The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-19


 house at S3O Colorado avenue owned by Charles l.. Gaylord and occupied by the families of Ernest l.. Mayer and Cyrus l.. Meade. just before midnight yesterday, MT. Meade and his daugh- ter. Sarah. aged Il. were overcome by smoke while the father was trying to escape from the smoke filled interior with his child in his arms and they died from suffocation. The girl was the first to succumb as when the fire men forced their way. into the build ing they found father and daughter in close embrace. the girl dead and the father still alive. The latter lived only a few moments after he was removed to the open air. Dr. Ives, who respond ed with the ambulance pronounced both to be dead.
 There was very little fire in the building. Fire Chief Mooney found after a careful investigation. that the flames which lighted up the cellar and filled the rooms with smoke came from an overloaded hot air pipe that fur nished heat from the furnace. It was found that the pipes were laid right up to the reverse side of the wooden flooring and when they became over heated they set the woodwork in a blaze. This caused the building to soon fill with smoke.
 daughter of MT. Mayer as she went to her room to retire. The Mayors oc- cupied the lower apartment. She shouted to her father who soon saw the smoke nouring through the rooms. The latter hurried upstairs to arailsc his two sons who occupied a room on the upper floor. At the same time he c,hn at Nf I I,0 1;v,1r to arouse the Meades who occupied a apartments overhead and adjoining. The Mayors all got out safely. A daughter of Walter E. Marsh, living next door saw the flames in the cellar told her father who telephoned for the chemical engine. A general alarm was then sounded. had been aroused and as soon as pos sible the latter rushed out to her porch and shouted for help. MT. Meade, who used to be a fireman. being a former member of No. 1 Truck Co.,. left his wife after he had assured himself of her safety and returning to the house hurried to the upper floor to the room which his daughter occupies. What followed is a matter of conjecture. This much. however is evident. The father finding the room and hallway rapidly filling with flame and smoke took his daughter in his arms and hur- ried downstairs toward the kitchen irl- no doubt to get outside by way of a stairway leading from the kitchen. He succeeded in getting outside the kitchen door and into the small area between the kitchen and the outside door leading from the stairway. Here his strength must have given way for ,he f1remen found their way blocked IS they attempted to force an entrance
  door.
 When the door was finally forced open the lifeless body of the girl was found securely locked in the arms of ger father who was scarcely alive. They were taken to the homes of 1eighbors. the father living but a few  safe building laws governing the in- stallation of hot air pipes MT. Meade and his daughter would undoubtedly be alive to-day. The placement of pipes that convey heat to a house close to wooden flooring is responsible for their deaths for to no other cause can be attributed the fire which started in the cellar. It ought to serve as a warning to our somewhat lax authorities who never seem to get move on them un- til the harm has been done
 MT. Meade was stone mason and was widely known among the mem bers of his craft. Besides his wife and daughter who made up the family group he had one son. Harold, who is Edwin B. Knowles of 2S1 Colorado avenue. Walter E. Marsh and other neighbors rendered every assistance possible to the afflicted family Mr. gave the following account of the fire:
 Ixr 1L,o on going to my front door I saw the flames in the cellar of the house a1- most opposite from me. lighting up the street.
 Mrs. Meade on Veranda
 T rushed across the street and found Mrs. Meade on the front veraIda in 1er night clothes and tried to induce Ter to go over to my house. but she 'efused. saying: Save my husband and | laughter; they are sleeping in the lttic'
 'I knew where there was ladder l 1t Walter F. Marsh's house and some i young men coming to my assistance | ve raised it and tried to force our way | nto the house by a rear door leading | rom the rear veranda. We forced off I
 ,s storm door but could not get the { loor itself open. There seemed to b 'ome weight pressing against it and | besides the smoke would not allow US o work very long at it.
 Entrance Forced.
 "On the arrival of the fire depart nent I told Chief Mooney of our ef- orts and he put some Of his men to orclng an entrance there, but even hen they were seven or eight minutes n doing it. When they did get the oor open they found behind it the 'odieS of MT. Meade and his daughter Both were very little touched by tha | lanes and had apparently been s-iffO- ated before the flames reached them.
 "As I understand it Mrs. Meade was