Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-20
HAVOC UF 7HE FLAMES.
Business Center of St. Albans,
 Vt., Almost Destroyed.
LOSS WILL BE HALF A MILLION

The City Only Saved by the Arrival of the
 Huntington Fire Departmsnt-ThrGe Msn
 Lose Their Lives In q Hoarding HouSs
 Fire-HaliC.x V!sited by Flames.
 ST. ALBANs. Vt. May 20-A disastrous fire swept St AltHns yesterday afteTnOor, destroying dwellings, business blocks, public buildings and A large amount of S5OO. 900. The fro broke out in the lumber yard of w. E. fonda, and in a short time several largo piles of lumber and the business office had iGnited. high wind prevailed. and all efforts were unavailing to check the ire From the big lumber yard it spread to adjoining huild- ings, destroying the black smith shop of Louis St. Cyr, Chisholm Brothers store and tho tenement house and drug storo owned and occupied by F. Itldrcd. The fire next spread to the big lui!ding ocCu- pied by tho Crown Furniture company and Collins meat market. The blocks of Wood x Favro, J. II. Montifore and W. k Dean adjoining were also destroyed in a short space of time.
 At this point tho wind had increased to q miniature hurricane and burning em- bers were carried in every direction. The local fire apparatus and n largo force of tuwnsmen endoIvorCd to prevent the fro extending to Main street. where the large business blocks wcro located, but their efforts had little ur no eiTect Swanton and Burlington wcrU called on for help. A steamer from Burlington arrived and all the streams were directed to tho burning buildings on Main street whioh had ig nitod from flying emhers,
 It was found impossible to prevent the Main street blocks from burning, and a dozen buildings were soon un fire at onCc. The first Main street structures that ig nitod were the stores of w. :. Bailey and F. E. Morton. Tho Wallace Printing cOmpany's building tho stores of Lombard X Winthrop. Marccau X Vincent and Full Ter livery stables were laid in ashes soon after. The horses and most of tho car riagCS, harness, etc, in the latter were | saved
 The government building on kingman | sSreCt caught f1Io and was guttcd. Most of the papers. furniture, etc, was saved | The Hill block. occupied by J. F. Welch | and w. \. Adam, was loveled to the ground. The Messenger building caught | fire and burned ficrcely for over half an hour. the tlrs extending to tho block occu- | pied hy w H. Ellis and W. R. Woodward . stores Most of tho buildings wore of wood and burned like finder before the strong gale many occupants not having | time to rescue their effects.
 | Moora's marble works on Foundry | street Ryan's grocery store and l2 tonG- mcnt houses in the vicinity on the same | street were destroyed. At last the entire Burlington fire department arrived and | all the companies joined forces in m at tempt to chcck tho fire on Main street. The attempt was partially successful. and the fro was checked in time to save | the moro valuable blocks on Main st rect. | The stores of A. l. Weeks, A. ]. Lang and G. IL Harvey on Main street, however, were burned. and at this point the prog | reSS Of the fire was staid Control of the fire was obtained on Foundry street. six blocks north of MOorr's marble works. Tho fire made almost n clean sweep from Steb bins street 10 Hoyt, turning many people out of their homes. The St. Alban. House was saved with great difficulty l The loss will exceed S100, GOO.
 Tho fro, after leaving Fonda lumber 1 yard, pursued n nurthCrly course along | Catherine street, eating up many wOodrI i buildings near by, then going along Ring
 man street. From Center street on on, sde to lloyt street on the other a wall O
 fire swept through tho entire district tC and across Main street, which for severn
 blocks was laid waste. including mum
 Der of tenement houses.
 Fully 50 families are homeless, and tn,
 occupants had time to savo only few O
 their effects. Tho hotels had to use kero
 sone and candles last night, as tho gas anl
 electric light services were cut off, Th
 only light in tho streets was. from th
 smuldcrinS emberS.
 No serious accidents arc reported. It i
 impossible ro give the insurance on th
 burned property, as tho underwriters ar
 unable to ascertain what tho figures ar
 themselves. The total loss as near as cal
 be figured is above s I92, GOO