The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-02-04
Then Firemen Doused Big
Blaze in No. Main St. Building
ILooo rn~l. ',,1.',y LAY, $500
Building Owned by Grant A. Lane Was
Gutte6 by Fire-Family of Victor
Beaulac Had Marrow Escape
from Burning to Death.

by Grant a. Lane and occupied by tho
Union cafe, L. g. RoHelle's barber shop
and tenement rooms in the second story
occupied by the family of Victor Beaulac.
Ihe total loss is estimated at nearly
$500, covered by insurance to the ex-
tent of $1,000.
The. losses are divided as follows. G..
A. Grant, damage to building. $500.
nearly covered by insurance; Victor
Beaulac, damage to household goods bv
smoke, fire and water, $500. with no
insurance; Leon g. Rouelle, damage TO
interior oil barbershop, $500. with insur
Hnce amounting TO 1900: Michael David
loss OF lunchroom fixtures and supplies,
S4o0, with no insurance; John Keefe,
damage to unchroom fixtures, $500, with
insurance Of $500. Other losers were
Frank Fregosi, a barber employed bv
Rouelle, who lost tools to the value of
$50, and Clifford Peake, also employed
IN the barbershop, who places the value
on lost or damaged tools and barber
supplies at $50 The sum of S85, the
savings of Mrs. Victor Beaulac, were
consumed with cupboard which burned.
The fire was discovered by Eva Beau
lac, the tNRelve-year-ol daughter of
Victor Beaulac, shortly after ) o'clock.
Previous to this, however Mr.. Beaulac
had been awakened by the cat scratch
ing on the window in his bed room.
Mr.. Beaulac arose and went through
the kitchen and out to the second story
| piazza; but detecting nothing wrong.
he returned to his room. He remembers
that the animal continued to act strange
ly, but after LOGGING around he thought
nothing Of it,
A few minutes later Mr.. Beaulac was
aroused by bis daughter, who rushed
into the room saying that the rear Of
\ the house was afire. The whole family
4 was awakened BY this time, and at
/ tention was turned toward spreading the
alarm. A moments glance showed that
the kitchen had already taken FIRE, and
1 Beaulac rushed to the front of the house
and called for aid. A milkman, passing
1 by, heard thee cry of fire, and hastily
turned in a general alarm from box u,
located at the corner of Seminary and
/ Main streets.
The entire Ere department was on the
I scene in few minutes However, the
/ flames had completely engulfed the
building, and threatened to ignite adj
! joining stores and barns Mrs. Beaulac
and daughtre, Eva, were nearly overcome
by smoke when the firemen arrived and
were calling loudly for help Chief Glad
ding, seeing the predicament of the
occupants, gave orders to enter the
building No time was lost in ascend
ing TO the second story, access to which
was gained by means of the outside
stairs, which had not yet succumbed to
the flames. The woman and child were
assisted to the ground in an almost
hysterical condition. 1t was narroN
escape for both
After ascertaining that other lives
We're not in jeopardy, efforts We're di-
reeted to subduiing the flames Within
a few minutes after their arrival. the
firemen had one stream Of water on the
building. and within ten minutes five
streams were directed against the fire
from as many angles. Handicapped by
the driving snowstorm which prevailed
at the time, the firefQhters were forced
to work at a disadvantage The fire
was eXtinguished at o'clock.
That the fire did not communicate to
nearby buildings is due to the good
work Of the fremen. In the rear Of
the building are located a long line Of
wooden structures, including a horse
barn, a blacksmith shop and the ware
house of the Barre & Montpelier Tai
low Co. Adjoining the burned building
on the south, is the tobacco and con
fectionery store owned by Joseph Merlo.
Although separated from the Lane build
ing by a brick wall the basement Of
the tobacco store was flooded with wa
ter, causing an lmestimated damage 10
stock stored there. The first floor OF
the Merlo store was somewhat damaged
by smoke. The loss 10 this instance
is fully insured. a small quantity of
water found its way into the cellar of
the Smith & Cummings market, but it
caused little or no damage. Windows
on the south side of the Brown block.
in part by the market. were
either cracked or broken by the heat.
The origin of the Gre has not been
cleared up as yet. Chief Cladding is snt-
sfed that the blaze started in the rear
Of the Rouele barber shop. although the
exact manner Of starting remains
mystery Mr.. Rouelle says that he
,losed and left the shop last night short
" after o'clock, leaving everything
III right BE cannot in any way ae-
'ount for the fire and says that no one
vas in the shop thereafter, to his
Michael David. who con-
iuets the Union cafe. says that he
.losed his shop as is his custom, at 2:S0
,'clock a. m, leaving the fire iu a range
It the rear OF the shop safely banked.
Victor Beaulac, the occupant OF the tene-
nent upstairs, stated that the family
etired at an early hour, and that moth
ng in the way OF q disturbance occurred
mtl he was awakened BY the cat early
his morning. He is convinced that the
Ire was already underway when tha
nimal entered his room aud scratched
n the window.
The different occupants OF the gutted
uilding were busy to-day removing the
haired remnants Of the fire Ii IS
hought the building viii be reconstruct
4 following the adjustment Of tae iu-
uruuce. I. G. RoueHe. the barber. has
ot vet completed plans for the future.
ut expects to be located somewhere
4 the city within q few DAYS. NJ.
layid viii open n iunchroom IN the
eampini block where the shooting gall
,ry formerly WAS The Beaulac family
III live with sriends. until more satis-
ictory arrangements can be completed.