a heap which scattered the bricks anC
embers but short distance. Aftel
this it was comparatively easy matter
to prevent the flames from doing fur
ther damage. The Washington Engine
company of Rutland arrived on spe
cial train about noon with hand en-
gine. The engine was not needed, bu
the company rendered efficient aid il
handling the hose.
THE NEW STEAM FIRE ENGINE,
which many haye been disposed t,
sneer at for some reason, amply justi
fed the policy which led TO its pur
chase, by its work. From the time i
was started, ten minutes after the alarm
was given, it worked without a stop
except when ii was moved to the Greek
and momentarily when new hose wa
coupled on, for nine hours, durin,
eight of them throwing two power
full streams. Mr.. O'Connor and Pc
ter CHAMPAIGN deserve much credit fo
the skill with which they managed 1t
Everybody is satisfied that it was
this engine which confined the fire and
the heat to the inside of the building
until it fell, thus saving the adjacent
buildings. With only the hand engine
the fire company would have been al
most helpless TO stay the flames.
The fact that the day was very calu
and still aided materially in preventing
the spread of the flames.
The fire company did their dut,
manfully, and though for much of the
time they had concealed enemy
fight against, their labors were we'll di
rected. Much courage was shown b,
individuals in climbing to the upper
windows in the face of almost unendu
rable heat and smoke.
THE BUILDING
was a three story brick structure bull
by Smith & Allen last year. 1t was tn,
finest looking business block in tn,
place. 1t was heated by steam. 1t il
claimed that there was no means pro
vided to prevent the fire from running
up inside the walls. which was the rea
son the upper stories were on fire be
fore the first. The rooms were well
finished of
LOssE AND INSURANCE.
The loss on the building is estimates
at $4,000, insured in Ktna, $500
Royal, $780,
T. M. Chapman a. Co.'S estimated
, loss is from SO 900 to $20, 200. They ha,
stock of goods valued at $40 900. In
, sured as follows: Pennsylvania, 81 900
Etna, 81 900; Home, $500; Spring
field, 81 800; Millville, $1,000; Fir,
t Asscciation, $2 900; Windsor Co. Mu
tual, $1,000; Royal, $4,000; total Of
a | onods I'm tho Store Slh O00 I'm 0ond