The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-11-24
MONTPELIER STONE
SHED DESTROYED
Lowe-MMcer Co. Plant, Formerly H. ].
Bertoli's, Was Burned Early
Sunday Morning.

The Lowe Mercer Co.'S granite plant
formerly II. j. Bertoli's, located off Riy-
er street in the Pioneer section of Mont
pelier, was destroyed by fire early Sun
day morning, making the fifth stone
shed in Montpelier to burn during the
past three years. Practically nothing
was saved, so rapidly did the flames
spread.
IL was a few minutes before o'clock
that the fire alarm was rung and for
the reason that the scene is about mile
from the Montpelier fire station, the
flames had chance to gain great head
way before the fire department arrived.
The entire plant was enveloped in fire
at the time the firemen got three lines
of hose laid from hydrant on River
street and across the Central Vermont
track, so that most of the efforts were
directed toward saving the Bonazzi &
Bonazzi stoneshed to the north and the
covered bridge over the highway to the
eastward
The flames lighted up the section with
great glare and, in addition, high ten
sion power wires on the river side of
the plant added their brilliant display
to the spectacle. In fact, there was
considerable apprehension felt by the
fremen that the high voltage wires
would do injury until the power was
turned off. BY that time the shed was
practically in ruins, the sides collapsing
and allowing the machinery to fall into
tangled mass, including Lane travel
ing derrick.
Nothing remains except the extreme
northern end of the stoneshed and the
office building, which is partially burned
on the north and east sides. During
the progress of the fire the books, pa
pers and drawings of the firm were re-
moved from the office building The
derrick fell with great crash when
the fire was at its height. Sparks flew
to the roof of the covered bridge near
by, but the flames were extinguished so
that no damage was done. Likewise,
the Bonazzi & Bonazzi plant was not
damaged.
One line of hose strung across the
Central Vermont track was severed by
the wheels Of a passenger train bound
from Montpelier to Barre before the
trainmen were notified by the frantic
signaling of many people. Then the
train was held up until the other lines
of hose were removed from the track,
The fire throws about score of men
out of employment. The Mercer
Co. had not been operating the plant
very long; and, in fact, the validity of
the deed is in the courts at the present
time. About year after H. J. Bertoli
died. his widow gave deed TO the Lowe
Mercer Co. for S6,500 whereupon three
of the Bertoli estate, namely,
the Wetmore s. Morse company, Mar
win & Sherburne and the Cory, Deayitt
& Frost company, brought suit in chan
Gerry to contest the validity of the deed
given under provision of the will, claim
ing that permission to sell should have
been secured through the court. 1t was
also asserted in the argument that the
plant was sold below its actual value.
The case went to the Vermont SUI
prcme court on demurrer, and at the
opening of the November term of the
,ourt the demurrer was overruled and
The cause sent back to chancery court,
where il rested at the time of the fire.
In the year and half that they have
,perated the plant, the Lowe Mercer Co. |
added considerable new machinery and
the plant was considered quite Well |
,quipped, being also comparatively new,
iaving been erected by Mr.. Bertoli less |
han a dozen years ago, at cost said |
o have been around $4,000.
An insurance of $4,000 was carried, |
livided as follows: j. G.. Browns agency, |
5000; B. A. Summers agency $1,000; |
Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance com
'any, $4,000. OF which $1,000 was trans
erred to the Burlington Mutual; Gran
te Mutual Fire Insurance company, ST.
00
The cause of the fire has not been de-
ermined, but Chief Pattee of the Mont
elier fire department is inclined to
hink that it started in the blacksmith
hop and worked from there into the
over room He adds that it did not
tart from electric wiring as the cur
ent was turned off from the building