The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-05-16
.eral Buildings at East
Montpelier Destroyed
Early To-day
BUT BARRE F'IREMEN
AVERTED BIG LOSS
Harry Daniels Entire Prop
erty on Home Place
Endangered

Fire at Harry Daniels place in East
Montpelier early this morning destroyed
a garage and wagon shed, large stor-
age building and smaller shed, doing
damage estimated to be in excess of
$500 The owner of the property is
well protected in his loss, insurance be-
ing carried with the B. A. Sumner
agency in Montpelier with the London &
Lancaster company. Village aid was
summoned as soon as the fire was dis
covered, and the local assistance was
soon supplemented by help from Barre,
as, in response to telephone received
at fire headquarters here soon after mid
night, the auto truck with two regulars
and two call men hurried to the place.
after getting the necessary permission
from the aldermanic fire committee.
The fire seems to have had its origin
in storage shed that has dimensions
OF 24x4S feet. When Mrs. Daniels dis
covered the blaze, flames were shooting
skyward and smoke was billowing from
four sides of the structure. Over the
countryside the alarm was quickly
spread and before many minutes had
elapsed bucket brigade, connecting the
river near by with the burning build
lngs, was in effective operation. Little
could be done toward saving the con-
tents of any of the sheds. Instead. the
fire fighters had to content themselves
with protecting other property, while
hundreds of dollars worth of dressed
lumber, shingles, flooring and clapboards
fed the flames. Two automobiles stored
IN the garage We're taken out in the nick
OF time, but the building itself fell
prey to the consuming fire.
No one was able to say to-day lust
how long it took the auto truck from
this city to reach the place. With their
chemical tanks and garden hose, the
Barre tiremen arrived in time to relieve
the impromptu brigade, now nearly
tagged out by the heavy strain Both
forces, however, rallied to the protection
of Mr.. Daniels big barns and two houses
adjoining. Big piles Of lumber that
skirted the row of burning buildings on
the rear took fire several times, but the
outbreaks were extinguished by the
chemical apparatus connected with the
auto truck. Twice the big tanks that
the car carries were recharged. 1t was
due principally to the effectiveness of
the chemical hose, together with the
ready work of the bucket brigade, that
the other farm buildings, as well as the
lumber piles containing hundreds of
of feet in dressed lumber,
were saved.
Among Mr.. Daniels losses are seven
pairs of traverse sleds, which he says
he would rather have saved than the
$500 feet of finished black
cherry lumber; 10 doors, many window
and good many hundreds
Of dollars worth in shingles and clap
boards. The traverse sleds had Just been
stored. after winters service in the
lumber woods. The smaller storage shed
and the automobile building had dimen-
sions of 24x40 feet and ,24x36 feet, re-
spectively.
When interviewed this forenoon over
The telephone, Mr.. Daniels said: "We
thought that every building on the place
was doomed. Our boys did valiant
work, but | believe the arrival of the
Barre tiremen turned the tide against
he flames, as they were creeping
.oward the barns and dwelling house
,cribing the fire. Mr. Daniels said he ex-
lected to see not only his large hay
md stock barns swallowed up in flame,
,ut it also looked at one time as though
MS own dwelling house, three-story
structure, and large house near by,
we're about to be destroyed. He could
lot say enough in praise of the work
lone by the crew of the auto truck.
The distance from the fire station to
dr. Daniels place is five miles, and he
ays the truck appeared to have made
III preparations for starting and then
he run to the farm all in IL or Is
minutes.
The owner of the buildings is at
oss to account for the origin of the fire.
)n the banks Of the river to-day n
tump was found to have been burned
early to the level of the ground, while
trail of burned grass led directly to
he ruins of the storehouse where the
aze was first noticed This leads to
he theory that the fire in the stump
Tas started by fishermen, only to COM
iunicate later to the buildings by lick
ng up the dry grass. On the other
and, there are those who hold that
he fire started from the storehouse,
wept across the meadow and ignited
he stump.
The fire comes at a bad time for Mr..
'aniels. During the past winter he had
arried on extensive numbering opera
ions, and the contents of two of the
uldings consisted largely Of lumber
roducts which he intended to market
tier. Then, too, much of his logging
1uipment, including sleds. etc, was
lcrifced to the flames. He will rebuild.