The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-06-14
Shocking Calamity at a Fire in
BridQepOrt, Conn.

A most disastrous fire occurred on the
night of June Z, at Bridgeport, Conn. At
11:30 light was discovered in the fourth story
of Glover, Sanford & Sons factory. The
alarm was sounded, followed by a second,
and the whole Fire Department responded.
The water supply proved insufficient, and
the fire thereby obtained mastery. The flames
were first seen in the dyeing or mixed room
in the northwest corner of the third story of
the main building, and, running along hat
floor, were communicated by the dummy to
the stories below. The main building was
two hundred and eighty feet long, fifty feet
wide, and four and a half stories high to the
top Of the high basement. The brick walls
were sixteen inches thick. Above that was
astory eighteen feet, and two others eleven
feet high, surmounted BY an attic, all sup
ported BY tweIve-inch walls. The windows
were forty.eight inches wide, and the col.
umns between them forty inches.
While the volunteers were removing the
goods from the Office, a one.story structure,
suddenly, without warning, the back and
front walls fell out, leaving the two highest
walls unsupported. The one adjoining the
offices leaned outward, and, as a shrek
went up from the spectators, fell upon the
roof of the office, crushing through to the
basement and burying those within. One
man. who escaped with a cash, stated there
were a dozen men in the ruins, and already
eleven bodies have been recovered, nearly
all fearfully crushed and more or less
burned.
At the same time the east end wall also
fell, carrying the fire into a wing one hun
dred and ten feet long and fifty feet wide.
This was also completely destroyed, to-
gether with the engine, and boiler rooms
adjoining.
The walls fell about 1890 p. M, and as
soon as possible search for the missing was
commenced, but it was five O'Clock before
the first body was recovered. During the
next hour, eight were found, and by 1890 a.
NJ, two others had been aiken from the
ruins.
The bodies were placed in wooden boxes,
awaiting the action of the Coroner's jury.
The names of those recovered are o. ].
Acker, age fifty, limbs burned off to knees.
He leaves a wife and two children. George
Acker, son of o. j., aged twenty, crushed.
John Gallagher, aged thirty-fve; leaves a
wife and two children. Edward 0'Toole,
aged thirty.fve; leaves a wife and children.
Charles F. Dart, aged thirty-eight; leaves a
wife and four children. Hugh Smith, age
twenty-five; leaves a wife and twochildren.
John Maloney, aged twenty-eight. William
Mcintyre, aged twenty-five, head severed
from the BODY. John 1omlln, aReu tnlrty-
nine, burned beyond recognition, but
was identified by warts and
ring. One other body, supposed to be that
of a young man named Sweeney, was found
with his limbs burned off. Another body
was so crushed and burned as to be I'M
recognizable, but is supposed to be that OF q
man named Coyne. The original building
was erected alta cost of $4,000. Sanford's
loss on the building, machinery and stock
will reach about S250,000. Insurance
$15O,0OO. There were in the building about
fifteen thousand hats ready for shipment
most of which were destroyed. The hal
shop gave employment to two hundred anc
fifty hands, and was to have started thu
following Monday with a full force. Mr.
Sanford says they will sell or leave, rather
than put up q new factory, without a bette
water supply. They had hose on every floor
but no water could be had.