The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-05-07
Upper Graniteville Visited
by Fire Started by
Lightning
STORE, BARBER SHOP,
LIVERY, DWELLING
Barre Fire Department As
sisted in Stopping the
Flames Progress

Fire which started when the general
store OF Odule Gilbert was struck by
lightning at 10 o'clock last night, de-
stroyed the store building, a barber shop
owned by Charles Gilbert John Ryan's
livery stable and dwelling owned by
Owen McCue in upper Graniteyille. Inc
blaze entailed total loss of S20,OOo and
three families were made homeless. Sew
eral times the entire lower section OF
the village was threatened with deyasta-
ton and but for the hard work Of vol
unteer firemen, bucket brgades and reg
ulars and call men from the Barre fire
3denartment, who responded at lo;3n
O'Clock in the auto fire truck, the loss
would have been much greater.
! Much OF the destroyed property =
protected by insurance, although IT IS
understood that the proprietor OF the
livery business carried no Insurance
The families of Charles Gilbert, VINO
occupied apartments over the barber
shop and the pool room, and Mr.. Nc
Cue and his tenants, Jerry Keo'gh, Omar
Marceau and Henry Lasoir who lived
upstairs over the general store, were
driven from thei, homes before they
had time 10 save any household goods.
/ Six horses quartered in the Ryan stable
were released before the fire had gained
iany great headway and small portion
Eof goods in the Odule Gilbert store ana
ihis brothers barber shop We're salyaged.
The prorress OF the flames was headed
of on the threshhold of Jerry Murphy )
house lust east of the Gilbert store,
Ialthough the FIRE fighters were obliged
| 10 resort to dynamite in two instances
and to raze small wood shed and store
| bouse located between the barber shop
and Murphy's house =
| 1t was only a few moments before ~
when the third OF series OF lightning
flashes came and almost within an n.
slant the store belonging to q. Gnbert
Twas in flames. John Mcpherson, a. quar-.
ryman. who was returning home from
THE lower village, saw the bolt when 1t
struck the rear end of the roof. But
the alarm had already spread, for Omar
! Marceau. VINO occupies one OF the see
tond story tenements. felt the shock dis
tinctIv and notified members OF the
family before the blaze became notice
I
"a we'll as in the Lasoir apartments ad
Joining. had retired for the night. They
were quickly aroused and the occupants
OF the building made A hasty exit. lP
the street few yards, inhabitants Oh
the Charles Gilbert tenement looked
across the way TO see the store IN fiames
and they were not slow in making prep
larations to leave. !,
/ Before the flames had fairly enyeloped
the store structure, crews OF bucket men
we're rapidly formed and strenuous et-
| forts were made to save the livery stable
nroperty. But the main structure was
located only few feet from the burn
ling building and all efforts in this d.
rection were futile. Both the store and
tho harm. which soon took fire. burned
rapidiy and it was soon apparent that
nothing could be done to save either
structure. Likewise the building which
houses Charles Giiberts pool and bar
her business was doomed. for the flames
made quick work OF the livery stable
and store Fire fighting resources were
slim. indeed, and when it was seen that
AT least three buildings lined up on
the north side of the street were beyond
aid attention was turned toward the
fourth a double tenement owned ny
owen McCue and occupied jointly ny
Mr.. McCue and the Keough family. SUI
perintendent Guy r. Narnum OF the
boutwell,. Milne & Narnum Co.. was
iamong the fire fighters and at his sug
gestion plan was devised to dynamite
tbe McCue house. then already harassed
on two sides by fire. The house was
burning rapidly when the dynamite was
discharged and the remnants OF the
structure scattered to the winds.
Just TO the east of McCue's house,
s;zeable she'd and storehouse intercepted
tho flames. A gang of men surrounded
tho frame structure with ropes and with
concerted pull IL was dragged to the
street and out OF the path oil the hIe.
! Dvpamiting the McCue house and the
removal of the shed doubtless saved
the house owned by Mr.. Murphy, next
/ in line to the east. As II was. the ROOT
of Murphy's house took fire and every
window in the building was cracked by
the intense heat.
/ shortly before l0:30 O'Clock. help was
summoned from this city. Thomas Le-
tourneau. who had been in the midst
Of the fire fighters, telephoned thiei
Cladding that q little assistance would
be greatly appreciated. Two of the rig
iulars and detail of call men boarded
the American. IaFrance truck and made
the trip TO the hill in quick time. When
tbev arrived the store was nearly re
duced 10 ashes. the livery stable had
been laid low. and the flames were put
ting tho finishing touches on Charles Gil
bert's property 4 crew Of men were
ma king a last desperate struggle TO save
NcCue's house and several other build
ings in the vicinity were in immediate
danger of destruction. Chief among
,bese was the village school house SIT
mated on a knoll just 20 the northeast
o. the burning area.
The school house roof. in fact. was
burning in several places. when Chief
I CIaddinr and his men rounded the curve
and brought their car to halt IN the
I .rbool vard. 10 was there that the Barre
[ sremen lent their mlst effective efforts-
Tor bevnnd = doubt the structure would
have surrumbed to the flames hsd i not
hesn for the plucky fight waged against
the ere on the roof. Ladders were