Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-05-02

One man, David Upton, a night watch
man. is known to have been burned to
death, and It Is believed that Perault Com
panion and John Crowley met the same
fate in the seething flames which wrought
destruction to the new $4,000 factory Of
the Vermont Milk Chocolate company
Thursday night.
Tho body Of night Waterman David Up
ton, mutilated and burned to q crisp in
places, was discovered amid the ruins of
the ell, adjoining the factory shortly after
1880 o'clock Friday morning. The body
showed the marks of having borne the
brunt of the terrible explosion and the
suffering of the man must have been
excruciating before he was relieved Of his
misery.
INTERNAL EXPLOSION STARTS FIRE
The fire, which has caused a loss of
over s1OOO,00O. started from an internal
explosion, as far as could be ascertained
Thursday, in the shipping room. which
was located on the first floor Of the small
ELL which adjoined the main building of
four stories.
There were about % men working in the
ell at the time. and four Of them. in
Guiding the three names above as missing
and Alderman r. B. Besette, were en-
ployed as coopers, making boxes to ship
the finished product. Alderman Besette
was burned about the head. neck and
hands, and was rushed to the Mary Flet-
cher hospital in the police ambulance.
According to a report given to the Free
Press by John Blair, of AS North Bend
street. one of the employees in the cocoa
drying and pulverizing room. there were
seven mon in the room. 1t was about ten
minutes before ten o'clock when a
deafening explosion, like the sound Of a
cannon. doomed through the room. the
sound seeming to come from the elevator
we'll. Blair was knocked down by the
blast and was carried out by another
employe.
first story of the ell to the top story
where the business offices of the con-
Germ were located, and down to the
basement, where the cocoa cooling room
was located. 1t went by the way Of the
elevator and though there were fire
proof doors leading to the floors they
were not closed by the employees who
had all they could do to save their
lives
When the firemen were called about
ten o'clock the flames were soaring
skyward and were making rapid head.
way in the frame of the ell but had
only reached the rear Of the main
factory. which the ell adjoined.
Chief c. d. Stockwell Of the Burling.
ton fire department soon had his mer
placed at the most advantageous points
and countless lines of hose sent streams
OF water into the blazing mass. Water
pressure was good but SO many streams
used 1t up badly and each additiona
stream weakened the force and the fire
men were greatly handicapped in tha
respect. They made a brave figh
against overwhelming odds and huns
on to their posts in extremely difficult
and dangerous positions until the las
minute. AS soon as it was seen tina
the entire building was in danger. tn,
men were shifted and sent to all part
OF the building and streams wer,
brought into play at every corner ant
position on the structure. Some Of tn,
streams would not reach up to the sec
ond .ioor, SO weak was the force.
FLAMES SPREAD THROUGH FAC
TORY.
Soon the flames spread through tn,
big factory from the ell and waite
did little or no good. There was to,
much inflammable material inside t,
fight 1t with water and 1t was 500,
seen that the building was doomed an,
that all efforts would be powerless
Additional streams of water were lai,
along the railroad tracks from tn
Queen City Cotton mills which CAV
additional force. but it came too late
The third story caught first and tn
flames spread up and down simultan
E eously. The wind shifted. as IL it wer
an ally of the flames, and aided tn
great sheets OF flame materially in sweep
ing across the large rooms and razinI
everything In their pathway.
The top floor was used for the storag
OF cocoa beans and sugar. ana the entir
floor was piled high with these material
which were being used in great quantitie
as the factory was working night and da
on war orders. The fire made short wor
of the top floor and the roof soon fell IL
The weight of the room and the machin
cry on the third floor soon sent that In o.
top of the second floor.
When the roof went in and the thir
floor afterwards, then the south wa
cracked and blew outward, following q &c
ries Of hot air explosions of internal ma
ture. Firemen and spectators narrowl
escaped serious injuries as the wall crash
ed down to the ground with a terribl
roar.
Despair gripped the hearts of the fire
men and the factory superintendents an
foremen shortly after one o'clock whe
the body of David Upton, the watchmar
was discovered In the corner of the shir
ping room. His body was terribly multi
ated and showed the force Of the great ex
plosion.
According to a reliable source of ir
formation, there were between $50 an
t75 man working on all floors of the mai
building and the basement and first fioo
of the ell. In the day time there ar
several hundred men and women en-
ployed.
SPECTATORS SAVE SIX CARS.
Six cars OF finished product that ha
been packed ready for shipment to Ne'
York en- route to Belgium. for the Belgia