News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1910-04-20

| Inc worst hre ever known IN LamO1lle
county was that which broke out al
Hyde Park in the county Jail at halfpast
eleven last Sunday morning, and before
it could be extinguished destroyed pub
lie ali private property, which included
the ,unty buildings, the town hall, the
Congregational church and several dwell
ling houses, making a total loss OF
eightEen buildings, nearly all of which
had baras attached. Some twenty fam
lilies lwcre rendered homeless by the
flame s.
| At tie time above mentioned little
| Oscat Lilley, the son of Irwin Lilley, saw
smoke coming out of the roof of the Jail,
and called Sheriff Stevens attention to
| it. The Sheriff rushed out, and seeing
the situation, gave the alarm, notifying
the inmates, two young men from Cam
| bridge serving ten days for drunkenness,
aau released them. The fire is supposed
to have taken from stove-pipe in the
jail, which ran from the lower floor
through the second floor and then into
a chimney A terrific wind was blowing
and the prisoners had built up quite
fire.
In a short time the fire department
was n hand, but it being Sunday the
electric plant, which pumps the water in
to the reservoir, was not running, and it
was several minutes before a stream
could be got into the building. This
cause, it is now said, was owing to the
fact that Sam'I IManley who started up the
power, was soon afterwards telephOned
to shut down the same-or at least
he says he understood the message to be
"shut down." When that was turned on
and the pump at the hide house started,
the attic of the jail was flooded through
small door in the west end of the
gable but to no avail.
Attention was then turned to saving
the court house, and as the wind, which
was blowing terrifcally from the south
east, carried the cinders and flames away
from the building, it was thought it tcould
be saved. 1t was not long, however, be-
fore the Sheriff's residence adjoining was
in flames, although not until about all OF
the furn niture had been gotten out and al |
so the Office equipment of both the Pro-
bate Judge and County Clerk taken care
oG Valuable papers were put into the
vaults
Burning brands were carried westward
to both sides of the street and in short |
time the residence ofGeo. Eastman, about
six rods away, was in flames, as well as
the AIdambra, large two story build |
lng west of the Congregational church. |
Th. cirss proximity of this building made |
it inpossibe to save the church and that
too was soon in flames, together with the
residences of s. B. Waite, Mrs. Electa |
FarbHnks and Ferd Gauthier all on the |
sora side of the street. AT the same |
til the flames spread on the north side,
burning the houses of Geo. Eastman, |
jude White, J. 7. Stevens, the Gussle
Lil,av house occupied by c. S. Saun
der Il. NJ. Netherlands residence, Geo
Parh-rs home, the large Mcfarland ten
ement to the north, known as the Meach
am house. the residence of Daniel Smith,
IN the hollow, known as the Bishop place,
and the home of Noyes Wood on the cor
ner Of West Main street and the Johnson
road. At all of these places the fire
spread SO rapidly that, in spite of the
efforts of the multitude, the buildings
were soon consumed, and with them in
nearly every case large quantity of the
| contents.
At almost the beginning of the fire,
Morrisvilie and Johnson were telephoned
to for aid and in short time the firemen
with their apparatus from both towns
were on handgiving great aid
Meanwhile the flames continued to
spread from the court house and in a