Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-09-25
BIG BARRE FIRE
Combination Cash Store and
Red Star Lunch
BADLY DAMAGED
BY Fire Early This Morning
Started in Lunch Room.

Not since the Barre opera hous
was burned to the ground three year
ago has there been so much excitemen
here over a fire as there was earl!
this morning when Church & Dana
lunch room and the attic over th'
Combination Cash Store opposite DE
pot Square were Quilted by th'
flames.
1t was about half past twelve wher
Louis Dana who was conducting the
business OF the Red Star Lunch Room
at that hour was startled to hear {
loud explosion in the rear room.
He turned around and saw that the
gasolene torch for heating coffee hac
exploded and that the whole room
was mass of flames. No power or
earth could have put the fire out
then Mr.. Dana ran across the street
and rang in the fire alarm while E.
II. Chever bravely entered the apart
ment where the fire was and rescued
the cash register almost at the cost
of being suffocated himself.
Before Mr.. Dana was across the
street the flames were leaping Ehigf
above the ridge of the Combination
building, which adjoins, and it looked
as if the wiping out Of large portion
Of the city was inevitable.
Meantime in the Nichols block on
the other side the occupants were
sleeping soundly. G.. J. Hawes and
family reside here but they are now
in New York and his brother Charles
and wife and child have been living
there. Their room opens cut by a
window directly Oh to the rear Of the
lunch room. The first warning that
they had of the trouble was when
they awoke to hear the window glass
swapping and cracking just above the
child's crib. The room was filled
with smoke but they got out all rig ht
The flames came through into HaweS
store and considerable damage was
done here both from the fire and
water.
The fire laddies responded with re
markable promptness, but even then
it seemed that their efforts to save
the buildings would be in vain. Hose
Co. 3 was first on the scene. They
were followed Immediately by No.
and No. 2, and the Hooks came next.
The boys grasped the situation at
glance and went to work like Trojans
scaling the roofs of the buildings and
placing streams of water accurately
and scientifically wherever they were
most needed, and in short time the
sparks which had been threatening all
the surrounding buildings, had ceased
TO rise and the fire was under their
control
The roof of the Combination Cash
Store and the timbers ia the attic
were badly burned. There were no
goods stored in the attic but the i'm
mense stock Of goods ia the store be-
low was badly damaged by the
water.
The lunch room and it's contents
were destroyed entirely with the ex-
ception OF the cash register,
In Halves store the woodwork and
the fixtures were charred beyond re-
pair in many places and his stock was
damaged by the smoke and water.
The stock in the Combination Cash
store was insured for 50, 400. or this
W. A. Drew carried $4,000 w. A..
Boyce 81, 900, and J. W. Dillon SO, 900.
w. A. Drew carried $1,000 on the
Nichols block. The Combination
building, owned by L. J. Bolster, was
insured through W. A. Boyce for
$4,000. j. w. Dillon carried $500
on the fixtures owned by Kendrick 3
Co., in Hawes' restaurant.