Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-11-26
WATER SUPPLY SHORT.
Help from Burlington and
Rutland.
ORIGIN OF FIRE UNKNOWN.
Something About the Losses
and Insurance.

MIDDLEBCRY DEPOT, NOV. 22.-1he most
disastrous fro in the history OF the village
occurred here tonight. Mr. Parkhurst
delivery man entered their store at O'Clock
and found it flied with smoke. He imne-
diatelv gave the alarm and the steamer was
hauled out. II was not ready for uso and
it took half an hour to get it across the
bridge and in working order. In the mean
time the Sheldon block a mass of flames
and it was impossible to cross the bridge.
All tho steamer able to do was to keep
the fire on the east side of the creek. The
mill pump was out of order and the only
availe Bile water, aside from the steamer sup
ply. was from the old hand engine, which was
fortunately on the East side. By the aid Of
these the fire was kept between the river
and the railroad track to the Buttolph block
and worked slowly against the wind
through the stores occupied by Cushman's
dry goods store and Benedict's grocery, to
the Buttoph meat market. Long before
O'Clock these buildings were wrapped in
flames They were old buildings made of
pine, and burned with graf rapidity. For
tunately the old hand engine was able to
check the flames from crossing the railroad
track toward the south. The Kidder shop
by hard struggle. While the
fremen were struggling with these
buildings the strong wind from the south
had blown the flames into the Sheldon drug
store and this brick building was Quilted in
q short time. The fire was next driven
toward the cotton factory, tho wind being
very strong, and from the drug store the
flames spread to the grist mill and sheds in
the rear. the cotton mill was the next to
60 and seemed at this stage OF the fire as
though the whole village would CO. The
sparks rose to the height of several hun
dred feet ana wero carried all over the
Eastern part Of the village. From the
cotton mill the fire spread 10 Bssetts cn iug
house. This building joins 8eckwith's NV
house. In the meantime the old Allen
block was numbered among the doonoI
buildings, the eating house on one side was
sending flames away across the front of the
Beck with block and the flames from the
Allen block right across the road
were driven into the roof of the build
ing If one of the windows in the
front Of the block had been broken and ad-
mtted the flames il would have burned and
the flames would have run the whole longth
of TIE street. Several times ii was on fire
under the tin roo, bat the tin was torn oil
and by hard work the building was saved.
The fire was now under control on the east
side of the bridge the steamer which
was taken across the bridge when the fire
started did good service in keeping the
flames from spreading to the west side. The
east end OF the bridge was destroyed and
this prevented the spread of the fire on the
other side. The fire alarm was given at
O'Clock and at 1880 the larger part of the
business blocks on the east side
were smoking mass of ruins.
The drug store and mills and the
Allen block We're solid stone structures and
nothing bat the most intense heat could
have burned them in so short timo. The
electric light wires wero destroyed at tho
very beginning, leaving tho village in total
darkness. The telegraph Offices were in the
burned portion AID ali communication wa,
cat oil, except by single wire at the freight
office. II is almost impossible to give ac-
curete figures in regard to the losses at this
hour Ii O'clock Almost every insurance
company doing business III New England
will be obliged to share the loss.
The Work of sin. Firemen.
The fire companies quickly responded t,
the ala m, but owing to some diliicultie
with the engine it was half an hour afte
tue alarm was given before O stream was u
work. When they saw that it was impos
b!ble TO save the Sheldon block the wate
was turl ei on the Allen block and whei
the harles spread to Cushmans store
stream was turned on The bridge over tn
creeS. but with no effect. They mex
played on tho railroad bridge. The sloane
was stationed near the bakery and
length Of hose laid across the bridge wa
burned. All tL.y could do was to keel
the flames from spreading on the west sidt
OF the bridge When the fire reached tn
Commercial Union telegraph Office the citi
zcna bad a stream from the hand engine OF
tao railroad bridge. They next playe,
On the Brown block and from there went II
the Beckwith block, which was saved. Ai'
from burlington arrived at 1910. TIL
Ethans sent down their engine and cart Of
special train. About II members of tn
Ethaps, eight Of the Hooks and II o
The Barnes were on the train and at thi
hour Q;SOl the boys are hard at work, bu
all further danger is past. The Rutan
delegation arrived by special train just al
ter the Burlington contingent got here
Tho j. Ii. lam nhans brought cart an
about % men, the .ckwackets q cart an
engine and about 40 men and mombers c
other companies brought the men up {
$50 men. Tho fire is so well under contrC
they did not unload.
Tho Losses.
The losses are as follows Sheldon block
$4,000, insurance; Parkhurst $4,000, insul
ance; Danyew's barber shop, $500, insui
ance; Spires's pool room, $780, insuranc,
families upstairs. $500, insurance; Blu
tolph block $40, 600 insurance; Farnswort
hardware store, $4,000, insurance; Bate
block, $4,000 insurance; Cushmans stor
goods removed, slightly damaged But
tolph's meat market building
$500, insurance; Allen block, 5000
and we'll insured; Wainwright's mes
market and Johpson's eating house, $50
each, no insurance; Dr. Sheldon's stor,
stock and mill, Se2, 600, well insured; graf
in mill, $4,000, no insurance; cotton mil
fSoeO, small insurance; beckwith's stoe