The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-04-07
FIRE INvADES
 PUTNAM PARK
Caretaker and 6 Men Fight Hard
 to Save Buildings.
BEDDING TROUT BITING
Miss Esther Tarbell, Niece of Fa-
 nous Author, to Teach.

| Bedding, April 7.-The lower part of l Putnam Park was the scene of a, live l 1y blaze Sunday afternoon. The fire l started among the dry grass of the
 roadside fron some unknown cause l and quickly invaded the park pre- 1 cincts where it seriously threatened l the sheds and two or three smaller 1 structures. These did take fire in l places but Caretaker Delaney and half
 a dozen helpers worked so effectively l that no material damage resulted. It l was two or three hours before the l blaze was finally subdued.
 No real progress has been made ] since last week towards clearing up l or strengthening out the shortage of 1 $1,o96 made apparent by the recent | ett l. Gorham's accounts. MT. Cor l ham had an appointment to meet Se- lectman Pinkney on Monday evening 1 ures, but failed to show up. Instead he sent word that he had figures bear ing on the situation which he was pre- l special meeting of the board will be held within a few days to enable the l former collector to present his case Probably at this time a comparison will be made between the town treas
 urer's receipt entries on the rate books
 and which should be duplicate entries by the collector.
 At the annual parish meeting of
 Christ Episcopal church the former vestrynen were reelected and also the former officers with the exception of Charles Sanford, who declined another term as treasurer. Phi1o T. Platt was chosen as his successor. The fnan- c1al statement was less favorable than usual, for while the return from sub ser1pt1ons and investments showed no
 decrease there had been during the
 year falling off in the collections at services. This was attributed to the
 unusual amount of illness among the
 Y1d
 Sening of attendance.
 Superficial conditions appeared un-
 commonly good for the opening of the
 fronting season. the temperature be-
 ing mild and the streams compara-
 lively low. Few good catches are re-
 ported. however. and a veteran trouter
 not be expected to bite well until there
 are rains heavy enough to SCOUT the
 stones in the streams free of the flnay
 vegetation which now clings to them.
 His theory Is that this substance ar
 rests and holds insects coming in con-
 tact with it and thereby keeps the
 trout we'll supplied with food that
 they are indifferent to bait lures
 Many out of town visitors who mostly
 came in autos joined ethe local contin-
 gent in exploring the streams last
 Sunday. One Danbury party whose luck with the trout was poor. turned hole at the former paper mill dam in
 Easton took out 3s of these fish of an
 average weight of about two pounds
 De Witt Weld of Brooklyn. who re-
 gently purchased from the Ward ant Valley has added an adjoining piece of about five acres bought from
 the estate of the late James Sanford. on MT welds bungalow, the material
 being on the ground Builder McCol- lam. who has the contract. also began
 an addition to the former F'ranciscus place at Pine Tree Corner, now owned by Miss Virginia Runyon.
 Catherine Stoehr has sold her prop erty on the west side. consisting of a house and other buildings and twelve acres, to Amanda Saendfeldt. The price was about $2, ,000. . Bids were recently opened for the construction of a private road from the s. c: Shaw place to. the Ridge road. The figures approxinated s10,- 900, and this being a sum much higher than anticipated the contract was not awarded: The plans are to be modi- fled and further proposals invited. MT. Shaw has decided upon the build l ing of considerable addition to the house.
 In some previous years different sec tiOns of the town were eager conpet- itors for the highways built from State appropriations. but so far not a claim ments to come from the new appro- priation of $1o,oo0 and the selectmen among themselves. Commissioner Macdonald has the final say in the determining of, locations. but considers such suggestions this point. as se- 1ectrnen may care to offer. It is con jectured that he may favor the use of a part~of the appropriation for ex- tending the present State road from | Pine Tree Corner to the Easton line, 1 as that would be in accordance with l his policy of bridging gaps between sections already constructed.
 On the old tax books which the se- l lectmen have been weighing up there | are $500 of unco1lected military taxes. | This represents not merely money due | the town which it hasn't got, but a l sum it has already paid over to the | State, less ten per cent. Consequent I Iy it counts double loss, whereas i Uncollected poll taxes represent only a | single loss. The selectnen have still | under consideration the plan of an ac- | tive campaign of prosecutions against l de1inquents on both these classes of | taxes.
 Miss Esther Tarbell, niece of Ida M | Tarbell, the author, has taken a posi- | tion as teacher in the Sanford school, | succeeding Raymond Cunnin gham | The latter is still laid up with infam- l matory rheumatism, although slightly | improved, and in any event was to | have closed his engagement at the ! school with the present term in order to prepare for ordination as an Epis- | c1eTovn9n