Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1901-11-01
OBSTINATE FIRE
In CROSBY BLOCK
TOTAL LOSS ABOUT $4,000.


the floor for Nearly Two Hours-Im
mense Volumes OF smoke Made Fight
ing Extremely D,fiicult-Eisvsn str.au,
OF Water Playing ON the Flames n
one Time.
Tie nest obstinate blaze ith whicl
the Rrattlehoro fire department hB
had to contend in long time started
Tuesday afternoon in the basement o
j Morr is IL Gregg s crockery store, burned
for nearly two hours underneath tn
floor and for a tine caused looks o
anxiety TO appear on the faces 0
every property holder oh the west sid'
of Main street The fire was discov
cred shortly after two O'Clock and no
five minutes had elapsed before i'm
mense volumes of smoke were pouring
from the bulk heads and windows il
the basement of Morris a Gregg S and
| Clapp Il Jones' store. lu spite Of q
slight delay ia sounding the alarm
two streams of water were play wing
into the cellars within ten minutes
after the blaze was first discovered
and in less than 10 minutes nine more
| = ere doing their best to check the
course of the flames. 1t was not until
nearly 30 o. clock, however, that the
"unuer control signal was sounded
and by that time practically all of
Morris 4 Gregg's stock was spoiled, a
large quantity Of goods
lin Clapp 4 Jones basement
was water soaked, water was flowing
through every cellar in the block as
far down as the Vermont National
bank, and the building itself dam
aged to the amount of $500 or $1,000,
The cause of the fire is mystery
although the flames are known to have
started in the rear of Morris 4 Gregg :
to pack crockery. The employees of
Morris d Gregg smelled smoke on
their return from dinner and the odor
was so strong that Robert Gregg aud
George Morris explored the Easements
under both the stores 10 an effort to
discover any fire. They saw nothing
suspicious, however, aud returned to
their work thinking that the smoke
came from some nearby bOntres. Not
five minutes after~ard Fred - Nor
ris, who vas sitting at his desk in the
rear of the store, saw quantities OF
smoke issuing from the bulk.h head and
Immediately ran to the stairway be
tween his store and that Of Clapp
Jones. On opeLing to the door lead
lrg to the cellar stars ne was m'v
by quantity OF SMOKE ana Ha'ne anu
was obliged 10 close II 10 preNeuV oe'
ing clicked
SlmullaptoNsiy WIN lHe ulss4FeIs
OF the bfe ny ht MOTIFS - Ia"
renee, stenographer in the Vermont
Phoenix oihce' uollceu 5ih8dl tuIuIlIS nt
of smoke aTlslug from lhe moor OF w. lue
Office which IS dITecJly, anoFe Morris
& PreEg 5, GAe callCu vi iouCu
attention to the smoke bt the salile
time noticed the smoke coming "oul
the buik -heap neIoW, VT 5euC. ~, IA.
Il edlately nolileu CharIeS N"so!
who rushed down STAIRS WIN an eA-
tlnRulsher. lie was I'Iio"e" ny Liun
ID Taylor, anu eAllns ulsuefF were "Iso
brought from tue bfouNs nous anu
harmony bIucb buJ 10 one touI" se.
anywhere near tue HdIueS oh aVc"LuU VI
the dense smoke AS soon as Mr CIos-
10y took IN tne slVu5l llou ne tdlIeu W
Charles welcome VINO was III 'ue rear
Of FoN' store 10 rlhI ID Ho alarm from
box ~ at the engine mouse
This welcome tfleu To 40 puI 10
alarm sounded although oae slFohe
was rung from some unknown source. /
When 1t was touud tl'at tie a4afu
would not work the cto"u ABOUT Iue
englre house dragged Tue ch9Iu ltaI Gu
5lne 10 the rear Oh CIoSp! pi1cA anu
began playlrg INTO the celiar way /
from which by TINS time poih smoke
and flame were issuing. In the inean,
time the smoke bau peen noticed
from Main street and + A Champer-
ain ran to box 81 at tue corner OF
Main and Hign streets ana rang an
alarm from there.
1t was only few minutes atter
alarm 81 sounded that stream OF wat
Or WAS pouring 90 the hre from the
lydrant in front OF 6alVln's store ana
another line of hose from the sane
place was soon doing ITS share to ez-
the flames, both nozzIes pc
ing pointed into the cellsr through
the front Windows steamer NO was
irawp 10 the reservoir at the corner
of Harmony block and line oi nose
was strung from there to the rear OF
Morris & Gregg's, whl'e two lines
from Steemer No at the corner OF
High and Main streets we're Iald
through the arch so as to play on the
ire from the rear and yet two more
rom the High street hydrant to the
ront of the building. These seven
streams we're augmented shortly with
Eo lines of hose from the Elliot
treet hydrant
In spite of these nine streams, how
ver, the flames seemed to be gaining