Waterbury Democrat., 1902-02-03
SCOVILL HOUSE FIRE
Guests Awakened and Had to Fly For Their Lives Without Be. ing Able To Save Any of Their Belong
 ings-Work of
 Rebuilding
Begun.

About o'clock, amid the shrieklng of the wind and the hiSsing Of the flames and crash of falling walls and timbers and heavy iron the fire alarm sent out warning that the fire had started in another and unexpected quarter. The Scovill house was in flames Immediately word was sent along the lines of perspiring and drip ping firemen to abandon their posts and assemble at the scene of the new fire. All that could be done along the line of confagration on Grand street was done or doing. The fire had been long in check and the men took their hose pipes to the Scovill house. From the scene that met their eyes here, 1t seemed as if the building and all It's contents and occupants were doomed. And there is no doubt but that many would have been seriously injured IT lives would not have been lost, but for two men, City Clerk M. J. Ryan and Thomas F. McMahon, clerk of the board of charities. These were in tue city hall preparing for an emergency. Instantly they alarmed the occupants of the ScoviH house, which happened to be crowded with visitors who had been routed from other hotels by the fire. and the regular guests. Mir Ryan and Mir McMahon ran through the cor riders of the building, shouting the alarm, and rapplng upon the doors, and in a few moments throngs of men and women were fleeing for their lives. Many did not wait to collect their per
 onal effects. Some lost their way
 trough the dense clouds of smoke
 md had difficulty in recovering the
 
 pie and almost suffocated one man and one woman. A police officer, whose name appears to have been lost in the confusion, had a wrangIe with this man trying to save his life. The man insisted in returning to his room to get one shoe. and but for the officer would unquestionab1y have done so and lost his life. The officer gathered the ob- stinate man ill lis arms and bundled him out to the fresh air
 The fire Is said to have started in 1 many places, but official opinion hold | its source was i'll the pool room in the basement. Report has it. also. that it was incendiary, but MT Truman, the manager. i;l q conversation with the authorities. dld not give expression to i such halinf. lie seemed to be con- l pletely prostrato5 " .nc catastrophe. All of his personal prors rly Is lost. The 1 a,nornt he was unable to calculate att ! present. Very soon after the alarng was sent in 1t became evident that i3 1 would be frllitiess to attempt to save tine building, therefore all efforts wero 1 directed toward coniininG the fire TO | rle hotel Tn this the fircmen were successful. and too much credit cannot he given thcE. Had the fire effected connection witl, any of tho other bl;iId- i ings with which 1t formed q whole l square. the loss of property would be 1 tremendously increased. Nothing could save the Lawlor building, oil the corner of Harrison avenue and Ey~ change place. or the Hodson building near by, had they caught to the slight est extent. The damage done to tho l neighboring building was done by Wa ter. Drescher x Kiels cafe was inun- ] dated. Michael McEvoy's cafe is also somewhat damaged. Bauby's fruit store is slightly damaged. Cones drug store escaped and Hodson's safe and billiard room are somewhat damaged also. The general loss at these places will not amount to very much. Not a stick was left of the Scovill house. ] The furniture was insured for $S000.
 The work of tearing down the Scovill house was begun this morning. l X force of men from the roof of the I city hall worked a battering ram
 against the tottering walls of the
 lllined hotel and by this means re-
 moved three or four chimneys that
 shivered with every breath of wind It is the intention of the hotel company
 to again rebuild as soon as possible.
 The total loss Tn this building is not yet
 known. Many of tue guests lost con- siderable personal effects of much value. H. H. Peck is one of the prin- lcipal sufferers in this respect.