Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-05-05
Another Fire in the Square.

The Old Pettis--suter Block Damaged
Saturday Morning Building was
soon 20 BE Replaced and the Loss
IL slight.
An alarm of fire from box 81 brought the
FIRE department into the Square again Sat
urdav morning about o'clock. The first
was quickly followed by second alarm,
calling the whole department. The fire was
under the roof of the two-story brick block
on the west side of the square known as
the Suter block. 1t was occupied on the
first floor by II. NJ Amadon's jewelry store
and f. r. Balls confectionery and ice
cream rooms. On the second floor was the
barber shop of j. H. Flavin and tenement
empty except one room, occupied for stor-
sge of household goods by Mrs. Rice.
The fire had evidently started in the blind
attic over rooms in the third story and had
gained considerable Roadway, the flames
already breaking from the roof. The de-
partment quickly controlled the fire, the
roof only being burned off, and the block
thoroughly drenched.
The block was an old one and MIR. Suter,
who lives in Boston, had two weeks earlier
executed contract with builder Beckwlth
of Claremont to deliver it to him May lst.,
he to use any of the old material he could,
and build a new block in its place to be
ready for occupancy Sept LIST. Mr.. Ball
had finished moving out the day before and
Mr.. Amadon had sold out the most of his
stock preparatory to giving up the trade,
not being able to find satisfactory store
while the new block was being erected.
Mr.. Amadon's goods and furniture were
not seriously damaged, and they were fully
covered by insurance which was satisfacto-
rily adjusted Monday. Mr.. Flavin moved
out his chairs and furniture with hardly
anv loss, but Mrs. Rice sustained a serious
damage upon her furniture by water, and
she carried no insurance.
The building was insured, and that insur
ance was also adjusted Tuesday, the only
question being how much less the building
was worth after the fire than before for the
builder to use in the new one. Some doors,
windows, and a little lumber had been dam
aged, making a loss of $50 or $50 only
Had the fire occurred before the full ar
rangements had been completed for rebuild
ing, the loss might have been much greater
as it would cost several hundred dollars to
replace the building as it was before.
The total loss by the fire will probably
not exceed 5000 to 500, all covered by in
surance except Mrs Rice,
evidently originating in an inaccessible
place between the ceiling and roof, similar
to the Towns hotel fire, which started be-
tween the fourth floor and the ceiling be-
low it.
This building was one of the oldest bus
mess blocks in the square, having been
erected by Simon Pettis nearly 20 years
ago. Mr. Pettis was a tin smith and pre-
viously had a shop in the low frame build
ing now attached to the rear This frame
part stood many years just where Mann
moth block now does 1t was moved from
there to it's present location to give room
for Mammoth block, and Stephen R. Wales
well remembers as boy seeing it drawn
across the square by several yoke of oxen,
and then the building of the brick front to
it. Previous to that time there were no
buildings standing between the old Mansion
House (where the Chase Furniture store
now is) and the old Morgan Tavern" now
the Frost tenement block on Rockingham
street. The whole of the land on the West
side of the square until that time had been
titled as garden in connection with the
Mansion House, which was then the prin-
cipal hotel of the village. Now the entire
distance is covered by substantial business
blocks.
Only two other buildings are now stand
ing near the Square that were there when
this frame L was built, the old unused
dwelling in the rear of Fenton's store and
the old Morgan tavern.
Contractor Beckwith began Wednesday
tearing down the old Pettis- Suter block,
and will push matters with large force of
men until the new block is completed.