Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-01-14
Several Others Badly In
jured at New Haven.
Whole Family Barely Escapes
Death In Burning House.
Water Pressure Low and FIremen
Fight Flames With Pals.

| New Haven, CT. jan 13.-In. a fire
| that burned the residence of Samuel
! Higgins general manager of the New
York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad
| here, early today, his mother, Mrs.
| Higgins, lost her life, his mother-in-
| law, Mrs M. E. Corbin was proba bly,
| fatally hurt and his wife, daughter
Isabelle, his young son and Mr.. Hig-
gins himself barely escaped death in
the flames, by jumping from a second
story window AS result of this
| jump Mrs. Corbin was fatally hurt.
| Mrs. and Miss Higgins suffered
broken legs and Mr.. Higgins was badly
| bruised. The young son, Harold es-
| capped without injury colored cook
| jumped from a third story window,
landing on the roof of the veranda. AS
quickly as possible the injured persons
were removed to the nearby residence
| Of Isaac n. Damn and medical aid sum
| moned.
The cause of the fire, it is stated
| was an overheated furnace. Mr.. Hig-
gins was awakened from a sound sleep
| by what sounded to him like a stream
of running water. In a moment he
says he smelled smoke and then real
| lied that the house was on fire. He
rushed from his room to that of his
mother and endeavored to rouse her
by pounding on the door but owing to
her deafness he thinks, she did not
hear. Mr.. Higgins cropping through
the smoke and flames rushed to each
room arousing all the members of the
family He had hoped that his mother
was up He tried to get back to her
room but the fire cut off his way. 1t
was then that the rest of the family
gathered at the window and jumped
for their lives.
The fire was a spectacular one and
in the early morning hours cast a glow
over a large portion of the city, st.
Romans terrace, where the residence
was located, being on very high
ground Hundreds of persons were at
tracted to the scene.
Owing to poor water pressure, as
result of which the streams from the
noZZles of the hose did not rise much
above the first story the firemen We're
treaty handicapped in their fight. To
supplement their work buckets were
brought into play and the roofs and
sides of adjacent and nearby build
ings, which were threatened, were kept
wet down. Despite these efforts now
ever. the house owned by Rev. William
Hess and occupied by Benjamin Camp
bell, vice president of the New York,
New Haven & Hartford Railroad, took.
fire, the flames being eXtinguiShed with
some difficulty. The house Of Thomas
Wallace, Jr.. the Damn residence, that
Of Prof. Geo. H. Nettleron of Yale and
others nearby were threatened by the
heavy downpour of sparks The Hig
gins residence was owned by Charles
H. Webb.
w. of Mr.. Campbell's sons. it is said,
are ill with pneumonia and it was
feared at one time that they would
have to be removed from the house.
After the injured had been given
medical attendance at Mr.. Danns resi-
dence, they were removed to a sani-
tarium nearby.
One fire company was at work on
the ruins of the house during the morn
ing OF the structure which had been
of four stories in height, of Venetian
design with sandstone trimmings on
the lower story only n mere shell was
left. A very few articles of furniture,
ice covered, lay upon the lawn. Menu
bers of the fire company which re-
sponded to a telephone alarm say that
while smoke was noticed when the en-
Gine was near ST. Romans street, there
was no sign of fire. AT the house a
woman (Mrs. Corbin) lay on the |
ground. attended by two men who
were trying to move her. On the veran- |
da room was the servant who had |
jumped out of an upper window. The !,
hremen had just reached her when the |
whole house seemed to burst into |
flames When the firemen were able to |
get into the chamber on the northeast !
corner of the third floor, the room oc-
cupied by Mrs. Higgins. mother of Mr. |
Higgins, there was only small heap |
of charred bones. In few minutes
the fire had carried away the room
The difficulty in getting water to the |
house was owing to the height of the |
residence above ST. Romans street. in
which the hydrant was placed. The en-
glneS had to pump water up hill. as the |
terrace Is on an eminence overlooking
the ne1ghborhood on the eastern and
side. The loss is estimated at
about $4,000.
that Mrs. Corbin is suffering from a
broken shoulder, Mrs. Higgins, wife of
General Manager Higgins, from a dis
located hip and that Miss Higgins had
her leg broken in two places. In addi-
ton to this all are suffering from
shock. Whether internal injuries in any
of the cases may develop or other COM
plications arise due to the fact that the
of the household were forced
cut of the house with only their night
clothes to protect them from the pierre
ing cold of the early morning, cannot
&c determined yet. All We're reported
up to neon as being in a satisfactory
Mr.. Higgins this afternoon stated
that he believed the fire was due to
rats. which had found some matches
he says the heating apparatus was
we'll protected, being encased in brick,
while the pipes were covered with as
oestos. He recalled that since the cold
weather set in the servants had been
trf,1r h1esI x,,s< |