The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-02
A $4,000 FIRE LAST NIGHT

1
HoU USE At THE CORNER OF EDGE.
WOOD AND ELLSW0RTH A VENUES.
Owned by Myron w. Lake and Occu- :
pied by Him and Edwin 6. RUSSELL
Thought to Have Been Started ~ =
Gas Grate-Firemen Drenched with
Icy Water-smail Blaze ON watsr
street.
4 A bad fire occurred about 8 o'clock
last evening at the corner Of Edge
wood and Ellsworth avenues, in flne
large dwelling house owned BY Myron
w. Lake and occupied by Mr.. Lake and
Edwin G. Russell, secretary and treas
urer Of the Bradley company A fire
had been burning in gas CRATE ID the
sitting room of Mr.. Russell's apart
nents on the second floor, but had
been turned out. Not long after 4
cracking OF flames was heard In the
vicinity Of the CRATE. Mr. Russell cAll-
ed Mr.. Lake up from down stairs and
a further investigation led the two gem
tlemen to believe that the fire was Iii
between the ceiling near tho CRATE.
Mr.. Lake cut q hole in the ceiling and
a mass of flames rushel out the hole.
A small hose was turned on the blsze,
but 1t had reached such headway that
/ lit was soon seen that the small hose
could not cope with 1t. An alarm WAS
at once rung from box 626 at No. 9'ss
house on Ellsworth avenue, near by,
and the flremen quickly arrived. BY
that time the flames had gained great
headway and were lioking up the wood
work and the furniture and eating their
way to the roof. The firemen worked
yaliantly ana deluged the place with
water, this alone saving the building
from total dstruction. Finally the fr4
was subdued, but not until the upper
part Of the house. Mr. Russell,B apart
ments. had been gutted.
A large number Of neighbors were
present and assisted in carrying out I
a quantity of Mr.. Lakes furniture
from the first floor, but the blaze upa
stairs was SO fierce that they were un-
able to save much Of Mr.. Russell's fur
niture. Mrs Russell was iii at the
time and the first care Of her husband
and neighbors was to remove her to q
place Of safety. She was wrapped up
as warmly and comfortably as possfs
BILE and taken to the residence Of her
brother, Minotte p. Chatfield on Chap
el street, about three blocks sway Slies
was unnerved BY the excitement ansl
the thought that her home waB being
destroyed, but It is hoped that she Will
not suffer a serious relapse therefrom.
The firen1en were at work sn1othertng
out the lurking fire until late hour
last night. The total loss will, It
thought, closely approximate 81. 5.0o0,
partially covered ~ insurance. The
loss to the building will be IN tlae
neighbOrhood OF $500, to Mr.. Russell's
furniture about $500, and the loss
to Mr.. Lakes furniture, which was
badly damaged by water will be about
$780, The cause Of the fire is laid to
defective construction. 1t Is thought
that before the gas in the CRATE was
turned off some escaped between the
plaster and the clapboards and caught
fire. the fire lurking there and gaining
headway until 1t was discovered by
hearing the cracking of the flames.
Many of the firemen were drenched
with the cold water and the unpleas-
antness of their task may be imagined
with the temperature not many de-
grees above Zero Notwithstanding
this, however, they worked faithfully
and well to save portion of the build-
ing.
Fire ON Water street.
About $3.50 o'clock last evening the
fremen in the lower part of the city
were hustled out also. An alarm was
rung from box 80 at the corner Of
Water and Brewery streets for what
came near being disastrous fire In
the shop of the builders Supply COM
pany at the corner of Water and Brown
streets. The blaze was discovered by
the watchman at Halstead & Har-
and he rang the alarm. When
The firemen arrived they found that the
fire had started under bench on which
were several large cans of Oil and benz
zine. The flames had eaten away a
part of the bench and the cans had
tipped over and their contents spilled
IN the floor. The oil and benzine flow
I'd away from the fire, which strange to
say was not communicated to 1t, all
though so near by. About half the
1oor was covered with at least an inch
# the inflammable material and had
he fire not been discovered when 1t
vas blaze too fierce for water to stop
would undoubtedly have been soon rag
ms Tho tnf will ,nf