Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-05-20
GOT BEYOND CONTROL
ConiiagratiOn Proved Too Great For
st. Adams Men TO Handle.
Over 100000 Worth Of Prop
erty Quickly Destroyed.
Wooden Dwelling Houses and Stores Furnished
Ample Food For Flames.

ST. ALBANS, w., May D.-Thc most dis
astrous conflagration which has ever visited
Vermont laid waste to great portion Of
the business section OF this town yesterday
afternoon. In five minutes the fire was
raging In n dozen different places and tho
fire companies were powerloss.
Fire broke out shortly after 3 o'clock I'm
the lumber yard of w. Il. Fonda, and I'm IA
short time several large piles of lumber
and the business office had ignited. A
high wind prevailed, and all efforts To
check the fire were unavailing. From the
lumber yards IL spread to adjoining build
ings, destroying the blacksmith shop Of
Louis st. Cyr Chisholm Bros. store, and
tenement honsc and drug store owned
and occupied by II. Eldred.
The fire next spread To the big building
occupied by the Crown Furniture com
company and Collins meat market. The
blocks of Wood a. Favro, j. II. Montiforc
and w. E. Dean, adjoining, were also de
stroycd.
At this point the wind had increased to
a miniature hurricane, and burning embers
were carried in every direction. The local
fire apparatus and large force Of towns
men cndeiNorcd TO prevent the fire from
extending to Main street, where the large
Efforts Had but Little Effect.
Swanton and Burlington were called on
for help, and at half-past four the first
piece of apparatus arrived. steamer
from Burlington arrived at half past five,
and all streams were directed to the build
ings on Main street, which had ignited.
1t was found impossible to prevent the
Main street blocks from burning, and o
dozen buildings were soon on fire at once
The first Main street structures that ignited
were the stores of w. 5. Bailey and II. B.
Morton. The Wallace Printing Co.'S
building, the stores of Lombard & Win
throp, Marceau g. Vincent, and Fullcr's
livery stable were laid in ashes soon after.
The horses and most of the carriages, har-
nesses, etc, in the latter were saved.
The government building on Kingman
street caught fire few minutes after
o'clock, and was Quilted. Most of the
papers, furniture, etc, were saved. The
Hill block, occupied by j. X. Welch and
w. N. Adams, was levellcd to the ground
At $3.50 the Messenger building caught
fire ami burned fiercely, the fire extending
to the block occupied by w. Fl. Ellis and
w. b. Woodward's stores.
Most Of the buildings were of wood, and
burned like tinder before the strong gale,
many occupants not having time to save
their effects
MOOre's marble works on ~sEOundry
street, Ryan's grocery store and ID tene-
ment houses in the vicinity on the same
street were destroyed. Shortly before six
o'clock tho entire Burlington fire depart
h@nt arrived and all companies joined
forces in an attempt to check the fire on
Main street.
Flames Checked.
The attempt was partially successful,
and the fire was checked in time to save
the best blocks on Main street. The stores
of A. L. Weeks, A. j. Lang and G. H.
Harvey, however, were burned, and at
this. point the progress Of the fire was
stayed. The fire was gotten under control
on Foundry street, six blocks north OF
MOorc's Marble works. The fire made al
most clean sweep from Stebbins street to
Hoyt. At $3.50 the fire was under control
The fire swept along the following course,
after leaving Fonda lumber yard: North
erly, along Catherine street, after igniting
many wooden buildings nearby, then
sweeping Kingman street. Centre and
HOyt streets were next visited by the
hungry element. Main street, from HOyt
to Centre on one side and from Kingman
to G. III. Harvey's on the other was laid in
ashes.
Fully 30 families are homeless, the
wooden tenements having been swept like
tindcr, giving the occupants hardly time
to save their effects. The hotels used
kerosene and candles last night, as the gas
and electric services were cut off. The
only light in the streets was from the
smoldcring embers. No serious accidents
are reported.