Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-05-24
BRATTLEBORO LOCAL.
FIRE LOSS OF $25, 900.
Charles Miners Hosiery Factory,
House and Barn Burned Saturday
Fire Started in Hay in Barn-ln.

House and Barn Burned Saturday
Fire Started in Hay in Barn-ln.
surance $4,000.
Charles Miners hosiery factory,
house and barn, located west of the
town farm in West Brattleboro, to-
gether with practically all of their
contents including two horses, eight
hogs and six hens, were destroyed by
fire Saturday forenoon. Mr.. Miner es-
Inmates his loss at above $4,000.
The property was insured for $4,000
through the agency of y. f. Il. JENNIE
by policies which were issued about
a year ago. The fire started in a
haymow in the barn, and Mr.. Miners
theory as to it's origin is that it was
caused by broken electric light wire.
To a representative of The Phoenix
he said that during the morning some
of the employees in the factory COM
planned to him that, the sky being
cloudy, they could not see well enough
to 40 their work properly. About 10
O'Clock he told Paul Devine, one of his
head employees, to start the dynamo to
give the factory hands electric light.
From three to five minutes later Miss
Minnie Baker, who was in the barn,
rushed out and gave. the alarm of
fire.
Mr.. Miner said that although the
dynamo had not been used for some
time he supposed that all the APP
paratus was in perfect running order,
but some of the employees afterwards
told him that they remembered having
noticed that one of the wires was
broken near the haymow The three
buildings were adjoining and stood in
the form of semi-cirCle, the barn be-
ing adjoined on one end by the house
and on the other end by the fac
tory. All were equipped with electric
lights, the wires running from the
factory, where the dynamo was To-
Gated, through the barn to the house.
A watering trough with a capacity
Of some Is barrels stood near the en-
trance to the barn, and when the
alarm was given Mr.. Miner and some
of his employees threw water from this
trough on to the flames, but the hay
was so inf1ammable that their efforts
were of no avail, and they turned their
attention to saving the stock which
consisted of five horses and nine hogs
Mr.. Miners valuable stallion, Vega
occupied a box stall nearest the door
and he was gotten out safely. Two
brood mares were also gotten out and
by that time the fire, which spread
in all directions, had shut off all
chance of saving Miners two work
horses, and they persisted in the
flames. Under the barn were five fat
hogs and four shoats. BY main
strength three men dragged one of the
hogs to place of safety, but all the
other swine were suffocated by smoke
and consumed by fire.
A corn barn containing two tons
of bran and six hens stood about 40
feet from the main barn, but at that
distance the heat was so intense that
lne building and contents were con-
sumed Meanwhile the neighbors,
attracted by the blowing of the fac
tory whistle, ran to give assistance,
but all they had time to do was to
remove few articles of furniture
from the house. By noon the build
ings were a mass of smouldering
ruins.
The hosiery factury was two stories
high and gave employ nent, ordinarily,
to 20 hands At the tine of the fire,
however, the force of employees was
small. In one end were three cases
of worsted yarn which cost $105O,
which had not been opened. Mr..
Miner estimates that there were 5000
pairs of stockings in the factory,
which had not been put in cases. The
factory was equipped with about so
machines of different kinds, giving
it a capacity of 200 dozen pairs daily
Mr.. Miner had put in several new ma
chimes the past winter, which, with
extensive repairs, cost about $4,000.
Stored in the barn was a large stock
of finished stockings, packed in cases
ready for shipment. This stock Mr.
Miner valued at from $4,000 to $4,000
He said he could have shipped it at
any time, but he preferred to hold it
rather than to sell on a low market
He had made no shipments since last
autumn. Mr.. Miner also had in the
barn 175 bushels of oats, eight tons of
hay, three buggies, road cart and
practically two sets of farming tools
Some valuable antique furniture was
burned.
Mr.. Miner moved his hosiery bust
ness from Elliot street to it's last To-
cation about three years ago. He
made several additions to the bust
ness, and at the time of the fire he
had bought a small farm building
which he was preparing to join to the
factory. The buildings were of such
shape that it is impossible to give
their dimensions, but the foundation
line distance around them all was
about 700 feet Mr. Miner has had
one other experience with fire, hav-
ing lost a tenement house in Dunn
merstOn Is years or more ago.
The farm which Mr. Miner owns
and on which his buildings were locat-
ed contains 100 acres, and in it there
is an apple and peach orchard of 22OO
trees, recently set out. On this ac-
count Mr.. Miner will rebuild the house
and barn, and it is very likely that he
will put up a hosiery factory larger
than the one which was destroyed.