Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1915-10-08

The hardest fire to fight in Brattle-
boro in many years totally destroyed
Saturday morning the Ray and Judge
buildings on the west side of Main
street from Flat street to the Cox
brick building and practically all of
their contents with the exception of
over 80 horses that were in the Mosher
& Tucker livery stable in the Ray
building. The buildings were the prop
crty of Attorney General Herbert G..
Barber. The total loss probably will
exceed $4,000.
Only very quick work on the part of
the firemen prevented the building &C.
cupied by the Valley Grain Co., known
as the Taft building, owned by Cutler
& Co., from being included in the fire
area. As it was the building was dam
aged on the east side and there was
some water damage from the streams
that were played on it constantly for
hours.
Such part of the Judge and Ray
buildings as were not destroyed by fire
were torn down by the firemen as they
were dangerous and fire smouldered in
every part of them.
The work Of fighting the flames was
made especially difficult by the double
roof on the Ray building. The lower
roof was an old one of tar and gravel.
Some years ago another roof Is inches
above that was put on rather than re-
move the old one. The upper roof
,,r,Nl ii.
While this served admirably to con-
fine the fire to the buildings so that
only occasionally it burst through the
roof, it prevented getting at the fire
between the roofs. Finally when it
was safe to do so, the firemen tackled
the job of pulling down the buildings
and they did it thoroughly.
The fire was discovered first by Will
liam Howard, night man at the Larrow
livery stable on Flat street. He walk
ed toward the Mosher & Tucker stable
at $50 O'Clock and as he passed
the alleyway between the Valley Grain
Co. building and the part of the Ray
building occupied as a livery stable he
saw flames shooting out into the alley
way.
lie shouted for Frank Wharf, the
night man at Mosher g. Tucker IS stable
and with the aid of two or three 9th
ers they began the difficult task OF
getting out the horses. That they sue.
ceeded in doing so is clear indication
that they wasted no time and worked
intelligently and rapidly.
Horses Loose in Street.
The horses were rushed to the street
and left to their own devices. Solomon
Ne9bitt, an employee of the stable, who
rooms in the Abbott building and
drives the ladder truck, upon discover
ing the location of the fire, thought of
the pair of horses owned by the Valley
Grain Co., stabbed in the rear. He
managed to get them out, although only
familiarity with the barn enabled him
to do so, for the smoke in there was
binding.
Every one of the horses was released
ind turned loose to safety and many
of the robes and harness were saved
but after the fire it was q jun
BILE of straps that the stablemen were
trying to sort out and make over into
harness.
Mosher & Tucker desire to expires:
their gratitude to the men who thus
aided in saving the lives of the horse:
for any delay would have cost the
lives of some of the animals.
The fire had obtained such a star
when discovered that it was almost i'm
mediatcly evident at several points CT
the Main street front of the buildings
as we'll as on the rear of the livery
stable. The fremen believe that i
originated in one of the Easements O.
the buildings and found outlets a
both front and back at almost the same
time.
The alarm for the fire was sounde'
by Police Chief George Wilson. III
had passed the building only a few
minutes before and was on Elliot stree
near fire headquarters when Cassius
Wilson, who was returning with an au
tomobile party from dance i'll Dunn
merston, drove up and shouted to hin
that Ferriter's restaurant was on fire
The chief shouted the alarm in tn
steamer house and pulled the alarm
from box 80 at that building.
The automobile truck had two line
laid and water turned on, one on Mai
Sl1CcI ana lhc olHcT vi i"u otiNSV, w
fore the fourth round from the box ha
stopped sounding.
Chauffeur Charles Stockwcll kept lay
ing lines of hose as did Driver Henri
Pellerin of one of the horse-draw
pieces of apparatus. In few minute
and as fast as call men could respOn
to man them 10 powerful streams wer
playing on the fire or on the Vale
Grain Co. S building, on the ives
which was in imminent danger c
catching. Two and sometimes NOR
streams were kept constantly on tina
building for two hours.