The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-10-02
RAY AND JUDGE
BUILDINGS GONE
Fire from Unknown Cause This Morning Destroyed
Wooden Structures on Main Street, Causing
Loss of S25 5,000-Dozen Tenants Burned Out
Ten Streams of Water

1Ae hdIdeSt uIe TO ngnt IN Brattle-
boro in many years totally DESTROYED
early this 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 Raw
building. The buildings were the prop
| erty of Attorney General Herbert G.
Barber. The total loss probably will
exceed $4,000.
Only very quick work on the part of
the fremen prevented the building &C.
cupied by the Valley Grain Co., known
as the Taft building, owned by Cutler
q Co, from being included in the fire
area. As it was the building was dam
aged on the east side and there is 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 thev
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
was covered with rubberoid
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
vas safe to do so, the fremen 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 towards the Mosher stable at 2.3O
70 clock this morning and as he passed
the alleyway between the Valley Grain
Co. building and the part of the Ray
building occupied as livery stable he
saw flames shooting out into the alley
way.
), He shouted for Frank Wharf. the
night man at Mosher & Tucker s 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
Nesbitt an cmploye 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
and turned loose to safety and many
of the robes and harness were saved
but this morning it was an awful jun
bic of straps that the stablemen were
: trying to sort out and make over into
: harness.
Mosher & Tucker desire to express
: their gratitude to the men who thus
/ aided in saving the lives of the horses
: for any delay would have cost the
lives of some of the animals.
| The fire had obtained such a start
: when discovered that it was almost i'm
S mediately evident at several points On
} the Main street front of the buildings
as well as on the rear of the livery
stable. The fremen believe that il
originated in one of the Easements OF
the buildings and found outlets al
both front and back at almost the same
e time.
: The alarm for the fire was sounded
: by Police Chief George Wilson. He
had passed the building only a few
e minutes before and was on Elliot street
near fire headquarters when Cassius ]
1 Wilson, who was returning with an au
5 tomobile party from a dance in Dunn
7 mersten, drove up and shouted to hin
that Ferriter s restaurant was on fire
a The chief shouted the alarm in the
: steamer house and pulled the alarm
z from box 80 at that building.
s The automobile truck had two lines
|, laid and water turned on, one on Mai1
e street and the other on Flat street, be
y fore the fourth round from the box haC
g stopped sounding.
s Chaffeur Charles Stockwell kept lay
e ing lines of hose as did Driver Henry
e Pellerin of one of the horse-drawl
e pieces of apparatus. In a few minutes
s. and as fast as call men could respond
t to man them 10 powerful streams were
a playing on the fire or on the VALLEY
: Grain Co.. s building, on the west
s which was in imminent danger o
catching. Two and sometimes NOR