Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-02-26
BAD FIRE IN VERNON.
"a Head of Cattle and Two
Horses

Besides swine and Valuable Crops and
other Property, Burned i'm the Barn
Of Henry Brooks sunday Afternoon.
One of the most disastrous fires that
ever visited this town occurred last Sunday
afternoon about one mile north of South
Vernon, when the large barn upon the
| farm of Henry Brooks was destroyed with
all its contents, consisting OF "a cows and
heifers, two horses and four swine, all hay,
grain aud fodder and the crop of '96 tobac-
co grown on q acres, one two-horse farm
wagon, one onehorse lumber wagon and
part of the farming tools. The barn was
| 100 by A feet with l6.foot shed the en-
tire length and a slated roof. 1t was not a
new building, bat was one of the most
substantial, having been built by
Alexander Perry about 45 years ago of
heavy timber of the best quality and in a
most thorough manner. The corn house
and pig pen, some 40 feet away, were also
destroyed with all the corn, etc therein.
| The fire was discovered about ? o'clock,
| and only short time after Albert Brooks
| and Geo. Pond had been to the barn to
put up horse, when everything appeared
| to be all right. When discovered Mr..
| Brooks and Albert ran to the barn and en-
tered the horse stable, which was on the
northeast corner, and succeeded in getting
out the two farm horses, which was all
that were saved Mr.. Brooks and Albert
were both overcome with the dense smoke
and fell upon the snow Just outside the
stable and were carried into the house in
an unconscious condition. Albert soon
revived but it was some hours before Mr..
| Brooks recovered sufficiently to realize
what had happened, and he suffered ex-
ceedingly from the effects of suffocation
| for "a hours.
Charles Wheeler, who was at Mr..
| Brooks's, was the first one to discover
the fire and give the alarm. Geo. Pond
had just come from Brattleboro with
livery team belonging to G. B. White and
was at his fathers just across the road.
He had put the horse in Mr., Brooks's barn
and this horse was one of the two that
were burned. The other one belonged TO
Charles Phillips of Keene, a pedder of
medicine and extracts, who was also stop
ping at Mr.. Ponds. These men were all
on the ground but could not, or at least,
did not, on account of the dense smoke,
save anything from the burning building.
Others were soon there and saved guam
tity of feed which was in the corn house,
and the carriage house, some $50 feet
away, which took fire on the roof several
| times, was saved. 1t was fortunate that
the wind was not high and did not blow
| toward the house, which it would have
been difficult to have saved had it been
otherwise. Although active inquiries and
investigation have been made the cause of
the fire is unknown. 1t appeared to start
in the west end near the large sliding doc,
which was partly open. Those who were
known to have been in the barn that day
stoutly assert that they can conceive of no
way the fire could have taken. Many ru-
mors were afoat that certain ones were
smoking at the barn, and this would seem
TO be the most probable cause. AS neither
Mr. Brooks nor Albert use tobacco they
could not have caused it. Mr. and Mrs
Brooks have the sympathy Of all in their
misfortune. Mrs. Brooks has been con-
fined to her bed several weeks, and it is a
severe shock to her. Mr.. Brooks is hard
working man, past 20 years of age, and
can i'll afford the loss.
The building was insured in the Union
Mutual for $1,000 and the contents in the
Vermont Mutual for Sll75, divided, 500
on produce, $500 on stock, and $l75 on
tools. The loss will exceed this sum by
from one to two thousand dollars. The
insurance has been adjusted by A. w.
Childs & Co. and will be paid in full Z.
n. Brooks of Fitchburg, who is interested
in the farm, came up on Monday in re-
Spouse TO telegram informing him of the
fire.
Mr.. Whites horse was a valuable ami
NAL, he having been offered $l7j for him.
The harness and robes were valued at $50.