The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-11-01

tion. opposite the Farnsworth house,
where now is the beginning of Vernon
street The Connecticut river bridge
was the last and largest piece of prop
erty. wrested from its owners by the
food. II was then a toll bridge, owned
by the Hinsdale Bridge Co. The first
bridge built upon this site was in 1908,
and was carried off the same winter.
Four subsequent bridges were swept
away by ice and water, and another
was taken down and replaced One of
the others stood for 10 years, and at
last had the pef5 Eat FROM tntdt4 81
by ice and was totally destroyed. The
bridge wrecked by the 80 flood was
built about a dozen years before, and
! had withstood two of the most fearful
/ freshets ever witnessed on the Con
nectieut river, only to be ruined and
| carried off, at last, at a comparatively
low water, by the rapid current thrown
across the river by the Milestone creek.
| The total losses We're at that time es
| timated as approximately 100000.
| that might be set down to Brattleboro
on account of the great rainfall of Sun
/ day and Monday, Oct. 3 and g. The
| great floods and immense destruction
of property were quite general all over
| New England and along the Atlantic
coast from Maine to Florida.
Closely following the great calamity
of the flood, within the same month of
October came the most disastrous fire
which had ever occurred in Brattleboro
! About $50 clock on Sunday morning
Oct. 81, Night Waterman "Vet' Bur
lingame discovered fire in the kitchen
| ~ L ~
block (being the former location of the
postoffice before its removal to the
town hall building about 1864. about
the present location of the Brattleboro
Trust Coz, and the Waterman, in those
days of crude system of fire alarm
sounding. had to run to the lower Main
street shop of Estey & Co to have the
whistle blown which was DELAYED for
some minutes. and after more delay
two bells were rung The FIRE starting
north and south, and within three hours
the entire block from High street to
Elliot street, was totally DESTROYED.
A two-story brick building at the
corner of Main and High streets was
occupied by John Retting (who was at
, that time residing in West Brattleboro)
anu SlDch VI luTHl-
ture and carpets The destruction of
this building marked the close of the
northward march of the flames Next
south was w. F. Richardson's meat
market; then the grocery and -four
store of j. w. Frost & Co., who lost
{ fully half their stock over their store
, were the dress making rooms and dwell
; ing of Mrs E. NJ Farnsworth. who was
L, no
then the building occupied by Eayrs s
store (the latter the present site of the
Brooks House pharmacy, with the
apartments above occupied by George
II. Newman and wife and B. d. Har.
iris and family.
: The raging mass of flames then swept
e across an alleyway on the south (whert
n is now the Hopkins flower store), and
e. in an incredibly short time the three
:. story Brattleboro House, then managed
: by Charles G.. Lawrence, was completely
:, enveloped. Superhuman efforts were
Q made to save property, but very littl,
! was saved The servant girls ant
e clerks lost nearly all their clothing
r etc, while several guests of the hous'
lost their baggage, glad to escape will
V their lives.
Across another alley (present loca
|. ton of he Lowell hardware store) AM
e next building south of the hotel, stoot
, Blake's block, for the saving of whiel
h hopes were entertained, occupied b'
It Clark & Wizards drug store, A. c
lie Davenport s grocery store, e. J. Car
p penter as news dealer and village libra
r, rian, and Cheney & Clapp, book seller
y and stationers. The flames were sub
g dued at this point, leaving the lowe
: portion of the south wall standing