Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-01-19
Clnders From the Ashes OF the nins-
dale Fire.

the strongest instinct IN human beings aud
animals alike. Save thyself" is a NAHUM
a rood deal better understood by mankind
than the classic Greek apothegm, know
myself" In this respect man is but little
above the beasts of the field. Suppose an
alarm of fire is given in a crowded church,
hall or theatre In an instant there is a panic
and a stampede for the door, people tumble
over each other in their fright, women and
children are tramped under foot, all the
decencies and amenities of life are forgot
ten in the mad rush for safety and only
here and there is found clear headed,
well-posed man or woman with power to
calm and stay the frantic crowd. The re-
cent fire in Hinsdale, the most disastrous
in its hstory-lacked the dramatic element
Of hall full of people dashing wildly down
the stairs with the single aim of getting
out no matter what became of their neigh
bors, yet it was not without its incidents,
recalling a saying of the late Theodore
Winthrop, that human nature is pretty
much the same whether in the backwoods
Of Maine or the streets of Broadway"
Some of the inhabitants within the fire
precinct rushed wildly out calling for aid
in saving their household goods, and there
were not wanting injudicious helpers to
strew their belongings all over the streets.
Others calmly gathered together their valu-
abes, locked their doors and transported
their families to places of safety One
good woman whose husband was absent,
was astonished to see her large cook stove
full of burning coal with kettle of boiling
water on top seized by staiwart men and
carried bodily into the yard without spilling
a drop of water and her amazement in
creased when the tea table followed it with
hin Al
the cream in the pitcher.
The proprietor of the tobacco store in
Whitaker block, close to the fire, had been
i'll with fever for three or four weeks and
only that day had been out of bed for
short time. When it was evident that the
hall must go, his wife got his clothes and
made him ready with their little girl and
then sailed out for a team to take them
both to place of security. In the excit-
ment the party who was to bring the car
riage forgot all about it. Brighter and
hotter grew the flames and the air was full
of falling slate and cinders. A second time
the plucky wife went out for help and
meantime some friends who happened to
think of the peril of the sick man, rushed in,
and while a neighboring tenant took charge
of the child, the men grasped the tbacco-
mist and walked him on ''the double quick"
several blocks away to safe retreat, and
when his wife found him he was snugly tuck
ed up in bed, had taken something warm"
and was not a whit the worse for bis en-
forced "cake walk" Hardly had he left
the house before a portion of the falling
walls of the town hall crashed through the
roof into the very room where his bed had
stood for weeks.
At the public library men and women
- IL.
bly, short space of time between four and
five thousand volumes were carried across
the street to the hardware rooms of the
Worden company, many of them damaged,
it is true, by water and hurried handling,
but still rescued from absolute destruction.
The librarian, Miss Nellie Gray, was early
at the library room and was as calm and
composed as though she were delivering
books to patrons on pleasant summer af
ternoon. She pointed out the most valua-
BILE volumes which should be carried out
first, gathered up all the records and packed
them in basket, and though drenched by
the streams of water that began to pour in
from all directions, she stood bravely at
her post till the last book was saved and
she was peremptorily urged out of the
room by her father and friends. Such
GOODNESS and pluck set an example that
other people would do we'll to emulate.
The work on the pumps of the fire engine,
made needful by the lack of water, was
not all of it done by men able to make such
exertioD and there was more than one in
stance where men unused to such work fell
out of the ranks wet and exhausted, but
there were scores and scores of able bodied
parties standing on the sidewalks placidly
viewing the burning pile, who disregarded
numerous appeals for men to imam the
brakes" and it is a disagreeable fact, but
nevertheless true, that these same individ-
uals were very much Sin evidence" when
the Liquid refreshments" were passed
round later. An obvious lesson of the con-
fagration is that Hinsdale village is well
protected against fire when there is plenty
of water in the river and the pipes full so
that hose can be attached to the hydrants,
but in case of water famine steamer is
the only safe investment. 1t should be
stated in closing that Hinsdele as a town
desires to express its sense of obligation to
Brattleboro for its prompt response for aid
in time of need, and likewise to Winches-
ter for a similar response. The Hinsdale
hremen would perhaps have prevented the
flames from spreading to other buildings,
but it would have been hand to hand fight
all night to have accomplished what the
Brattleboro and Winchester steamers did In
an hour.
Mrs. Saphira S. Clark is on the sick list