The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-09-07
YALE COMMONS, CLOSE CALL.

Yesterday Morning-Blaze Discovered in
 the Nick of Time by F, ID. smith, a Stu
 dent-Loss of Several Hundred Dollars
 Five Hundred Students Board There
 Cause of Fire Unknown.
 What might have proven a disastrous fire occurred early yesterday morning in the Yale university dining hall, bet ter known as the Commons, on Library street. The building is of brick, and before the erection of the new gymna- sity gymnasium The building has been closed all summer, since college closed in June, until few days ago. when MT Tilson, the steward of the dining hall, returned to town and be- gan to get the hall in shape to open September 20. MT. Tilson was in the basement of the building at 10 o'clock Saturday night and at that time put out two gas jets which had been burning during the evening. Before leaving the build ing MT. Tilson looked to see that every thing was all right and left after assur- ing himself that such a condition of af- fairs prevailed. '.. At 130 yesterday morning D. D.. | Smith, Yale '96, of Peru, N Y, who rooms at No. Library street, in the | building adjoining the Commons, was | awakened by a peculiar noise, and on | looking out of the window to ascertain | the cause he noticed volumes of thick smoke pouring from the Commons | building. The roaring of the flames had awakened him. He dressed hur- riedly, and rushing around to the east side of the building saw great tongues of flame leaping from the basement windows He at once shouted fire and l hastened to turn in an alarm, and to him is due the credit for calling the fire l department and saving the dining hall from total destruction as a delay of only few minutes longer would have enabled the fire to gain such headWay as to be inextinguishable
 Chin Lee, a laundryman on Elm street, back of the Commons, was awakened by the yells of fire and soon arrived on the scene. Smith sent him to No. 3's engine house on Park street while he himself started to awaken the | Watchnlan at the treasury building who had the key to the campus fire box. The watchman could not be awakened until after fireman from No. <3's house had arrived and turned in an alarm from the box, which is PA | ,,fi ed, but engine succeeded in getting the fire under control without assist 1 ance.
 The blaze was confined to the base ment of the building, where is located the storeroom, the laundry, the meat room and kitchens. The laundry anc | storeroom and servants dining room were almost completely gutted, and the loss will amount to at least $400 an( possibly more, as in the laundry there was considerable machinery and wha' the damage to this is cannot be ascer. l tained until it is looked over by ma. chinist. The stores, of which there wa: a considerable quantity In the store. room, were completely destroyed. | The fire when first seen seemed to bt in the front part of the storeroom to- wards High street, and MT. Tilson stat ed yesterday that a box of parlOl matches had been left on shelf in tha corner, and whether these matche, were touched off by rats or shoulder ing match which might have beer thrown down the evening before caus ed the fire is not known. The place where the fire originated is also near { window, and it is possible that it nigh have been of incendiary origin ana started by some person putting burn ing material through the window. Fire was still hanging in the beams yester day, and whenever these charred place! began to smoke the hose was turned or them. A watchman remained in tht building last night.
 MT. Tilson says that he will begii repairs at once and expects to hay, the dining hall ready to open Septem
 Der 22. About five hundred student! board at the hall, and had the fire no
 been extinguished small army would have been turned loose on the board
 ing houses of the city when colleg, opened.