The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-10
FIRE ar YALn FIELD.
Main Grand Stand Totally Destroye
Last Night.

Main Grand stand Totally Destroyed
Last Night.
The main grandstand at Yale field
was totally destroyed by fire last night.
1t was undoubtedly the work of in
cendiaries as nothing of an inflamma-
BILE nature was ever kept in or about
the building. George Reynolds, the su-
perintendent of the field, lives directly
across the road from the stand. He
said that he made a tour and thorough
inspection of all the stands about 10
o'clock last night and everything, SO
far as he could tell, was all right.
About IL o'clock he was awakened from
his slumbers by a loud cracking noise
and on going to the window saw the
stand a mass of flames. He hurrdiedly
dressed and rushed out of the house,
giving the alarm as he went. He quick
ly discovered a strong odor of kero-
sene and the flames were of such ma
ture as would indicate that oil had
been spread over the front part of the
structure. With the assistance of the
few neighbors who soon gathered and
formed bucket brigade, the superin-
tendent managed to keep the new
stands, which have recently been plac-
ed adjoining both ends of the main
stand, from being destroyed. There
was a strong wind blowing from the
north, but fortunately it came from
such a direction that the flames We're
driven across the field towards the dia-
mond instead of into either of the new
stands. The roof of the building soon
fell in and dragged with it the sup
ports of the tower. This caused the
clock to fall with a great crash. In
just about an hour after the fire was
discovered the grand stand was reduc-
ed to ashes.
By the time the stand had fallen the
Westville Hook and Ladder company
had arrived on the scene and went to
work heroically to assist in saving the
new stands. At one corner of the
burned stand was a small hydrant and
from this water WIS secured to enable
them to keep a bucket brigade in oper-
alton Several members took old
| clothes. and soaking them in the wa
ter managed to drown out some of the
flames that were slowly creeping along
the structure. The new stands were
damaged to the extent of about $50, In
| the destroyed stand were kept the ma
terials used in keeping the field in con-
| dition and they were all lost Among
| them were a one horse mower, a two
| horse mower, two smaller mowers,
| picks, hoes, rakes shovels, hammers,
| saws, ETC., of the property of the COR
| poration and valued at about $700. Be-
| side these Superintendent Reynolds
had several hundred dollars worth of
materials in the building. There were
| two dressing rooms In the building and
| doubtless members of the baseball
teams had articles of wearing apparel
| in them. A portion of the fence, which
| encloses the field, was burned, as was
| also the small structure at the entrance
used by the ticket taker.
| The heat was so intense that it blis-
| tered and almost set fire to the resi-
| dence of Superintendent Reynolds and
| several men We're kept busy for a while
| pouring water on the front part and
roof of the house.
| The burned building was so situated
as to be out of the limits of the New
| Haven fire department and although
| it was called out by an alarm from
box 613, at the corner of Chapel and
Norton street, they did not go beyond
the bridge on Derby avenue. Some
members of the Westvllle department
brought several hundred feet of hose
along and tried to get stream of wa
ter on the fire by attaching the hose to
a plug in a soap works situated about
500 yards from the grand stand, but
their efforts were unavailing.
The loss is about $4,000, including the
burned grand stand, the farming mate
rials and damage to the new stands
Quite large number of students and
citizens were attracted to the scene by
the light which illuminated the heav-
ems.