Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-05-24
ST, Adams FIRE SWEPT.
It's Business Portion Burned---
Loss $5OO,OOO.

The Ruins Cover 40 Acres---0OO PeO-
pie Homeless--the Government Build
ing and the st. Albans Messenger
Plant DestrOyed---a Lamp and a Curl
ing Iron Cause the Fire---the Flames
Jumped Half Mile.
The most disastrous fire that ever occur
red in Vermont burned over - acres at ST.
Adams Sunday afternoon, sweeping the
heart of the business portion on six
streets, destroying property valued at $780,
OOO wiping out 40 business places and 100
tenements, all in three hours time Five
hundred people were made homeless and
sought shelter the first night in the churches
and schools. The village was literally
strewn with the household goods and per-
sonal effects of those who managed to save
their property, and with the stocks of mer-
I chants and the household furniture of
countless families, who moved out in an
ticipation of the spread of the fire.
The fire was started by the explosion of
a lamp over which a French woman was
heating a curling iron. The flames spread
rapidly through the little house to Fonda's
lumber yard near the Central Vermont
freight depot Before the hose companies
could begin work the lumber sheds and
I
high south wind prevailed and carried the
blazing brands far to the north, setting the
roofs of buildings on fire half mile off
The flames spread with great rapdity, and
dozen buildings situated in different parts
of the town were on fire at the same time
Great excitement prevailed among the
merchants and tenants in the exposed dis
trict, who began moving their stocks of
! goods and household effects to the street
and public park. Many merchants lost their
entire stocks, and most of the families
] burned out saved nothing. The fire baf-
! fed the efforts of the firemen, who fought
| CALAMITY to stay its progress. The flames
! swept to the northward and crossed Lake
street and began the work of destruction
on Foundry street, near Kingman. Every
! building on Kingman street was destroyed,
and from it the fire swept out upon Main
street in both directions. Meanwhile bust
ness blocks 20 rods distant on North Main
street were burning and the east side of
| Foundry street was a mass of flames. On
ward swept the fire, consuming tenement
houses like finder boxes, driving their oc-
cupants out into the street, where they
were compelled to stand aud witness the
destruction of their homes and worldly
possessions.
From Kingman street the fire crossed to
Centre street, destroying every building on
both sides of this thoroughfare. Hoyt
street suffered a similar fate, and in less
| than an hour became a desolate waste.
/ Still further to the north the work of de
| struction went on burning houses 80 rods
away from the blazing business blocks.
| Assistance was asked of the fire depart
ments in Burlington and Swanton, and
| special trains were sent to those places to
bring the tiremen and hose carts to the re-
lief of the burning village.
1t was O'Clock when the fire broke out,
and it was under control at 6, half an hour
after the arrival OF a steamer and % men
from Burlington.
The government building, on which 500
600 had been expended, was Quilted. The
extensive plant of the St. Adams Messen-
ger was destroyed, causing a loss of S45,-
600 on which there was an insurance of only
$4,000. The concern was controlled by
the Central Vermont railroad company's
interests, and the building will be rebuilt
and a new plant established as soon as
possible. The Daily Messenger is now be-
ing issued from the Courier office at Swan
ton. The publication of Col. Forbess
new magazine, "The Vermonter" will be
delayed several weeks.
The heaviest losses are these:
Arthur L. Weeks. boots and shoes. loss sl2,.
| goo, Insurance $1,000; A. J. Lang, clothing loss
SllOOO, insurance $1,000; Harvey & Sullivan furni.
! ture, loss 5000, insurance $1,000 Folsom 4 Nor
! ton, hardware loss $4,000. insurance unknown:
/ {. Z. Marceau, boots and shoes, loss 5000 in
| surance OF S4OOO: S c. Greene stoves and tin.
| ware, loss 5000 insurance $1,000: Fred X. Wood
| ward, restaurant, loss 1000, insured 5. s. Be
! dard, tenements, loss $500; insured; Michael
| Sullivans house loss $500, insurance Sl2OO: Dr.
! 5. W. Paige block loss 5000. insurance $1,000:
j. l. Milo, tailor, loss $500. insurance $1,000: J
| T. WEIGH, druggist, loss S6O0O insurance $500;
| St Adams Gas company, loss $1,000, insured
The Curtis Pierce estate block, loss Sl2 900, lusur
| ance $4,000; Richardson. Twigg x Co., loss $780,
insured: Harrington Post, law office, loss $1,000
| partly covered Mrs. Glider, millinery loss $780,
| Central Vermont railroad three tenements, loss
! $500; Jerry ScOheld two tenements loss
$1,000, insurance S2i0O; DR.. J. n. JENNIE tenement
| and barn, loss $500, insurance $1,000: Hanson
| Lewis, six tenements, loss Sll 800, insurance
! $500; i. Pelky lumber yard, loss $1,000; no in
| surance; st. Adams Foundry company, loss 5000
| partly insured; Mrs w. c. Smith, two tenements
loss $780, insured; DR.. John Sheerar, loss $500
insurance 500; Peter Breen. two tenements
$1,000, partly insured. There were In addition
many losses ranging from $500 TO $1,000 in each
case.
Later dispatches say that two children
playing with matches started the fire in a
mass of shavings, the flames spreading to
the lumber yard The high wind carried
the large brands many rods away, setting
fire in dozen places at the same time.
The loss is now estimated at $780, 900,
probably half covered by insurance. Fully
100 buildings were destroyed. Sixty dwell
ings and 80 business houses are in ashes
The distance laid waste by the confiagra-
ton is fully half a mile long and covers so