The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-05
BLIND FIRE IN MILLER'S STORE.
Continued from Page ID

tween tAem was a partition Of windows.
the glass had been broken out but
ne lire was IN the floor ioists overhead
on the side farthest from the tiremen
working in front. When this situation
was discovered it took but a short time
I for the men working from the rear to
get the upper hand, but this was not
accomplished until the fire had trav-
ersed the entire length of the joists
and burned through the floor at the end
next TO the Brooks House Office
Meanwhile the lead pipe connections
at the gas meter had melted off and
big gas fame shot up toward the floor,
and II was this that burned the hole
through the floor The gas finally was
shut off at the gas house and later in
the basement.
On both sides Of the Miller store are
brick fire walls, which prevented the
flames from spreading to the hotel and
to the Robbins & Cowles Co s store,
but the smoke got into both those places
and into the Wellman clothing store,
and flood Of water ran into the hard
ware store basement west of the Nil
Ter basement, wetting down heavy pa
per, nuts, washers and other thing
stored IN kegs Later a steamer pumped
the water out Of the basement.
When the smoke began to roll up
into the Brooks House the guests be
gan to get uneasy and began picking
up their things and a few of them got
out temporarily, but their fears finally
were overcome and all went to bed. The
| hotel was about three quarters filled
there being an unusually large number
Of guests because of the arrival Of eat
lie men TO attend the auctiou sale to-
day and tomorrow at the Purebred
Live Stock Sales Co 5 pavilion.
When the fire appeared the most
threatening the Robbins q Cowlas
Hardware Co. gathered up its private
paners and some Office books and re
moved them to the Peoples National
hank.
1t was about go o'clock when the
recall was sounded, but some of the
fremen remained on watch a long time
| after that
Mr.. and Mrs Miller were at the
Princess theatre when the ira was dis
covered. Some time later il was an
nounced at the theatre that Mr. Miller
was wanted at the theatre Office. and
he was told that ais store was on fire
As yesterday was a holiday enforced
/ by the fuel administration Mr.. Miller's
store was not opened at all during the
/ LAY. Mr. Miller did some work upstairs
in the forenoon, but he did not light a
/ match in the basement or have any
ire there for any purpose.
There is every indication that the
fire started near the floor ioists over
head, and two possible sources are elec-
trlc wires and rats chewing matches
\ iolst to which electric wires were at
tached was one of those most badly
ch9rred After the fire the lights up
stairs in the candy store worked all
right, but they were on circuit diff
ferent from the one which furnished
the basement lights. After the fire also
a dead rat was seen floating in the wa
ter. The custom of charging fires to
either of the possible causes mentioned
| Is greatly overworked
About clock in the morning Of
Saturday. March Is. 1909, Il FIRE was
| discovered in tn basement of Mr.. Mil
| Ter s store, and that ire caused total
| loss Of about 50 600 The origin was
not known, but it was thought that the
| tire started in a barrel Of waste. The
! guests in the hotel were routed out in
various stages OF undress and several
/ carried articles of furniture into the
street.