Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-07-25
DOUBLE ALARM
Bad Fire on South Main Street This Afternoon That Kept
 Department Busy
STABLES DESTROYED

A Ire Wnlcn threatened to wipe out all the property on Grand street between South Main and Canal streets, broke out this afternoon
 about 1:45 in the barn in the rear
 of the Sheehan property. The blaze
 started in the barn owned by James
 Cassin and which is used for livery
 purposes by E. A. Trask. The fire
 had such a good start that when
 Chief Snagg arrived he deemed it
 best to sound another alarm, so box
 4 was pulled again.
 When the Scovill street firemen
 reached the barn 1t was burning
 very briskly and was sending up
 flame that could be seen from many
 parts of the city. It looked like a
 bad fire and was eating it's way
 through the building so fast that the chances for its spreading to the ad-
 joining buildings seemed good. Starting in the hayloft it burned one end of the barn badly and then went up through the old Grilley property,
 which is now occupied by the Way side Inn. The department in a short time had four streams playing upon the flames and the chief saw to it that the blaze did not spread to any of the blocks close by. Several times 1t appeared as though the fire was out, but the flames burst out again only to be quenched in a few mo- ments by the heavy streams which seemed to be coming from all direc- tions.
 The Scovill street boys worked from the South Main street side and were aided by the Burton street lad dies. The Leavenworth street men fired away from the Canal street side, while Eddie Kane and the Brooklyn company saw to it that the fire did not make much headway in the front of the building.
 Such quantity of smoke issued from the building that it made it very disagreeable for the men fight ing it, but once their stream got working they made really short work of what looked like a big confagra- tion.
 While the Scovill street men were sending stream into the barn some one of the Wayside Inn lodgers knocked out all the glass from the windows on the third floor and the glass fell on the heads of the fire men with such force that they for a moment did not realize what was coming.
 The building directly in front of the property thas was burned is a three story structure. The first floor l Is or rather was occupied by Merlis's l saloon which was attached a few l days ago. This suffered some from | water but very little from fire. The 1 upper stories were occupied by the | Wayside Inn conducted at present by Pop Erwin. Some of The habi- l tues who were on the third floor | when the fire broke out beat nasty . retreat. There was more damaged . by water than fire. ,i
 It was the livery stable that was h, principal loser but the loss there Wal not be very heavy. There was not much hay in. the barn but two carriages were destroyed by -he biaze. Half dozen horses which were in their stalls when the ire started were brought out hut the flames did not get close to the barn where about twenty horses were luartered.
 It is said that the hay in that part ,f the barn where the fire started vas the hay which was partly de- sroyed by fire on Brook street the other day. It was bought by A. D. Battling and was stored in Trask's ,arn. As boy remarked that load f hay certainly seemed to be a hoo. loo. The fire also brought out the ac, that the top floor used by the Inn for lodging purposes s not a fit place for sleeping. If ! fire ever started there during lhe light the lodgers would be cremated 'efore aid reached them. Chief 'nagg said after the fire was under ontrol that this floor should be con- Iemmed for sleeping purposes. It would be one fine death trap. The hief had at press hour no estimate fl the loss.
 The Burton street firemen had to 70 half way up Union street to lay line of hose as there was no hy- rant any nearer except that on Thich the Scovill street company