Three Fires In Hudson
"On Monday Oct. 6th, the Burrill house, located at the corner of Packard andCentral St., was sold under foreclosure of mortgage, by Hudson Savings Bank, to the widow Whitcomb for $3.02 above the mortgage. The Burrill family vacated the premises and Frank M. Whitman, a nephew of Mrs. Whitcomb, moved his furniture in, but had not occupied it at the time the following event took place. On Friday between nine and ten o’clock P.M. fire was discovered issuing from these premises, which were entirely consumed, no water at all being put upon the flames. The Eurekas set their machine in the meadow and forced water through their pipe, but their stream fell 50 feet short of the burning building. The Independents were not present on account of internal differences in the company. The origin of the fire was incendiary, public suspicion very generally resting upon one individual; whether with justice or not, can be satisfactorily determined only by careful investigation. Mr. Whitman lost all of his furniture except for a chamber set, which was removed in a damaged condition. On the day of the sale Mrs. Whitcomb paid $100 down and the remainder was to have been paid on Saturday. It is a mooted question on the street to whom the insurance shall be paid, whether to Mrs. Whitcomb or to Mr. Burrill. The insurance was carried by D.W. Stratton in the Hartford. Shortly after three o’clock on Saturday P.M. a fire broke out in the barn of Silas Williams, on Packard St. which was burned to the ground, together with twelve tons of English hay, a very fine horse, carriage, harnesses, farm utensils and furniture, and also a calf.
The department was present, Hooks leveling the building as quickly as possible, the Buckets protecting the roof and side of the house next to the fire, while the Eurekas located in a meadow in front of the house played a weak stream of mud and water for the space of twenty minutes, when the source was exhausted. Mr. Williams who for a week had been in N.Y. on business, returned just in time to see the smoldering ruins.
Again on Sunday morning while clergyman were engaged in the opening services, another fire alarm aroused the people from their devotions and usual Sunday morning lulling, to learn on the start that this time it was the dwelling of Mr. Silas Williams.
This misfortune, following so closely on the heels of yesterdays loss, stirred the sympathies of the people and gave speed to their going, and while the department was getting to work most of the furniture was removed in excellent condition. The Buckets as usual were far ahead of the rest of the department, and had water on the fire twenty minutes in advance of the Eureka’s. This difference in time was in a measure occasioned by a conflict of authority between Capt. R.H. Brigham and Eugene Tripp. Brigham wanting to take his machine to a brook in the rear of the house and Tripp insisting that the machine must be set in the ditch in the meadow land in front of the house. Here the water was exhausted in a very few minutes, and then the machine was removed to the brook in the rear, and the fire extinguished. But while this delay and transfer was going on, the fire consumed the upper part of the L and half of the upper story, making a wreck of the remainder. Mr. Williams was in church at the time and Mrs. Williams niece and child at home. Mrs. Williams hearing a roaring overhead hurried to learn the cause and thus discovered the fire. There can be but little doubt the fire in the barn was incendiary, but the cause of the fire in the house is less easy to determine. While there are many that believe it to have been incendiary, there are others that think it caught from a defective chimney; ‘tis said holes through the mortar were found. Dr. Harriman who was passing at the time gave the alarm in the village. Mrs. Williams was sadly prostrated, having on both occasions the great responsibility of acting during the early or most exciting period of the conflagration. The house and barn were both insured in the farmers & mechanics of Worcester. D.W. Stratton as agent.
Three fires in as many days and little or no water to put upon them, and fifty, one hundred, and even a larger number of dwellings in like danger. Who is to blame? Certainly not the local press, which gave expression to notes of earnest warning subsequent to the burning of McKenzie’s houses the entire truth of which has been demonstrated in these resent fires. Again we warn the people to build reservoirs, utilize the water that runs to waste, provide an abundant surplus of leading hose, etc.. etc..
Repeating our language as follows: sunken reservoirs should be built, one in the low land to the west of Central St. and North of the line of Mass central, another, in the slough near Cottage St. one on the same natural water course in the vicinity of Lincoln St., one on Washington St. utilizing the springs at that point that make traveling so unpleasant at certain seasons of the year. The approaches to these reservoirs should be made ample and solid as well as approaches to the river on River St. in the rear of Morse Block, and just above Alvin Maynard’s also two or three approaches on Maple St. to Bruce’s pond, and some sort of water facility near Caleb Haskell’s and Riverside Park. The nearest water facility should be indicated at several points by signboards, thus making the entire community familiar with each locality. The Board of Engineers should be elected and not appointed, as the interest they supervise are second to none other, requiring at times as wise, prompt, cool and brilliant generalship as needed on any other battle field.
The department should receive sufficient practice to ensure promptness and harmony of action; the Independent and the Houghton Hose Co.’s should both be provided with first class hose, and an abundance of it, and receive practice in coupling on to the force pumps at Tripp’s, Brigham’s, Houghton’s, and the Tannery. In fact the entire department should have everything that can be possibly needed in an extensive conflagration, and keep it all in constant and perfect working order."