Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-08-20
mt PHOENIX. BRATTLEBORO, FRIDAY. AUGUST 20, 1897
WAS IT 1NCENDIARYg

House owned by Rev. l.. =. Morse and
Occupied by Chns. CattanRch Burned
---%ornc one had Tempered with the
Hydrant
The FRS, Regiment band has sometimes
made features OF its descriptive pieces. but
such striking realism was never before in
troduced as Oh Wednesday evening, about
s:4j, when an alarm of fire sounded from
box 81. stampeding the big audience which
had gathered on Main street. The Valley
Fair rush would not compare favorably
with the hundreds Of people who hurried
out Canal street Many were deceived as
to the location, however, and climbed the
hill near the Canal street schoolhouse
The fire was in Rev T. 5. Morse's I 40
story house on South Canal street.-The last
house on the street going south and the
one nearest the Valley Fair ground en-
trance. This house was occupied by Chas
Catanach, the well-known painter The
building was entirely destroyed. and oniy
the contents of the front room were saved.
including a piano The total loss by the
fire is estimated at $500 MI Morse had
$1,000 insurance on the building in the Ma
tlonsl of Hartford, and Mr.. Cattanach 500
on his household goods and personal ef-
fects in the Orient of Hartford both poll
ces being written through the agency of
A. W. Childs d Co.
The first story Of the discovery of the fire
was that Mrs. Cattanach returned from a
neighbor's while her husband and children
/ were attending the band concert, and that
! when she entered the house and started TO
! open the kitchen door the flames burst out
/ almost in her face. The correct statement
/ is, however, that she returned home and
went upstairs to do some work, and after
several minutes was startled by an explo-
sion and rushed down stairs finding the
/ whole rear part Of the house, including the
kitchen, on FIRE She had time TO save
nothing in the kitchen except a basket Of
/ clothes which were standing near the door.
/ She rushed ont and gave the alarm by
shouting, and neighbor, repeated her cries,
until they were heard by Lieut. L. f.
Shields, who lives at the Hall place. He
FASTENED down the hill to the fire alarm
box near Mrs. Fletcher's.
VIII Warren Of Esteyville. a member Of
/ the FIRE department, Arthur l. Howe and
/ Carroll Allen We're among the first men TO
arrive and saved the piano and some OF the
furniture in the front part OF the house.
The IRE department responded promptly
and made the long run 10 the scene Of the
hre IN good time. being ready for work IN
abou, Is minutes There was a delay of
four or i've minutes owing 10 the fact that
the chain OF the cap of the hydraut near
the junction of the street " III Clark road
had been twisted SO tina, the cap could not
f be- removed. The cap was finally smashed
with at axe. The pressure of the hvdrant
at this elevation was SO slight that the
only service the hose companies could do
was to take water for steamer No 4. The
flames enyeloped the house. SO that ID was
impossible 10 save il. The stream from
the steamer was OF great service in saving
! the house OF Fred Billiard, a short dis
/ lance from the burning building
There had been no tire in the house dur
/ ing the DAY. Nj Cattanach believes the
/ fire was Of incendiary origin, and that the
/ flames spread to the oil tank containing
several gallons Of oil and that the explo-
! sion of the tank aroused Mrs. Cattanach.
/ IL the fire was set the firebug must have
/ been extremely reckless TO have approached
/ the house when he could see plainly that
! Mrs. Cattanach was upstairs Chief Engi-
/ neer Turner also believes that the fire was
! set. He says the cap on the hydrant could
not have been put in the condition in which
! il was found except by work with an iron
! instrument. He thinks the firebug DELHI
erately planned TO delay the fremen.