Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-10-11
$40 900 THE ESTIMATED Loss
Firemen Have Hard Fight al
Masonic Temple.
Napoleon Thomas, Proprietor OF Chin"
Hall, the Greatest suffcrer-stock
of other Tenants Damaged BY
Smoke and water.

Before the FIRE in the Masonic Temple
which was discovered by officer George
Fraser Thursday morning at AS had peen
drowned out, 1t had caused loss OF ap-
proximately $4,000. AS far as could oe
learned Thursday without official hgures
from the insurance adjusters. Napoleon
Thomas, in the cellar of whose store the
fire broke out suffered loss OF petweeh
s., 900 and $4,000, according to his hgures'
partially covered by insurance; the Mn-
sonic Temple was damaged to the extent
of more than 5000, the floor OF
the Thomas store being a total loss. Ihe
wall that separated the Singer Sewing Ma
chine company's store on the north as
well as the one that separates the l.. M.
Simpson store on the south were damaged
by the axes of the fremen when tney
were endeavoring to head off the from its
upward course through the walls.
l.. NJ. Simpsons fur stock was oaoiy
damaged by smoke and water, but many
Of the valuable fur garments were moved
out BY willing helpers to the store IN the
J. l. Southwck block across the street
and other stores on the south of the Tenn
pie. The damage may amount to rev
thousand dollars, but this will not De
known until the whole stock is gone over
by the insurance adjusters. The singer
Sewing Machine company suffered mostly
from smoke and water as did +. ". ELS
worth, the watch repairer.
W. II. Zottman e. Co.'S drug store was
we'll smoked UP, but no damage was zone
by fire or water. All the offices upstairs
were also smoked. and the smoke pene'
trated the rooms of the Scottish Rite or
the top floor.
In the basement of the China Hall were
stored many hundreds of rolls of wal
paper as we'll as crockery, and dyes
and advertising. the property OF the Dyola
company. All Of this stock was completel!
DESTROYED, and was but partially covered
by insurance.
/ When the recall was sounded by Chiel
Stockwel at $40, the firemen declared
that the fire was the hardest one to ngh
they ever had to deal with, because OF tn
thick smoke that came from the burning
wall paper.
Seven streams of water were poured
| into the Thomas store in order that thu
fire might be confined to that place
but even with this amount OF waite
played on it the flames succeeded In FOL
lowing the ceiling Of the cellar to tn
iron Orders that hold up the walls o
the building and broke through into tn
Simpson and sewing machine stores.
The fire in the China Hall basemen
was particularly hard one to get a
from either the street or the back yard
as the windows were SO situated tina
a stream of water could not be playe
on the center of the basement fioor
where the fire first broke out and wa
burning the most briskly. After severa
vain attempts to reach the blaze in thi
manner the f1remen went to the back O
the building and into the cellar. Her
the smoke was SO dense that 1t was wit
much difficulty that they were able
breathe.
Shortly after this the floor in tn
Thomas store settled more than two an
half feet, due to the supports under
meath having burned out. With thi
settling what crockery, glassware an
chinaware that had not been broken b
the force Of the several streams of waite
knocking them from the shelves. me
their doom.
Two noticeable incidents of the III
were the falling of Chief Stockwell froi
the backstairs into water that sui
merged him up to his shoulders. the othe
one being a severe cut on one Of til
arms of James O'Neil. which necessitate
four stitches to close. Chief Stockwe
was suffering from a severe cold La
evening as result Of his bath.
, The origin of the fire is mystery, bl
1t is possible that electric wires in II
,, basement of the China Hall store ma
, have been the cause.