Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-11-27

under the Smith building were of stone
along the west, north and two-thirds the
way down the alley on the east side,
thence to the south line of wood and on
the south side of stone. A wooden par
tition, corresponding in location with the
partition on the main floor between the
Danyew shop and the Parkhurst store,
divided the cellar into two parts, but was
full of holes through which people in
one cellar could see what was going on in
the other. The door into the Danyew
cellar from the alley on the east was at
the extreme south end of the Smith build
ing: the door into Parkhurst's cellar was
next to the partition. Mr.. Pritchard, II
marble-cutter in the employ of Adams
Il Bacon, was one of the first on the scene.
He and two or three other young men
were coming down FROM the direction of
the Congregational church and when near
the Allen block he smelled smoke. He
is an old fireman and at once told his
companions that there was trouble some
where. They looked ahead and saw
smoke coming out of the east side of the
cellar of the Smith building; on examin-
ing it at short range they say they found
it to be pouring from around the door
into the Parkhurst cellar. One of the
party ran up the street and gave the
alarm two others ran for the hose cart
at the engine room, and, reaching the fire
with it, reeled off some hose. About this
time others appeared on the scene and
the first thing that the crowd did was to
break In the Parkhurst cellar door. Judge
Slade. who arrived on the ground at an
early hour, says the most of the fire
seemed to be near this same cellar door,
Those who watched the early stages of
the fire from the street, or west, side of
the building agree in saying that both
the Danyew and Parkhurst rooms on the
main floor were about equally filled with
smoke; fire seems to have appeared to
the watchers on the street through
the floor of the Danyew shop in the
northeast corner one or two feet from the
partition dividing it from the Parkhurst
store. The most that can be said posit-
lively. then, is that the fire at the start
was in the cellar of the Smith building
very near the partition between the two
cellars of Danvew and Parkhurst, and
that this partition was of such character
az TO allow smoke to pass through it
readily. Mr.. Parkhurst kept a portion
of his grocery stock in his part of the
cellar. In the Danyew cellar was a
large quantity of wet sawdust that was
once used for packing ice and small
amount of lumber thrown down there
when the Danyew shop was repaired a
few weeks ago.
a perfectly trustworthy citizen, who
was assisting another man to carry the
workbench out of the Holton jewelrv
store, says the other man (whose name
he does not give remarked to him with
a significant wink that he would show
them how to build fire in Middlebury
that would burn.
1t is said by those who were first at the
fire that there was strong odor of
kerosene.
THE wATER-woRKs CONTRACT AND
BOND.
The contract for the water works with
W. II. Lang, Goodhue Il Co. of Burling-
ton is dated Dec. 26, 1890. The para
graphs of the contract relating to the
time of the completion of the work and
the terms of payment follow:
work shall be commenced on the
at once and work on the sta
ton and laying pipes will be commenced
in the spring as early as the season will
permit and materials can be got on to the
ground.
The system to be complete in running
order by August II, 1891.
ION the first of each month as the
work progresses estimates shall be made
on the work done and materials delivered
at Middlebury, and 50 per cent of the es-
iimated value of such work and materials
furnished shall be paid for within five
lays of the time of making such esti-
mate. The final payment of 20 per cent
shall be paid within 30 days of date of
u Of I.. IL
The contract price for the job is S3l,-
sol 80. Three payments have been made
oward the works. under the last of the
ibove-quoted paragraphs of the contract,
l. follows: July 20. $1,000: sept. 10.
S}S95.lO; Oct. lG, S5l22.2l. total of
s21.1l7.3l.
The bond given by the contractors
'eads thus:
Know all men by these presents that we,
Wizard Crane, Z. w. Scarf. \. J. Goodhue
md w II. Lang, all OF Burlington in the coun.
Y OF Chittendcn, are held ana firmly bound
INTO the village OF Middlebury in the sum OF
en- Thousand dollars, Tor the payment of
which we bind ourselves, heirs, executors and
firmly by these presents.
The condition of this obligation is such that |
whereas w. ii. Lang, Goodhue & CO. have en-. |
cred into certain contract with said village /
lnder date OF Dec. 20, 1890 tor equipping said |
'illage with Il water plant, pumps, etc. tor |
he details OF which said contract is referred |
Now, therefore, il said W. II. Lang, Goodhue |
Co. shall faithfully and fully perform said |
contract, this obligation shu be VOID, other |
wise in force. Witness our hands and seals |
It Burlington this 26th day OF December, 1890 |
(slgned) W CRANE,
{. W. sCARFF,
4. j. GOODHUE,
W. IL. Lang.
1t is, of course, asserted. and with .
ONE show of reason, too, that had the |
water works been in operation the fire .
night have been confined to the building
II which it originated, or even t, the eel
ars whence the smoke was first seen
'ouring. Whether that is the fact is not
. clear; but it is reasonable to suppose
hat the spread of the flames might have
zen checked ut an earlier stage than it
vas had there been the facilities for fight
ng fire which the village will have with
Is water works complete in running
RIDER" What remedy, if any, the vii
age has in the premises is for the law
ers to say or find out. The documents
bove quoted contain all the data in
olved. The work of laying the water
lains was begun in June and completed
4 October The pumping station was