The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-03
WATERBURY'S BLAZE
coxNrcrICUT TOWN HAS DIsAs-
TROUs FIRE.
THE LOSS OVER 100000.
,,RGE PART OF BUSINESS SECTION
WIPED OUT.

FLAMES seemed to Burst From Two
Floors of Big Dry Goods House
Almost simultaneously and Soon
unveIoped Entire Building
Flames Spread Rapidly East and
Uest and Destroyed Several
RIocks of Handsome Buildings.
Fire Was Not Under Control Until
After Midnight.
Waterbury, Conn. Feb. 2.-In the
hardest gale of the winter, Waterbury
stroved large area of the business
section of the city and threatened to
wine it out entirely. The blaze started
in the upholstery department on the
third floor of the store of the Reid &
Hughes Dry Goods Company, Nos. los
to 12O Bank street. and that store and
many adjoining buildings were reduced
in few hours to smouldering embers.
An estimate of $2000,00O as the
amount of the property loss on build
ings and contents, was considered con-
servative by insurance men.
The origin of the fire is unknown,
and it was not discovered until it had
gained tremendous headway. At 6:15
p. m. three employees of the Reid and
Hughes Company were in the store,
and when they left they noticed no odor
of smoke about the main Soor.
Fifteen minutes later flames were
seen to burst with great force from the
windows of the third floor and almost
simultaneously from the basement.
Before anybody could send in an alarm
the whole interior of the building was
in mass of flame.
The fire started in a drizzling rain,
which later turned to snow, with a rap
idly rising wind.
The first building to catch from the
Reid and Hughes Company store was a
tall structure to the rear and west
ward occupied by the Salvation Army
barracks and a Turkish bath. A mo-
ment or two later the flames leaped
back to the eastward across Bank
street and wiped out the Ryan and
FitZmaurioe block, Cannon & Web
ster's drug store Davis cigar
store and the store of ]. B. Mullings
& Sons. They burned rapidly through
to South Main street, jumped across
that street, shriveling the buildings
like paper. At the same time the flames
caught the Masonic Temple and trav-
eled from the Salvation Army building
TO the rear of the Franklin House, on
Grand street, and the entire block con-
sisting of seven or eight handsome
buildings, with the large and commo-
diOnc Of 4Io To
American were in ruins before mid
night. The police were called out to
preserve order. There was serious talk
of blowing up buildings to prevent the
spread of the flames.
EARLY Losses Reported.
Losses on buildings reported up to II
o'clock were as follows: w. H. Camp
block, in which was located Reid &
Hughes store, $4,000; Masonic Temple,
$4,000; O'Connor block, $35000; Green
berg & Buckner, 100000; Old American
block, Charles Miller, owner SS5, 600;
Johnson block, $4,000; Jones, Morgan
Co., clothiers. $4,000; J. B. Mullings
d Son, clothiers, 100000; Camp block,
IN process of demolition, $4,000; New
England Engineering Company $4,000;
Franklin House. totally destroyed, $4O,-
VoQ; Turkish bath. w. G. Schlegel, pro-
lretor $4,000; Jean Jacques block,
NOO0O; Mrs. w. c. Bannon's block, oc-
cupied by Anson Sellew Company, $75,-
OO; George f. Judd block, occupied by
LaPalme- Hoffman Company, $35, 900;
AshWorth block, occupied by B. G.
Church Company $50, 900; Waterbury
american, loss on building, $4,000;
Sehlitz Brewing Company, $50, 600; Con-
ION Bros $4,000; Edward McGraw, two
docks, $4,000; Meig's block, $40, 900;
Nhttlesey block, $4,000: Boston Fur
$4,000.
flames Appeared in New Places.
Waterbury, Conn, Feb. S.-Shortly
aIler midnight the fire, which appar-
enlly had been brought nearly under
control, broke out in new places and
.ne efforts of the local firemen, COM
plhea with the aid given by fire fight
o!S ana apparatus from Hartford, Tor
,,1gJon, Bridgeport, New Haven and
Naus tuck seemed powerless to stay
.W,S W progress. The blaze was wiping out
e business portion of the city, all the
.1 ne oeins confined to that section,
DousA residential parts of the city
tbo en- .n danger by sparks, driven by
'Ie furious wind.
al lhe panic caused by the fire there
tai,,i many rumors of accidents and fa-
tii'ues. but a the Waterbury Hospi-
80 a, clock 1t was said that no ac-
tba.''S or deaths had been reported
bl'.., AT that hour the fire was stiI
I,anIHg' though as viewed from the
,oSlIlai' which is on an eminence COM
tb5a!u.lng view of the city, it appeared
e,,r. eva, lts vigor was abating. Hope was
o,al o,eplesSed that the worst of the fire was
cont ana that it would soon be under
az ] o'clock conservative estimates
NJ p'ge E me loss at s2,OOO,OOO In despair
the ls able TO subdue the flames by
mit usual methods the use OF dyna-
aftsr.,"as was suggested, but the idea was
fae,'S Yards abandoned because II was
iflf.d t5 the burning embers thrown BY
IA d tlloslon would carry the flames
=, slant sections OF the city.
wtro " reported that numerous thieves
r,r, opelating at houses~ whose occu-
a me nad left them TO view the blaze.
'''Der OF arrests were made.