The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1902-02-07
TOPICS TALKED ABOUT.
WATERBURY'S BUSINESS CENTER
DESTROYED BY FIRE.

LOSS TO PROPERTY BY SUNDAY NIGHTS
COnFLAGRATION IS vARIOUsLY EsTI-
MATED AT FROM 100000 TO
$4,000
The night Of February 2-3 will go
down in Waterways history as the
most hideous ever experienced.
Waterburians were spending the early
hours OF the evening in their homes,
awaiting the summons to evening SER
vices in the churches. A dismal rain
had been falling all day and as night
came on the ram was driven along at
= q high speed by an increasing wind.
1t was just before $50 that the dis
astrOus cOntlagratiOn began. Within
three hours all Waterbury had become
panic-stricken at the devastation of
the flames. In the heart of the business
center the large store of Reid & Todd,
los and 12O Bank street, had become a
fiery furnace.
The flames burst forth from the
third story first. followed almost in
stantly by similar outbreak on the
lower floors. An afcrm speedily turned
in was too late to save the building and
by the time the fire department had
arrived the store was DOOMED beyond
question. The tiremen promptly
abandoned any attempt to save the
burning structure and turned their at
ention to adjacent property. 1t was
minutes the Salvation Army barracks
in the rear and westward were burn
ing. From there the flames leaped
across Bank Street and wiped out three
places Of business.
A few moments later the fire again
crossed Bank street and destroyed the
Masonic Temple. The general alarm
sent in within the first quarter of an
hour Of the progress Of the fire sum-
moned the entire department and
thousands Of people, but the whole de-
partment was helpless. After almost
an hour it became evident that Water
bury was to experience an unparal-
leled conflagratiOn. Indeed, the fire,
swept by a wind, at this time of the
proportions of hurricane, seemed
about to destroy the entire business
section of the city. At8.30 1t was de-
oided the Waterbury tiremen alone
were unable to handle the, fire which
was gaining Roadway every minute,
and appeals for help were wired to New
Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport Manga
tuck and Winsted. Within an hour
special trains from these places were
speeding toward the city with appara-
tus.
The arrival of help served to inspire
courage among the citizens. Mean
while thieves took advantage Of de-
serted houses and 1t became necessary
to order out the militia, and two COM
panies Of the Second Regiment, A and
g, dOnned their uniforms and at $50
the city was practically under martial
law.
The loss, according to the estimates
Of the most conservative business and
insurance men will run between 81, OOO,-
600 and %, 100000. With all this great
property loss, there has been, strange
to say no loss OF life and but a few &C
cidents have been recorded. The city's
heart, taking In q triangle bounded on
the north by Exchange Place, on the
Grand street and on the cast by South
Main street, has nearly been wiped out.
The first fire which began in the big
store of the Reid & Hughes dry goods
company on Bank strert was not con-
sidered under control until about
$4,000, 600 worth of property had been
destroyed.
About the time the tiremen supposed
they had placed the first fire under con.
troll disastrous tire btoke out In an
other quarter Of the city; near to the
City Hall and the police station; The
Scovill house, the city 8 leading hostel
~, remodeled by the late Judge E. G.
Lewis q few years ago at an expense OF
about $4,000 was discovered to be
on fire about O'Clock Monday
morning. The handsomely equipped
hotel, one of che most noted in New
England, was q complete wreck at day
break. At the outset Of the blaze
its occupants were forced to seek the
street In their night clothes. The
spraying sparks, thicker than the fall
ing snowfiakes, covered the entire
business center of the city like an UNI
brella and the occupants OF buildings
located in the pathway in which the
wind was blowing prepared to leave.
The fire In its entirety burned over
four acres of the city's choicest bust
ness section. Among the prominent
buildings totally destroyed are the
block occupied by the Reid s. Hughes
dry goods concern, the entire plant of
the Waterbury American, the beauti-
full Masonic Temple, the two leading
hotels Of the city, the ScOville and
Franklin House, the clothing stores OF
Jones, Morgan s. Co., and j. B. Null
ings, the Hamsom-Sellew Furniture
the Sapaline- Hoffman Co., the w. L.
Douglas Shoe'Co., Ryan & Fitzmaurice,
the. johnson block, occupied by Cannon
g. Webster, Herschel's Turkish bath
and the Salvation Army workingmen IS
home, Jean Jacques $4,000 block on
Grand street, the Boston Furniture
Co., and scores Of others. In all about
100 of the city's most prominent bust
ness houses are burned out.
Companies A. and G., in command of
Lieut. Col Geddes, with Capts Carter
and Fitzpatrick and about l2O men.
were detailed about the fire districts
The ArmOry the City Hall, the
churches and other public places were
turned into Dprary shelters, hun
dreds being rendered homeless.