The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-11-22
ITS BIGGEST FIRE IN YEARS
4 S75,OOO CONFEDERATION IN DAN
 BURY LAST EVENING.

l Brcke Out in the Keeler Street Block 4 Fifteen Families Rendered Homeless Driven Into the Street by the Flames Two Elderly Ladies Taken Out Unoon-
 soious.
 Danbury, Nov. 21.-The most destrue-
 tive fire that has visited Danbury for Ia number of years broke out at o'clock Ithls evening in brick dwelling known
 as the Keeler street block, The build
 ing is completely gutted, together with
 the Hawley block on Main street ad-
 joining; at least fifteen families are 5rendered homeless and the loss is es-
 tlmated at fully $75,OOO,
 The Hawley block was a four story
 brick structure, fronting 75 feet on
 Main street on the corner of Keeler ! street. It was about 100 feet deep on
 the latter street. On Main street on
 the first floor was occupied as places x of business by the drug store of Mrs. 8 Victoria Hawley, owner of the block, x the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea < company and Cunningham & Doran, < the furniture dealers, have but recently
 vacated the third store. The upper x stories were partially occupied by fam
 lilies and at least one dozen families \ were driven to the street by the fire. @ The rest of the building was tempo
 rarily vacant, owing to the removal
 of Cunningham & Doran, who had used < a portion of the upper stories as ware { rooms, The enhire block is gutted and < the stock is ruined. The loss on flaw < ley block alone is estimated at $35,0OO
 and the damage to the stock in the @ stores and the household goods of the family will undoubtedly bring the dam-
 age up to s50,00O. Although it is stated ! that the fire broke out in the Keeler
 street block, the flames were first dis d covered in the rear of the Hawley $ block. Mrs. Hawley claims to have
 seen a lamp explode in a store in the
 Keeler street block and it is her opin- ion that the fire originated there. An X alarm was rung in and as soon as < the flremen reached the scene it was found that a big fire was underway and second alarm was rung In, bring ing the entire department to the scene. \ Cognizant of the fact that the block was occupied by families the firemen < first attended to rescue. All of the in mates were rescued, but two elderly { ladies, a Miss Coperthwaite and Mrs.
 James Hurd, when taken and were un- conscious. They were rescued only af- ter the greatest difficulty by the aid of
 the extension ladders.
 The Keeler street block was of brick, three stories in height, 90 by 80 feet
 in dimension and fronting on Keeler street. The ground floor was occupied . by a saloon, Ryan &, Co.'S meat mar ket, Peter D. Vroom's grocery store and M. Coburn & Co.,, dealers in dry goods The latter concern had moved into the store to-day. The upper part of the block, which was very old structure, was occupied Mariously, the principal tenants, however being fam flies. The loss on the building will reach $10,000 and other losses to the occupants will add $150O0 more.
 The origin of the fire is shrouded in mystery. The two big blocks are con- nected by means of two-story frame building which, until to-day, had been occupied by the Coburn company. By means of this building the flames were communicated from one block to the other. It is thought strange that the flames should break out in Coburn's store, as Mrs. Hawley claims, and not be discovered in that block. It is stated that the Hawley property was plas- tered with mortgages and recently ] other property of Mrs. Hawley was at Z taohed in the interest of the holders < of the mortgages. Mrs. Hawley says s that she carried very heavy insurance S and that her loss is probably fully
 covered A tremendous crowd of people { gathered alt the scene at o'clock, there
 being about 5000 in the vicinity The fire burned fiercely for two hours.