The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-12-19
FIRE IN THE
PAWTUxET
CHURCH
Timely Discovery Of BIazs Pro
vents Destruction Of Property.
Strong Wind Was Blowing.

The opportune discovery OF a Are be-
tween the walls Of partition in the
Pawtuxet Baptist church. last night.
enabled the Volunteer Fire company to
extnguish with comparatively small
damage a blaze. that had 1t been an hour
later might. famed by the strong north
westerly wind. have swept the greater
part OF the village away.
The time OF the discovery OF the blaze
was timely in many ways. for had IL
been half an hour earlier when the
church was crowded with large au-
dience at the gospel meeting conducted
by the pastor. Prof b. r. Stout, panic
that would possibly have been danger
Gus to many. would probably have re-
suited half hour later would have
found the fremen In bed, as the local
company had attended the service In a
body, and many of the men were talk
ing things over In the fire station when
the alarm came.
During the service faint smell OF
burning was perceptible to many who
sat on the north side of the building,
and before the service was over. several
| quietly started In to investigate. They
| found nothing to indicate a fire until
after the benediction had been pro-
nounced and the red-slirted iremen had
marched out.
Then Rev. Thomas z. Bartlett went UP
| into the unfinished portion OF the build
| Ing under the roof and found II so full
| OF smoke as to make breathing difficult
He searched about, however. and went
downstairs without finding the cause
and I'm the basement he saw that VIII
| liam M. and Benjamin s. Lee, and Geo
| B. Arnold. all members OF the Baptist
society and OF the fire company also. had
discovered a section OF the partition. be.
tween the cellar and the dining room
was all ablaze. from an overheated fur
mace pipe.
They were endeavoring to put out the
fire with pals OF water and as II was
seen that this mode OF procedure was
not effective apd that the flames were
| apparently mounting through the hol-
| low partitionS-lnto the roof OF the build.
ing, an alarm oR nre was rung upon the
| church bell.
HYDRANT WAS FROZEN.
Several OF tho fremen had noticed the
| smell of smoke I'm the church and took
| this alram has a confirmation Of the half
| formed suspicion they had formed. and
| hastened at once to the building with
| the ladder truck. and two hose carts. and
laid a line OF hose from the hydrant at
| the corner of Sheldon and Broad streets.
The chemical extinguishers from the
ladder truck were used with great ef-
| fectiveness. through a hole chopped I'm
| the floor OF the vestry. but when the fire
| men came to turn on the water at the
hydrant Il was found TO be frozen up.
| Considerable time was lost IN trans
| ferring the hose 10 the plug at the cor
| ner OF Ocean street, and when stream
was at last available II was fortunately
| not needed. as the chemicals and numer-
Gus buckets of water had done the work.
The frozen hydrant gave the fremen
| considerable food for thought when
they considered the possible consequence
had the fire a couple OF hours start. with
the strong wind driving II toward the
adjoining residences. for considerable
time would have been wasted In courlins
onto another hydrant.
n IL very probable that a system oi
inspection Of hydrants viii result In tn,
future. for upon them the effectiveness
Of the Volunteer Fire company depend.
entirely.
The damage will probably not exceed
500. Rev Thomas r. Bartlett stated thi'
morning