The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1897-09-10
Dicks Hotel In Ashes.
BARNS AND HOTEL BUILD
INGS DESTROYED.
Most of the Furniture Removed
From the Building.
HORSES AND CARRIAGES SAVED.
The Insurance Origin of the Fire.


cured on Wednesday afternoon at abou
3 o'clock. 1t was an alarm Of fire ant
once again was the utter helplessness O.
the village without any decent water
supply most iforcibly brought to mind
The question will now probably be agi
tated for a few days, dropped, and moth.
ing done till again the demon fire visits
us and likely enough wipes out half the
Street. Only Merciful Providence and
an almost breczaless day saved us this
time.
lt was about 2 30 o'clock Wednesday
afternoon when Abel r. Clarke, who
boards with Landlord Leonard, wac
going toward the barn and saw what at
first he thought to be dust from sweep.
ing coming out of the barn doors. He
IL the yard with the hack If any one was
sweeping and when informed not, came
10 the conclusion 1t was smoke and has
tilY made his way to the barn. He
opened the door to the hay loft and the
smoke poured out 10 such dense volumes
that he was quickly driven from the
barn, and spread the alarm of fire. The
church bell was rung and soon a crowd
was gathered. But the fire had been
making terrible Roadway and before
scarcely any work could be accomplished
the whole top Of the barn was sheet Of
fame and dense smoke rolled over itself
and tumbled into the air furiously in its
attempt TO escape. some effort was made
To tear down the shed connecting the
house with the barn, but it was not
made for that purpose and all effort was
fruitess. The fire ate its way through
the Bowling alley over the shed and soon
IL was apparent to all that with no water
Mt hand the hotel must go. The hook
and ladder truck had been brought down
and the tools on it, especially the ladders
were of much use. There were plenty
OF willing hands to work, but they were
p0werless, only to remove the furniture
from the house. This was done and very
little of IL was left to be burned. Grad
ually the fire gained Roadway, tapping
its victim with terrible fury, making its
way into the house and with no resist
ance, in less than two hours time, Dicks
hotel, the memory of many joyous occa-
sions and rest from city turmoil, was in
ashes. The heat from the burning build
ings was intense and only lively effort
saved the house of Robert II. Beers, which
stands just north OF the hote!, perhaps
25 feet away. The wind was nearly
south, perhaps little west Of south and
was very light, fortunately. At Mr.
Beers, willing volunteer fremen
scaled the roofs and kept them
thoroughly wet, which prevented
them from burning, though once or
twice they got smoking a little from
some stray ciuder, which a pail of water
quickly squeIched.
An unfortunate thing was the remov-
ing Of Mr. Beers furniture from the
house, before 1t was really In much dan
ger, but after the hotel was stripped Mr.
Beers house was also taken in hand and
every article of furniture was carried
fall house cleaning for every carpet was
taken up and much of the furniture was
damaged more or less in it's hasty trip
out. Across the way the roofs Of Charles
Beardsley's houses, Mr. Hayes house
and the barns of Mr. Beardsley and G. II
Peck wee kept we'll watered and only
once did fire show itself on the roof OF
Mr. Beardsley's small house and MI
Peck's barn roof, both of which were
promptly put out. 1t was about 4.3(
O'Clock when all danger was over and BY
that time most all OF the town was there
The house burned was over 100 year,
old and was built for DIR Perry. 1t frs
was used as hotel when it fell into tn,
hands of Darwin Shepard, some 60 year
ago. Later 1t was bought by Rev NJ
Stratton,a rector of the Episcopal church
who made it his home, but when 1t fel
into the hands of 8. p. Barnum 1t wa
reopened as a hotel and has remained
such since. Mr. Barnum was succeeded
by w. J. Dick as proprietor and it wa
under MIR Dicks management that
gained It's precedence as summer hote
OF great popularity, though it has los
none OF its prestige since Mr. Leorar
became milne Host" which has extende
over a term OF 10 years. It was duriuI
ded on to, so that the origina
house lost some of it's old fashionednes
In the improvements made at that time
The loss of this hotel would be q 81
we're one for Newtown, were It not prot
able that Mine Host Leonard will 20 I
work at once as soon as The smoke
cleared away, and rise Phoenix like froi
It's ashes Dicks hotel of to-day tn,
will be large enough to accommodate
many more boarders who would:annuall
like to come here, and house first clal
in It's appointments that will be more
credit to the town than the so
Dick'sr with all its clinging and cluste
ing memories could ever be.
The origin of the fire Is a mystery az
will probably never be known. though
stray match must have in some ws
come In contact with the hay, again
lustaating an evil that comes from tn
unfortunate habit or smoking. III
horses and wagons and harnesses we
all removed from the barn and no Ii
stock was burned az far ~ known, n,
rher were there any casualties report
during the progress OF the fire, thoul
many funny incidents In the care wi
which articles OF no value were Cal
fully borne TO places Of safety, aboun
The boarders, and there were some
In the house, saved nearly all Of their p