St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-12-24
FIRE AT BARNET.
William S. Brooks Hotel and A. S.
LauehIin'S Block Totally Destroyed
Tuesday Night.

by serious fire on Tuesday and with
in an hour over $4,000 worth of
property was destroyed. The fire
started at 4 80 p. m. in barn be-
longing to William S. Brock. Mr..
Stevens, his hired man, had gone in
to the barn to feed the stock and
hung the lantern in its accust omed
place. In a moment he saw blaze
and the lantern exploded, igniting
the hay in several places. He threw
the lantern out doors and MIR. Brock
who was just across the street, saw
the blaze and ran into the barn. He
succeeded in getting the burning hay
down the manger chute, but the
smoke was so dense that he could
not stay there and as soon as he left
the flames burst out again. In
very few minutes the barn was all
on fire. The flames spread to the
two barns and then to the hotel ad
joining. There was quite wind at
the time and just in the right direc-
ton to take the Laughlin block next,
and last of all Dr. McDowell's barn
There are no facilities for fighting
fire in this village, and about all the
people could do was to keep the
roofs wet on the adjoining structures
and save the furniture aud goods in
the burning buildings. The Laugh
lin block burned very slowly, render
ing it very much easier to save the
stock. The crowd which gathered
there was orderly and did excellent
service in saving property.
William S. Brooks loss included
his hotel, where the family lived, and
three barns. In the barns were SO
tons of hay, 800 bushels of corn, so
bushels of barley, eight harnesses,
sleighs, plows, harrows and agricul-
tural tools, that were all burned,
besides five shoats and some hens
The rest of the live stock was saved.
In the hotel Mr. Brock saved the
furniture on the first and second
floors only. He estimates his total
loss at fully $4,000, insured for $1,000
in the Vermont Mutual.
The Laughlin block was owned by
A. S. Laughlin and the block and the
contents of Mr.. Laughlin's jewelry
c+0
stock in R. K. Laughlin & Cos
drug store was valued at about
$1,000; insured for $500. There was
no insurance on the millinery store
of Miss Robina Laughlin. All the
insurance held on this block and con-
tents was carried in stock companies
by P. D. Blodgett & Co. of this
place. A good portion of the con-
tents of the three stores was saved
by the crowd, who worked like
veteran firemen to save the goods.
Besides the three stores there were
six tenements in the Laughlin block,
occupied by A. S. Laughlin, R. K
Laughlin, Miss Robina Laughlin,
Maria Abbott, DIR. Mcdowell, E. ].
Stewart, now of Mills, Mass. Mr..
Stewart had a valuable piano that
was not at all improved by being
brought out of doors to be season
ed by the heat and rain. His proper
ty was insured for 500 with P D.
Blodgett & Co. Each of the tenants
saved some of the furniture, though
of course all lost much by the fire.
DIR. McDowell's loss on his barn was
small
There was some delay in sending
to st. Johnsbury for help and there
was more delay here in getting
the train started from the depot.
The fire alarm was sounded here at
O'Clock, but it was nearly z o'clock
before the train started, owing to a
delay in coupling platform car to
passenger car The Railroad street
hose company, the Deluge engine and
several ladders from the Hook and
Ladder company were taken down
and the firemen came home on the
early morning train. The engine
was not taken from the cars, as the
fire was under control before the
train reached Barnet.
Thisis serious blow to this thriv-
ing village and one from which they
will not soon recover. Both Mr..
Laughlin and Mr.. Brock have not
decided whether or not they will re-
build, though all hope that both will
see their way clear to do so. Within
the last 50 years this village has had
20 buildings burned to the ground,
the heaviest loss being the wooden