Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-07-30

Escape From Death by a Fall IN the
Elevator Shaft.
A fire that the STILL uindless night
aided the multiplied resources OF the
department to overcome, when at
first it seemed hopeless, did about
5000 damage Friday evening in J T
Hllnreth 8 carriage shop on Elm
street.
1t broke out on the upper floor CT
the building about 7:l5 o'clock and
when the hremen first got there the
flames were bursting from every win
dow Of that or on the side Of brook.
and had eaten through the roof in
snots. while the elevator shaft was
sfire down to the second floor. The
room where the flames started was
used as the paint room and saturated
as it WIS with paint and turpentine
and. with pals and kegs of paint
stored along under the windows. it went
like flash No one had been at
work in the ronm for a week and the
only theory of the fire is that it was
due tn Spontaneous combustion. urob-
ably from some rags or waste that had
sometime been carelessly dropped.
The chemical run a line of hose to
the elevator and enptied Go gallons
there, doirg good work in confining
that part Of the flames to the upper
floor. Chief Sauders, AS soon az he ar
rived, saw that the fire was serious
job and sent call for the Estey stea er
which promptly arrived. The steam
pnmp at the Smith a Co shop imme.
diately started up and WIS wonder.
ful revelation of efficiency. II
supplied three lines of hose that to-
gether threw 800 gallons a minute of
water the Estey steamer and No 3
were set in the trout hole above and
all five of these streams played on the
bsckside Of the building. while two
bydrants streams played in front,
forcing an entrance to the interior as
soou rs possible and after the gallant
hosemen of No Is bad once been
driven ont by the smoke and the
fresh breaking cut of flames above.
Altogether there were eight STREAMS
of water poured simultaneously on
the building and even with them it
was about an hours work before the
flames were finally orercome. The FIRE
was held 70 the upper floor where il
started hut bnrned that out pretty
completely and the roof also.
Below the third floor the damage
WAS by water With which sll the lum-
ber I'd stock in the snop were soaked.
Liveryman II r Brown rented the
second floor for a raiDt and repair
shop but fortunately had no Jobs
there at the time and suffered very
slight damage
The insurance was $1,000 2 on the
building and 5000 on the contents,
both through the Jenne ard Tsylo,
agencies.
Adjusters are here today to settle
the lrss
Walter Mooney bad a close call to
death while 1t work after the worst
the fire fighting was over and from
which only quick presence of mind
saved him. fither backwards or side
wise be fell iuto,the elevator shaft on
the ttri floor and if he had gore
down the whole length, four floors
to the basement, be would surely
have been picked up in pieces. But
instead he threw cut his hand.
grabbed the cable and swurg on to
the landing between the shaft and
stairway on the floor below. His right
hand was cut and torn by the cable
and his hip bruised where he struck
in lauding: but otherwise and save
for the S'rain there was no injury. ap-
parently. Ed Rivers and Herbert
Harris after the fire was resrly out.
went with the hose up under the
roof TO put ont a little remnant of
blaze when the sheathing gave way
and Rivers fell to the floor below but
one of the other men caught Harris
and saved him from falling.