The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-07-31
FOREST FIRE SUBDUED
AFTER HARD FIGHTING
City Firemen Called to East Barre Road,
80 Men Being on the Scene, Most
of Whom Were Carried by New
Auto Truck.

| A forest fire that for time threaten.
ed to assume serious proportions broke
out on the north side of the East Barre
read near Phelps mill yesterday after"
noon at ! o'clock and the combined eli.
| forts of several of the regulars from the
central station. number of call men and
road workers employed near the mill dit
not serve TO totally eXtinguish the flames
until after 6 o'clock. The new Amerls
can LaFrance auto fire truck recently
purchased by the city, was pressed into
service and rendered valuable work in
transporting fire fighters from this city
/ to the mill
! A general alarm, sounded from box %
a few moments past 3 o'clock. brought
many of the call men and large mum.
! Der of people to the station. 1t wis
shortly before then that Chief Glad
ding and his men, after putting up Il
futile fight against the smoke and flames.
were obliged TO retire or face the alter
native of being overcome. The chief de-
eided that the only recourse was To
secure corps of men from the city and
he sent Fireman Carpenter TO the cor
ner of Prospect and Main street to ring
in the alarm. Men on duty at the sta-
ton were previously notified not to pre-.
pare the chemical horses for run and
when tie whistle at the gas plant
doomed out the number, %, everyone
waited and watched.
Meanwhile the auto truck had been
brought into commission and when q
goodsized load of men, armed with hoe ),
shovels and brooms. had gathered at the
station, the big truck set out for the
relief OF the exhausted firemen at the
mill. The American-LaFrance took
Washington street hill with apparent
ease and when the scene of the fire was
reached. one of the men aboard observed
that only two and one-half minutes had
been consumed in making the distance
from the station.
The fire caught in the steep bank skift-
ing the road from a spark emitted by
the steam roller in use by the road work.
ers. Mrs. Arthur Phelps telephoned
Chief Gladding who picked two of the
regulars and went to the mill Aided by
the laborers and other persons in the
neighborhood the firemen' fought
game battle with the smoke and flames,
but near O'Clock wind came up and
the fighters. worn out by their labors,
were ObilEtti W IAN hstNNs 1 it nv Aft
gan to mount the steep bank whicb
forms a side for plateau of some fit.
acres of woodland Fire fighting was
difficult proposition under calm condi
tions and when the stiff breeze sprung
up. the necessity for more help became
apparent at once.
After the auto truck had made thrre
trips to the city. transporting a load OF
call men OH its return each time. there
was a fighting strength of fully thirty
men on the line. At different times IL
seemed as though the flames breaking
out here and there in the underbrlish,
would lrustrate the best efforts of the
men, but toward 5 o'clock the repeated
attacks began to tell. At $50, the FIRE
was Nell under control and portion
of the volunteers and department men
returned to the city. 4 force of eight
was left ON the scene. however, and it
was only after the heavy rain Of twilight.
had drenched the last spark, that the
woods were abandoned.
The burned area covers a total OF
nearly six acres. The efforts of the fire.
men kept the flames confined largely 10
the bank. covered only with a second
growth, and the timber Immediately con
tiguous to the brink of the hill. Fifty
acres of valuable forest land adjacent
was practically untouched, although a
belated arrival on the part of the fight
ers would have inevitably meant a heavy
property loss. A line fence OF boards
running along the crest of the hill was
partially ruined by the fire and prop.
erty owned by Justin II. Blaisdel and
Fred Gale was considerably damaged.
Figures as to the exact loss could not
be obtained.
Here in the city. the sounding OF the
alarm from box % created noticeable
stir and it was several moments before
the crowd which gathered near the city
building understood the feason for the
alarm. The new auto truck was given
It's initial opportunity To prove its use
fulness and the men who are supposed
to know about fire trucks say that it
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