Car Barn Fire at Canton.

Car Barn Fire at Canton.

The Blue Hill Street Railway company, of Canton, Mass., up to a few days ago had a car barn in Sherman, New York. If that barn had been sprinklered, something more of it would now' be remaining than a pile of junk and debris. A fire of unknown origin broke out in its armature room early in the evening of Sunday, February 21. That room was situated near the centre of the barn. The trouble was discovered through smoke issuing from the side walls and ceiling. Two employes had left the barn some five or ten minutes before, and the man who discovered the blaze had passed the room twenty minutes before, but had seen no sign of fire. Small inside hose and yard hose were immediately used; but they were not effective, and the fire gained so rapidly that they were withdrawn. The town fire department responded to the box call, and it was probably fifteen minutes before they put streams on. Assured used two streams and fire department four additional hydrant streams and two steamer streams. The heavy draught upon a 6-in. main (extending for nearly a mile in each direction to a 12-in. main) crippled all but the steamer streams.

According to the evidence, the fact that several people passed this location shortly before the discovery of the fire, would indicate that it could hardly have been due to spontaneous combustion. That the fire, when first seen, was only in the upper part of the room would seem to remove the probability of fire having started upon floor as from a match. The most probably theory, owing to the removal of above possibilities and the rapid development of the fire, seems to be electrical, although the direct cause is not clear. On the Saturday afternoon, when the wind was blowing very strongly, a large pine tree at the rear of the barn fell across three of the trolley wires, breaking them and giving the barn itself a severe mechanical shock. After cutting away the broken trolley wires, the interior trolley wires were said to have been inspected and found to be safe. Whether this accident produced a condition which resulted in the fire, or whether the fire was caused by some defective switch or fitting, cannot be determined, as all evidence was destroyed. The building and entire contents, together with the following rolling stock, were destroyed: Fifteen 12-bench open cars, 6 of which were fully equiped, 9 having had the motors removed; 1 10-bench open car. not equiped: 5 26-bench closed cars, fully equiped; 2 ploughs, equiped: 1 plough, not equiped: 4 service cars, onlv 1 equiped; stock and supplies valued at $8,000; tools and machinery valued at $3,000.