The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-05-24
A VAIN APPEAL FOR HELP
WHITNEYYILLE HOUSE BURN ED TO
THE GROUND rs 4 CONSEQUENCE.


The Fire Occurred Yesterday Afternoon
Thought to Have Caught From a De-
fective Flue-Loss win Probably Amount
to 5000, Partly Covered by Insurance
Fire Department Refused to Respond.
The residence of Howard Sherman in
Whitneyville was entirely destroyed by
fire yesterday afternoon. The fire be-
gan about 1 o'clock and within two
hours the building was burned to the
foundations. The house was two
story and a half frame building and
was erected in 1860. The fire Is thought
to have caught from the chimney. Mr..
Sherman and family were waiting for
lunch when Miss Jessie Sherman, a
daughter, who was in her room, heard
cracking as of fire. She notified Mr..
Sherman. He stepped out the door and
saw smoke coming from the northeast
corner of the house. An investigation
revealed that the fire was under the
lOO1 near IIG CIllLlllCy OIl IlC SOAlASi
and was burning fiercely. About the
same time people coming from the
church near by saw the smoke and
fire just bursting through the roof. A
bucket brigade was at once formed, but
failed to make any headway against the
flames, Mr.. Sherman then sent mes
senger post haste into the city for aid
from the city fire department, but ow-
ing to new ordinance forbidding the
| department to leave the city, the de-
partment was unable to respond.
The fire spread rapidly and soon the
entire upper portion of the house was
in flames. In the meantime the neigh
bors who had gathered were working
| hard to save all the furniture possible,
it having been seen that it was useless
| to attempt to extinguish the flames
with the facilities at hand. Some of
the furniture was saved, but the great
er portion was destroyed with the
| building. The furniture was valuable,
| much of it being Of rosewood and had
been built especially to fit the rooms.
Nearly all the clothes of the members
of the family We're burned except those
| they had on at the time Mr.. Sher-
man was wearing a, pair of slippers at
! the time the fire broke out and so rap
idly did the flames spread that he was
unable to get his other footwear, which
was burned.
Mr.. Sherman said last evening that
he was unable to estimate with any de-
gree of accuracy the loss, as it would
- q ~. 4
saved. The loss win probably, however,
be fully $4,000. This is about half COW
cred with insurance with the agency
of John c. North & Co., the policy hav-
ing been written about FIVE years ago.
Mr.. Sherman came to New Haven In
| 1860 from Chicago, where he had been
engaged in mercantile business He
| built the house soon after coming to
this city and has since been retired
from business. His son. Howard Sher-
man, jr., was formerly signal officer at
the United States weather bureau in
this city but has been in business else
where for about ten years. He return
ed to New Haven last Saturday to visit
his relatives and friends after an alb
| sence of four years. Mr.. Sherman s
family at home consisted of himself, his
wife, his daughter Miss Jessie, and his
sister.
Mr.. and Mrs. Sherman had been driv-
ing yesterday forenoon and on their re-
turn Mrs. Sherman whose health is
delicate, complained Of feeling chilly
A fire was built in a fireplace in a rear
room and 1t is thought that 1t was from
the chimney connecting with this fire.
place that the fire caught. Mr.. Sher-
man and family stayed last night at
the residence of William E. Davis in
| Hamden.