The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-21
Gerrard-Barclay Co. Stone
shed in North End Partly
Burned Last Night
SEVERAL OTHERS
WERE ENDANGERED
Valuable Machinery Saved,
Also Considerable
Stock

The manufacturing plant Of the Ger
rard Barclay Granite company on Smith
! street, off Blackwell was damaged to
the extent of $4,000 last evening by
fire which started, it is thought, from
| hotbox in the polishing section Of the
main building. The firemen fought the
! fire well and saved not only the office
building, compressor and motor room,
but also the lower structure of the main
plant, as well as considerable quantity
| Of granite stock and machinery. The
property was insured for $4,000.
The alarm was rung in from box l43
at 6:35 o'clock, all the apparatus re-
spending. A hydrant on Blackwell street
and another recently installed just off
Berlin street were tapped and three
streams of water were directed on the
| flames, which had run like prairie fire
along the greasy superstructure until the
main building was ablage from end to
end, of its 2S0-foot length, for all the
world like a setpiece in a fireworks dis
play.
The fire seemed to have had its origin
in the polishing mill section of the build
ing instead of in the motor room, as SO
frequently happens in stoneshed fires. In
fact, the flames never once got near the
motor room, thanks to the we'll directed
fire fighting There were no stoves in
the stoneshed. Electric wires traverse
only a small section Of the plant; hence
there was small chance Of the fire having
| started from that source. So the theory
of the cause of the fire fastens itself on
the belief that a hot box NAV have been
responsible.
The plant closed at AIS for the day
and Messrs. Gerard and Barclay were
on their way home before o'clock. A
man who passed by Is minutes before
the alarm was rung in reports that there
was no sign of fire in the building then.
The night watchman, Robert Troup, who
keeps vigil over several granite plants in
that vicinity, does not 20 on duty until
| 7 o'clock, and consequently, had not ar
rived when the flames were discovered.
But if the fire was of obscure origin it
did not take long to make itself man
ifest in a big illumination once it got
going, for the first arrivals found the
flames centered in no particular place
but crowning the whole building. Chief
efforts Of the hremen were directed to.
ward keeping the flames away from the
valuable machinery in the motor and
compressor room; and, that work ac-
complished, they soon had the flames in
the upper structure smothered, the 'all
out" being sounded within an hour after
the first stroke Of the alarm. The trsv-
cling crane had been halted in the middle
| of The plant, where the fire was the hot
test, but it did not fall, nor did the roof
cave in with a crash although burned
| through all over its length. Therefore,
many Of the usual features of stoneshed
fires were lacking.
On the east of the Gerard Barclay
plant is Burke Bros plant, not more
! than 10 feet away, while in close proX-
unity to the latter are the Mcmillan and
the D. x. Lille plants, all clustering in
such close quarters that a gust OF wind
might have scattered the fire over all of
them and perhaps still further, as there
are several more granite plants in the
neighborhood.
On the west of the Gerard Barclay
plant is the firms office building, about
| 20 feet removed, and it was not even
! scorched. The members of the firm and
the Office force were ready to remove the
contents of this building but there was
no call for such action, as the progress OF
| the flames was soon stayed.
The Gerard Barclay plant was built
about l6 years ago and is of the straight
! shed" type 1t has compressor and
| two motors, as well as the other equip
ment which goes with a granite manu-
| featuring plant of that size. The firm
was employing about % men and was
lust finishing up a number of orders In
| the middle of the plant was a finished
lob of some size. ali boxed and ready To
| be set out for shipment. The flames did
not touch this job and as the stones were
boxed they were partially protected from
grease and dirt, as well as from fire.
Outside the plant is considerable
amount of boxed work; and that, too,
was undamagcd. A shipment of cement
that had just been put into the plant
was expected to be a total loss.
| The insurance was carried in the Me
| Allister & Kent and the G. II. Papc
agencies. $4,000 in the former and $4,000
| in the latter. The McAllister & Kent in
surance was distributed as follows; Yer
mont Mutual, $4,000; Granite Mutual,
| 81 900; PhnniX Mutual, $500; Quincy.
81 900: Franklin, 81 900; Maryland $500.
! The Pape agency insurance was carried
as follows: Htna, $1,000; Colonial, 81
| 600: North America, 81 900; Niagara,
81 600; Springfield Fire 6 Marine, 1000.
A Few Sparks.
The fireman danced with oil the more
zest when they did get started
It was Chief Tobins first big fire since
being appointed chief to succeed c. B.
| Gladding.
The wisdom of the increased bydrant
protection in that quarter was demon
strated.
Even a gentle breeze might have COM
plcated the situation badly because tho
buildings are SO close together in that
neighborhood.
II was just four years ago last night
that the George Straiton stoneshed in
the south end was burned.
SHIP UNDAMAGED.
La Ckna1r Cos