USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Lebanon > History of Lebanon, N.H., 1761-1887 > Part 35
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391
THE VILLAGE FIRE PRECINCT, ETC.
houses belonging to Thomas Fahey and Dan Driscoll, and occu- pied by themselves and several tenants.
This ends the record of buildings destroyed, which, not count- ing sheds and small outbuildings, number 80, as shown by the insurance map of the village. The last serious fight was on High Street about 5 o'clock, and it was indeed a most desperate one. Blankets and carpets kept constantly wet did the business, aided finally by the Extinguisher Co. The fight at O. W. Burnap's house was important as a long row of houses close together on West Street were in the rear of it, with the West Street school- house. North of West Street no serious damage was done.
Just as this last fight had been successfully made, and it be- came reasonably sure that the last house was burning, the steam engine Governor Hill and Kearsarge hose carriage arrived from Concord, about 5.45 o'clock, having made the trip of 65 miles in 85 minutes with two stops, one of which was four minutes. This is the quickest time ever made on the road except possibly that in competition for the Canadian mails about thirty years ago, when an engine made the trip from White River Junction to Concord, 70 miles, in 90 minutes. The train contained two platform and one passenger car, drawn by the locomotive Green- field, Nelson Braley, engineer, and was in charge of Conductor Dan. Lary. Chief Engineer Dan. Newhall personally had charge of the Concord apparatus. There was still need of a great deal of water to be thrown, and the Governor Hill was welcomed with great joy and afforded a feeling of relief to our tired firemen and citizens. It was stationed on the Hanover Street iron bridge.
Colburn Park presented a strange scene. There was not a spot ten feet square but what was piled with store or household goods, machinery, and property of almost every conceivable kind. Every dooryard deemed far enough away to be safe, on both sides of the river, was similarly occupied. Many goods were moved several times. A great many goods were burned after being gotten out. It was impossible to get one team where ten were needed. To add to the mishaps of the day, over which some infernal spirit seemed to preside, the steamer Governor Hill became disabled after playing an hour or two and was ren- dered unserviceable. The ring of the Athletic's bell was heard
392
HISTORY OF LEBANON.
every few minutes all the day and evening, calling for men to man the brakes, to keep the glowing embers within due bounds and prevent a second fire. It was an awful fire. No New Hampshire town ever saw its equal. God grant that none other may ever have a like experience.
People came by hundreds all day to witness the disaster.
Many families spent all day guarding their little piles of goods, while the head of the family hunted for quarters. Hap- pily the number of houseless families was not so large-we reckon it 43-but that all could find shelter of some kind. The smaller losses, below $100 in the list which we give elsewhere, are mostly losses to poor houseless families by goods burned or dam- aged in removal. Not one in ten of them was insured. Nearly all the buildings, except some of Mead, Mason & Co.'s, were insured.
The insurance companies might well stand appalled in face of so great a calamity, but their agents were promptly on hand and were as busy all day Wednesday and Thursday as were the reporters on Tuesday. A large portion of the insurance is al- ready satisfactorily adjusted.
We cannot express in too warm words the gratitude of the people of Lebanon to the stalwart men from Concord, Enfield, Hanover, West Lebanon and White River Junction, who came to our aid in the hour of our distress. We have not room to say more now.
There is great reason for gratitude that no lives were lost. David Perkins became overheated and had to be carried home, and it was reported that he was dead, but he finally came out all right. No serious casualty has been reported to us.
The following list of losses is the result of personal interviews with nearly all the losers, and the estimates by friends as to such as we were unable to find. We judge the estimates to be reason- ably fair, and that under-estimates and the absence of some that we failed to get will balance any possible over-estimates. We have accepted the press estimate of $100,000 for Mead, Mason & Co. as a fair one in our own judgment. They do not like to give one of themselves, but we feel that it is due to our readers that the best estimate we can get be given.
AFTER THE FIRE, 1887.
393
THE VILLAGE FIRE PRECINCT, ETC.
LIST OF LOSSES.
Mead, Mason & Co.
$100,000
S. Cole & Son
50,000
Kendrick & Davis
30,000
W. F. Shaw .
20,000
Carter & Rogers
20,000
C. M. Baxter
16,000
J. E. Lincoln
10,000
C. E. Pulsifer
8,000
· Shaw & Wright
7,000
Charles Dow
400
L. W. Smith
700
C. E. Colburn
1,800
P. M. Kenyon
1,000
Ira Bucklin .
900
A. Rock
250
W. H. Stickney
60
Albert Blish
50
Peter Russell
50
Noble Webster
100
Nelson Sargent
50
I. N. Perley (settled)
100
A. W. Rix
5,000
T. B. Marston
3,500
F. Walton & Co.
1,500
F. C. Churchill
3,200
G. C. Whipple
3,000
Muchmore & Whipple
1,500
Misses Brown
50
H. P. Granger
1,000
John Bushway
50
C. D. Scott .
5,000
J. E. Dewey
2,000
Mrs. P. E. Davis
5,100
W. H. Morris
30
S. S. Houghton
9,000
Mrs. Lynch .
2,500
Richard Lindsay
400
.
.
.
.
B. T. Tilden
3,500
394
HISTORY OF LEBANON.
D. H. Currie
$400
Mrs. James Griffin
200
P. Garland .
100
David Deforge
125
Shaw Rifles .
100
Lebanon Fire Precinct
2,000
P. Jordan
3,000
John Townsend
50
P. Coogan
50
Lowell Richardson
50
G. A. Elliott
1,200
O. T. Purmort 2,000
7,000
Town of Lebanon, bridge
1,500
Four freight cars
2,000
Mrs. Buck
300
J. L. Spring
50
S. D. Jones .
4,000
Mrs. Balduc
25
Thomas Fahey
3,000
Dan Driscol
2,500
M. B. Foss
2,000
Duplisse
300
Charles Bodette
·
300
O. R. Rose .
250
Henry Benton
3,500
James Lawrence
25
W. M. Kendall
300
Miss M. E. Camp .
75
Charles Woodward
75
H. G. Billings
4,500
C. N. Walker
1,500
I. Titus & Co., Brattleboro
1,500
C. E. Marston
2,500
O. W. Baldwin
6,500
E. H. Cheney, Free Press Freeman & Richardson .
3,000
O. W. Burnap
50
Jo. Demosh .
300
·
.
.
.
1,200
B. & L. Railroad, bridge
395
THE VILLAGE FIRE PRECINCT, ETC.
Joseph Plomondon
$50
W. P. McFee
.
.
4,000
E. A. Cotting
50
Extinguisher Co.
250
Athletic Co.
400
Frank Morgan
500
N. B. Marston
.
2,500
Total
. $374,565
INSURANCE.
The following shows the amount of insurance so far as is known at present. There may be some few policies in outside companies, but if any the amount is small :
C. E. Pulsifer, Pulsifer block.
Capital
. $1,500.00
Capital Association
. 1,000.00
Baldwin's block,
Granite State
1,000.00
Guaranty
500.00
Sullivan
1,000.00
Cheshire
2,000.00
F. C. Churchill, house,
Fitchburg
1,000.00
Merchants & Farmers
800.00
T. B. Marston, sawmill, etc.,
Granite State
500.00
New Hampshire
500.00
People's
500.00
B. T. Tilden's building,
Granite State
500.00
Guaranty
500.00
Capital
500.00
People's
500.00
Ira Bucklin, stock,
Manufacturers & Merchants
350.00
Muchmore & Whipple, stock,
Amoskeag .
500.00
.
.
.
396
HISTORY OF LEBANON.
N. B. Marston, stock,
Mascoma
$500.00
Phoenix Mutual . 400.00
Indian Head
400.00
G. A. Elliott, building,
New Hampshire
500.00
Chas. E. Colburn, stock,
Underwriters
500.00
Amoskeag .
1,000.00
C. E. Marston, stock,
Mascoma
500.00
Capital Association
500.00
Granite State .
500.00
J. E. Lincoln, stock,
Mascoma
1,000.00
Guaranty
1,000.00
Manufacturers & Merchants
2,000.00
Concord
1,000.00
Mt. Holly .
1,000.00
People's
· 1,000.00
New England
· 2,000.00
W. P. McFee, stock,
New Hampshire
1,000.00
W. P. McFee, house,
Capital
850.00
Granite State
850.00
Peter Lemay, houses and shop, Guaranty .
1,800.00
C. D. Scott, stock,
Mascoma .
400.00
Pat. Jordan's block,
E. H. Cheney, stock,
Mascoma
300.00
Granite State .
650.00
Freeman & Richardson, stock,
Granite State
500.00
New Hampshire .
1,000.00
Cheshire
1,000.00
.
397
THE VILLAGE FIRE PRECINCT, ETC.
Shaw's grist mill,
Mascoma
. $2,000.00
Underwriters
1,500.00
Capital Association
· 1,000.00
Amoskeag .
. 1,250.00
People's
. 1,250.00
A. W. Rix, stock,
Capital
1,000.00
People's
1,000.00
Shaw & Wright, stock,
Guaranty .
1,000.00
New Hampshire
1,000.00
Mascoma .
· 1,500.00
C. D. Scott, houses,
Capital Association
1,087.50
Granite State
· 800.00
Capital
1,087.50
Lafayette Hotel, S. S. Houghton,
People's
1,000.00
Charles Goss & Co., storehouse and stock, Granite State
1,000.00
L. W. Smith, stock,
New England
750.00
Thos. Fahey, house,
Capital Association
1,100.00
Springfield
700.00
Mascoma House,
New Hampshire
1,600.00
Mrs. Lynch's houses,
Springfield
850.00
Phenix
800.00
C. Cole & Son, office and storehouse,
Granite State
1,000.00
Manufacturers and Merchants
·
1,000.00
New Hampshire
500.00
People's
1,000.00
New England
750.00
S. Cole & Son, machine shop and contents,
Underwriters
750.00
Amoskeag . ·
1,000.00
·
·
·
.
·
.
398
HISTORY OF LEBANON.
Guarantee .
. $1,000.00
Manufacturers and Merchants
750.00
People's
1,000.00
Other insurance . .
· 1,000.00
Cheshire
2,750.00
Mead, Mason & Co., upper shop,
Underwriters
500.00
Guaranty
500.00
Amoskeag . .
500.00
Manufacturers and Merchants
500.00
Capital
500.00
Dover
500.00
Other insurance .
4,700.00
Mead, Mason & Co., stock, lower shop,
Underwriters
1,000.00
Manufacturers and Merchants
1,000.00
Kendrick & Davis, shop and stock,
Mascoma
1,500.00
Underwriters
· £ 1,000.00
Capital Association
· 1,000.00
Granite State
1,500.00
Amoskeag .
1,000.00 ·
Guarantee .
1,000.00
Manufacturers and Merchants
300.00
Capital
1,000.00
Indian Head
1,000.00
Concord
1,500.00
People's
· 1,500.00
C. M. Baxter, shop,
New Hampshire
2,000.00 ·
People's . .
.
·
1,000.00
Lebanon Woolen Mill,
Mascoma
1,000.00
Underwriters
1,000.00
Guaranty .
1,000.00
Manufacturers and Merchants
1,000.00
New Hampshire
1,250.00
Capital
.
.
1,000.00
People's
.
·
.
.
1,250.00
·
·
.
.
·
·
.
·
399
THE VILLAGE FIRE PRECINCT, ETC.
Daniel Driscoll, houses,
Phenix . $1,700.00
Mary Houghton's livery barn,
Concord
500.00
H. G. Billings' livery stock,
Underwriters
750.00
People's
750.00
H. G. Billings' marble stock, Guarantee
500.00
Mrs. P. E. Davis, house,
New Hampshire
1,000.00
J. E. Dewey, house, Merchants and Farmers
1,600.00
The burned area presents a scene of awful desolation viewed from any point of approach. It extends 100 rods or more up and down the river with varying width, and is variously esti- mated at from 8 to 12 acres. The extent of water fall can be taken in at a glance now, and no man can look at it and believe that it is to lie idle. It is impossible. Our people are full of courage. Some men are going to need temporary help, but no- body is going to fail, and every real estate owner is able to re- build. It is believed that most of them will do so, and so build as to enable them to do business to better advantage.
"RESURGAM" -
is written all over Lebanon, and she can be depended upon to redeem her pledge, her faith be realized. We shall yet behold Beauty for Ashes, the Oil of Joy for Mourning, and the Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness.
NOTES ABOUT THE FIRE.
We still live.
Nil desperandum.
The sound of the axe and the hammer is already heard.
A town meeting is called to see if the town will exempt manu- facturing establishments rebuilt on the burned district. Of course there can be but one opinion about it. There is just one
400
HISTORY OF LEBANON.
thing to do, and the heartier the unanimity the sooner we. will recover from this shock.
The material saved from our office was scattered all over the village, and during Tuesday our office was "all along the shore." It was about like saving one hind wheel and one for- ward wheel, a whiffletree, and the seat cushion of a wagon, with a dead horse for motive power. The loss that will bother us most is that of our newspaper press. We are under obligations to the Hanover Gazette, the Landmark and Royal Cummings at White River Junction, The Reporter at Canaan, the Monitor at Concord, the Journal at Franklin Falls, the Mirror at Manches- ter, and the Journal at Windsor, Vt., for kind offers of assist- ance. We decided to get out only a two-page sheet this week and found it most convenient to accept the offer of Bro. Barney at Canaan, who knows what it is to be burned out himself. It is an easy job to replace type, but a press does not come so easy, and we shall be compelled to get our paper printed out of town for a few weeks.
The light was seen at Claremont, and it is reported at La- conia.
It will take piles of brick and lumber to supply this market for awhile.
Now, Mr. Densmore, push that brickyard for all it is worth, night and day.
The Mascoma Falls can now be seen somewhat as the Indian saw them.
It is thought the insurance as finally adjusted will amount to about $110,000.
Good-bye, old Lafayette. The glorious Frenchman once rested, we believe, under its roof.
T. B. Marston is already at work rebuilding his sawmill. He will put in a saw as soon as he can get in a foundation and cover it while running.
General Bridge Master Haseltine of the B. & L. and Division Bridge Master Spaulding were promptly on hand Tuesday to put in a trestle in place of the burned bridge. Work was begun
401
THE VILLAGE FIRE PRECINCT, ETC.
at 6 o'clock Tuesday evening and trains passed over it before 2 o'clock the next day.
Too much praise cannot be awarded to the ladies of Lebanon who organized a relief corps very early Tuesday morning, were everywhere present among the exhausted firemen, with coffee, lemonade and water, and served a bountiful early breakfast in the town hall.
Some cinders from the fire were picked up a mile and a half from town.
Schools did not keep Tuesday on account of the excitement caused by the fire.
Rebuilding has already commenced. Baldwin and Pulsifer are to build one block.
The safes of the losers by the fire came out successfully, only the outside being injured.
The call for our fire company from Lebanon, Tuesday morn- ing, was received here by telephone a few minutes before two o'clock. Ten minutes later E. B. Huse had his span of big horses attached to the engine and started, but on reaching the depot word was received that a train then at Canaan would be right along and take it, so it was loaded on a flat car, but it was nearly three-quarters of an hour before the engine came-it seemed much longer-but in eight minutes after, the Protector No. 2 was unloading in Lebanon, and in a very few minutes more was at the iron bridge and had a stream on the fire. We will let our Lebanon neighbors, who were exhausted and almost dis- mayed by two hours' hard combat with the flames, say how they felt to receive assistance just at that time. Our boys were fresh, and were only too glad to be able to help when help was most needed.
The origin of the fire is a mystery. The watchman's clock was opened Thursday afternoon in our presence, and in that of other gentlemen, and shows beyond all cavil that he made his proper rounds, once an hour, from 7 to 12 o'clock. There is no possibility of mistake about it. The watchman's name is Noble A. Webster. He lived in one of the burned houses and lost everything, including the money with which he was paid off
26
402
HISTORY OF LEBANON.
Monday. It was mostly paper. Some of the silver was found in the ruins.
RELIEF WORK.
On Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock a fair number of ladies and gentlemen gathered at the town hall to consider ways and means of relieving any suffering there might be among us as a result of the late fire. The meeting was called to order by Judge Tick- nor. C. C. Rogers was elected chairman and Rev. E. T. Farrill secretary. The selectmen were elected a committee to receive any aid that might be volunteered. A committee of nine was elected to investigate cases of need and to distribute aid, consist- ing of the following persons: Mrs. Lyman Whipple, Miss Mary Kimball, W. H. Morris, Mrs. Mary Daniels, Miss Mary Sargent, T. D. Simmons, Mrs. T. D. Simmons, Peter Lemay, Mrs. C. C. Rogers. The meeting was adjourned to next Saturday evening, at the town hall, 7 o'clock, to consider the general business inter- ests of the village in view of the recent disaster.
While the people have responded nobly with their assistance in our emergency, the old truth has had several very practical and emphatic illustrations that the real needy are best reached and provided for, not by promiscuous giving, but by systematic investigation and distribution.
The appeal for aid has been most generously met, and much relief has been afforded by the contributions of clothing, furni- ture, etc.
The benevolent association of ladies connected with the Con- gregational Church appointed a relief committee to take prompt action in relieving distress among those turned out of home. Tuesday p. m. the chapel reminded one of some of the scenes of war times when the ladies met to sew for the soldiers.
WHO WILL REBUILD.
A large force of men are already at work rebuilding Ken- drick & Davis' watch key factory. The building will be 35 x 100, two stories high, of wood.
G. A. Elliot is putting in the foundation of his carriage shop on the old spot, near the Mascoma Street bridge.
403
THE VILLAGE FIRE PRECINCT, ETC.
Hon. A. M. Shaw will rebuild his flour and grist mill, and work has already commenced.
T. B. Marston has the honor of having the first enclosure on the burned ground-a small board shanty on one corner of his sawmill lot, to be used as counting room and tool house. He is pushing his sawmill and will be sawing in a few days, probably by Monday or Tuesday next. He has purchased one of Lane's latest improved sawmills.
Cole & Son announce by handbill that they are "cast down but not destroyed," and will immediately rebuild, on the south side of the street.
C. E. Pulsifer has the foundation of his new block next G. C. Whipple's brick block, well advanced. He builds a wood shell, to be encased in permanent brick walls as soon as brick can be had.
O. W. Baldwin is putting in the foundation to rebuild his block.
Workmen are repairing the railroad spur entering the lower shop yards, and are rebuilding the trestle work for the track which was used by the grist mill and upper shop. These tracks are going to be used, too.
The building in which the fire originated, used for the manu- facture of sash, blinds, furniture and house finishing, was said to be the oldest in the country; that is, it continued the longest time without burning. No one can read the preceding graphic account without feeling that there was a fatality in the event. It had been threatened before, several times had a narrow escape from destruction, but now everything worked adversely. First, the watchman in the upper shop on his round hears an alarm and in natural excitement pulls a wire connecting with an alarm too violently, breaking the wire, necessitating the hunting up of a wrench; there was delay. Seconds then counted towards de- struction. A hydrant could not be opened even by the aid of the stoutest wrench, and the hose stretched to it had to be aban- doned. After some delay Enfield was reached and Protector Engine Co. was summoned and reached Lebanon about 3 o'clock, by the help of a freight engine. "Never were men more heart- ily greeted or did better service." But the fire had a start of two hours and fifteen minutes.
404
HISTORY OF LEBANON.
The telephone would not work to summon Hanover and a messenger was despatched, which added two hours more to the liberty of the devouring flames. Concord could be reached neither by telegraph nor telephone directly ; a telephone message was sent to Bellows Falls and from there a despatch sent to Con- cord summoning assistance. About 5.45 the steam fire engine Governor Hill arrived and gave welcome and needed assistance to weary firemen and citizens. But the steamer, brought at such speed from a distant city, capable of doing such good service, such a relief to tired firemen, was after an hour or two disabled. But to crown the whole series of disasters, the precinct pumps be- came useless. Hydrants had to be hastily abandoned from the intense heat and left open, valves that should have been closed were left open, and the water sent out by the pumps went back into the river or wasted on the ground. The system which had been adopted was a good one, essentially the same now in use in large cities, but it failed in the hour of supreme need, as any system will fail if proper care and management fail. Fate was supreme that terrible night.
Many suffered loss in the terrible conflagration, but the suf- ferers did not lose courage. The fire was still smouldering when arrangements were made for rebuilding, temporarily at first, but more solidly than ever before. The manufacturing district of Lebanon today is better, far better, than it was on the eve of May 9, 1879.
The origin of the fire was a mystery at the time; it is not less so after more than nine years have gone by. Today, as at the time, the probabilities point to an incendiary origin.
Churches of the Town.
BY JOHN E. WHITLEY.
THE LEBANON CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
In accordance with the Act of Incorporation of the town of Lebanon, the first town meeting was held May 15, 1765. At that meeting it was voted to have a minister preach during the sum- mer, and that Aaron Storrs should take around a subscription paper, and the selectmen should seek quarters for the minister and provide for his accommodation. This action on the part of the early settlers indicates the value they put upon church priv- ileges. According to votes taken at different times ministers were called to labor here for a stated period, sometimes for a summer, sometimes for one or two years. In the town records mention is made of Rev. Mr. Treadway, Rev. Mr. Niles and Rev. Mr. Wales. In those days taxes were raised to support the min- ister, because he was a town officer, and thus all the affairs per- taining to his ministry were brought before the town meeting. The town, which had at that time about twenty families, called and dismissed the pastors.
The next step taken was the organization of a church. It is recorded that the six men who are charter members were Azariah Bliss, Jonathan Dana, Joseph Dana, Zacheus Downer, John Slapp, and John Wheatley. Azariah Bliss was from Connec- ticut and became useful in town affairs. Jonathan and Joseph Dana were from Ashford, Connecticut. Joseph was one of the original proprietors. Zacheus Downer was a public-spirited man and a brave soldier in the Revolution. John Slapp was from Connecticut, an officer in the French and Indian War, in which he acquired the title of major. He was also in the War of the Revolution. Because of his military knowledge and experience, he was of great service to the early settlers of Lebanon. John Wheatley was the son of an Irish surgeon in the British navy. Coming to this country he fell into the hands of a kind citizen of Norwich, Connecticut. With a small party of emigrants he
406
HISTORY OF LEBANON.
came up the Connecticut Valley and settled here. By his native ability and education he developed qualities of leadership. He became justice of the peace under the royal commission, and for years was the legal adviser in this town. Rev. Phineas Cooke, in a Thanksgiving sermon preached in the present Congrega- tional Church, November 25, 1830, says of John Wheatley : "He presided at the town meeting held September 12, 1765. Were I to single out an individual to whom this town in its early days was especially indebted for his exertions in its behalf, I would name John Wheatley, Esquire. He was the first town clerk and for nearly twenty years the first civil magistrate; the first schoolmaster and the first representative under the present Constitution of New Hampshire. To all his acknowledged qual- ifications for civil life was added piety, and such religious gifts as made him a suitable person to lead in the meetings of the church in the absence of the minister. He was the first man who fixed his habitation amidst the lofty pines of this plain."
It was such a company of men that took upon themselves the organization of the first church in the town of Lebanon. An old log schoolhouse which stood east of Capt. Joseph Wood's resi- dence was used for the religious services. In passing it is worthy of note to say that the first school and the first church in Lebanon were organized the same year, 1768. Our forefathers believed that the schoolhouse and the church, representing edu- cation and religion, are the foundation stones of an enduring community. Two historic spots in Lebanon are worthy of re- cording because of their unusual interest. One spot is the East- man place, now owned by N. S. Johnson, on South Main Street, West Lebanon. As far as historical knowledge and tradition can aid us, it was on this lot of land, on the east bank of the Connecticut River, where the first congregation in Lebanon as- sembled for Christian worship. Here also was solemnized the first public wedding in town. Here also, August 25, 1772, Rev. Isaiah Potter, the first settled pastor, was ordained to the gospel ministry. In the open air, under a large, spreading elm tree, a temporary platform was built and the impressive service of ordi- nation was conducted. The visiting clergymen were Rev. Bulk- ley Olcott of Charlestown and Rev. James Wellman of Cornish, and in addition to these President Wheelock, Dartmouth's first
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