Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-29
Disastrous Conhagration in
the Lumber District Early
Saturday Morning.
Two BLOCKS BURNED OYER.
The Shepard & Morse Mill, With Dry
House, shavings Shed, 100000 Feet
of Lumber, Several Dwelling
Houses and \ Number of Cars
Destroyed.
(From Saturdays Extra Edition.)

(From Saturdays Extra Edition.)
Almost four years to a day from the
great fire which destroyed j. r. booths
lumber yard another con~flagration wiped
out the lumber yard belonging TO the
Shepard & Morse Lumber company, burn
ed their dry house and shaving sned with
their mill, the latter owned by the Cen
trail Vermont Railroad company. and ue-
stroyed several dwelling houses. TWO
entire blocks between King and College
streets, and from Battery street to Lake
Champlain were burned over. or about
six acres in all. The fire was the great
est that the city has suffered since the
destruction of J. r. Booths mills, the
Baldwin Refrigerator company's shop ana
the Vermont Shade Roller Co.'S factory
early on the morning of March Is, 1870
and in the amount of lumber burned near
" euualed that destroyed at the CHRIST
mas eve fire in J. r. Booths yards in 1874.
The flames lighted up thu sky for miles
around, while the heat was so intense
that it was necessary to pour streams ol
water on to buildings on the east SIDE Oh
Battery and the south side OF hlnS
streets. A rough estimate oil inc
amount of lumber destroyed is ll,VVV,oN
feet. principally pine and spruce.
The alarm was sent in at 2:i5 by Frank
Poduet, the night Waterman of the mills,
who discovered the blaze in the lower
portion OF the yards while making MS
rounds. He ran to the corner of College
and Battery streets and rang in from box
No. A.. The fire leaped from the seasoned
lumber piles as though they had been COW
cred with kerosene and when the watch
man turned from the alarm box he found
the entire southwest corner of the yards
In flames. The flremen hastoncd To the
scene and the first stream was put ON
- - I-a. -. 90 tIA fAAt n & Main
street, while others followed in quick sue
cession until every hydrant in the vicinity
was in use. 1t was evident from the first
that the mill and lumber in the yards could
not be saved and in a short time the limit
OF the doomed section was extended until
the line was bounded by King street
through to the lake on the south, Battery
street on the cast and on the north by the
success of the :iremen in their opposition
TO the flames at the old brick engine room
at the north end of the mill property and
across College street from the Central YER
mont station.
Hose was secured from every available
source and streams put upon the Cham
plain Transportation's Office and ware
house, the buildings at the corner of KIM
and Battery streets and all along the east
side of Battery street. Meanwhile the &C.
cupants of the houses in this section be-
gan moving out their goods to places OF
safety.
In the little old Collier house, which
stands next to the railroad tracks at the
right of the foot of King street, a wake
was in progress over the remains OF Mrs
Julia Dion. The remains were taken III
and carried to a place of safety and the
mourners added their aid in removing thc
furniture Of the neighbors from the houses
in that vicinity.
The light wind from the south famed
the flames in the lumber piles and the tirl
rapidly gained in strength. The work OF
the firemen was soon turned from thJ
hopeless effort of saving piles of lumber
and they gave their attention to the mil
proper and TO the smaller buildings which
surround the plant.
The wind seemed TO grow stronger in q
short time after the discovery of the irC
and shifted gradually around to the south,
cast. Blowing from the south 1t drov,
the flames ~northward through the area o.
the mill property. The lumber piles acros,
the railroad tracks from the origin of tn,
flames and near the little nest %
houses, which have long graced the cor
ner at the intersection OF King and Bat
terry streets, soon caught and the fire va,
communicated from them to the houses
all of which were destroyed, the old Col
licr house burning first. The Collier hous
had been occupied by the dead woman
Mrs. Dion and her brother, and the otnct
houses by the Wood, Latour and CorcoraI
families. James Croto lived in the build
ing at the corner. All of the families ar
large. The buildings at this corner ar,
owned by the estate OF William Fitzgerald
and have only a small amount of insur
ance. Their value is small and their de
struction vii cause but regret outside tn,
owners and the families who made thei
homes there.
The progress of the fire was eXccedingl,
rapid among the combustible material G
tho lumber N.o ride atl CEn, tI. a,.--
dried the streams of water which wcr
turned upon the mill proper and the lit
lie stcrehouse. which stood between |
II the burning lumber piles. The store
house burned like so much cotton and IN
fire crept up upon the mill roof and the,
10 its interior. where ii burned for "A me-
ment and then burst forth in the entir
length of the building in one grand way
of destructive power. This put an end (
all efforts 10 save the property lying with
III the two blocks bounded at the south b
King street and at the north by Colleg
street.
Finding their efforts effectually foile
at the boundary of College street IN
lanes fell upon the one remaining bullC
ing of the Shepard & Morse Company,
large dryhouse moved about a year ar
from the lake front to "A point Just aero.
Lake street from the mill, 1t was but
few moments work for the flames to RAJ
this building which burned even easier.
possible, that had the mill Driven bac
STEP by step the fire department now turf
ed its efforts upon the two houses at Il
corner of Main and Battery streets. OF
of these is close TO the building last bur
ed and the other at the corner. The low
house is owned by Michael Brown, WI
occupied the lower part, the family
Charles Bushey living upon the upp
floor. The corner house is the property
Mrs, Maggie Denning and occupied by a
thur Mccain, Michael Fairly and Edwa
DeSuisc man All Of these families h;
removed their household effects.
Frank Foluet, the Waterman of (
Shepard e. Morse Company, was seen by
Free Press reporter. lie was making /
rounds through the lumber yard at /
outbreak of the fire and discovered
among the tiers at the lower end of I
yard and below the Collier house. He +
10 the box and sent in the alarm a
found when this was done that the 81
ton of the yard where the fire started "
all In flames. He was of the opinion ii