The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-05-18
HARTFORD BRIDGE BURNED
IT T4KES FIRE FROM THE ELEC-
 TRIO TROLLEY WIRES.

Drowned-The Hose Wagon sunk-The
 Bridge Was the Connecting Link Between
 Hartford and East Hart ord, Glastonbury
 and Manchester.
 Hartford, May 17.-The famous old
 East Hartford bridge spanning the
 Connecticut river from this city to
 East Hartford, was completely destroy
 ed by fire this morning. It was just
 o'clock when car of the Manchester
 line was passing over the bridge from
 East Hartford to this city. There was
 flash from one of the trolley wires
 and instantly the Hartford end of the
 bridge was in flames. The fire spread
 rapidly, and in few minutes the whole
 structure was burning away fiercely.
 There was considerable delay in turn
 ing in an alarm, and when the fire ap-
 paratus arrived at the bridge it was O
 hopeless effort of the firemen to save
 the ancient structure. The wooden tlm-
 bers were falling all blazing into the
 river. At 7:15 o'clock the first span on
 the East Hartford side of the bridge fell into the river, and at 7:3o all that was left of the old bridge was the sec ond span on the Hartford side, which had fallen down into the water and was held by one of the abuttments. While the fire was In progress a hose carriage of company No was driven on the bridge and the flremen began pulling out the hose. The horses at tached to the hose wagon got tangled up in the live electric wires on the bridge and one of the animals was kill ed instantly. Soon afterwards the floor ing of the bridge gave way beneath them, and the horses and hose wagon dropped down into the river, drowning the other animal. The driver and three hosemen who wer on the wagon at the time, escaped. Whether there were any other teams caught on the bridge when the structure took fire is not known. It was reported during the time that the bridge was burning that three lost their lives but nothing will be known until search Is made of the ruins in the water.
 It was the opinion commonly express ed about the scene of the fire tonight that the structure had been set on fire, but the origin of the fire Is thought to have been from the electric trolley wires.
 This afternoon the electricians of the Hartford and Manchester line had ex- perienced considerable trouble. The cut-offs caught fire several times dur ing the afternoon, but the flames were each time, if was thought. 1
 All travel between this city and East Glastonbury and Manchester has been cut off by the burning of the brdige, and the only route now open to travel to these towns Is by way of | the New England road.
 At CPS o'clock F. S. Culiff of Hart I ford was crossing the bridge and he | noticed the smoke curling up from be- | tween the narrow openings by the side | of the bridge at the second span on the | East Hartford side of the river. He | drove to the East Hartford hose com | pany's house and notified the firemen | there that there was a fire on the | bridge. The East Hartford firemen did l not respond to the call, and when Culiff | lrove back again on the bridge he found | he fire still smoldering. Word was hen sent to hose company No. 3 of | he Hartford fire department, and the nose wagon was sent out to the bridge. The firemen upon arriving at the bridge | ound the structure blazing out on the second span. The hose wagon was lriven on to the bridge, and as the lremen were laying the hose the flames ,urst out from all sides of the bridge. The driver tried to turn the nnrses lround, but the animals became un- ant pH nnt1IH ha fft~1 I Ibout. They rushed forward on he ,ridge toward the spot where the James were bursting out. The driver hen tried to cut the harness. but :be James were spreading with such rapid ty that he was forced to retreat In
 taste and abandon the hose, wagon and he horses on the bridge, It was sev- ral minutes after when an alarm was urned in, and when the fire apparatus cached the scene the whole structure vas burning fierccly. At about 4'15 he spans fell into the river, leaving nly the abutments of the b ige in lace The horses attached to the hose yagon were burned to death. The fire urned for half an hour. How the fire rfginated has not been definitely de- g armined. This afternoon the employees , f the Hartford and Manchester electric l pad said that the wires were found to e aflre, but the fire was put out. It Is / fought that possibly a spark from one 1 f the electric wires set fire to the ,oodwork of the bridge, and that it nouldered until this evening. Another l i leory regarding the origin of the fire
 that the flames were started by some ne carelessly throwing lighted cigar Jump away on the bridge and that I
 fell down to the under timbers of the e .ructure. By the destruction of the bridge to- C ight the service of the Hartford and { electric railway, which be- c an running it's cars on Wednesday to t [anchester has been suspended. The over was supplied from this city and le cable across the bridge has been lined. The only route now open to s le towns of Glastonbury, East Hart ,rd and Manchester is by way of the ew England road. The New England ,ad tonight commenced running extra U aims to accommodate people going to le east side of the river. U The present bridge, which was U lrned tonight, was built In 1920, re- acing the structure, which was built
 1908. An insurance of $25,000 which