News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1909-11-03
A FEARFUL HOLOCAUST!
Fire in Citizens Block at st. Johnsbury
Causes Death of Nine People. Several
Others Burned and Injured.

NduoCS DCdtu VI NluV CVPlCs DCVCldl
Others Burned and Injured.
Fire broke out last Saturday morning
at four o'clock in the Citizens block
st. Johnsbury, which resulted in the
death of nine persons, at least eight
more or less injured, and an estimated
loss of $4,000.
Stolliker's restaurant, and was dscov-
cred by Chief of Police Oliver Hall on
returning from official duties elsewhere
to the police station at 1858 a. m. He
was greeted with burst of flame when
he opened the door of his office and
| rushed out and gave the alarm. The
cause is unknown. The fire quickly
spread, following the elevator shaft, and
in a short time the whole building was
in flames, the firemen on arrival finding
the whole interior a roaring furnace.
Ladders were run up, but fell short of
the third floor, where the inmates, awak-
ened by smoke and cracking of flames,
were frantically urging the firemen to
assist them out of the building. Ropes
were brought into use.
The basement was occupied by Stolli-
ker's restaurant, John Bernier's barber
shop, Carl Howe's meat market and the
police station. The ground floor was
occupied by the Citizens Bank, James
Ritchie's dry goods store and Lurchin
& Lurchin's jewelry store. On the sec
ond floor were the law offices of Howe
& Hovey, Marshall Montgomery and G.
G. Frye; also the Offices of the Metropoli-
tan Life Insurance Company, F. B. ia
ques manager; the Union Mutual Insur-
ance Co., of Montpelier, A. B. Noyes
manager; the Connecticut General Life |
Insurance Co., II. E. Balch, manager:
the dental Office of DR.. C. M. Richmond, |
the headquarters of Post Chamberlain, |
G.. A. R., and the tenement of G. M. |
Howe. The third floor was occupied by |
tenementS.
The dead were all occupants of the |
tenements and were as follows:-
LIST OF THE DEAD
Charles T. Ranlet, of the Ranlett Print.
ing Co.
L. A. Darling.
Mr.. and Mrs. Stephen Cushman and
daughter. Bernice, the latter nine years
old.
Mr.. and Mrs. Herbert b. Tanner.
Miss Rose Massey.
Mrs. Mary Sleeper.
Mr.. Ranet was coming down a rope at |
tached from the window to ladder, and |
as he reached the second floor he fell to |
the ground and it is thought he was suf-
located by the smoke which poured from |
the window, which had been broken by
fireman. He was taken to the under
taking rooms of G. A Stanley, where he
died in short time. L. A. Darling, who |
died about six o'clock, was killed by
jumping from window. All the other
victims were suffocated.
Mr. Cushman was a carpenter employ
ed by A. L. Bragg; Mr. Tanner, a painter:
Miss Massey was employed in Stolikers
restaurant; and Mrs. Sleeper, who was
about 40 years old, worked out by the
day.
LIST OF THE INJURED
W. E. Pope. who runs a lunch cart,
and his son, Leonard, badly burned,
being cared for at Brightlook hospital,
the sons condition being critical.
Mrs. c. P. Dayie, badly burned; may
not recover; also at the Brightlook hos
pital.
Roy Smith, burned; condition not
serious.
Guy Cheney, suffering from shock
caused by excitement.
Mr.. and Mrs. Carl Howe, who moved |
into the block the day previous, burned,
but condition not serious unless Mrs |
Howe should develop pneumonia. hav-
ing inhaled a large amount of smoke.
George Severance, burned badly about !
the face.
This building was on the site of the
old Ward building, which burned II
years ago to-day. The present building
was very handsome one and one Of the
best in town. The Citizens Bank proper
was not burned. though it was badly
damaged by water The vault stood the
test and was not damaged. 1t will be
opened the first of next week. The stock
in stores of James Richie and Lurchin
& Lurchin was damaged more by water
than fire. The estimated loss on the
stock, goods, tenements, and building
is about $4,000, which is well covered
by insurance.
yers, valuable libraries and papers hav-
ing been destroyed. This is the second /
time within less than year that the
G. A. R. quarters have been burned.
VICTIMS MIGHT HAvR ESCAPED
1t is thought that several, if not all, of
the victims might have escaped death
had they not become panic-stricken and
returned to their rooms after having
reached the windows from which they
might have been eaved. Some of them
evidently went back to get valuables and
were lost in the flames. One of the
women who lost her life was seen at a
window before the fire had gained
great Roadway, and she might have been
saved had she not returned to get a sum
of money and q mattress which she
thraU 70 manila on tba UrounI kanoath