The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-12-21
After Announcement Was
Made Of Fire in Williams
town Grange Hall
VOLUNTEERS THEN
EXTINGUISHED BLAZE
Damage on Saturday Night
Will Not Exceed $400,
1t Is Thought

| Wiliamstown, Dec. 2l.--The town in
! general and the members of the grange
in particular have reason to be thankful
that another heavy loss by fire was pre-
vented last Saturday night when at
l0;3o the large hall belonging to the
grange was found to be on fire. The
Brookiield Dramatic Go. were giving
play in the hall and had nearly finished
the performance when Mrs. Paul Japan
Of the company went to the grange kitch-
EN- to prepare some refreshments for the
company to be served after the play and
before the return trip to Brookfield, and
found the room filed with smoke and
gave the alarm.
The audience left the hall in good or
der and meantime an alarm was sound
ed by the bell on the Methodist church
and word was sent to the telephone Office
which gave the alarm over all the lines
in town.
The fire was found to be in the base
ment over the boiler and had worked up
through the floor and was fast spreading
when citizens armed with fire extingush-
ers came on the scene and by hard work
succeeded in putting out the flames be-
fore serious damage had been done.
The cause of the fire is peculiar and
something that very rarely is found TO
be the cause of a ire-the slow burn
ing OF the wrapping around the steam
pipes near the boiler. For some unknown
g. I,,tJ -, - nF+
for the purpose of warming the hall for
the play TO be given without special no.
tice being taken of the fact that the wa
ter in the boiler was low; and it is
thought by some that there was none at
all. On going to see to the fire later,
someone found the boiler to be red hot
in places and the wrapping around the
pipes smouldering. The fire was dumped
and the smoking wrappings removed anu
the boiler was left to cool off. It seems
probable that the burning covering was
not all removed and the fire worked along
up through a partition where it set the
woodwork on fire several hours later.
AT first il was necessary to work from
HE outside as il was so hot and smoky
n the room where the fire was that no
,ne could 90 in there. The first man to
lrrive with an extinguisher was Joseph
w. DAILY. and he directed its contents
where the fire was hottest with good ef-
ect The next TO arrive was George T.
'olby but the extinguisher he had was
,ut OF order and did not work, causing
oss of valuable time while others were
,rought. Meantime Others were at work
n the kitchen over the boiler and al
hough il was very smoky there they
luckily fought on and at last had the
abstraction Of conquering the blaze
The goods in ID. W. Smiths store and
,andall's barber shop were on the first
oor next the street, while the fire was
h the rear OF the building, 50 there was
O less 10 them by fire. But the stock
elonging to Mr. Smith was carried OUT
nd across the street and was somewhat
amaged in the process. Someone tele-
honed TO Barre and Chief Gladding came
. in car and assisted IN putting out
De last Of the flames.
The building was insured in the Gran
e Mutual Of Barre The amount Of
is i variously estimated from 5000 70
500. not including the damage TO the
,iler. which j. not yet determined.