Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1922-02-15
$4,000 FIRE TUESDAY MORNING

Fire broke out in the Memphre-
magog Bottling company plant about
O'Clock this Tuesday morning, de-
stroying the buildings where the bust
ness was operated, also nearly ruin
! ing the three-story block connected.
The loss is placed as high as $4,000,
and partially covered by insurance,
three alarms were rung in which call
ed out the entire fire department.
Five lines of hose were laid and
poured tons of water upon the burn
ing structure, fremen worked like
beavers on ice coated ladders with
clothing frozen to their bodies for
four solid hours before any rest came.
| The thermometer was lowering
! around 10 below zero with a piercing
atmosphere. The expression from
many of the older members of the
company was that it was the worst
proposition for a winter fire ever ex-
perienced.
The Memphren1agog Bottling works
formerly owned and operated by John
ROGUE, was purchased and being
conducted by Milend and Richard /.
Cody, who conducted a store en- the
first floor of the main structure, re-
siding on the two upper floors. The
family, consisting of Mr.. and Mrs.
Milend Cody and son Richard, also
two daughters, Martha and Nellie;
were all sleeping on the third floor
when the fire was discovered by the
father, and the family barely escaped
in their night clothes, as the fire was
working into their apartments and the
rooms were filled with smoke. Thinly
clad they went to the home of John
ROGUE, where they were provided
with clothing. The Cody family lost
everything in the way of furniture
and clothing, which was not insured.
A $500 stock of fruit, groceries, con-
fectionery and tobacco was also lost
and uninsured. The loss also includ-
ed the entire bottling works equipment
and stock including a quantity OF
sugar and extracts, also 100 cases Of
bottle goods manufactured the day
previous.
The burning structure was sur
rounded by several dwelling houses,
barns and garages, and only by hard
work were saved. The fire had made
great Roadway when discovered and
when the fremen arrived the section
occupied by the bottling works was a
fiery furnace and flames were shoot
ing high in the air.
The fire was tapping the side Of the
two tenement house occupied by Wal
lace Brown, truckman, and Ralph
Gustin, but was extinguished before
it entered the interior, although the
household goods of Mr.. Brown on the
first floor were removed from the
building. A. c.. Fellows of Derby
owned the three other dwellings in
the danger zone. The two-tenemeuG
one, occupied by Arthur Kelley and
Harry Farrar, received heavy damage
as the fire penetrated the roof, lat
was kept on the upper floor. John
Rocque's buildings also Frank Wheel
er's were close by, but not damaged.
Mr., ROGUE lost his $500 trailer,
which was not insured. Ralph Gus
tin suffered the loss of his REQ car
which was stored in the buildings.
Harold Young, foreman of hose
company No. e. received a bad cut
on the head by a brick from a falling
chimney, and other members narrow
~ escaped injury. Mr.. Young stuck
to his job regardless of the injury.
The fireman were greatly handicap
ped by the cold weather and their
work was made extremely hazardous
by ice coated ladders.
The origin of the fire is unknown,
but appeared to have started in the
building occupied by the boiler and
bottling works, these structures were
nearly all destroyed, but the walls
of the main three story structure
are standing though badly damaged
by the fire which worked it's way in
to every partition.
Chief II. HI. Green and Assistants
w. J. Harrison and w. R. Magoon,
have been highly praised for their
accomplishments at other fires, but
never was there better work done
than this morning.