The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-04-13
TROOPS GUARD
VAST RUINS OF
100000 FIRE


were Of wood and were completely de
stroyed, but structures Of other material
were almost as quickly and thoroughly
ineinerated by the iiercenoss Of the
blaze.
All the banks, more than three-quar-
ters Of the churches, half of the business
blocks and nearly all the school houses
were wiped out. One hospital and a
day nursey were destroyed. In the tur-
MOL many Of the sick and infirm found
difficulty in obtaining assistance and sew.
eral Of them had narrow escapes.
Buildings Destroyed.
Among the structures destroyed were
l3 churches, two hospitals, the public
library, city hall, five school.houses,
twenty business blocks, nearly score
Of factories and upwards Of 800 tene-
ments, and dwelling houses. Among the
places burned were: Frost hospital;
Children's hospital; Fitz public library;
st. Stanislaus Polish Catholic church
First Baptist church; Central Unitarian
church; st. Luke's Episcopal church told
buildingl First Methodist Episcopal
church; Elm Street Synagogue; Walnut
Street Synagogue; Chelsea Presbyterian
church; Peoples Afro Methodist Episco-
pal church; Fourth Street Universalist
church; Fifth Street Congregational
church; Shurtleff Street Methodist Epis.
copal church; Second Adventist church;
New England Telephone & Telegraph
|eompany's central Offices; Chaplain a.
Soden Car company's shops; Rosenfelt
Brothers three-story rag-picking factory
and the Tidewater Oil company's three
immense tanks; County Savings bank;
Chelsea Savings bank; Chelsea Trust
company; Winnisimmet National bank;
the Proyident Cooperative bank; st.
Roses Roman Catholic school. loss $40.
600; state armory, loss 100000: Sacred
Heart convent. loss 100000; Young Mems
Christian association building, loss $75,-
GOO; Boston Elevated railroad station
and barn. S50,000
The funds of all these banks, with
the exception Of the County Savings
bank, are still in the vaults. The money
and securities Of the County bank we're
taken TO Boston before the FIRE reached
the building.
Rapid Progress Of the Fire.
Within half an hour after the com.
meneemeut of the fire, the Rosenfelt
Brothers three-story wooden rag fac
tory on Maple street was ID flames al
also was the Chaplin & Soden Car com
pany works. Tons of tarfed paper stored
in the latter caused dense smoke. which
made the work Of the firemen almost
impossible, soon dozen factories and
cheaper tenement houses west Of Everett
avenue were in flames and the ilremen
saw that they were utterly unable to
cope with the coRflagrati0n. Fire Chief
Spencer summoned help from Boston and !
all the surrounding cities and towns and
all the available apparatus was sent To
Chelsea from Everett, Lynn, HaFerhill, |
Wakefield, Salem, Maiden, Cambridge.
Winthrop and Revere
The roof Of the Peoples A. III. E.
church on Fourth street was found to be |
ablaze while services were in progress. |
The congregation was unaware that
serious fire was raging outside. Someone
notified the pastor. the Rev. Charles I. |
Watson, that the building was In danger
ot burning and be notified the worship
pers Of the danger and advised them 10
nle slowly from the building. Twenty I
later the church was in ruins
30 rapid was the rush Of the flames /
that those families nearest the start Of !
the eonflagration had only time to es. |
cape from their homes and they lost all \
their possessions.
The iircmen battlcd bravely though un-
ayailingly to save the heart Of the bust
ness section, and To conhne the fire to /
That part Of the city lying between the
railroad tracks and Everett avenue.
Within an ares of half 4 mile square.
were several churches and school houses.
One by one they fell before the flames.
Flaming embers falling on steeple and
roof would almost instantly enyelop tile
whole structure in flames and in the
intense heat the buildings survived but
few minutes. When the tip of the
steeple Of tho Polish Catholic church
taught fire, several pieces Of apparatus
were rushed there in an effort to save
the building. Service had Just ended and
many people were In and about the
ediiiee. In l5 minutes the entire ton
9f tile church was in flames All the
effects and furniture we're re-
moved. The loss here Is estimated at
$4,000
a hundred yards away the First Uni-
versalist church caught fire in exactly
The same manner as the Polish church
and is soon was enveloped in flames
The pastor declared that the loss will be
fully $4,000.
Up to this time the fire had been con.
fined to the west of Everett avenue.
That it could be stopped there was be.
yond all question and possibility, how.
ever, for already burning embers borne
IN the high wind had started fires in
scores Of places all the way from Everett
avenue across Broadway, leaping the
business street Of the city and creating
new sources Of danger in the poorer tene.
ment and residential section of the city
between Broadway aud The water front.
Spreading to the northeast from Everett
avenue, the fire seized upon the rows Of
business blocks facing on Broadway and
anveloped them one after another. creep
ng toward Chase square, the center Of
he city.
The Fitz public library, a magnificent
stone structure, was destroyed and on
.he flames crept toward the Frost hospi
al and the ChildreD's hospital.
The fire at the Fitz library marked
H. lsr.stA al k.......a -.