The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-02-26
FIRE IN BARRE.

Barre was in the grip of the fire
fiend on Saturday morning and charred
ruins mark the place, on Main street.
where two large business blocks stood.
The fire was discovered at IL 100 in the
morning in the basement of the Cur
rier building and the alarm was rung
in by Officer Gauthier When the fire.
men reached the scene the flames were
confined to the basement and the only
access to 1T was through small base
ment windows. In short time how
ever, the fire burned through the floor
and shot upward and soon the entire
building was raging furnace defying
the efforts OF the firemen. The blaze
was soon communicated to the two
story wooden building known as the
Sheplee block and it was soon appar-
ent that this, too, was destined to des-
truction. The Nichols block and The
Otis, All apartment house on Pearl
street were in great danger but hard
work by the firemen saved them. The
Ourrier block where the fire started
was three story brick structure.
The first floor was occupied by the
Boston Bargain store, Veale & Knights
dry goods, and Union Clothing Co.
The second and third floors were de-
voted TO Offices and tenements, the &C.
cupants being: 9. Ban, photographer;
DR.. F. M. Lynde, dentist; Townsend
u Townsend and w. G. Townsend %
Co, granite dealers; William Duff,
draughtsman, and the METROPOLITAN
Insurance Co. The following families
lived i'll the block: Mrs. A. ID. Bur-
CESS, Charles Meserve, Lester Harris,
Henry Bond, Mrs. Bond and Mrs. Lulu
Moulton.
The spread of the flames was so
rapid that it was impossible for the
| business men or others to save any
thing except their books and valuable
| papers. 1t was feared at one time
that the flames could not be confined
I to the two buildings and Montpelier
was applied to for aid. A special cleo
trio carrying several hundred feet of
hose and some of the firemen left at
| about three O'Clock for the scene of the
| fire.
At 4 10 the roof of the Currier build
ing collapsed, the walls soon fell
| into the ruins and the greatest danger
was past. The heat was so intense
, that the plate glass windows in Room
ey & Carr's, and Rodgers & Grady's
stores, across Main street were cracked.
There were fortunately no acct
dents, the nearest approach to any
thing of this kind occur ring was when
the Meserve family were taken from
the third story windows Ly the fire.
men. They did not leave the build
ing at the first warning of the police
and few moments later their escape
was cut off by the dense smoke in the
Railways. In the basement where the
fire started forty cords of wood was
stored
The individual losses and the insur-
ance carried are as follows:
, @. l.. 81 r. S. Currier. block, loss
S25, 600; insurance $4,000; o. c..
Sheplee, block, loss So, 600, insurance
$1,000 B. W. Hooker q Co., loss
$4,000, insurance So, 500: Boston
Bargain store, loss $l3, 600, insurance
50, 500 Veale & Knight, loss $40, 600,
insurance, $1,000; Union Clothing
Co., loss $4,000, insurance 400
Sowden q Lyon, loss SO, 00O insurance
50, 500; G. Bau, loss SO, 800. insurance
$1,000 DR.. j.. M. Lynde, loss 81, 900,
i insurance $3.50. William Duff, loss
$500, insurance $500; @. H. Jones,
loss $500. insurance $780, Total loss
SOB, 200, total insurance 1868, $50. Aside
from those mentioned few of the ten
ants carried insurance and several
men who roomed in the Currier build
ing lost all their personal effects.
The Union Mutual Insurance Com
pany of this city loses 81, $50 divided
as follows: Mrs. Sarah Bond, furni-
ture $3.50; Currier building $4,000
B. M. Hooker & Co., stock So, 600
The Vermont Mutual had the follow
ing policies: b. W. Hooker & Co.,
50, 500; Veale & Knight, 81, 500.
W. c., Washburn's agency of this
city carried So, 400 on the stock of the
Union Clothing Co.