Rutland, VT Marble Mill Fire, Feb 1900

Rutland Marble Worker Burned to Death.

Rutland was the scene of another serious conflagration Saturday night when the old Ripley marble mill at Center Rutland was completely destroyed and one man killed. The wheel house, coping shop, storehouse, and nearby dwellings were saved by the hard work of the firemen. The fire started in the east end of the mill in the oil room and spread quickly. The blazing oil floated on tip of the water thrown into the fire and the thick smoke hindered the firemen. Four men were in the building at work on a night gang. All of them got out safely but Patrick McGarry. He was probably bewildered by the smoke which rapidly filled the building and overcome by suffocation. The flames reached his body and when recovered this morning no flesh remained on the bones. McGarry was a man about 60 years old and leaves a wife and several children, one of whom is the wife of Alderman Flynn, of Rutland. The mill contained 24 gangs for sawing marble worth about $25,000. The building and machinery were a total loss. The insurance is estimated at $18,000. The Vermont Marble Co. owned the property.

St. Albans Daily Messenger, St. Albans, VT 26 Feb 1900

__________________

Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!