Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-02-03
FIRE RACES In GALE
Destroys Much Of Business SsOtisl in HSIy
oOaHsOtiOut City Of watsrbSIy.
PROPERTY LOSS FIGURED At $1,000, 600
Help is InplOrsa irsn Hartford, Nav
Haven and ElusWhsra
FIRST sLAZE SEEN ABOUT SHUTDOWN
High Wind speedily Spreads FLAMES fsl
Blsoks Arsusd.
iIRsr stAzE SEEN ABOUT SHUTDOWN
DYNAMITE PROPOSED TO CHECK ADVANCE
Combined Efforts OF Best Department.
of the Entire state Powefless to
Head on the Torrid Tempest
which RaEes All Might.


hardest gale Of the winter, Waterbury
struggled Sunday With a ere that destroyed
a large area Of the business section OF
the city and threatened to wipe II out
completely.
An estimate OF $4,000, 900 as the amount
Of the property loss on buildings and con.
tents is considered conservative by insur-
ance men.
The FIRE at 2.sO this morning is under
control, and the wind is moderating. The
flames are not out by any means. though It
is believed they can be confined within the
area already burned.
The blaze started in the upholstery de-
partment on third floor OF the store OF the
Reid G Hughes Dry Goods company. at
10S-120 Bank street and that store and
many adjoining buildings were reduced in
a few hours to smouldering embers.
Great HeRdway when discovered.
The origin of the connsgraton is not
known The fire was not discovered until
1t had gained tremendous headway At 6:i5
p. m. Z. T. Lyall and Z. l.. Burnham were
in the store. There was neither smoke nor
any sign Of flame when they left. Fifteen
minutes later flames were seen to burst
from the third floor and almost simultan-
eously from the basement. Before anybody
could ring in an alarm the whole interior
of the building was a mass of flames. when
the department reached the scene flames
were issuing from every window Of the
building and It was evident that the struc-
ture was doomed and the entire business
section Of the city was imperiled.
The fire started In a driEzling rain with
a rapidly rising wind and with the increas-
ing cold the rain turned to snow. The wind
uae af frat hut a. "a
the east and carried destruction with It.
Rapid Spread of Flames.
The first building TO catch from the Reid
& Hughes company's store was tall Etruc-
ture to the westward. occupied by the Sal
walton Army barracks and Turkish bath
establishment A fpomept later The namea
leaped back to the eastward across Bank
street Aksf Wiped ous the Ryan q rita
maurice block. cannon 4 webstsf.e dfns
store. Davis cigar store and the store Of
]. B. MuIlings Son. The blaze swept
rapidly through to South Main street and
jumped across that street. shriveling the
buildings like paper.
At the same time the flames caught the
Masonic temple and travelled from the Sal
walton Army building to the rear OF the
Franklin house on Grand street. and the
entire block. consisting Of seven or eight
handsome fve-story buildings, with thirty
tenements and the large and cemmodous
headquarters Of the Waterbury American.
were in ruins before midnight.
Militia Called Out
After o'clock the militia was called out
to preserve order There was serious talk
Of blowing up buildings to prevent the
spread Of the flames.
The hre was considered partially under
control at 10:30 o'clock. II had been
checked on South Main street and the In
dications then were that It would content
itself on Center street with burning out
the long block that contained the Franklin
house and the American ofice The First
Baptist church, opposite the American
| newspaper ONCE, was endangered.
Shortly after midnight the FIRE, which
had seemed to be nearly under control
had attacked buildings on the south side Of
Bank street and again ragged furiously.
It was then thought that $4,000. 900 would
be a conservative estimate of the loss.
special train with fire engines from
New Haven arrived soon after midnight.
Breaks Out Anew.
Shortly after midnight the hre, which
/ had apparently been brought nearly under
control. broke out in new places and the
efforts Of the local fremen. combined with
the aid given by the Are fighters and ap-
paratus from Hartford, Torrington, Bridge
port. New Haven and Naugatuck, seemed
poweFless to stay its progress.
The blaze was wiping out the business
portion of the city. all the hre being con-
nned to that section, though residential
parts OF the city were In danger from
sparks driven by the furious wind.
In the panic caused by the IRE there were
many rumors Of accidents and fatalities.
but at the Waterbury hospital At o'clock
It was said that no injuries nor deaths
had been reported there.
At 1 o'clock the fire was still burning,
though. as viewed from the hospital. which
is on an eminence commanding q view OF
the city. II appeared that It's yigor was
abating. Hope was expressed that the
worst Of the fire was over and that II would
soon be under control
Desperate Remedies Proposed.
At o'clock conservative estimates placed
the loss at $1,000. 900. In despair Of being
able to subdue the flames by the usual
methods. the use OF dynamite was adyo-
Gated. but the idea was afterward aban-
doped because II was feared that the burn
ing embers thrown up by the explosion
would carry the flames to distant sections
of the city.
1t was reported that numerous thieves
were operating in houses whose occupants
had left them to view the blaze. number
OF arrests were made.
The manner In which the flames leaped
from one building TO another aud ever
across the streets terrified the spectators
for II seemed that no earthly power could
check them. As the special trains arrived
bringing assistance 70 the Waterbury de-
partment. many hands unloaded the appA.
ratus aud hurried II 70 the scene OF th'
hre.
Several times during the night II locke
as though the nremen had finally eonhnet
the blaze TO certain district. but eael
time a e'y Of disappointment and warniDI