Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-06-29
OLD COLLEGE DAYS,



Some interesting particulars of college
life in our University more than fifty
years ago, were recently obtained by
of the FREE Pass from
one OF the Oldest graduates Of the insti-
tuition, the sole survivor of the class of
~. 1t was during the Freshman year of
this class that the original college build
ing was burned This building, said
our informant, was bare, quaint struc-
turc, four stories high, with four parallel
halls running its entire longth, i'll the diff
ferent stories, each hail connected with
the one above by n stairway. The rooms
were on either side of the hall, east and
west. 1t was on Il pleasant Spring eve
ming when the fire which destroyed the
building broke out. was sitting-cou-
tinucd our informaut-in my room in tho
fourth story (all, or nearly all, of the STU
dents, then roomed in the building) en-
gagged upon my morrow's lessons, when
suddenly I
Heard the CRY OF Fire!
Dropping my books, and snatching up
my water-pail, l ran up into the belfry,
and looked out through ono OF the small
windows. The roof of the southern part
OF the building was blazing beneath me.
1t was as dry as finder, and had evident
ly been kindled by sparks falling from
one Of the chimneys. The sparks We're
afterward ascertained to have come from
some shavings, which 4 student in the
lower story had placed in his stove. l
leaned from the window, and threw my
little pailful of water on the blazing
shingles--but, of course, its effect was
nothing on the rapidly spreading flames.
Fastening back to my room, l gathered
up my books, and threw them from the
window, and then ran down the stairs and
into the open air All the students were
now aroused and on hand with their pals
and basins, but rs there was no water at
hand, except in wells Mt some little dis
lance away, and rs the flames were
spreading with frightful rapidity through
the draughty old building, We soon saw
that resistance was useless. Indeed, so
rapidly did the fire gain, that was I'M
able even to get my books away from the
blazing walls before it was too late to
save them. Burlington had no fire COM
pany then, and nothing, practically,
could be done to save the building. With
in an hour from the time the fire was first
seeiI, the old college was in ashes.
After the original building burned, and
before the next buildings were erected,
the Rotations and chapel exercises We're
held i'll large unoccupied dry goods
store at the north end OF the then
square" rs it was called, or college
park. Here long circular gallery ran
around the inside of the building, where
the students were wont to perch them
selves, at chapel prayers, in no very rev.
erent attitudes. As early rs this also,
The Medical Department
was in existence, though far from en-
joying the ilourishing fortunes which af-
terward befell it. The first lectures were
delivered, regularly, to mixed classes of
ladies and gentlemen, in the old "Pearl
Street House"-not the present convent
building, but one which stood on the
same site, and was finally burned. Soon
after, II PLAN, and somewhat rude build
ing was erected ON the site of the present
Medical College, and used for lectures.
ne cItss ol ilcu WHO ttteuotcu lneulcul
lectures IN those days was considerably
below that of the present day. One Of
them, for instance. was hostler here in
Burlington, and divided his time between
currying and siabling horses and thumb
ing note books full of strange diseases
and still more dubious and dangerous
These We're the days, it
must be remembered when
The Ola stage Coaches
used to run on the turnpike" between
the principal places in Now England.
Burlington was on the main thorough
fare, and every day the great rolling
coaches with their four or six horses, as
might be, came dashing into the square,
with merry footing of the horn and shouts