The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-06-26
$4,000 FIRE AT WEST BRATTLE-
BORO.
Three Blocks and a Harm Burned to the
GrOund-Five Families HOmeless-East
Village steamer stays the Flames.

UrOunO--F1ve Famii1es HOmelesS-East
Village steamer stays the Flames.
West Bratteboro had her second dis
astrous fire of recent years aturday
evening". one that swept away some
go. 900 uf property, including the
Clark block, built on the site OF the
hotel burned some doz a years ago,
together with two other blocks and
the old hotel barn. The fire broke
out about II 80 O'Clock in A II 4 e
Stratton's meat market, a one story
building which waslfull of grease and
burned with lightning like rapidity,
almost. From there tho fire quickly,
communicated to DR. G S Clark's three
story block occupied by M | Mather's g
store, the post office and three other
tenants and running along the ell to
the block leapcd to the old hotel barn
and set fire, to John Sargent's barn
short distance beyond. though the
flames we're finally stayed here after
burning off one side of it. From the
starting point IN the Stratton building
the flames leaped the bank and de-
stroyed L H knapp's two story block
occupied by Henry Prefountain's meat
market and barber shop. In the
old hotel barn II fat hogs and
number of pigs were burned, but the
horses, cattle, wagons, etc, were saved.
The fire was discovered and the
alarm given by stranger riding
through the village. Mr. Knapp imme
dately looked out and saw what looked
like great rolls of fame filling the
Stratton building and very shortly af
ter the flames burst out from every
part of it. E o Weatherhead in Clark
block looked out at about the same
time and is very positive he saw two
fires, one in the Stratton building ana
another in the barn 60 feet away: but
DR. Clark thinks the latter must have
been reflection. as he was there
several minutes later and saw none eX
cept what was coming from the
ell of the block. The Western Engine
company responded to the alarm, but
though fighting gallantly could do lit
tie against tire spreading at both
ends. Steamers arrived from the East
village. II A Stockwell telephoned
''three buildings on fire. to Chief
Turner. who had been sick abed since
Thursday, threatened with pneumo
mia, but he jumped into his clothes
and got down to the engine house and
rang the alarm, and just q minutes
after it was rung, steamer No 3 wa
there and set by the mill, $50 feet of
hose laid and stream playing, and by
this means the fire was stopped at
the eatern end of the village and it is
the fret time people living outside the
East village limits have had the ben
etit of keeping horses in the engine
house But by 2 o'clock the fire was
under control.
The E1tey Steamer company respond
ed as usual to the alarm, but finding
the fire was at the West village the
men returned home. After Chief Tur
ner reached the scene he telephoned
Gen. Estey to send up help and
though there was some trouble in the
con ction to cause delay, Gen Estey
got up, land aroused some men while
the electric road placed car at tn |
service Of the department, Mccarthy |
AN it himself with Pr esident Crosby |
10 help and some great time was made |
,aking the engine with George W Full
er in charge from Birge street to West |
Brattleboro in Is minutes, including a
'top at the Elliott street corner for
,oal But when it arrived the fire was
under control.
There are conflicting theories as to |
he cause of the fire but tho most
one is that it caught from
he trying out of lard in the Stratton
market which had been in progress
Turing the afternoon and evening, and
hey had been out of there but a short
ime when it broke out. Two or three
ifferent people think they noticed
right light there before the alan,
nut they gave it no attention at the
ime. There is story of two men be
ng seen running away from there and
mother about boys returning from
be rally and stopping about there to
rink and smoke, but they cannot So
ar be verified, though many people
nsist on believing that it was lncen
iary.
The losses are:
That on the buildings between
5 800 and 81, 600. Insurance 50, 800.
Mather's stock of goods, 81, 800 In
france So, 800.
A FL and L f Stratton's building,
,, 600; stock, fixtures and furniture, 4
bout $1,000. Insurance $1,000.
L II Knapp on building 81, 800. In
france $500.
John Sargent damage by fire and c
ater $1,000, Mrs Laura Power. who '
we'd in the Sargent house, S156 as !
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