The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-10-27
BIG CONGRESS AVENUE FIRE
PAINT STORE AND SALOON BAD
LIZ BURNED.

q number OF Different Companies
Fire started i'm oil Room and Quickly
spread-Large Crowd watch smoke
and FLAMES.
Shortly before o'clock yesterday af-
ternoon 4 serious FIRE, which was fed
with oil, paint and varnish, occurred in
the store of the Connecticut Hardware
and Paint company at and 8 Con-
grass avenue, the flames eating their
way into the saloon kept by Frank
TIernan at the corner of Meadow
street. Luckily the wind blew the smoke
and flames out into the open junction
and had it not been for this fact and
the prompt work Of the firemen the
entire block would likely have been
burned.
The fire originated in the oil room.
which is at the rear of the ground floor
OF the paint store. It is believed to
have started from the spontaneous
combustion of some naphtha. The first
irltimation of any fire that those in the
store had was when a slight explosion
was heard and the whole oil room was
seen to be in flames. One of the en-
ployes sent in the alarm from the box
at the corner of Congress avenue and
Commerce street, and as the whole
store was in flames when Chief Fanch-
er arrived he ordered second alarm
turned in.
The flames ran through the ceiling
of the paint store to the floor above
and penetrating through the walls to
the rooms above the saloon of Frank
Herman on the corner.
So sudden was the outbreak and
rapid the spread of the blaze that the
employees of the paint store had just
time enough to get to the street before
the whole interior was in flames
AS soon as the second alarm had been
sent in crowds of people arrived on the
scene and it took a big detail of police
under Chief Wrinn to keep them out of
the way. Owing to the infiammable
condition of the paint supply explosions
were expected at any moment, but
none occurred.
Fed by the infiammable material
stored in the upper floor and in the
rooms over the saloon, which were used
as a storehouse by the paint company,
the blaze took squirt about fifteen
minutes after the first alarm, assuming
such serious proportions that second
alarm was turned in, bringing addition
al forces to the rescue.
Pouring out through the roofs, heavy
wells Of smoke drove the tenants from
the Price, Lee & Adkins and other
neighboring buildings while the flames
broke through the south side Of the
paint store and threatened the stores
in the adjoining structure, separated
from the scene of trouble by only an
opening of some six inches in width.
In the adjoining building on Com
gress avenue were the fruit store of
.,Koris Masolta, at 2; Thomas tea store
at IA, and the bakery Of William R.
Brown at is. Upstairs are dwelling
rooms.
With two streams In the saloon, two
in the paint store and two on the roofs
the ffremen stretched a couple of lines
up the stairway of No. Is, hoping in
that way to prevent the spread of the
flames, and being apparently success
full in their endeavor.
Long ere this time, car service was
suspended, while crowds Of citizens
tflronged the scene, unmindful of the
danger from explosives.
Gaining in strength instead of weak
ening, the flames soon doomed the Con-
necticut paint shop, Tiernan's saloon
also succumbing to the blaze, while
through clouds of smoke the fire was
seen eating its way through to the
Price-Lee building. Every effort was
directed toward saving this structure,
as well as the buildings in Congress
avenue, and as the fire grew in fierce
ness the firemen redoubled their ener-
giles in proportion.
Returning to his store at the out
break of the fire, Mr.. Leighton Of the
paint company, was just in time to
save some papers and a model on which
he had spent much time and effort, the
cashier also piling the books and rec
ords into the safe.
AIT 800 the fire was declared to be
well under control and that there was
no danger of its spreading to Price,
Lee & Adkins company's plant or to
the buildings west of the Connecticut
Hartward company's store.
The two buildings which were the
scene Of the greatest part Of the fire
are the property Of Isaac Rosenberg of
Orange street. both the wooden build
ing on the corner and the brick struc-
ture occupied by the Connecticut Hard
ware and Paint company.
Mao. oil the I'M ezra anI11rar1iac
in town had small amount of insur-
anee on one or the other Of the burn
ed buildings or storck. After the fire
MIR. Leighton stated that he valued his
stock at somewhere between SIS, 900 and
$4,000, and that it appeared to be a
total loss. He said that he carried
about so per cent. insurance on his
stock. The insurance is divided be-
tween the Security Insurance company,
Thompson & Sons, H. G. Bretzfelder,
and L. G. Hoadley.
Mr. Tiernans stock is insured by the
companies represented by Messrs.
Spreyer, Hugo, Bretzfelder and Will
SON. His damage will amount to about
$4,000, and is practically covered by in
surance. 1t is estimated that the build
ings were damaged between $1,000 and
$4,000, and that they are fully covered
by insurance in a number of the COM
11a,aiae. ~, tiorad