Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-02-20
THE PUTNEY COLUMN.
$4,000 Loss by the Burning of
F. |. PierCe's Mill.
only $1,000 lnsurance-Fire Started
in Dry House over Boiler Room
and Spread with Great Rapidity-
Other Buildings Endangered.

An alarm of fire startled the village
about $50 o'clock Monday night, and it
WAS learned soon that +. l.. Pierce s
chair stock and box factory was in
flames Although every effort was
made to put out the fire the main part
oi the mill was destroyed and thereby
severe blow was struck at the busi-
ness interests of the town. The fire
under the boilers had been banked for
the night and all the men had left. At
the hour stated Mr.. Pierce sat at his
desk in his office few rods from the
mill Joshua Fuller and Fred Rumrill
of East Putney were going past the mill
with loads of logs for w. e. Pierce of
East Putney, when they saw fire in the
dry-house, a 50-foot extension on the
north side of the mill
Mr.. Pierce, on being notified, FASTENED
to the mill and opened the lighthouse
door, but the smoke was so dense that
he could not enter, the tin roof confin-
ing the smoke in the room. There was
a small amount of steam in the boilers
SO that he was able to blow the whistle
for a brief time, and the alarm was
taken up by the other mills. The fire
department was on hand in a very few
minutes. and soon two streams of water
were doing what they could to stop the
progress of the flames. One stream was
from the steam pump in the Cole paper
mill and the other was from the Stowell
factory.
1t was seen that it would be impossible
to save the MILL and for a time the out
look was that the barns and house would
60 in which event there was a strong
probability that the path of the fire
would include the Stowell factories. A
call for aid was sent to the Brattleboro
fire department, but in a few minutes
it was seen that the local department
would be able to prevent the fire spread
ing to other buildings and the Brattle-
borO department was notified not to
come. The local firemen tore away the
bridge connecting the burning mill with
the western addition, which contained
spoke lathes and other machinery,
and were able to save that addition. The
fremen and the citizens in general put
forth their best efforts to save the sur
rounding property, and their work was
highly creditable. They have the pro-
found gratitude of MIR. and Mrs. Pierce.
The property loss, aside from the loss
in business, is about $1,000. Some 10
hands were employed. on account of
the high rate of insurance the mill was
but lightly protected, the insurance
amounting to about 1875. The fire
started over the boilers. The exact cause
probably never will be known. In the
dry house were about 20 boxes of chair
stock ready for shipment to London. and
there was enough on the HOor 10 HI ~
more boxes. Besides the engine and two
boilers the machinery included saw mill
equipment, bench saws, three back-knife
lathes. a Weymouth lathe, planer, box
machinery, a large amount of shafting,
pulleys etc. one of the boilers probably
Will be saved
Mr. Pierce is unable to state whether
he will rebuild. lie has a mill in Brook
line. with which he will endeavor to
,i
has been particularly unfortunate in los
ing mills by fire, having lost over S3o,OoO
worth of property in five fires. His
first fire was in East Putney some y
years ago. Several years later another
mill in the same village was burned
His first Brookline mill went next, fol-
lowed a few years ago by the destruc-
ton of his mill in Westminster The
mill which was burned Monday nlghl
was two stories high with loft, so feet
long by 40 feet wide, with the dry-house
and saw mill additions.