Connecticut western news., 1910-07-14
ANN LINNEHAN'S STORY TOLD
She Was Aroused by Smell of Smoke
 10 Discover Her Home in Flames.

to Discover Her Home in Flames.
 "I am very sensitive to the smell of smoke, said Ann Linnehan to NEWS representative. the morning of the fire as she sat in the home lof Mrs Mary Devine, the kind friend who cared for her when all the home she has ever known went up in fire and smoke.
 "On the morning of the fire I was seated in an easy chair in down stairs room of the house. am much of an invalid and my time has been spent between this chair and my couch, As sat there, smelled smoke. Rising, I moved across the room toward the couch, and as passed the entrance leading up- stairs l saw smoke pouring into the house; it seemed to come from the rooms upstairs that are used for storage. I kasw that the house was afire and that WAS powerless to put out the blaze. My whale thought then centered on the desire to escape from the building alive.
 "MY Escape Was Miracle"
 "I cannot walk very fast and it was some Uae before was able to get to the door, azd from there to the yard, and as did SC closed the door behind me. I got feu feet from the house, to what thought was a point of safety, and then dreppedis the weeds unable to go further. It was there that MT Rhodes found me and brought me here to Mrs Devine's. Had not smelled the smoke when did escape would have been cut off and wsSlA have burned to death.
 Ne, had no lights in the house at ths time of the fire. My eyes are very weak, aad I rarely light light on ases~St of its dazzling effect on my eye siEht Nor could this fire have started from ss oil stove. had small oil stow, bat it was unlightsd and had not bssA lighted for the previous two days.
 Did q Locomotive Spark Start It9
 "I tAink that spark from passing loconetve must have set fire to the roof in some way or lodged inside the upper part of she house and from that source the fire must have started. can account TOT ID ln 10 other way.
 Kerosene Stains Explainsed.
 How did the kerosene stains come to be on Hny dress? We'll. as near as I can judge it must have got there from my bottle of oil that have had standing near the oil stove in the house. Ire. member that in passing toward the door, accidentally knocked this bottle over and it's contents must have spilled on my dress.
 II had lighted no matches that morn ing nor had there been any fire of my kindling in the house at all. Daylight was just coming through the windows when first smelled the smoke. have been told it was not far past four when she fire was discovered by Nr. Rhodes people. EE A Previous Fire
 "A few days ago fire started from & passing locomotive and burned the grass along the railroad near my home, and can account for this fire in no other way than that 1t was set in the manner l have stated. There was no one in the house but myself, and no lights of any kind had been taken into the upper part of the house.
 "Fhe property ia owned by my two sisters, who live on Park avenue. Bridge port. have lived in this house alone for nanny years. The place was my fathers snd has been in our family for half century.
 No Engine at That Hour.
 Miss Linnehan's story is further dis. credited by investigations made of the conditions at the railroad yard at the time tAe fire started in the Linnehan dwelling. The last train oyer the Gen. tral New England passed the premises about 1.S0 a. m., over 211 hours before the fire broke out and there was no switching going on at that point, be- tween that hour and the outbreak of the fire.
 Loss and Insurance.
 The loss on the property is estimated at SI 200, there was an insurance of $500. The general opinion prevails that Miss Lnnehan must have been lighting her oil stove and accidentally set fire to the premises. Her story of its having been fired by the spark from passing loco motive is not credited as to all appear ances the fire when discovered was in the lower part of the house.
 lust a Hint