Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-01-15
ST. ALbANS HAS
$4,000 FIRE
With Blaze in Building Phone
Girl Sticks Bravely to
Switchboard

st. Adams, Jan. 12.-"You never miss
the phone tin the lines are dead" is the
way an old saw was paraphrased in
this city to-day with every line of the
Franklin County Telephone company.
local and toll, out of commission as the
result of fire which was discovered short
" before six o'clock this morning in the
Robert Seymour building on Kingman
street. Other occupants Of the building
were James Grant, pool room; w. A.
McLennan, undertaking parlors; BaileyS
Music Rooms and the American Express
company on the first floor; the offices of
Dr. II. A. Stevenson and DR.. II. N. Monte
fiore and the living apartments of Mrs.
Eugene Guyette and her son, Raymond
Guyette, in addition to the telephone
company, on the second floor; and the
Masonic Lodge rooms on the third floor.
The loss is estimated at 5000 to $1,000
which Is probably covered by insurance.
The fire originated in the boiler room
under McLennan's office from an over
heated furnace.
: Tho first alarm was given by Miss
Minnie Marquette, night operator for the
telephone company, who sinelled smoke
and feeling the floor hot under her feet
telephoned the fire station about $50
O'Clock. She then began to notify people
who had offices or stores in the building
She did not leave her post of duty until
the lights on the switchboard went out.
Chief F. j. Guern and four regular men
were on the scene promptly and 1t Is
due to quick action on their part as we'll
as on the call men who came in response
to an alarm rung In from box 81. that the
loss was not more. Men on the way from
the early morning train to The Tavern
in at ha Of N
accepted their offer to pull in the alarm.
When the regular firemen reached the
building the fire was burning in the base
ment. on the first floor and had reached
the second following the chimney from
the basement up to the second floor
direct by way of frame holding
the ground wires On the second
floor the the flames followed the
south wall across between the ceiling
and the floor, but did not break through
to the third floor. The flames burned
through the south end of Baileys Music
Rooms and the express office. between
the ceiling and floor, but did not extend
more than two feet from the wall Be-
fore turning the water into the music
rooms the fremen moved all the vic
trolas, about 20 in number, into the front
Of the store so that damage in that
cally no damage in the express office
which was also true of Grants pool
room as the flames did not spread at all
to the east.
The fire was under control within half
an hour after the arrival Of the flremen.
The smoke in the hall was so thick when
DR.. Montef1ore discovered that there was
fire that he left the building by a
front window, thence down ladder.
Mrs. Guyette and her son had no trouble
in going through the hall.
Next to the Telephone company Mr..
McLennan is the heaviest loser as some
caskets were burned and he suffered con-
siderable loss by smoke and water. The
third floor was not touched by the fire
The telephone frame held about 100
pairs of wires and cable of 400 add-
tional pairs was all ready to be cut
in. Late this afternoon the company
had toll line installed In the front
office of the building with a messenger
service to notify people of important
calls, 1t is unlikely that there will be
any local service for several days.