Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-12-10
$4,000 FIRE
AT MCLEOD
.,.LMC PLANT
Grain Elevators and Mills
to BE Built Bigger and
Better

The A. II. Mcleod Milling Com
pany plant in St. Johnsbury was par
tally destroyed by fire Wednesday
night with loss estimated over
$4,000. The fire was one of the
most spectacular abe town has ever
known. The frcmcn made Il heroic
fight and saved surrounding build
ings, the loss which would have beer
tremendous. The fire non fought the
fire with the mercury several degrees
below zero.
Edgar Il. Brown, treasurer and
manager of the plant, told a rep
resentative Of the Calcdonian-lccord
this morning that the company would
"cbuild as soon as possible and have
II bigger and better mill. He places
the loss at from 100000 to $65,000.
divided approximately as 100000 on
the building, $4,000 on the machin-
cry and fixtures, and 100000 on the
stock. Elevator A, which was burn
ed, contained 40 different bins. Six
teen of these were comparatively
new ones, that were built by the late
A. ii. Mcleod and the replacement
of these will run into money. Elcva-
tor A contained the loose grains
oats, corn, barley and maize, while
Elevator B, the larger building that
was saved was filled with -four and
the sacked products.
The plant was covered by any loss
by blanket insurance policy, with
tho customary so per cent clause,
and Manager Brown expects that the
insurance adiusters will make Il sat
isfactory settlement. One of the i'd
justcrs is already here. The bulk
of the insurance is with grain deal
ers' mutual companies, though the
local agents have many policies.
Mr. Brown is very apprcciativc of
the splendid service of the Grcmen
who confined the fire to the first
building and saved the bigger clcva-
tor.
The fire was too hot to permit
much examination of the ruins
Thursday morning, but the big SAFE
still stands in its accustomed place
in-thr office. and Mr.: Brown believe
its contents are intact. Some years
ago to. prevent any further cracks
from amateur burglars, the late Mr..
Mcleod had iron bands placed
around the safe and riveted into the
foundation. This undoubtedly kept
the safe in its original position in
the Office as all the rest of the floor
has fallen into the basement.
The firemen had a welcome sur
prised in the evening whe nthey
were invited into the office of o. V.
Hooker & Son in relays where Mrs.
S. J. Somelville, Mrs. Henry w. Ellis
and other good ladies made hot cof-
fee. The ladies of the North church
sent down all that was left over from
their church supper which included
rolls, scalloped potatoes and other
good things which were greatly ap-
preciated.
Until their affairs are more
Strengthened out the Offices of the
A. H. Mcleod Milling Co. will be
in the office of o. V. Hooker & Son
with the old telephone number of the
Mcleod mill.
The buildings that were burned
Wednesday night stand on the spot
where Jonathan Arnold, the foundc,
of st. Johnsbuly, put up the first
grist mill in town in 1887. The place
was known as the Arnold falls until
1917 when Capt. James Ramsey came
! along and took the grist mill. He
set up a carding mill and later estab.
lished a sawmill. The place was
known for the next 20 years as Ram.
sey's mills. In 1871 Angus II. Nc
Leod bought the mill and greatly dc.
veloped it. About dozen years age
Mr. McLeod's interests were pur.
chased by J. II. Brooks and Arthur
Il. Brooks. In February, 1918, the
property was sold to the present
owners. The officers of the company
today arc II. l.. Brown of the Berk
shire Coal & Grain Company, Nortl
Adams, Mass, president; S. r. Don
ahoe of Williams G. Donahoc, grain
brokers, Boston; vice-president; Eu
gar II. Brown of St. Johnsbury
treasurer and manager. Both II. l.
Brown and Mr.. Donahoe are com
ing here as soon as possible to con
fer about the property loss and II
rebuilding of the plant.
The fire was discovered on the sec
ond floor of the main part of thu
mill just before 8 o'clock. J. H
Nccdham was at work in a room owe
the business Office when he smellet
smoke. A small fire was burning il
Il stove in the room. The smoke wa
coming from the floor above.
notified Henry Brady, the supern
tendent, and they rushed to the foo
above. Mr.. Brady used fire extin
guisher and overcome the flame
about the. chimney. But it was dis
covered that the fire had alread,