Williamstown, MA Adams Block Fire, Mar 1908

WILLIAMSTOWN.

BURNING OF ADAMS BLOCK.

LOSS WILL BE ABOUT $25,000.

Blaze Starts From Unknown Came in Prindle's Restaurant.

The Adams block, one of the principal business blocks on Spring street, was very badly damaged by fire early yesterday morning, the blaze originating in the restaurant of Caleb Prindle in the north end of the building. The restaurant and the whole of the second floor, on which were Sons of Veteran's hall, a tailor shop and several vacant office rooms, were completely destroyed, while the store of Patrick J. Dempsey, grocer, on the first floor was partly burned and badly damaged by water, and the post-office in the south end also badly damaged by water. The block was valued at $20,000 and the loss is partly, if not wholly, covered by insurance. Mr. Dempsey, whose loss was not far from total, had a stock of goods valued at $3,000, on which he carried an insurance of $1000, which does not cover his loss, while on a piano in his store, valued at $650, owned by Harvey P. Cole, the former owner of the restaurant, and on the furniture in the tailor shop and the hall in the second story, which included a piano of the Sons of Veterans, there was no insurance.

The origin of the fire is a mystery, as Augustus Bridgeman, an employe[sic] of Mr. Prindle, left the restaurant after 2 o'clock and everything then was apparently all right. Shortly after 4 o'clock Edward A. Hamlin, who rooms on the street, was awakened and saw the flames, leaping from the windows of the restaurant, and without waiting to dress, ran out on the street and gave the alarm. About the same time an alarm was sounded from the telephone office and the fire department responded immediately. The hydrants on the streets could not be turned on after the hose was laid, either because they were frozen or for some other reason, and a delay of several minutes was caused thereby, allowing the fire, which already had gained great headway, to spread still further. By the time that the firemen began to fight the flames, they had enveloped the restaurant and had spread through the second story and into the store of Mr. Dempsey. Postmaster James A. Eldridge was summoned by telephone and immediately on his arrival all mail matter and other things of value were taken from the post-office and placed in a vacant store in the block of Azinderian & Chambers, on the opposite side of the street, where later the office was opened and where it will remain until the repairs are made in the damaged office. Mr. Dempsey saved his account books, but nothing else.
The frame building occupied by Neyland & Quinn, grocers, caught fire once, and for a time it was feared that all of the business houses on the east side of the street from the Adams block north would be swept away. The firemen got the fire under control in less than an hour, however. Both the store of Mr. Dempsey and the post-office were flooded with water.

Springfield Republican, Springfield, MA 21 Mar 1908
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!