Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-01-02
NORTH TROY HAS
$4,000 FIRE.
Two Business Blocks with Stocks of
Goods and Dwelling Burn
Sunday.

At 6 o'clock Sunday morning, with
the thermometer at 10 degrees below
zero, the North Troy fire alarm
basement of Seave~'s store on Main
street, which destroyed the Seaver
building and contents, the A. N.
GrigGs dwelling, and the Kelley block
and contents, at a loss Of $4,000 to
$4,000.
The Seaver store was a two-story
wood building, 36xS0 feet and was
filled with an extra large stock Of
general merchandise. Absolutely
nothing was saved of the building or
contents. The fire had gained such
headway before discovered that it
was impossible for Mr.. Seaver to
even get his books which were not in
the safe. He made the attempt but
was driven out by the dense smoke
and heat.
The attention of the fire companies
was Immediately turned to the
Griggs dwelling only few feet east
of the Seaver store. This place was
occupied by the Griggs and Seaver
families. Most Of the furniture was
removed and saved but the building
itself was destroyed, only a part of
the house and the barn at the rear re-
naming standing.
Flames soon began their work on
the Kelley block, 4Ox7O feet, divided
from the Seaver store on the west by
only q narrow alley. So rapidly did
the flames travel that Mr.. Kelley was
unable to save but very little Of his
stock OF jewelry. The drug depart
ment and all other merchandise was
q complete loss, although Mr. Hill
dreth, the Matchmaker, was able to
remove his work cabinet and tools.
Town Clerk Hammond, who occupied
the room in the extreme west Of the
Kelley Block managed to get all town
records of value out safely, not DEEM
ing it wise to trust the security of the
safes since there was time to remove
all books and papers. The pool tables
and furniture of the Green Mountain
club in rooms on the second floor of
the Kelley building, were a complete
loss.
Flames threatened the Butterfield
block, few feet west of the Kelley
building, but the splendid work Of the
firemen saved the block from damage
and scarcely paint blister can be
found on it. Water was so played on
the Kelley building that the west wall
near the Butterfield building did not
| fall in until the. entire center of the
the standing wall protected the But
terfeld block from the heat. This
wall did not go into the cellar until 8
o'clock Sunday evening so well was
the burning controlled.
The loss is fully $4,000 and ranks
as one of the larger North Troy fires,
though the Blair mill fire seven years
ago, the Parkhurst fire in 1882, the
Parker mill fire when the railroad
bridge burned 27 years ago, and the
! fire so years ago which burned the
hotel and nearly all the north side of
| Main street, were larger.
Seaver's loss is the largest and
consists of the store building and a
stock of general merchandise valued
at $4,000, on which there was lit
tie over $4,000 insurance. The block
carried only about $4,000 insurance.
The Kelley block was insured for
! $4,000 and his stock of drugs and jew
elry carried little over $4,000 insur-
ance. The equipment of the Green
Mountain club carried $1,000 insur-
ance.
The loss on the Griggs house is
$4,000 or $4,000 and the office of F. B.
Hammond town clerk, located in the
Kelley block, carried no insurance, al
though all town records of any value
were removed safely.
The fire was discovered by f. G.
Pettes, who was on his way to his
store to build fires owing to the ex-
treme cold, and Mr.. Seaver had been
at the store until 2 o'clock Sunday
morning keeping fires to save perish
able goods in his basement. Mr..
Seaver is at loss to know how the
fire caught, as the fire he was keep
ing in his basement was a coal fire.
He is of the opinion that it may have
taken from a torch used the evening
before in thawing water pipes in the
cellar. If this theory is true there
was smouldering fire all night
which gave no evidence of it's pres
ence until after o'clock, when Mr..
| Seaver left.
| The extreme cold made the work
of the firemen very difficult, but they
played four streams of water on the
burning buildings much of the time.
Had there been a wind the loss
would have been much greater.