Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-06-23
S2OO,OOO FIRE IN
 EAST HARTFORD William |. Huntdng's Tobacco Wae- house Burned - Fire Caught
 From Automobile.
.2,500 BALES OF COTTON
Los. Falls Mainly On New York Fnm-Water Pressure Inade-
 quate to Curb the Fire.

Hartford, June 23.-Fire caused by defective wiring in an automobile shed adjoining w. L. Hunting & Co.'S tobacco warehouse at No SIP Main street, East Hartford. at 1880 this morning, spread to the ware house and completely destroyed 1t and its contents, entailing loss esti- mated at $175,000. The barn was full of sorted wrapper tobacco.
 Policeman Kappenberg and Charles Bacon discovered the fire. The off, cer saw the smoke coming out of the door and broke into the shed. As the door opened the flames burst out. The officer turned in an alarm at once, but when the volunteer hose companies arrived the flames had swept through the passageway con meeting the shed with the warehouse and the interior of the building was in flames. The structure was old and the frame work, dry as finder, was licked up like paper. All the available fire fighting apparatus in East Hartford, the Volunteer, Aetna and Center hose companies, was at the fire by o'clock, but the firemen found themselves helpless. Four streams were turned on, but the hy- drant pressure was not sufficient to reach the second story of the build ing. The force of the streams was not great enough even to break win dows and the glass had to be broken by throwing stones at it. An effort made to tackle the fire from the doors proved intellectual, the flremen being driven back thirty feet by the fierce heat.
 They saw that any attempt to save the warehouse was out of the Ques- tion, and the streams were turned on a large barn owned by William l. Hunting, situated about fifty feet north of the warehouse. Sparks from the burning building were showered upon this barn and 1t was in con. |stant danger of catching. Several
 horses which were in the barn were removed. :. q. Several hundred people. attracted by the blaze, which could be seen for miles, were out to see the fire, and there were plenty of volunteers to help remove the contents of the barn. A bucket brigade was organized to help the firemen and the barn was kept wet.
 Shortly after 2 o'clock the roof of the warehouse fell in, and the walls began to topple. The small barn was by this time a mass of smolder- ing ruins. Confining their attention to the barn the firemen let the ware house go. The barn was saved. Judge John A. Stoughton owned the barn and part of its contents. about a hundred dollars worth of farming implements. Two automobiles, one owned by William l.. Hunting and one by John F. Garrity. were de- stroyed.
 A competent judge. this morning, basing his estimate on Mir Huntting's statement that there were 2,500 bales of tobacco in the warehouse, estimated the loss oI the tobacco at from s15O,000 to $175.000. This loss will fall on the New York firm of Emanuel Hoffman & Sons, the owners. The insurance IS carried through a New York agency. MT Hunting says his loss on the ware house is s10.000 and there IS an in- surance of only $l,00O.
 Mir Hunting retired from business last May, when he reached the age of e5 years. and the business has since been carried on by his sons' Harry l.. and William H. Hunting. MT Hunting is we'll known through out this part of the state as he has been prominent in the democratic party for years.