The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-07-13
TOWN FARM HOUSE
COM PLETELY
DESTROYED
Building Burned to the Ground
Sunday
INMATES ALL RESCUED
Loss viii be over $4,000 with insur-
an ce of 5000 Barns
Were Saved

Inc TeSluence DullulnB OH tHe DtH-
nington town farm was completely
destroyed by fire Sunday causing a
loss of fully $4,000 with insurance
of $1,000 George T. Phelps, the sup
erintendent, carried insurance OF
$1,000 on his household effects. a por-
ton of which were saved. The IA
inmates of the farm house are tenn
porarily quartered at the American
house which was closed shortly after
May l.
Nearly all of the inmates OF the
farm house are aged people and
when the fire was discovered some
difficulty was experienced in moving
them from the building. One OF
them is bed-ridden and she was car
ried on a mattress to neighboring
partially IL not entirely help
less because of advanced age
but none OF them suffered
beyond the nervous shock due
to the intense excitement of making
their escape from the burning house.
One painful, If not serious acct
dent, was directly due to the fire.
William Ryan. the driver of the
steamer. was thrown from his seat
while on the way TO the fire and sus-
tanned two broken ribs and bruises.
Chester Reynolds. an employee of the
New England Telephone company in
Pittsneld. who was visiting over
Sunday at the home OF Mr.. and Mrs.
Frank NJ. Thompson. fell from the
roof of the corn barn while assisting
in preventing the spread of the fire
from the main building and spralned
his ankle.
The fire originated in a shed which
stood about 10 or IL feet in the
rear of the house. The general pre-.
sumption is that some one had been
smoking in the shed and that sparks
from a pipe or cigarette started the
fire. There is, however. no evidence
that this solution of the fires origin
is correct
At the time the fire was discover
ed Miss Nellie Barry, the Western
Union telegraph operator, and Miss
Hazel Woodland, telephone operator,
were taking a horseback ride over
the road to South SALISBURY. They
we're directly opposite the house
when the first alarm of fire was given
by some one of the inmates. They
added their voices TO the cry of fire
and the alarm was spread so that it
reached the house of Frank NJ.
Thompson, the former town farm
superintendent. The young women
at once dismounted, their horses
were turned into the meadow and
they rushed into the house TO assist
in removing the household furniture.
Assistance was quickly summoned
from nearby farm houses and an at.
tempt was made to put out the Ere
in the shed with water from q pump.
There was a good breeze stirring at
the time the fire broke out, about
l1.SO o'clock in the forenoon. and the
flames were quickly carried from the
shed to the house.
As soon as the news of the fire
reached the home of MIR. Thompson
the alarm was sent into the village
by telephone. Mr.. and Mrs. Phelps.
the superintendent and his wire.
were not at home, having gone 20
Pownal for the day. Believing that
the superintendent and his wife were
at church in this village. Mrs.
Thompson at first attempted to reach
them by telephone. Being unable TO
locate them she then succeeded In
putting a call through to George r.
Mathers, the overseer. Shortly be-
fore IL o'clock an alarm was rung in
for the fire department.
As soon as the location of the fire
became known in the village the en-
gineers and Chairman North of the
fire committee Of the board of trus-
tees realized that the steamer was
the only apparatus that could be
used. Some delay was experienced
in collecting the hose. II was neces-
sary to find a pair OF shafts for the
wagon Of the Stark hose company.
Some OF the hose was hurried TO the
scene Of the fire In an automobile de.
livery truck and ultimately all Of
the hose. except that of the Eagle
company was brought into reQuisi-
ton.
The worst delay was occasioned by