The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-12-20
SEVENTEEN AUTOMOBILES TOTALLY
DESTROYED IN BURNING GARAGE
Local Fremen Fight Flames Desperately Many Hours Cold and
Saved Several Buildings from Destruction By Their Eff
forts-Two Men Are Slightly Injured When They
Fall from Ice Encrused Ladders

Powers laundry bui ding, owned by
George NJ Hawks, $4,000.
j. H. Powers. loss of equipment,
$4,000
Winslow & Craven, two story build
ing on North street, $4,000.
Seventeen automobiles destroyed
with Bennington garage, $4,000.
B. Cantor & Company, North street.
groceries, slight loss.
Fillmore & Luther owners of build.
ing on North street occupied by James
Burns and Thomas Cartwright, slight
loss.
James H. Whitney, North street,
slight loss en- building.
These figures make total of 1000
Incidental losses that cannot be esti-
mated with any degree of. accuracy
will make the total destruction not
far from 500 600
Earl w. Williams was as we'll In
sured as it is possible for the bust
ness to carry and was covered en-
stock and equipment to the extent of
more than $4,000
The garage building was owned by
the John j. Leahy estate which carried
$500 insurance on this structure and
on the Cottage hotel and contents.
The insurance on the building &C.
cupied by the Powers laundry is not
known but Mr. Powers carried only
$4,000 on his modern plant and viii
be the heaviest loser by the fire. Resi-
dents OF the village will suffer losses
through the destruction of clothing in
the laundry.
The seventeen automobiles burned
were insured
Winslow & Craven carried $4,000 in.
surance and they state that this will
more than half cover their loss The
building is not worth much as ii stands
today
Other property owners en- North
street, B. Cantor & Co.. Fillmore &
Luther and James H. Whitney were
also insured.
OF the cars destroyed, two Essex
sedans, two Essex touring cars and
Ford cahhis were the property of the
Bennington garage. A new Ford
touring car belonging to the Ford
agency OF Ralph F. Niles was stored
on the second floor. Other cars and
their owners are as follows: Ford
touring car, DR.. H. s. Goodall; Hud-
son touring car, James Martin; Hud-
son touring car, William L. Gokay;
Dodge touring car, Joseph A. Evans;
Chalmers touring car, John p. Garvey
of Manchester; Essex touring car.
Haviland Sibley; Essex touring car,
Charles E We. es, jr.; Ford delivery
truck, f. B. Patterson; Ford coupe,
DR.. f. j. Hurley; Ford coupe DR.. f.
NJ GARDINER; Ford Runabout. Edward
Sumner; Hudson coupe, owned by H.
L. Temple travelling salesman and in
garage fer repairs.
The fire was the most serious in
bennington since the burning of the
Valentine mill 81 years ago. The loss
in that fire was above s150,000 The
big fires since then were the Hawks
block on Main street, the Unity Collar
and Cuff Co., at North Bennington,
the Fillmore & Slade paper mill at
Bennington Falls and the Il. D. Waist
company mill at North Bennington.
The brick building in which the fire
this morning started was erected
nearly so years ago by the late Mer-
ritt Burgess for a livery stable. 1t
was substantial brick structure and
its thick walls protected surrounding
property while the oil, cars and other
finder made so hot a fire as to threat.
en- every building in the vicinity. 1t
showed the value of brick construc.
ton over wood and sheet iron. Twice
during the ownership of Mr.. Burgess
it suffered from fire,
B. Cantor & Co.'S cement storehouse
also withstood the seething flames
only few feet away and was another
example of the wisdom of using ma
terial other than wood.
Bennington has been so free from
fires for the past 20 years that the
fremen were not trained in handling
so big fire but, with the aid of the
veterans gave good account of
themselves.
The First National Bank this morn
ing handed Chief w, e. Sears a check
for 5000 in appreciation of the work
done by the department and the other
owners feel the same senti
ment that the firemen worked hard
and faithfully
The location where the fire occur
red has long been recognized as a
fire trap and there are several others
in the village. The building OF wood
additions in these groups adds to the
menace.
1t was fortunate that the FIRE occur.
red Friday night instead of Wednes-
day or Thursday during the severe