Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-04-27
THE TOWNSHEND FIRE.
The East Side of the Business
Street Wiped Out.
The Baptist Church, the Seminary,
Hollands Store, the Hotel, and
Several Dwellings Laid Low i'm Two
Hours Time Thursday Afternoon.


Hollands Store, the Hotel, and
Several Dwellings Laid Low in Two
Hours Time Thursday Afternoon.
Fire wiped out the east side of the
Main street of Townshend yesterday after
noon between the hours of 2 and 1. The
burned district comprises the entire space
beginning with the Baptist church on the
north, and ending with the Powers house,
next to the Baptist parsonage on the
south.
The total loss is S2j, 900 to $4,000, with
| $4,000 insurance, approximately. The
burned buildings included the Baptist
church, Leland & Gray seminary, the
building owned by O. f. Coombs and oc-
cupied Mr.. Coombs and his son-in-law, w.
! S Holland, as a dwelling, and by Mr.. IIol-
land as a general country store; the West
River House, owned by the Thomas Ey-
ans estate; the DR.. Clark place. occupied
by Mrs. Seneca Howe and her son Harlan;
the Clark drug store, the one-story dwell
! ing owned and occupied by Mrs Swan,
and the n. w. Powers house, a well known
brick building, which was vacant, and
which, with its slated roof, was the means
of staying the flames on the south. In
front of the Clark store stood a small shop
formerly occupied as shoemakers shop,
but vacant at this time.
The fire stated in the barn owned by
Mrs. Sarah Wilson, in the rear of the Bap-
tist church. Its origin is unknown. 1t
was at first supposed to have started from
a burning brush heap, but Mrs. Wilson is
| confident that there had been no fire in
the vicinity and that the brush heap
caught from the burning barn. In the
rear of the church were two rows of horse
sheds, standing at right angles The Will
son barn stood in the angle, forming two
sides or ends of the sheds.
Those who saw the fire to the north and
| from the rear say that it spread with great
rapdity from the burning barn and horse
sheds to the barns, sheds, and other out
buildings which stood in the rear of the
| burned buildings. The first structure to
catch after the Wilson barn was the shed
or lean-tO of the hotel barn. From the
barns and outbuildings the fire worked in
ward to the street along the whole line.
! For some time while the fire was burning
| fercely along the rear these buildings APP
peared from the front to be all right.
| Within 30 minutes from the first alarm the
flames had seized upon the rear of all the
property which was burned. When, few
minutes later the conilagratiOn reached its
|
a mass of roaring flames, the scene was APP
palling.
As showing how fiercely the sparks drove
before the wind it is stated that the roof of
Frank Howe's house, below c. c. Taft's,
was on fire before the flames reached the
| church. The roof of Taft's house was on
| fire four times, and it required constant
work with pals OF water TO save it from
| destruction. The sparks drove across to
| the side of the mountain, and set it on fire
in many places.
\ stubborn and successful fight was
made at the small building next above the
church, formerly KenyOn's drug store, now
occupied by Mrs. Chase, to keep the fire
from going north.
So rapidly did the fire work to the south
that the roof of the hotel fell while that of
the seminary was still burning. The stu
dents and Others fought off the fire from
the roof of the seminary until driven out
by the flames in the cupola. The flames
caught on the church and the seminary at
about the same time, but the church being
a wooden building burned much the more
rapidly.
The bell of the church was rung as long
as it was safe to stay inside. The alarm
was also given by the blowing of the Will
lard steam mill whistle below the village,
This carried the news to the people living
on the farms, who came in with all speed,
and joined their efforts with the villagers
in the brave and determined work.
The village had nothing in the way of
fire-fghting equipment. Pals of water
from the various house supplies We're the
only weapons. The Powers house stood
very near to the Baptist parsonage, and
that the fire was stayed a that point is due
largely to the fact that the well in the Phil
lips yard on the opposite side of the street
furnished an abundant water supply fol
wetting the carpets and bed clothing, which
were hung over the exposed side of the
parsonage building.
The pipe organ in the Baptist churcl
was taken out, but was probably ruined in
the process. The reed organ was alsC
saved. The pulpit and chairs were taken
ont. From the seminary the piano, the
most valuable of the library books, and
the chemical and physical apparatus were
removed. The greater part of the good;
was got out of the front part of the Hol
land store, and most of the household fur
niture was saved from the dwelling. Hol
land had about 115 barrels of flour il
stock 5S were saved. a part, possibly
half, of the furniture was removed from
the hotel, and considerable portion OF ln'
, goods was removed from the other houses
w. Jaquith, the liveryman, lost quan
tity of grain and two or three harness, bu
saved his horses and carriages.
p Frank Rand saved live stock which h
r had in the Powers barn, but lost farming
tools and household furniture which wer
stored there. The only animals burne
D were Cyrus Farmers COW in the Wilson
; barn and several hens belonging to Mrs
l Wilson. Farmers COW had been sold to b
. delivered next Monday, and 81 paid dow
to bind the sale. 1t is a question to whor
j the COW belonged, and who must stand tn
loss.
= Furniture and carpets were remove
= from the parsonage and the two houses be
5 low, as well as from some houses on tn
;, opposite side of the street. The glass i
u the front of Taft's building, opposite tn
hotel, was cracked by the heat, and tn
o paint on the Adams store was blistered.
Help from BrattIebOrO.
As soon as it was seen that the fire coul
a not be controlled telephone messages wei
sent to Jamaica and Newfane, and peOp
came from both places. Brattleboro WI
- also informed of the situation and VIZ
asked for help. The news aroused quic
sympathy and was at once respondC