The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-19
THE FIRE TN NEW HAVEN
General Mourning Over the Early
Morning Tragedy.
The Four Men Killed by Falling
Wall Almost UnrecoGnfzHbIe when
Removed From the Ruins-A Fifth
Likely to Die From Injuries He
Received-The BIsze Fierce One.

NEW HAVEN, Conn, Feb. 19.-The city
is in mourning tyday over the ffremen who
were killed early this morning at the
blaze in the old plant OF the Judson Pack
ing Company. The tragedy occurred about
o'clock The lives of four aremen we're
crushed out and another member Of the
department vas 50 badly mutiIated that
he IS not likely TO recover
The dead are: Captain Joseph E Con-
dren- of steamer No . who leaves a Wild
ow and two children. one daughter being
in The State Normal school in this city;
William Reilly. substitute at No. 2 en-
CINE house. who was married about year
ago; Frederick y Hale. a hoseman of en-
CINE No =, who leaves widow ana two
children; Frank Williams, of truck No l,
hook and LADDER company. VINO was to
have been married next week
Another fireman, Henry Powell. of truck
No l, was pulled out of he ruins almost
dead and taken to nearby house his
injuries are expected TO prove fatal. His
leg was broken, his left hand almost
burned of and his lace badly scoruhed. He
Was taken to the General Hospital.
The IRE in the old packing house was
within stones throw OF the mandatory
OF the Winchester Repeat ling Arms Com
pany on Ashmun Street 1t had net been
used in several years. It's last occupant
was the Walker Electrical supply Com
pany.
The direct cause of the loss Of life was
the falling Of the west wall Of The big
brick building The Gremeu sho were IN
derneatn playing the hose -,ere caught
without minutes warning and pinnei
under the mass Of bricks and burning
wood When they were n tow minutes
later pulled out Of the Ureckage they were
almost unrecognizabl1- 81 charTed and
crushed were the TeMJIaS. The bOClta
were placed on the ground ans covered
with blankets. while the other lremcn
searched and poIsed the iebris in he en-
deayor 10 find more victims. should there
be any as vas a first rulncred-
No attention was p2Id 10 the flames. but
all the energy OF the men was directed 70
getting out the bodies until it was reason
ably certain that all had been removed.
Police Sergeant NlliaT G. Tighe and
number of hTeEen ua-eiy escaped the fall
ing wall and dozen spectators were hit
by flying bricks and seriously but not dan
gerously injured The FIRE that wiped out
the entire plant was fierce and even with
the united efforts OF nearly all the en-
gInes of the city the men we're unable
to check the flames From one end of the
big building to the other fire burst forth
When the big west enc Wail fell the en-
tire interior OF the place had been con-
sumed, leaving the sides and the mass OF
flames in the centre The wall fell over
on the tracks Of the Canal Branch Of the
New York. New Haven and Hartford Rail-
road. and il was at least thirty feet high
The frerren had advanced with the hose
to within fifteen feet of the building, when
suddenly terrible cry went Ip from hun
dreds who SAW the wall tOrple and then
fall Fire Marshal Gladwin and Fire Chief
Fancher were on the scene. having gone
at the second alarm which was sounded
about 100 o'clock this morning, and IS the
bodies were unearthed they were horror
stricken. Captain Condren had been at
the head of No. , Engine Company since
November 1889 He was & very efficient
and popular man
The loss of life was one OF The grea est
on record Il New Haven The cause Of
the fire IS not known but considerable
headway had been made before the flames
were discovered.
The first alarm was sounded about 1-l9
O'Clock. followed IN fifteen minutes by the
second alarm Thousands OF spectators
focked to the scene and the flames could
be seen for miles. About 2:45 o'clock the
flames reached and consumed the engine
room and caused a terrific exlosion. The
byst2nders scattered like sheep but the
nremen were pinned beneath the waila
before they could make their escape All
efforts TO learn the exact nature Of the
explosion have failed It's force was so
great that the building. a three-sJory /
structure rs feet long. was blown into |
4 shapeless mass Of brick.
The ambulance which arrived on the |
scene shortly after o'clock took the !
bodies OF the victims TO the city morgue- |
No more bodies were found in the wreck |
age and it is not believed that any others |
We're killed