Morning journal and courier., 1892-07-04
WEST HAvEN,s FIRE.

che Horse Car Barns COmplete1y De. |
stroyed-The Horses Taken Ont In
Safety-Loss About 100000 PARTIAL
ly Covered by Insuranee-The Con.
gregattOnal Church and all A adjacent
Houses Badly Scorched-The In
surance-No Cars Run Yesterday
Until Evenfng-Will Run To-Day.
West Haven was the scene early yester.
day morning of one of the most disastrous |
fires in recent years in the borough. The |
fire was in the barns of the New Haven |
and West Haven horse railroad, and be-
fore i. could be extinguished the entire
building with it's contents of hay. grain,
feed, etc., had been entirely consumed,
entailing loss of about $40, 900, partially
covered by insurance.
About 10 o'clock Conductor Otis, who
had just got his horses put away for the
night, he being in charge of the last car
from the city, discovered that the southern
end of the building where the blacksmith
shop was located was on fire and at once
sounded the alarm. A number of at
taches of the company at once fastened
to the scene and turned the horses loose
| into the street. So effectuslly was the
| work conducted that not a single animal
persisted in the flames.
In the meantime an alarm had been
| spread through the village by means of the
| church bell, and the local apparatus, con-
| sisting of one hand engine and two hose
carriages responded, but they were utterly
| unable to cope with the largest fire West
Haven has seen in many years.
A frame house stands some thirty feet
north of the barn, and just beyond that,
perhaps twenty feet further north, is the
West Haven Congregational church. It
| was to the saving of these two that the
| fremen bent all their energies, but the
task looked SO hopeless that telephone
message was sent to the city for aid.
Steamer No. l responded, but when she
arrived on the scene of the fire there was
no need of her services, because the barn
was burned to the ground and the house and
church were still standing. The church was
badly scorched and damaged to the extent
of several hundred dollars, while the house
was flooded with water from garrett to
cellar. A number of willing hands assist.
ed in removing the furniture, etc., to g
place of safety and in consequence the
only damage done was by the scorching
and water.
The crowd surrounding the fire were
startled about 1245 by a terrific explo-
sion which shook the buildings TO,
squares and demolished the windows ir
the file. This was caused by keg o.
powder which was kept in the old Office
near the blacksmith shop. President Kel
sey and Superintendent Wallace w. Ware
of the road were on hand and superin
tended the fighting of the fire, which
burned in a northwesterly direction, anc
at 1:30 had left nothing standing excep
the brick chimneys. The barn was two
story wooden building fronting on Camp
bell avenue, two hundred and fifty fee
long and one hundred and fifty feet deep
The barn proper was built in 1867, bu
additions had been made from time tt
time. A few years ago an Office and ca
sheds were built some distance south O.
the old barn, and there the many valuable
cars were saved.
One of the attaches of the road who's
name could not BIZ learned was badly bu
not seriously burned about the head ant
hands while liberating the horses. He wa
removed to his home.
l President Kelsey stated yesterday tina
the loss to the road would probabl
amount to 1000, with insurance q
about $14,0 900. Among the companies in
i terested in the loss, with the amount G
e insurance in each case, are: Teutonia Ii
surance company of New Orleans, 81 ,81s
Niagara of New York, $685.; Cit
:, of London, London. England, $1,81S
d Connecticut of Hartford, s., 625; Firf
:; National of Worcester. Mass, $1,81s
German-Americsn of New York, $12,8 5(
Merchants of Newark, $1,812; Springfield
Fire Marine company of Springfield
Mass, IS ,437; Meriden OF Meriden, 81 81:
and Lancashire of England, $1,812. III
= company will only be able to recover
portion of several of these policies, as
some of the policies the building destroy
y ed is covered for only small amour
while the balance of the policy is on car
etc, which were not damaged.
In consequence of the fire NO cars we,
run over the road until ete last evenin,
when a few cars-were run, as the hors'
had beer ss,f;Tned loose during the conf
grafton and had not been recovered
season to operate the road. 1t is expecte
however, that the road will be in operate
as usual to-day.
In addition to the loss to the railrot
company the loss on the house and Fir
Congregational church, both of whie
were damaged, will amount to abo
~ 50, 500. making the total loss in the neig
. borhood of $22, 500.
+ The origin of the fire is unknown, but
= is supposed to have been incendiary,
there was no fire of any kind in the pc
ton of the building where the fire bro
| out.