The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-14
WALL PAPER STORE ON FIRE
MARCUS BILDWIN'S BUILDING IT YORK AND ELM STREET D.II.dGED.

Three Fires in tho Same Building in Four
 Years-Wolcott Huntington's Stock of
 Wall Paper Ruined-Insurance Will
 Cover tho Loss-Thsre Were Two Ex-
 plosions.
 The fire department was called out last evening at 9:15 o'clock by an alarm sent in from box No. 6. The fire was found to be in the two-story frame
 building on the northeast corner of
 York and Elm streets, owned by Mar GUS Baldwin Of Woodbridge and occu- pied sor paint and wall paper store by Wolcott G. Huntington of Fair Ha- ven.
 IA. B. Roberts, shoe maker, has a cobbler's shop in the rear of the build- ing.
 When the department arrived the flames had reached the roof through the casing around the f1ue which extended from the cellar. Engines 5, and 6, | space of time after the alarm was sent in, soon had streams of water playing
 on the building. The chemical engine
 was used. as well as the small hand engines
 The whole store was filled with dense
 smoke, which made the location of the fire difficult The charred woodwork
 and the broken windows on the first floor, upn which the stock of paints
 and much Of the wall paper is kept,
 shows plainly that the heat of confla-
 grafton was upon this floor. The loss
 on this floor will be total
 MT. Huntington had recently pur-
 chased and received his spring stock of goods and consequently the loss will fall
 heavily upon him. The goods on the second floor were only partially dam | aged, as the fire on that floor was | confined to the woodwork about the
 chimney. The loss to the stock will be about $1 800, fully insured, and the build ing will sustain damage of $500. The fire was caused by an explosion, l it is said by those who were near by at the time it broke out.
 Patrolman Frey was on the corner of York and Elm streets when he heard
 two explosions following each other in quick succession, like the report of pis- tol shot The noise seemed to come from the rear of the building, and the structure, thinking that some one had ! fired a revolver. He found nothing in the vicinity to confirm his suspicious and walked toward Elm street to find that the suilding was on fire. There were no combustibles. other than paints and oils, in the store, and the origin of the explosions have not as yet been accounted for Several persons who were in the vicinity of the fire confirmed the officers story of the
 explosion.
 The Centerville Street Railway com pany, which has an office in the build ing, will lose desk and several chairs.
 All the papers and tickets of the com
 pany were in the safe, Secretary Allen said.
 This is the third time within four years that this building has been on | fire.
 l Roberts will not lose anything, as he moved imme ediately across the street
 when the fire broke out. MT. Huntington arrived at the scene
 fthe fire about Il o'clock from his
 home in Fair Haven. He had secured
 nearly all of his spring goods. When asked for an explanation of the origin
 of the blaze, he said that he could offer
 none. There was no explosives that he could cal! to mind in his building. He was carrying on his whole stock
 $2, 300. MT. Baldwin is also secured by | insurance.