The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-01-19
While the Main Fire Was in
Progress in the Knowles
Building Another Big
Blaze Broke Out in
Woodworking Plant a
Mile Away - There Is
Suspicion of Incendiar-
ism.

Worcester, Mass, Jan. l9-This city
was spotted by fires early to-day witt
a loss that ran upwards of SlOOO,O0O
Two, business buildings on Main
street, heavily stocked with merchan
disc. were burned out a few blocks
south of city hall, score of tenement
structures were overrun by sparks
that caused roof blazes and guests at
the Bancroft and New Park hotels, sit
uated between the business and the
tenement district fires, stood ready TO
follow the tenement dwellers into the
zero temperature of the streets. The
hotels were saved however.
While this epidemic Of flames to the
south engaged all the city's apparatus
another fiery area developed several
blocks northeast of city hall at North
Foster and Union streets, where the
woodworking plant of the M. X. Smith
corporation was burned with a loss of
100000.
The origin of none of the principal
fires was determined definitely but the
police said they had only the faintest
suspicion that incendiarism was in
volved.
The fire area was too great to be ade-
uuately covered by the city's fire fight
ing resources and Boston, Clinton, Mill
bury and Westboro were called on to
send additional apparatus. All respond
ed engine 26, motorized unit coming
over the A miles of bleak road from
Boston in quick time.
The flames sISirted the building of
The Worcester Evening Post but were
Kept away by a curtain of water. The
consequent cellar food, however, put
the papers pressroOm out of commits
zion and spoiled a large quantity of
pewsprint paper.
The fires first started in the Knowles
building, which formed the northwest
rorner of Main and Chatham streets,
about two blocks south of city hall.
The blaze apparently had its origin on
the top floor of that seven-story brick
structure. Burning embers fell into the
Elevator well, a wind whipped the
flames back through the salesrooms, Of |
fees and apartments on upper floors
and soon fire was roaring through the
building, From roof and window high
northwest wind picked up the sparks |
pnd scattered them over the center Of
The city.
Sparks Start other Fires.
The sparks found foothold in the
William H. Sawyer building, almost di-
rectly across Main street from the
knowles block, and the four stories OF
that building, occupied by stores and
Offices, were burned Quickly. Firemen
stationed alongside to lay streams of
water for the protection of nearby
buildings used their lines successfully
but the cellar Of the Worcester Post
was inundated in the process.
The Bancroft hotel 200 yards away
on Franklin street. was peppered by
blazing embers continually but while
bts guests made ready TO leave, its
force of employees aided the firemen in
killing of the danger of fires. At the
New Park hotel farther east on Frank
lin street, similar steps were taken.
The exposed wooden roofs of the ten
ement distric, beyond developed blaze
after blaze while the people that they I
sheltered rushed 60 the streets in night
shivering in the zero tempera-
iure. The fremen attempted to .deploy
/ heir forces so that the danger area was
covered but with a score Of buildings
burning at one time in the district
bounded by Millhlry, Ward, Lamartine.
Assonet. Gold and Harding streets,
their lines became thin and the danger
q a confagraiion great. i was at this
point that help began 70 come in from
ard Il was timely.
Another Fire a Mile Away.
To the north Of city hall, mile
rWsy. another FIRE was reported and
further depletion II the forces engaged
IN the first fires was necessary 10 pre-
vent the nev blaze spreading from the
plant % the " X smith corporation
10 other vzani working plants aud lum-
Ier wards - the vicinity a North Fos-
.er and Union streets Tls= FIRE Was
.ontrcllea after z time uiih only mi-
W dauiaEf outside the SmitA plant Z
Tie fue uas free g fatalities or seri- Z