The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-07-02
Spectators Saw a Brilliant
Show at 20 Merchant st.
Last Night
ST. 900 DEMONSTRATION
AT ARKLEY BARN
Firemen Cut the Show Down
to Is Minutes and Then
Rang the Good Night"

Five horses were untethered anC
turned loose in the streets before a firt
which did $1,000 damage to j. l.. Ark
ley's stables at 30 Merchant street last
night had wholly encompassed them il
their quarters in the rear of the barn
Other property in the livery barn was
removed and the families of Mr.. Ark
ley and John Plaisted, who live in the
large house to the west of the burned
building, were hastily transferring then
household goods to the lawn when the
firemen gained the mastery over the
flames before they had reached the first
floor OF the barn
1t was $3.50 O'Clock when Luke Gal.
lagher, a North Barre granite manufac.
turer. turned in a general alarm from
box IL at the corner of Merchant and
Summer streets. A few minutes before
Mr.. Arkley, who was sitting on this
front piazza of his home nearby, heard
the cracking of the flames when they
burst through the roof at the rear OF
the stable He rushed to the barn and
saw three Of his horses and two tran
sients vainly tugging at their halters
for the fire by this time was directly
over the stalls. With the aid OF Mr.
Gallagher, who happened TO be passir
the animals were loosened and led
the door, although one of them gay n
reseuers considerable trouble and
succeeded in rushing back to tn, - er
zone and probable death by suffot ion
The horses safe the men turned their
attention TO saving the other contents of
the barn. But the arrival of the auto
fire truck and the horse drawn apparatus
soon afterwards put an end to any
thoughts OF salyaging other property in
the carriage room. Six streams from an
aggregate of 1000 feet of hose were
soon playing on the roof and within ff-
teen minutes after the general alarm
sounded, the about signal was given,
although the fremen continued to dump
water into the haybarn for short time
thereafter.
Damage to the Arkley stable was con
fined almost wholly to the upper section
of the main barn and the straw loft
at the rear A liberal estimate of the
loss places ii at 81 600, which is Gov
cred bv insurance held with the j. w
Dillon and Granite Fire Insurance Co.
agencies. Considerable money will have
to be expended on the roof, which was
of shingles and therefore highly infam-
mable in dry season. Only in two
or three places did the fire break through
the haybarn floor and on each occasion
the fremen were ready with water to
prevent its spread AS precaution, the
arge double tenement occupied by
Messrs. Arkley and Plaisted was wet
iown several times and the house at the
,ast of the burning barn was also treat
u in like manner.
The high bank which skirts Wellington
street was feeding ground for the
lanes when the fire was at its height
md some attention had to be given there
% prevent il from ascending the slopes
md communicating with the property
# George w. Mann on the brow of the
ill. Mr.. Mann's observatory, a small
wooden structure, hangs ont over the
,ank with a couple of stills for its sup
,ort and several times it was thought
hat it must be consumed by fire.
The buildings are owned by NJ. II.
hughes of Worcester, Mass, who for
nerly conducted the livery business
here. while all of the contents of the
,arns are owned by Mr.. Arkley. Both
wners are fully protected by insurance.
Mr.. Arkley is at loss to explain the
rigin of the fire. He says that no
ne had been in the barn for an hour
,revous to the outbreak; the horses, |
e added, were groomed ana fed at the
sual hour, although none of the men
gho have charge of these duties was
moking in the barn. The theory of |
pontaneous combustion is hardly en-
by any who are familiar with |
he situation. There was little hay in
he main loft and only few bales of |
traw in the section at the rear. The
ause of the fire will probably remain
mystery.
Not since President Taft passed |
Trough the city last fall has a crowd |
objected for any purpose with such
Merchant and Summer streets
, the immediate vicinity of the fire
ere crowded and the edge of the high
snk on Wellington street was lined
18th onlookers, who looked down onto
ne blaze below as though gazing into
Il ampitheatre. Several spectators who
lought to view the fire from Mr..
fann's latticed outpost were moved to
tire when the flames began to scale
ne bank