The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-07-16
STREAM OF
FIRE SHOT UP
Continued from first page.

3 Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co.,
of which II. r. harrington is manager
Fire attacked the rear room OF the Cor
4 don suite and also the rear room OF tine
5 Harrington suite, doing slight damage
| in them. Just back of them, however,
! the hallway is badly damaged, as are
! lavatories. while the rear rooms occupied
by the N d. Phelps Co. for storage pur'
{ poses escaped practically all fire loss, al
though the doors We're burned through
and the partitions were charred'
Lodge Rooms Smoked Up.
Following the wide stairway opening,
the flames mounted TO the third floor
but were halted after they had burned
out layatory and just as they had
burned through a door into the kitchen
apartment Of the Odd Fellows hall. The
Kitchen itself was not damaged by fire,
nor was the main lodge room, which was
occupied by the New England Order of
Protection as we'll as by the various
odd Fellows lodges and the Rebekahs.
Therefore, the actual fire damage was
not large, but water and smoke did some
sorry work The whole building was
/ DeTHPdIPU WIFI SfibhB ana TIC Walls anu
partitions which were not damaged by
the fire element viii have to be reyar-
nished or retinted. Smoke crept into
the cases in Holmes jewelry store and
Drowned the stationery, books and easily |
damaged stock in Martins book store, |
and while its work was fairly negligible
| in the Phelps company's hardware stock, |
water more than made up for what the |
smoke could not do.
Phelps Co. Loss Likely To Be Heavy.
In fact, the loss on the N. d. Phelps
Co. stock bids fair to be as heavy as any
single loss sustained during the hours
ravage. The exact amount cannot be
determined until the force of clerks and
helpers have been able to 90 through all
the stock, in cases and out and check ny,
the damaged goods. But little water
was thrown into the store directly, one
stream operating for few seconds and
dislodging many of the movable mate
rails on the walls and ceilings and wet.
ting down the other exposed pieces. But
this wetting was slight as compared with
the deluge which poured down from the y
two floors above.
This water soaked through into the
basement of the building wetting down
Moses Charbonneau's cobbler shop under !
the front end of the Phelps Co. store but 5
doing no material damage there, after
which it was rapidly soaked up by the
ground, which acted like a sponge.
Where the Fire Started. II
Hurried investigation during the hours 4
of darkness, by firemen, policemen and L
owner and tenants of the building seemed
TO result in positive belief that the fire n
bad its origin in the entry just back of
the Martin bookstore, and daylight in
yestigation this forenoon revealed moth
ing which would tend to shake that f
opinion
This side entrance was rarely used by b
he tenants of the building, although it q
Eas used to some extent for reception n
II stock by the storekeepers on the n
round floor and for intaking OF fuel, etc, h
" the lodges on the third floor. IL III
vas used very infrequently as means
4 entrance and exit by persons; yet
he outside door remained constantly h
Unlocked and was wide-swinging invi-
alton to any and all stray individuals
tho were acquainted with the condi-
ions. Members of the police department
re authority for the statement that the r
scluded aleove was retreat for more
han one person whose presence would n
OF be considered desirable.
Match or Cigar Stub. n
II is to one or more of these individ q
ais that the cause of the fire is aseribed,
,gether with a match or cigar stub
lrown without regard to itsf fall, Mr..
[artin kept his unsold newspapers in
lis entry, as well as other material
ON his store. On the veranda just
inside the rear door the n d. Phelps n
D. kept some waste material in barrels
ID boxes. These latter boxes and bar
Is were not even scorched, although
lev stood just outside the door, so il
as not a match or cigar stub thrown
Z some passerby that caused the fire.
he spark was communicated inside the n
'or and most likely by someone who
as careless in the extreme as well as
desirable.
There is an electric light wire in the
wer entry, but the theory that fire was
from it is not held
The work of salvaging the contents -
the building from water was started
several of the tenants just as soon N
the firemen got through their work, b
d scoop shovels We're brought into use
scraping up the water on the floors.
verings were put over some Of the
,ck to ward Off the seeping water from
owe: but in the main things were left ii
out as they were, pending the arrival n.
the insurance adjusters. 1t is prob. 10
e that the work of repairing the
ilding will be started just as soon
the matter of insurance is adjusted.
e building itself is one of the most
,stantial and handsome in Barre and
upies central location.
IN either side is large building de- Pre-
ed to business purposes, on the south
ny the Miles brick structure and on
north, separated by a narrow drive
v, the Miles granite building, So
led Neither of these adjacent build
5 was damaged, although the mer-
nts, the office-renters and other ten
5 were decidedly uneasy for a time AT
IN the fire was at its height. -
Estimated Losses. nm.
IS near as possible TO estimate at
sent, the losses, with insurance, are
follows;
Loss. Insurance.