The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-07
BAD FIRE AT INDIAN NECK
IHHEE COTTAGES G UTTED and TWO
P1RTLY DESTROYED.

Intense Excitement Among Cottagers-.
Women Make an Heroic Rescue-Taks
One of Their Sex from u Burning
BuiIding-The Entire Cottage Settle.
ment Threatened ut One Time-RuclSe,
Brisndes Formed and the Fire Finally
Subdued 1.-The Losses,
A fire in the heart of the cottage set
tlement at Indian Neck yesterday after
noon completely destroyed three of the
prettiest cottages and partly destroyed
two others. Those destroyed are owned
by Judge Frederick e. Tuttle of Ham
den, George Marquard of North Bran
ford and Mr.. and Mrs. William S. Jones
of Indian Neck. The partly burned are
owned by George Lindsey of Branford
and Mr.. and Mrs. William S. Jones of
Indian Neck. The Joneses and the Tut
ties were the only owners occupying
their cottages, the remainder being rent
ed to out-of-town parties.
The Marquard cottage was occupied
by Mr.. and Mrs Herman Smith and
Mr.. and Mrs. Marshall Smith, three
children and nurse, all from Bristol.
The destroyed cottage of the Joneses
was unoccupied, but completely furn-
ished and some people from Brooklyn
We're to move in in a few days Their
other cottage was occupied by them
selves. In it they had conducted a con-
dictionary store for fully twelve years,
the living apartments being upstairs. The
Lindsey place was occupied by Mr..
and Mrs. John P. Coogan of Springfield,
Mass, two children and a nurse In the
futile cottage were Mr.. and Mrs. Fred
erick E. Tuttle of Hamden and Mr..
Tuttle's brother, Manning Tuttle and
his wife, and Miss Emma Tuttle, all of
Springfield, Mass.
The fire started about 1870 o'clock in
the kitchen of the Tuttle place. The
servant had prepared dinner on what is
known as ''blue flame" oil stove. At
ter dinner she put out the flame and
left the house. Returning in about fif-
teen minutes she found the stove blaz-
ing up almost to the ceiling. She call
ed Mr. Tuttle, who was in the barn, and
he quickly threw a blanket over the
flames. This failed to smother the fire,
but caused great smoke. In a short time
the rear of the house was in flames and
the fire quite beyond control. Mr.. Tut
81 WILDLY from Y11aa
and shouted an alarm which was taken
up by others. Before long hundred
cottagers were on the scene and bucket
brgades We're formed. In the growing
excitement a woman's cry for help was
heard coming from the burning house
and in moment a gallant rescue oc-
curredl by women, too Mrs. Fred
erick Tuttle, who had gone upstairs
for short rest just before the fire
broke through the doors leading to the
porch from the second floor and fran
tically called for assistance. With the
strength of men Mrs. Aten, wife of DR..
w. Fl. Aten of Brooklyn, and Mrs. j. z.
Trowbridge of New Haven raised a big
ladder and going up it assisted Mrs.
Tuttle to the ground. The rescued wo
man was all but overcome, The shock
was a serious one, and she will have to |
rest for several days. In the meantime |
the bucket brigades were doing a vast |
amount of work There was absolutely
no fire apparatus on the shore and the |
brigades had to be formed to the wa |
ter's edge The men passed up the full |
buckets and the women passed them |
down empty. Some of the women stood |
knee deep in the water and their cour-
ageous work is being highly commended. |
George M. Averill of the famous ARK,
George H Daniels, ex-chief of the fire
of Northampton, Mass; |
George Goodwell, Mr.. Bryan, proprietor
of the Montowese house, guests of the
house, young ladies and old ones, all
gave what help they could. Some
of the ladies worked in duck
skirts and others with their best outing
dresses, but did not falter for a moment
In less than thirty minutes, despite
the efforts of the brigades, nothing was
left of the Tuttle house but enlbers.
There was hardly a breath of air STIR
ring and owing to this fact great con-
hagration was avoided, as all along the
shore front the cottages, some fifty in
all. are but short distance apart.
What little air was stirring was toward
the Lindsey cottage, and the near side
was burned through. Later the wind
veered and blew stronger in the oppo-
site direction. The Marquard house
then caught, and it looked as though
the whole row of cottages would
be wiped out. Branford was asked to
send help but failed to respond.
Anchored just off the shore was the
splendid sloop Lauretta of the Harlem
Yacht club of New York, with a party
If young men on board. AS soon as they
saw the fire they came hurriedly ashore
md from then on were among the hard
EST of the workers. The members of the
party are all from New York, and are
Is follows: Captain McKenna, Joseph
NcKenna, Richard Kavee Paul TIiWit- !
ger, Frank Peck, Frank Dyett and Jo-
;eph RaWley. t
The Marquard cottage was soon gut
ed, and the Jones place followed quick '
" Efforts We're then directed to pre- s
yent the further spread of the fire with {
he result that the Jones confectionery |
tore, after a desperate struggle, was /
partly saved and the work of the flames
topped there. A conservative estimate |
places the total losses at about $4,000.
All of the places are insured for about 1
nCt of 1n |