The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-03-03
MIDNIGHT FIRE ON
DEWEY CORNER
LOSS $4,000
Started in Chinese Laundry on
North Street
TWO STORES BURNED OUT
Rlce's Jewelry Store, Whitney's CT
gar Store and Also the Laundry
and Moons cobbIlng Shop.

Fire, discovered shortly after mid
night, caused damage of between
$4,000 and $4,000 to building and oc-
cupants on North street this morn
ing. The building is owned by the
Dewey estate and the loss will be in
the vicinity of $4,000. The occupants
are James H. Whitney, cigars and
tobacco, whose loss will be over
$4,000; Fred S. Rice, jeweler, $1,000;
Harry Noon, shoe shop, $500; Cow
Wong, Chinese laundry, loss I'M
known; Harry Vanderberg. colored
janitor, loss small; Richard Hur-
ley, cigars and confectionery, slight
damage from smoke.
The fire originated in the laundry
of Cow Wong. The cause will never
be definitely known but it is presum-
ed that 1t started from the stove. 1t
was the laundryman's custom to put
his stove in shape for the night and
to leave before Sunday morning for
Pittsfield where he could have the
company of other men of his race
during the day. Because he could
not be found, when the members OF
the department arrived on the
scene, a rumor started that he had
persisted in the flames.
Because of the stiff north wind
that was blowing during the first half
of the night the alarm was heard by
only few people and the number OF
firemen who responded was unusual
ly small. There were, however,
several citizens who were either
honorary members of the department
or who had seen service in previous
years who took a hand in the work.
But for the breaking of gas pipe
it might have been possible to con-
fine the fire to the three apart
ments occupied by Cow Wong, Harry
Noon and Harry Kanderburg. The
gas pipe supplies the Whitney cigar
store and when the two explosions oc-
Cured the flames burst through into
the store. 1t was then necessary to
thoroughly soak this section of the
block in order to prevent the flames
from progressing through to the cor
ner and endangering other property.
At one time the heat was SO in
tense that it was impossible to pass
on the opposite walk without pro-
tecting ones face with gloved hands.
One of the plate glass windows on
the opposite side of the street was
cracked by the heat
1t was a bitter cold night, one OF
the most severe Of the present win
ter and the flremen had a trying ex-
perience. The fire had been in pro-
gress but a short time when the
wind shifted from north to south and
the lull helped to keep the flames in
side the limits of the three stores.
Harry Noon, Cow Wong and Harry
Vanderburg sustained almost COM
pete loss. The shoemaker and
the laundryman occupied the
two stores next to the
Whitney theatre on the north.
At this point the building was one
and one-half stories high and the up
stairs room was occupied by Harry
Vsnderburg the colored janitor gener-
ally known as Gov. Black. The loss
in the upper apartment and in the
laundry is complete. Mr.. Moons
machinery consisting of large shoe
machine and two sewing machines
may perhaps be repaired.
While f. s. Rice, the jeweler. has
sustained a large amount OF damage,
some of his stock will come through
intact He carries $1,000 insurance
on that portion of his stock which is
too bulky TO store in the large safe.
The safe was not damaged further
than the scorching of the paint and
the combination worked perfectly
this morning. Some of the clocks,
though married by smoke, were run
ming this forenoon.
There is little that can be saved
in the Whitney cigar store. The
stock is of a nature that will stand
neither smoke or water and what has
not been ruined by one element was
destroyed by the other.
The smoke came through onto the
cigar store of Richard Hurley next
adjoining the Whitney store on the
south. but the damage is slight