Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-11-01
ANXIOUS TWO HOURS.
Threatening Fire in Crosby Block
Tuesday Afternoon.
Stubborn Encounter for Firemen and
Citizens with Mass of Flame and
Smoke-The Losses-Historical.

smoke-The Losses-Historlcal.
A calamity for the village of Brat
tleboro was narrowly averted Tuesday
afternoon when for two hours Crosby
Block was in imminent danger of des-
truction by fire. 1t was soon after 2
o'clock that the fire was discovered
in the basement of Morris & Gregg's
store. 1t spread rapidly and not in a
long time has any fire in Brattleboro
made such stubborn resistance to the
efficient and determined work of the
firemen.
The origin of the fire is a mystery,
and 1t will probably never be known.
Morris & Gregg state that 20 minutes
before the fire made its appearance
the smell of smoke had been noticed
in the store, and twice George Morris,
clerk, had made a tour through the
Easements of both the Morris e Gregg
and Clapp & Jones stores, which adj
join, to see il fire could be found. It
was finally concluded that the smoke
came from burning leaves, and that it
had Settled down" in the basement.
| 1t was probably about five or ten
minutes after that smoke was
noticed pouring up around a window
| casing in the Phoenix Office directly
over the rear of Morris & Gregg's
store. G. r. Crosby was quickly noti-
| fed, and he seized fire extinguisher
and made his way to the rear of the
| basement on the outside. Almost
simultaneously with this the hot
smoke began pouring up Morris &
| Gregg's back stairway. so that it was
| necessary to close the doors which
| lead to the Morris & Gregg and Clapp
| & Jones stores on either side. An
attempt was made to pull in an alarm
| from Box 80 at the engine house, but
the box did not work, and only one
stroke of the bell came. A little later
an alarm was sounded from Box 81
at the corner of Main and High
| streets.
When the Morris & Gregg bulkhead
doors were opened a dense volume of
smoke and flame poured out. Several
portable fire extinguishers were turned
into the basement, but with only
small effect. The first of the fire
apparatus to arrive was the chemical
engine, but the stream from this only
served to drive the flames away from
| this entrance. The steamers and
hose carts were soon at hand, No. 3
steamer locating by the cistern in the
rear of the Brooks House. and No
by the cistern in Col. Hooker's yard.
Streams were also quickly turned on
from the hydrants at Col. Hooker's
corner, in front of Galvin's store, and
near the hook and ladder house.
When it was found how threatening
the fire was, word was sent to the
Estey Organ company by telephone,
and its steamer company promptly
responded. This machine was set by
the paper-mill pond. and in all ten
powerful streams of water were
turned into the basement from the
front and rear.
The whole basement, where wall pa
pers, holdings and other inflammable
goods were stored, was a mass OF
flame, and the smoke was so suffocat-
ing that it was impossible for firemen
who attempted to enter at the rear or
front to hold a nozzle for more than
a few seconds at a time. For this
reason, the streams could not be
played directly into the flames. and
the fire in the upper part of the base
ment could not be reached. An espec-
tally good piece of work was done by
|
head of the Clapp & Jones store, pre-
venting the flames from entering
through the doorway into that base
ment. A stream was played down the
back stairway through an opening in
the stairs in front, thus preventing
the flames from working up the back
way. Besides the streams played
through the bulkhead and the win
| dnWC N ha IN
fronting on the street, hole was cut
through the floor in the front hallway
and stream played in there to keep
back the fire at that end. A line of
hose was also carried through the rear
door Of Clapp & Jones's store. and a
stream of water played down the back
stairway through the side door
For a long time the outlook was
threatening. The volume of thick
smoke poured back and forth, first
through the basement openings in the
rear and then through those in front
into Main street, according as the
heavy streams of water drove the
smoke one way or the other. 1t was
an hour and a half before it was
finally and surely evident that the
firemen had got the better of their
| task.
Meantime the flames had burned a
hole through the floor of Morris &
| Gregg's store underneath the shelving
at the south side, and the floor settled
in the centre where the floor timbers
had been burned off underneath. The
first real Roadway appeared to be
gained when a stream was turned in
at the front of the store, soaking the
floor with water, and allowing it to
run through in the burning opening
This done, the streams were with
drawn from the front, and the firemen
using two lines of hose with spray
nozzles, began at the rear and worked
through, subduing the fire as they
went. The recall was sounded about
APO.
Main street was completely filled
with thick smoke, as was the open
space in the rear of Crosby block and
the Brooks House. This smoke
poured into the Brooks House through
the doors and windows so as to alarm
the guests, and some of the boarders
began to pack their effects. The cor
ridor and second floor offices over the
Morris & Gregg and Clapp & Jones
stores were filled with the suffocatine
smoke. All movable property was
taken out of The Phoenix business
and editorial rooms; Taylor & Son
moved the books and all the lighter