Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-01-31


FIRE AT WINoosKI.-The Village o
Winooski was last Saturday morning
visited with very disastrous fire, ant
which at one time threatened to be of still
greater extent. The fire originated in {
very novel way. About z O'Clock tina
morning freight train, composed in par
of several platform cars loaded with stee
rails shipped from St. Adams to Boston
camc in from Essex Junction and passet
the station at rapid rate and wher
opposite the large store house of the
Burlington wooden mill company one OIL
the cars loaded with rails jumped the track
taking several other cars with it and
collided with some freight cars, among
which was car containing an iron tank
holding 1000 gallons of crude oil fol
manufacture into gas. When the cars
struck the rails were thrown in all dlrec.
tons, some of them as many as fifty feet,
and the tank was broken and oil liberated
and set on fire by n shot box" on one Of
the freight cars which collided with it,
The tank exploded, scattering the burning
oil in all directions and against the sides
of the store house which was soon burn.
ing mass, and owing to the combustible
nature both of the building and its contents
wool, camels hair, flour, etc., rendered
any attempt to save either building ,or
contents hopeless task. The store house
was 100 by so feet, two stories, with an
attic over portion. The fire spread from
the store house to the coal and wood sheds,
containing five hundred tons of coal and
five hundred cords of wood, which We're
soon on fire and demanded the best efforts
of the iiremen to keep it under control.
The fire department of Winoosk were
early in the day. supplemented by hose
companies from Burlington and were
greatly aided by the powerful force pumps
of the mill and also of Z lwards e. Stevens
machine shop, and it is doubtful if with
any less efficient work the fire could have
been kept from spreading to the dwellings
in the village.
Two brakemen on the train were slightly
injured by the collision and an employe of
the wooden mill, named Smith, who was
standing on one of the car loads Of lumber,
was blown off by the explosion and
somewhat injured. No other casualties
occurred. The burning petroleum found
its way into the sewer which runs through
the mill yard, and several explosions
occurred in the sewer, shaking the ground
around. and throwing jets of flame from
the openings.
The store house contained 4GS000
pounds of wool. worth 100000; machinery
for the mills costing So 900; 300 barrels
If flour, of which 1870 were owned by
Stafford, Humphrey & Co., of Winooski,
and the rest by the Burlington Touring
company; number of bales of camels
hair; and large quantity of dye stuffs
and teazles. The burning coal and wood
was at last extingulshed with a loss OF
two hundred tons of coal and one hundred
cords of wood. Of the cars ON the side
track twelve were loaded with the property
VI luC MIL w., Wa eCVou Win COlu,
three with green lumber, and two with
merchandise. These, with five or six
cars loaded with rails, were wholly
destroyed. The store house was worth
$4,000. The loss of the company is
estimated by Mr.. Kennedy at rot TO
exceed S95,0O0, on which they have
S75, 800 insurance, $1,000 being on the
building, 900 on its contents. and
$500 on the coal and wood Most of this
is placed in the associated manufacturers
mutual insurance companies of New Eng
land-Sl0,00O each in the Arkwright,
Milowner's and manufacturers compa-
MES of Boston; a like sum in the Rhode |
Island company of Providence and Fire.
mans of Worcester, and the rest in the |
Fall River and other companies. The
fuel was insured through the agency of
7. S. Peck. Stafford. Humphrey & Co.,
had an insurance of 81 900 in the same
agency, which will more than cover their
loss. The loss of the railroad company is
some $4,000 to $4,000 The total loss
will thus aggregate from 100000 to
on which there is SIG 500 |
insurance. The company will sustain
net loss of some $4,000.
A valuable stock of indigo imported
by the company from Bengal, was fortu
nately stored in another building and was
not injured. The company has also
100000 pounds of unsorted wool, or twenty
days supply, stored elsewhere As it
mas a cargo of wool on the sea soon to
arrive, and as supplies of dye stuff, etc,
ordered by Mr.. Kennedy by telegraph on
are already on the way, the
business of the company will suffer no
The wooden mill company suffered the
oss of dyehouse by fro in 1862 involv-
ne II loss of $ll,500, and in 1868
anger dyehonse was burned with its
occasioning a loss of $4,000.
Both of their losses, however, were covered
~ insurance, and this is the first net loss
sustained BY the company.