The Newtown bee., 1905-04-21
LITCHFlELD COUNTY.
NEW MILFORD.
NEW MILFORD's BIG FIRE.

NEW MILFORD's BIG FIRE
Only for the superb water supply
the town now enjoys the great disaster
of May, 1902, when the central part OF
business section Of the town was wiped
out by fire, would have been repeated
early Tuesday morning. The fire
alarm rang about 1.45 O'Clock. The
fire started in the long building in the
rear of Young'S hotel and what ap-
peared to be an insignificant blaze at
| into a large fire which quickly spread
to the grain stOrehouSe of Ackley,
Hatch & Marsh, and after a short time
to the livery stables of w. L. Keller
and T. F. Young. 1t appears about
8 O'Clock smoke was noticed about the
hotel, which was finally located in one
OF the rooms, where a mattress had
been set on fire by lodger who had
been smoking. The mattress was
thrown out OF the window to the back
yard, where the fire was trampled out,
apparently. Later in the evening,
however, Landlord Young discovered
that fire had broken out again in the
mattress, and by his order it was thor
Afterward it was placed in the laun-
dry building, at one time used as
saloon, where presumably a shoulder
ing spark in it started the disastrous
blaze The wooden store building of
Ackley, Hatch & Marsh, a structure
100 feet long and two and one-haif
stories high, was again saved from
burning. fire-scarred veteran Of five
great fires, it is said. The buildings
destroyed were the feed store of Ack-
ley, Hatch & Marsh, 64x4O, and the
livery stable building occupied by W.
l.. Keller, 3Ox100 feet, owned by Ack-
ley, Hatch & Marsh, and the livery
stable OF T. r. Young, partially de-
just gotten in big stock of feed.
Their loss is: On stock, $4,000; build
ings, $4,000. w. l.. Keeler's loss will
approach $4,000. +. F. Young's loss
will be about $25OO. All the horses
were removed in safety from the build
ingS, being turned for time on to the
street. W. L. Keller lost a number
Of hacks and carriages, all his sleighs,
and part Of the harnesses.
The feature of this fire was the COM
mendable way it was handled by the
local fire ladies, Chief Engineer
Charles Planz, Assistant Engineers J.
f. Adds and Henry Donnelly, Fore
man f. E. Soule and Assistant Collins.
Six streams were turned on to the fire,
the force of the water being terrific.
Too much praise cannot be given the
tiremen for their good work: they
hustled like beavers, and no mistake
AS usual there were citizens in the
crowd free to give advice. One citizen
approached fireman and told him to
turn his stream on to certain build
ing.i "Where are your orders,' said
the fireman, calmly keeping ON at his
work. The citizen saw the point and
Sneakeds back into the crowd. Rail-
road and Bridge streets were all afloat
with corn, oats and other grain, which
was deposited to the depth of foot or
more over the railroad crossing. Mer-
chants occupying the nearby buildings
FASTENED to their buildings to remove
books, in case it was necessary, but the
fire laddies confined the blaze to the
wooden structure. Frank EvittS re-
moved his office desk to the railroad
station building, but fortunately the
building escaped damage by fire or
water. THE BEES representative in
terviewed Ackley, Hatch & Marsh as
to whether they would rebuild. Mr.
Marsh replied that as the insurance
matter had not been adjusted, they
had not given the question any
thought. The BEE ventures the
guess, however, that they will rebuild
at once. In the long wooden building
of T. f. Young, which was destroyed,
was large quantity of pottery goods,
in which Mr. Young had joint inter-
est with another party. This stock
was not insured.