Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-08-21
CAR AFIRE EXCIHES CROWD
Alarm Brings General Response
from Six Stations.
Blaze Qucnched with Hand Extin-
guishers by Chief Niles before APP
paratus Arrives--ChiIdrcn Kept
from sunday school.

Churcn-goers who didn't stay to Sunday
school Sunday were treated to a little
excitement when a trolley car started to
burn up on Pearl street, and It is feared
that numerous children staid away in
consequence. An alarm from box A. head
Of Church street, brought the entire fire
department to the scene, but when the
apparatus arrived Chief Niles had put the
fire out With u couple OF hand eX"
ttnsu!shers and his men had nothing loft
to DO. The damage was slight, and the
car was not disabled.
Ger number IS, inbound from Wincoski
in charge o. Conductor Peter Burnell OF
i22 North "inooski avenue and Iotor-
man Louis Lewis. and due at city hall
az 1910 D. n, had just reached the corner
of Pear Ytreet ana North Ninoosk
Avenue When a wire Under tho foo"
Working !oose dropped urcn the motor
case Of the rear tricks. The insua.ica
had worn or AMI the wire became ground
ed on Tia, frame. setting FIRE - ths on
and grease
oenee clouds % black SMOKE tho s.za
Of a houAe issued from the car, and Cor
duotor BuTnel rushed to the fire alarm
box, 100 feet away, and rang IN ut i2:0s
Chisf Niles and an assistant were az
North street and North W1nooslH avenue
two blocks away. where they had boon
locking up and repairing a small curren:
Leakage In the alarm system At the first
stroke of the alarm the chief saw the
smoke. and without waiting to count the
strokes he rushed his automobile to the
spot A dozen excited passengers had
alighted, and when h. arrived they
pointed to the smoke and exclaimed,
There 1t is-thats the fire.
Chief Niles and his assistant, one work.
ng on each side of the car with the
pxtingushers, had the blaze out before
even the auto truck from station one
four blocks away. reached the scene-in
fact, before the alarm had ceased its
third repetition. Then hose wagons and
ladder trucks appeared from every drec-
tion' on Pearl street from east and west
and from both North and South Winooski
avenues. for box 40 is one of those to
which all six stations respond Two
firemen came up Pearl street on the steps
of passing automobile, which they had
stopped and boarded, and another fire
man arrived on the rear scat Of a motor
cycle which he had requlsitioned.
Chief Niles at once ordered everything
back to the stations. and trolley car ar
rived from the barns. called out by
Superintendent Jones. who was among the
first on the spot. The extra car took up
the trip of number 80, which went to the
barns on its own power, slightly
scorched under the floor and with the
dash board" darkcncd by smoke. Traffic
was delayed only a few minutes
Yesterdays alarm was the third one
TO which Chief Niles has been able to
respond ahead Of all other equipment since
he has had his new car He feels that
automobile fire apparatus has fully
proved it's value here i'm saving the Soc
onds that count when a fire first gets under
way. He is also convinced of the wisdom
of the department in connecting the alarm
system with whistles as we'll as with
bells, for the blast carries to great dis
.ances oven ON windy DAVIS and the con-