Morning journal and courier., 1886-06-12
THE LITCHFIELD FIRE.

The Principal Business Portion of
 The Town Destroyed-Loss Estimat-
 ed At 5.OOO-Origin of The Fire
 Unknown Prisoners From The
 Jail Let Loose To Fight The Flames
 Scenes And Ineidents-FuII Partic-
 ulars.
 L1rcHF1ELD, June 11-About twelve o'clock last night fire broke out in D. 0. Ki1bourne's law office, which is located in Bishop & Sedgwick's block, the first building west of the Mansion House. As there is no fire apparatus in the town and no means for extinguishing fire, the flames spread with great rapidity, burn ing either way from the point of starting; the old Mansion House on one side and the court house on the other, were soon in flames, then working in either direction. Phelps general store, the public reading room, the village bakery, Vessel & Smiths clothing store, McNeilPs drug store. Judd's photograph rooms, office of the Litchfeld Enquirer, in all eight or nine buildings, be- sides the barns, livery stables and other buildings in rear of the front line, were en- tirely destroyed. The fire burned itself out at five o'clock, there being no other buildings near for it to feed upon. Lawyer Preston, boarder in the Mansion House, narrowly escaped suffoca- tion, and was resrscitated with much diff culty. The fire extended south to Beck with's dwelling, and on West street to Smiths brick building. The county library and records were saved. Lawyer D. c. Kill bourne's valuable library, which contained many rare historical books, was destroyed. The telephone office was burned.
 LATER-It is now said the origin of the ;e Tl,ac of Of the catastrophe was beyond all description. Had the wind been stronger, or even the streets less broad, nothing could have saved any part of the Center, and all to the Lake View Hotel on West street and ex-Governor Andrews residence on South street would probably now have been smould- ering with the rest. When the fire seized the Mansion House the consternation was great. The guests saved what they could from the building. Situated at the corners in just the center of the town where the four chief streets of North, East, South and West cross, the sight was visible from almost every residence and the large number of summer boarders who have already ar rived joined with the villagers in witnessing the sight. For miles about the country the great flames were seen. When the court house took fire the prisoners were let loose to fight the flames. The loss is estimated at $75, ,0O0, on which there is an insurance of
 
 $2,G00 to $8,OO0 each: Atna, Connecticut, Orient, Hartford, Meriden, Phoenix of Lon- don, Fire Association of Philadelphia, Wash ington Fire and Marine of Boston, Duchess County, Merchants of New York, Firemen's Fund. The Litchfeld Mutual loses little if anything, having refused to take risks on the corner burned
 The losses are: J. S. Beckwith, $12,OOO, insurance $5, 500; Vessel & Smith, small, insured; F. A. Shepard, $500, fully in sured; Mansion House $2O,O00, insurance library, valuable records and books of refer | ence, insurance $500; Enquirer printing | office, almost total, about $3,000; J. D. Mo | Nell & Co.,, Moore & Madden, E. B. Peck, ! Coe and Marsh, each lose largely. Five law l yers lose their offices, furniture, books and | valuable papers The Hon. H. B. | Graves safe was rescued just in time to pre- | Lords loss is S7,000, insurance $2, 500; Bish- | op & Sedgwick 5000. Many others lose | furniture and books. Landlord Cooley and | E. L. Phelps lose large amount of liquors. l
 The Mansion House was built in 1900 by | Grover Catlin. It was enlarged by Sylvester Spencer. The court house built in 1797 l and '9S by the town and county of | Litchfeld eonjointly at the time when Litchfeld was the center of | egal learning for the whole United States. It is associated with the memo -ies of many noted men. Many famous cases have been tried inside it's walls Though an old building it was acknowledged oy all the lawyers of the State to be the o!easantest and best suited for business of my court room in Connecticut. The court ,ouse was insured for 5000, $1, 800 in the of Middletown and $1 ,500 in the Mutual.