The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1902-12-26
Ten Pages.
I.ITCHFIEID COUNTY
NEW MILFORD.

| PARTIALLY DESTROY ED BY FIRE.
/. New Milford is just emerging from
| the effects of the awful fire of May
last, which laid low the business sec
tlon of the town, when second dis
astrouS fire nearly destroys one of the
largest buildings in town, the Ingleside
school.
The fire broke out, as nearly as can
be learned a few minutes before 2
O'Clock on Sunday afternoon. The
people of the village, as a rule, were
enjoying their Sunday dinners, when
the rude alarm of the fire bell sent
everyone to the door and the street.
Henry Donnelly, one of the assistant
| tiremen of the hose company, who lives
on Church street, says he was just
about to sit down to dinner when a
messenger knocked at his door and
| told him that the Ingleside school
| building was on fire. Mr. Donnelly at
| once FASTENED across the street to the
hose house and set the bell in motion,
and later assisted in getting the hose
and ladder truck to the scene of the
| fire.
The fire was first discovered in the
center of the building by Miss Evan
geline Rinker, an empIoye at the In
gleside school building. She was about
| to go up stairs when she saw the re-
| Election of the fire. Shouting to her
sister, she said: maggie, the building
is on fire z" The latter at once tel
ephoned word down to the central
Office, where messenger was dispatch
| ed to the residence of Philip Planz,
to the scene of the conflagratiUn. 1t
was a hard fire to fight at the best.
being located nearly in the center Of
the great school building. 1t had
gained tremendous Roadway and was
appearing through the roof by the time
the firemen arrived. -Four lines of hose
were put into use. One from a n.y.
drant near H. L. Randall's residence,
one from the hydrant near All Saints
church, one from the hydrant near the
Methodist church and the fourth
from the hydrant near Mrs Taylor's
residence. The fire laddies worked
like beavers. They were both assisted
and handicapped by the rain which
was falling. The height of the build
ing and the fact that the fire was on
the top of the structure also made it
hard proposition to handle. But there
was one grand and redeeming feature,
there was an abundance Of water, and
shortly before 6 p. m. the fire was un-
the building being saved and little
damaged except by water, while the
wings in the rear and TO the west were
practically burned to the ground. AS
previously stated, the firemen did
grandly. The entire board of officers
we're on hand, Chief Engineer Philip
Planz and Assistant Engineers Joseph
La Halt and Charles Planz, Foreman
John F. Adds Of the Water Witch
Hose Co. and First Assistant Henry
Donnelly and Second Assistant Will
liam J. Clark. Foreman Adds worked
like a Trojan, seeming to have little
regard for his personal safety in his
desire to get the best of the fire. W.
J. Clark also proved himself a hero
and as fireman told a BEE reporter:
''He took chances l should have hes
itated to attempt" Engineer Planz
and Assistant Engineers La Halt and
Charles Flanz also did equally good
work and are deserving the personal
| thanks Of every property holder in the
| fire district. The tiremen as a whole
merit the commentator of all. When
they first worked their way into the
building in the rear they were obliged
to crawl on hands and knees in carry
ing the hose, so dense was the smoke.
! Some amusing incidents happened
| during the fire. At one time Foreman
Adds was directing force of men to
send a stream to hole in the roof,
where a little fire was re-appearing.
Just as the stream reached the open
the opening but Will Northrop, and
face. Foreman Adds at once ordered
the stream turned off. 1t appears Mr.
| Northrop was approaching from the
other side of the building with an
other line of hose. At another time
Charles Homer Osborne was trying to
force open door in order to get nearer
the fire and as the door flew open he
received the full benefit of a stream
of water, being struck in the back of
the neck. He was knocked to the floor
but in a minute was at work again.
In company with Foreman Adds
and Assistant Foreman Henry Don
nelly and Others the reporter went
through the building, Monday after
noon. In the front part water was
still dripping from the chandeliers. A
look up stairs into the apartments of
the pupils showed the handsomely fur
nished rooms badly despoiled by water
and smoke. The gay decorations rep
resenting Harvard and Yale, were seen
on all sides, showing the feminine
heart is deeply interested in the great
football contests which so stir the
mems colleges.
Mrs Black was in New York at the
time of the fire. She came to Danbury,
by late train, Sunday night, and was
met in that city and conveyed to her
home in this village, reaching here
about midnight.
When asked as to her plans, Mrs
Black said with commenda BILE spirit:
1.-THE school will open on January 8,
with excellent accOmm OdatiOnS Tor all
the pupils, and the work of the school
will go on without interruption"
A partial list of the companies hav-
ing losses are: Caledonian,:: $500; Sc
curity, $4,000; Commercial, Union and
Westchester, $3.50 each; Niagara,
Phoenix, American, Boston and Sun,
s25OO each; Royal, $4,000; New Hamp.
shire and Duchess, $1,000 each on con-
tents. THE BEE is unable to state the
loss but estimates it at 1872 500.
1t was matter for cOngratulatiOn,
if the fire must occur, that it broke
out at the time it did, as all the pupils
, were away for their holiday vacation.
The school, as the result of Mrs Blacks
energetic and wise oversight, has been
brought to a high standing and eX.
cellence, and is recognized throughout
the country as one of the leading
schools of its class. In material way
it has been great benefit to New
Milford, and the citizens generally re
greet the unfortunate fire.
The fire demonstrated one thing
the need of the fire district for addi
y tional ladders, hose, torches, etc. Fol
, several years the fire company have
lappealed to the voters of the diStric