Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-06-08
LXI, NEW SERIES VOL. XXXIH.

Pioneer Shops fire brigade, under the di.
rection of Col U. A. Woodbury. had already
kept several streams of water on the
buildings and lumber at that point, wet
ting them down and thus retarding the
flames, but the sides of the Booth lumber
shed and the high board fence sent up
great clouds Of steam and several times
took fire The firemen held their places,
however, improvising screens of board |
to break the force of the almost intolera-
BILE heat. These protectors became
scorched and had to be frequently wet
down to prevent their taking fire. Show
ers of sparks and flakes of fire were swept |
northward, and the work of fighting the
fire was rendered more difficult by the eX-
tent of territory exposed Several times
FIRE knded on the bank near Writings
brush factory and a shovel brigade
directed their efforts to putting out the
fire on the bank, while another force
manned the hose and wet the exterior OF
the brush factory and neighboring build
ings.
BY 9 O'Clock the fire had chiefly spent its
energy toward the north and the tremens
heroic work, aided by slight change iu
the direction of the wind had averted inn
minent danger of the conhagration spread
ing to the Pioneer shops.
In the meantime scene of confusion
prevailed on Battery street in either direc-
ton from the Taft g. Morgan mill. The
tenement houses Immediately adjoining
We're on fire almost instantly, giving the
occupants barely time to remove a portion
of their contents. AS the conflagration
spread the confusion increased and Battery
street was filled with a crowd of spectators
mingled with the owners of houses and
their friends removing household effects.
AS the firemen were all needed At points
north it was impo jsible for them to do
anything for these houses Pail brigades
were accordingly organized among the
spectators and the roofs of most of the
houses were kept vet until several lines of
hose could be spared to go to their assist
ance At one time it looked as if the Cen
tral Vermont passenger station would
take fire and the passenger cars were run
down the tracii for a considerable distance.
To prevent the spread of the fire in the
direction of Shepard q Morses offices and
the station attention was directed to
keeping down the flames in q. l..
| Linsley's coal Office which was one of
the first buildings to catch fire after the
Baldwin Co.'S office. The rapdity with
which the flames spread to adjoining
buildings can be judged from the tact
that Mr.. Wright, who has charge of
Mr.. Linsley's office, and who went in 10
arrange the safe, was obliged to escape
from one of the windows. The clerks in
the Baldwin Manufacturing Co.'S office
also had to fly i'll haste, with three or four
of the books, which they snatched from
the desks as they ran. Mr.. Joel Linsley
went in to the office to get some papers
and attempted to unlock one of the safes
but before he could do so he found him
self surrounded by flames, and was put tc
the alternative of jumping through win
dow at the risk of personal injury or of
rushing through flames if he made his exit
by the door. He choose the latter alter
native and left the safes and papers m
touched. The safes fell with the doors
down, and it is hoped that the contents
are uninjured The safes contained most
of the books in current use, but all the
files, copy y-books, invoices, vouchers and
statistics since the company went into
business in August, 1882, We're destroyed
Shepard & Morse's Office and the two store
houses to the rear, As well rs the depot
caught fire several times, but these build
ings were not damaged to any extent.
While the main force of the fire depart
ment were fighting the fire in its progres.
northWard, part of the force We're en-
gagged in wetting down Shepard q Morse''
planning mill, which was the last
TO take fire, The intense, heal
made it impossible for the iremeI
to work on the east side of the mill, bu
the west side of the structure WIS drenched
the water being several inches deep upDI
the floor. But in spite of the 1iremen the
fire continued its progress in the roof anC
by the time the contiagration was check
ed at the north, the flames burst forth IL
their greatest fury in this mill in thu
shaviugs house next to the engine house
About this time the water became low, ,ow-
ing to the large number of streams on; but
the steam fire engine at Wlnoosk, which
had been telegraphed for arrived abou
9:l5 and soon had two good streams di
rected on the mill. The thick brick wall
! of the engine and boiler house prevented
, the spread of the flames into tho,,
apartments and the main force of the fir
department at once directed their atten
ton to this mill so that the flames were
eXtingushed after about half of the roo
, and portion of the east side of the slruc
ture had been consumed.
. The Champlain shops as we'll as the of
lice OF the SklllngS, W hltneyS * Barne
Lumber company had close call, the for
mer taking fire, but the flames being pu
out without difficulty. The paint on boil
was scorched SO that it pcaled off in larg
patches.
The establishment OF James Lee at Bat
2 terry and College street caught severa
= times, but was not materially damaged
I although the heat was 50 intense that thu
metal numbers were melted, running
down the side of the building.
e The houses of Joseph Bray north o
) North street and j. w, Madigan on Nortl
Y street, took fire from burning cinder
! whirled half mile by the wind. Bray
house got well on fire and would have bee
= destroyed 1ut for the assistance of tn
s Winooski steamer company, who stOppe
/ ON their way over from WlnOoski and eX
. tinguished the flames.
G THE LOSSES
h The severest sufferers by the fire, n
, doubt, are the Taft Brothers, whose thirty
3 ing industry is wholly destroyed. The
p had in the mill a large quantity of finishe
:, work and work in process of manufacture
4, ,,,l fnA lnin nGtn 4