Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-11-19
THE TOWNSHEND FIRE.
Six Buildings Burned, including the
sold Corner store"
Nine Families made Homeless mud
Property Loss Of about SIS 900.


Property Loss Of about SIS 900.
RAD BLOW FOR ONE ~ THE BEST roWvs
IN wiNDHAM COUNTY--A DETAILED AC-
CouNr oF THE DISASTER
The village Of Townshend was visited last
Friday night by a disastrous fire. which
wiped ont large block Of property and
inflicted such a severe loss ms few places Of
this size are called upon 30 sustain. Begin
ming in the cold Corner Store, 50 long oc-
cupied by T.. J. Knapp and only the MONDAY
before sold 10y Knapp& Day tow X. Phillips
it swept both ways, destroying six buildings
and leaving a mass of snoulderng RUINS the
entire space opposite the southeast corner
Of the Common between N. NJ Martins aud
George Porter's The total loss was between
Sl2, 600 and $4,000.
The fire was first seen 10y Zina Cobb,
young man in the employ Of T.. b. Batchel
der. The time was little past g..iO.
Young Cobb gave the alarm, which was Mt
once taken up by others, aud made a rush
for the store. It was the evening Of the
closing exhibition at Leland < Gray acade
my. and the people Of the village were very
generally in attendance upon it, with many
from outside. The exercises were about
two-thirds through when the alarm came
and it is needless 30 say that they were
brought to an abrupt close. 1t was sup
posed 10y many for a time that the fire was
in the academy building. and there was
some danger Of stampede and crush, hut
this was avoided 10y the action and warning
words of the cooler headed ones Mr.
Knapp got glimpse through the window
which showed him the location Of the fire
and he quickly made his way to the door
and down ~ the street. Young Cobb first
went through the glass and sash Of the
front door and was closely followed 10y Mr..
Knapp, who was intent on saving his az
count books and other valuahlcs, which he
had intended 10 leave in the store during
the winter. while his personal affairs were
in process Of settlement Others followed,
and the work Of clearing the front store
began, in such haphazard fashion as is in
evitable on such an occasion. The safe and
Office furniture. which belonged to Mr.
Knapp, not having been included IN the
sale of the store. were got out, IA were all
Of Mr. Knapps books and accounts Mr.
Phillips had closed the store and gone home
to his fathers, where he was staying, soon
after O'Clock. He was suffering from sick
| headache and was undressed for bed when
| the alarm came. but reached the store IN
season to help in the removal of some of the
| goods before the progress of the fire drove
every one out.
The store property consisted of the main
building, about p by 40 feet III size. in
which were the front and back stores ON
the west side Of the back store, toward Mr..
| Cutters, was Il two-story projection which
| was used as an oil room and in which was
a large kerosene oil safe with "A capacity of
| 2l0 gallons at the southeast corner of the
| building was two-s story addition used be
| low as a ready made clothing room aud for
| the storage of farming tools. butter tubs.
etc. In the upper story Of this addition
| was a tenement occupied "A residence 10y
| Mrs c. T. Austin. the nilliner and dress
maker. over the main store was tene-
ment, which fortunately was vacant-Mr
| Day having moved ont of it only few days
before. Mr.. Phillips the new owner Of the
store. was to have occupied the tenement ia
| IA few days.
That the fire took in the oil room above
mentioned there j. no doubt Young Cobb
first saw the light there, and others who
looked out when the alarm was given saw
the flames there. There was a Ea-. door
between the front and back stores and
when Mr. Knapp first got into the front
store he could see the light shining through
from the oil room the fire having already
burned through the door The oil tank wa,
half full Of oil. and "a barrel of oil stool
beside ii which had not been pumped in.
Those who came 20 help clear the store had
been at work only few minutes when the
oil tank exploited. scattering the flame, and
burning oil through the back store and shat
tering the glass IN the door between the
front and back stores The force Of the
| explosion also burst uut the windows Of the
oil room. and drove the burning oil across
the passage way between the store and Mr.
Cutters. scattering it over the wood in Cut
ler'> shed and setting II on fire. A key CON
tanning about five pounds of powder stood
in the back store behind or near the door.
which Mr.. Knapp remembered. and kept
watch u see when the fire approached it .
and when he thought the danger point was
reached he gave the word. and all left the
store except Mr. Phillips, who did not hear
the warning \ moment later the explo-
sion came, when the flames were driven
from the back store clean through the front
store out of the front door to the sidewalk
Mr. Phillips, who was stopping down at the
time. was thrown over and we'd peppered
with broken crockery and other merchau-
disc, but was not seriously hurt
This practically ended the attempt t. save
goods from the store and the flames had
their own way in the building afterwari
Those who went up into Mrs. Austin's tene
meut in the ell found the rooms 80 full of
kerosene gas from the explosion that il was
impossible 10 enter them and save anything.
and all her household effects were burned
save only a sewing machine. which John
Gleason brought away. Before the eNplo-
sion # the oil some Of the helper, got the
platform scales. barrel of pork and a bar
rel Of lamp chimneys out of the back store
with these exceptions all the good, therein
were lost, and the packing III the barrel Of
chimneys afterwards took fire and burned.
entirely running them. 4 little clothing and
a few boots and other goods were thrown
out of the lower part Of the ell. but not
enough u amount 10 anything Among the
stuff there which burned was nearly a ton
Of dried apple In the store cellar was "a
. considerable quantity of potatoes. apples.
vinegar, fish, tallow, etc
Within an hour from the time the fire
started the store building had been burned
to it, foundations, and in the mean time the
, fire had spread to the buildings on either
! side. The first one to he seized upon was
/ the twO-story brick dwelling house Of Chas.
Cutler, ON the west which was separated
from the store building by IA space Of only
some - feet. and which was ON fire beyond
control almost in a moments time after the
flames reached il. The house was occupied hy
Mr.. Cutler and his family a. "A dwelling and
| IN the front corner room next the store was
the millinery shop of Mrs. Austin The
NuNeIe sdNeu lhe greater part ol thrlf
household effects, including bedding furni-
ture and clothing, though the progress of
the fire was 50 rapid that many ARTICLES
I were lost. No provisions were saved \
{ portion Of Mrs. Austin's good, wer,
u saved, hut in such condition that their value
Is very uncertain.
u The next building on the street in th, ii
3, recton was the two-story frame dwelling
!. house owned by Mrs. q. Wilkinson and oc
cupied 10y herself and 10y Mrs johnson and
her daughter, Mrs Walker This, too. the
flames seized upon and quickly destroyed
q though the occupants had warning enough
= 50 that the bulk Of their household effect,
e. was removed. For a time there seemed
to be no reason why the house of Geo. Por
4 ter, which stood next, should not go will
y the others, and the Porter family "a, well "a,
the family of c. c. Simpson, who occupied
# the west side of the house, carried out all
their goods. BY great exertious. however
! with as free a use of water as could %,
y made, this house was saved. The side next
= Mrs Nilkinsons was badly s,.urched. bu'
u did not take fire. In preparation for tn,
catastrophe, and with purpose Ia keep tn,
y flames from going still further up the street
e the building standing next above Mr.. Por
l. ters barn was torn down 10y cutting away
the upsfs and ,,,lliuor ..,.... ,,-;tb ,.,,....