The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-11-25
Fire Department Truck Was
Considerably Smashed
TWO FIRrrrnoDt say unUUT
Damage Done Early Thanksgiving Morn
ing in Responding to Call for Slight
Blaze in North End Of the
Citv.

While responding to an alarm rung in
at $3.50 o'clock Thanksgiving morning
from box l42 on Berlin street, the hook
and ladder team OF the fire department.
eollided with a telephone pole opposite
the residence Of f. I. Cutler on North
Main street, badly smashing the wagon
and hurling the driver and other fireman
from the wagon. The driver Daniel
Keefe, was thrown over the horses heads
and William Mears. a call man, who was
riding on the running board, landed in
the middle of the street. The thiru
man on the team was fireman Clyde VIII
lev, who was sitting in the baskets on
top of the truck when the crash came,
and he was thrown against the sides OF
the basket and bruised about the legs.
The horses were making record time
down the street and, considering the
force with which the wagon struck, it
was most fortunate that the firemen were
not badly injured. Fireman Mears was
riding on the opposite side of the wagon
from that which struck the pole, and
fireman Wiley had been riding on the
danger side until just short distance
before the accident, when he climbed on
top of the wagon to get coat Had he
not done this, he could not have escaped
serious injury Driver Keefe has since
resigned his position.
The cause of the accident is said to
be due to the horses taking to the side
OF the street, and in the darkness the
driver was unable to see that he was
SO close to the gutter. The forward
wheel struck the pole and threw the
wagon pole up over the heads of the
horses, and the driver then had no con-
troll over them. The rear wheel soon
crashed into the next pole short dis.
tance beyond, and this collision stopped
the horses and threw the firemen from
the wagon.
The rear axle of the wagon was sprung
and one ladder was broken, besides the
rocker plate. The side straps Of the
harnesses We're also broken. The horses
escaped any injury The wagon was
taken to wheelwright shop yesterday
afternoon for repairs and the ladders
were put onto another wagon, where
they can be used in the meantime, in
case they are needed.
The FIRE was in the house at l04 Smith
street, owned by g. w. Bisbee The
firemen on the chemical wagon were
quickly on the spot, and they found
a bed on the first floor of the house all
afre and also the floor OF the room.
The chemical extinguished the blaze in
a short time, and the damage was all
confined to one room. The house is oeeu-
pied by Mrs Maria Rossi, who told the
fire chief that she could not account
for the cause of the fire in the room, as
there had been no one in the room dur
ing the night She said that she and
her daughter slept up stairs and were
awakened by the smoke.
The department was called out by still
alarm Wednesday afternoon for a small
blaze in a house owned by Mrs. Alex.
Mckenzie at Is Third street A lace
curtain caught fire in some way; the
occupants of the house say they cannot
understand how it happened. But slight
damage was done The fire caused
good deal of excitement among the peo-
pie in the house, and one woman tainted.
Dr. Z. G. Ghidella was called to atteno
her.