Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-02-18
HEAVYL0SS AVERTED
ERE IN THE FOUR
STORY ADDITION TO
TOMASI'S BLOCK
A Special on the E!ectrics and
Charles johnson with
HisGarden Hose Saved
the Block.

AT just O'clock this morning the
sound sleeping residents OF our city
who lived near it were startled by the
cIang of the fire bell, but listened III
vain for the whistle which is supposed
to aid it. Remembering that only Inc
bell was he ard for the last fire alarm,
all who happened to hear it rushed to
The streets, and in the direction OF box
70, which is located on North Main
street. at The head of Seminary street.
An electric car was standing by the
Commercial house headed toward Mont
pelier, and smoke was coming from the
top floor windows in the four story adj
dllion to Is. Thonasi's new block.
George Howe, motorman, and Char'es
Hove, conductor, ran special car to
Barre Just before O'Clock this morning.
to accommodate the Odd Fellows who
were returning from Randolph
When they went up they did not no.
tice anything the matter, but on the re-
turn trip they were both on the front
end and MIR. Howe remarked that he
smelled smoke, and it seemed to nm
that some building was on fire. MIR.
iluwes noticed it then, and running
slowly down the street they scanned
the buildings on both sides. They got
a little past IomasI's block when they
noticed the smoke coming from the upper
story. Stopping the car they aroused
the people at the Commercial House to
fiud out the location of the box, and
Mr.. Howe pulled in the alarm.
Landlord johnson Of the Commercial
House, was among the first on the
scene of the fire with his garden hose,
aud connecting with wafer pipe in
the rear of the building he succeeded III
getting the fire well under control be-
fore the arrival of the fire companies.
As the whistle did not blow the fire
laddies ivin4 at a distance did not hear
the alarm, and consequently the various
companies with their lhlAly filled ran :
were slow in getting TO the fire. Tiger
Hose No. 3 and the Hook and Ladder
company were Simultaneous y on the
scene of the fire, the heavy trucks be-
Ing drawn by one small horse and four
or five men. No. came next and No.
from North Barre, arrived considerably
later, thu cart ,being drawn by four
men. Later second alarm was pulled
in from box Fl and brought out "a few
more men.
All three companies strung their
hose but No. 3 was the only one that
turned on water. The fire having
worked up under the roof. Chief
Phelps called for two axes and small
stream on No. 3 and it was quickly put
out.
From an Investigation of the burned
portion it appears that sheet iron
chunk heater. such as are commonly
used here in the city, WIS placed in the
top room. south corner, of the four-story
addition 10 the block, for the purpose
of drying out the plaster.
1t was rsised from the floor only
about two inches, being placed on two
bricks laid tlalwise, and apparently
some shavings, with which the floor
was Uttered caught from II spark, or
from the heated iron of the stove, and
ignited the floor. When Mr.. johnson
came into the building the stove had
fallen through the hole burned in the
floor and Law on its side in the room be-
low. From this hole a channel about
two feet wide was burned through the
floor for about eighteen feet, to the
outer wall OF the building. From there
the fire ran up next the brick wall be-
tween the two windows TO the roof,
where it was extinyushcd before doing
much damage.
If that special had not been run on
the electric road this morning Tomasi's
block would probably now be in ashes
The prompt action of Landlord Johnson
with his garden hose also saved mu.h
damage. The floor, wall and ceiling
which were burned through can be re-
placed without great cost. The small
of water turned on did some
damage to plastering, but on the whole
Mr.. Tomasi can congratulate himself.
Tiger Hose No. watched the building
till daylight.