The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-02-26

| day as to the Chiefs conduct on this
occasion, it being reported he made
but superficial examination and then
departed.
| According to Moses Doom, who oc-
| cupied apartments in the section first
attacked by the fire later and who ac-
companied the Chief on his tour of in
| spection, the two men first reduced
| the blazing chimney and then follow
ed it floor by floor to the point where
it emerged through the roof.
Mr.. Doom said when the Chief left
| the building about nine O'Clock only
! few intermittent sparks were coming
out of the chimney and from their eX-
animation they found that it was but
| slightly warm on the outer surface of
each floor.
1t is believed that some fire escaped
through an opening in the chimney
where it entered the apartments occu-
| pied by Mr.. and Mrs. Fred Carson,
| who were absent at the time, and
| getting into the partition smouldered
until it later broke into destructive
blaze.
A little after one O. clock on Sunday
morning the police were again sum-
moned and Officers Wood and Bing-
ham responded. They made an inspec-
tion and it was found that the Carson
apartments were on fire. An alarm
was rung in from box 81 at the corner
of Elm and Court streets but probably
was not heard very generally for an
other was rung in little later, when
| the whole fire department responded.
In the meantime the few who had
assembled did all they could to assist
| the tenants in getting themselves and
their effects out.
Mrs. Dewing and Miss Bertha, her
| daughter, whose rooms were over the
| Carson rooms, had to be awakened.
| Mrs. Dewing tainted, and both were
carried in their night clothes, placed
in hack and taken to rooms i'll the
Parish house. The fire spread rapidly
through the partitions to the roof and
| then across to the opposite side gut
ting both sides badly and spreading
| to the rooms Immediately adjacent
leaving the central portion practically
untouched.
| The great value and power of the
| water system was again practically
and undeniably demonstrated, as the
| buildings, which surrounded the Hill
side, in close proximity escaped with
out even so much as being scorched.
Nevertheless the damage from water
was equally as great as from fire, for
the entire building was at1oat, and lat
er froze, Inaking the prospect most de-
plorable.
The tenants are the great losers as
only five, so far as could be learned,
out Of the eleven carried any insur
ance on their effects. While consider
able furniture was removed all was
more or less damaged by the fire and
water.
George Waters, who carried no in
surance, was the greatest loser. 1t
appeared that those who carried insur-
ance were in closer contact with the
flames. There is $4,000 insurance on
the building carried by the Vermont
| Mutual but the loss in any case cannot
be now estimated with any degree of
accuracy. While some hold the build
| ing cannot be saved, others have the
opposite opinion.
Mr.. SMILES property holdings in
this vicinity includes the Hillside, the
large new tenement building adjoin-
ing it on the north and building lot,
all of which is inventoried by the list
ers of 1901 at $40, 900.
Mrs Dewing carried $400 insurance
ith the Vermont Mutual taken out
only short time since, while Frank
Donahue and his two sisters recently
allowed their insurance of $500 to
lapse.
The Donahues were among the larg-
er losers The crippled sister tainted
and had to be carried to place of
safety. Another woman tenant, who
had been visiting in Barre, returned
on Sunday morning When she
reached the scene she became first
hysterical and then tainted.
Mrs. Hatch, sister of Mrs. j. H.
Senter, was with her children ten
ant. She saved some of her goods and
is now at her sisters home. Her goods
were insured for $500 in the Union
Mutual.
Mrs. Chamberlain carried $500 in
surance with the Union Mutual,
Moses Doom, $400, and G. W. Kidder,
$3.50, both with the j. q. Brown
agency. The fire was finally gotten
under control about four O'Clock on
Sunday morning and the homeless ten
ants found refuge in MONEYS block
and with friends. All day Sunday the
tenants were at work collecting their
effects and moving them away. For
the greater part the furniture was COW
cred with heavy coating of ice and
large amounts of clothing had to be
cut from the floor where it was i'm
bedded in ice.
Judge Smile said today he could
not say just what his loss would be
but thought the building was ruined.
He said the mechanics would have
to inspect it before he could tell
whether or not he should attempt to
repair the building or take it down.
He estimated the cost of replacing il
. at from $1,000, to $40, 600 and that it
would require years time. He be-
lieves it would have been less loss to
him had the building burned to the
ground
DAUGHTERS OF REVOLUTION