Horses Burned

The most disastrous fire that has visited this city for years occured betweea twelve and two o'clock Saturday night when the University Livery Barn, belonging to A. H. Holmes was totally destroyed causing a loss of about $13,000 and burning to death twentyone horses and one cow. How the fire started no one certalnly knows. When discovered it filled the whole of the barn which was made of material that burned rapidly. Two employees ran in and suoceeded in saving one horse and a few rigs but all the other contents were destroyed. Twentyof the horses belonged to Mr. Holmes, one to Dr. Hinsdale and one to Dr. Vaughan. Mrs. Angell's favorite driving horse was anaong those that died. When the disco very was made Mr. Holmes at once called up the fire department and the men were on the scène in the shortest possible time but the barn was already a wreek. Mr. Sipley turned the attention of his men to saving the house and surrounding buildings and by heroic work this was partially done. Mr. Holmes' house was already in flamas, and lire filled the epaces between the walls where it fed on the lath and j nst3. It wa3 hard to reach with hose but lulos were cut in the plastering, and strjaiiu of water werc turnad on b'J!.!i inu-si l.i i 1 Lujilj of the The hj.idj was saved but is so budiy danyai a..; to be almost useless. One thing which greatly hindered the work of the fire department was the low pressure of water which made it impossible to tbrow a stream any great distanoe. This, the firemen say, is not due to any fault of the water company but to the act that the ground is high and henee the grayity systern of ivater supply could give but a low pressure. Then too the hydrant3 were so far away that the water had to be conveyed a long distance in hose thus decreasing the pressure greatly. Mr. Holmes says the flre apparently startcd in the hay loft and none oí his employees are suppoaed to go to that pai-t of the barn after dark, hay being thro.vn down in the afternoon for feeding at night. No lights were U3ed in the building excepfc electric lamps and these facts involve the origin of the fire in mystery. It is suggested that some tramp or other person may have gone to the barn to sleep and ora wied into 'the loft bnt no evidence of such a fact exista. Mr. Holmes estimates his loss at about $13,000. A short time ago he carried $8,500 insurance but on putting in eleetric lights he thought the risk so much less that he oould not atïord to carry it and dropped to $6.000. Mr. Holmes says he will rebuild on the same place and that he will construct buildings of a more permanent and less inflamable character. He hopes in a few months to once more carry on, with even better equipments, the business which he has developed since 1885 when he began with one horse and bugt'y to gradually work up the eading livery barn of the city.