The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-12-12
NEWFIELD M. E. CHURCH BURNS:
 LOSS SI0,000
fiemen Could Not Reach
 Flames, Which Ragged Be- tween Walls of the Structure

The roof of the Newfeld M. E. church was burned off and the inter- for of the church gutted last evening by a fire which started in the boiler room of the edifice. The church was constructed of concrete block and was completed six years ago. The oam- age amounts to aoout SAo'ooo'
 The building is located at Central and etratford avenues The church was started 70 years ago as a mission oh the Washington Park churcn..
 Janitor Nicholas w. Muen oiscoV, cred the fire at 4:45 o'clock and trieo to fight the blaze. but was oriven hack. A small boy who saw the nre ran to the parsonage next ooor 'o tne church. and informed the pastor. nes, to G Whitefield Simondson. who ran to Nichols drug store ana sent III ry;ae a alarm from box 535. When Chlei Mooney arrived and saw the extent of the fire he sent in second aiarih' and then telephoned for additionai ap- paratus. ,,,o, +he church construction was hopeiessiy bad. and the firemen found l. impos- eihle to reach the flames. While the exterior of the edifice is of concrete block. the interior of wood was so placed as to leave a flue around the church and a blind attic." The flames. starting in the boiler room or the church. sweDI between the inside and outside walls of the entire struc- ture almost in twinkling. and were inaccessible. either from without or within. In the blind attic" the flames ragged until the roof fell through. but the firemen were unable to get any water upon them because of the metal ceiling The department was prac. tically helpless once the fire had worked through the gaps between the concrese outside and wooden inside of the building.
 Tn the bitter cold. with their cloth ing drenched through and through. the their lives time and time again in their efforts to get at the source of the trouble. The fire was replete with minor casualties. Fireman Walter Hopkins a ladderman. caught his nn- ger in the shut-on on the hose nozzle ambulance was called and Fireman Hopkins was taken to Dr. Oshorn's of- dce in Broad street. where tho tip sof the finger was ampuated and the wound dressed.
 Captain Murphy of No. 5's crew was severely cut on the face. the base of a ladder slipping up on the ice and striking him below the eye. Bremen George Eek. Henry Hillsinger and Jack Dunn were cut superfcially by ddiiiHE EIdS9
 Because of the inaccessible nature of the fire. the apparatus was kept at work until g o'clock in the evening. Trolley traff1c was tied up on Strat- ford avenue. Many of the firemen would not have been able to stay at their work but for the thoughtful Kindness of Miss Florence Wotton who lives nearby. Seeing inc men drenched to the skin and suffering greatly frNn the cold. she prepared a quantity of coffee and supplied the frefighters plentifully with good warming drinks
 The fire attracted a big crowd and quite few of the spectators were drenched.
 The fire companies which took part in fighting last nights blaze were: Steamer companies six. eight. five and two: the auto chemical. No. SIS truck.
 The loss of the struct ure Is very heavy blow to the church society. The edince was built about six years ago. and the church society was on its feet Financially. after having worked long and hard to pay off the greater portion of the debt. The building was insur- ed for $10.0o0. and carried @ mortgage for ss.000.