The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-30
Fairfield County News.
Losses by Fire,

Der contractor, near Topstone statior Bedding was destroyed by fire Mon day morning, and MT. Milo and hi: wife and their four children, barely which was unknown origin, started 1T a closet. The loss upon the build ing and contents is S3,500, on whict there is partial insurance. The house was owned by A. E. Goppler, of Top stone.
 went calmly about their house-work Monday, while fire ragged in the up per part of the building. The occu- pants of the house did not know about the fire. Not until firemen arrived did some of them learn that there was a fire.
 Daniel I. Graf owns the house, and his family was one of the four The upper part was gutted by the fire and water did some little dam age to the rest of the house. MT. Graf estimates the loss at $2,000. There is insurance.
 Forgot His Marriage.
 A very absent minded youth, who is employed in Danbury was recent ly married. He loves his wife. He is all that a model husband could be except that he is absent-minded. Having finished his labors one day. he went to his parents home, where he had lived previous to his mar riage, few weeks back. His moth CT greeted him pleasantly, and he stayed to supper. After supper he paper. When the son had sat there for an hour or so without once men, tioning his spouse, his mather's cu- riosity got the better of her. Where's Ethel, John?" she asked. Arriving at bis home two and one-half hours la 11 1o oh nose condition. The dainty supper of lamb chops and watercress salad which she had prepared was cold. She was faint from hunger herself, having waited several hours for him. Her father would take her back and didn't, never had, and never would. It is said that it took John a long time to convince Ethel that he had been merely abseat-minded.
 A Danbury Bankrupt.
 Charles F. Richardson of Danbury, has filed petition in bankruptcy. He gives his assets as $263 and his lia- bilities as $3,132.94. Of his assets, he claims that s225 is exempt. He has back to the time when he conducted a feeed and grain business in 1S83-6, but he is unable to tell who owes the accounts, as the books were destroy ed in a fire. Among his liabilities are a judgment against him in favor of Jane l.. Taylor of Stamford for s2,911.62 and debts for rent, grocer ies and medical attendance The on- ly secured claim is that of the town of Danbury for a personal tax of $2.
 To Exterminate Mosquitoes.
 Work on the latest system of ex- terminating the mosquito at Collan- ders Point, that from Shlppan to To- keneke, the Tokeneke section which includes all of Tokeneke and Connec- ticut Island as far down as Five Mile River, and Bell Island by the United States Drainage and Irrigation Com pany of New York. The process is very simple. A ditch is dug about two feet in depth to drain off all stagnant water. The work will take a about two or three weeks. The idea is to rid the land of all stagnant wa ter. thus giving the mosquitoes no place in which to breed.
 How Value Increased.
 A recent search of the title to Island at Byram Shore has brought about some interesting facts, which go to show the remarkable in- crease in property valuations m Greenwich during the past fifty years This island was formerly known as South Huckleberry Island and was
 
 Merritt in 1S46 together with Game Cock Island and Farwelps Island. The price paid at that time was $10 per island, or S30. In 1851, MT. Merritt sold one of these islands, known as Huckleberry, or which, la ter, became Gaertner's Island, to Will liam K. Mead and Seth Mead for s250. MT. Mead conveyed the island to Sylvester D. Hill, whose two chill iren-Mrs. George Loder and Percy survive him. The con- at that time was s1,0OO. MT. Hill held the property until 1870 when he conveyed it back to MT. Mead for s1,000. In 1879 the island became the property of Anna M Gaertner, wife of Joseph Gaertner, he consideration being s1,000. Mrs Iaertner mortgaged the property shortly after for $1,100 Mrs. Gaert- ler was given the right to construct sea walls in front of the land on June 3, 1901. Five years later, Mrs. aertner died, and her estate is now n process of settlement.
 The sum of $6O,000 was offered for he island in 1905, but the owners 'efused to accept it. believing it to be worth $75,O0O. The island contains me and fifty-eight one-hundredths acres of upland and a grant of two md twenty-one hundredths acres un- Ter water. It is surrounded by the waters of Byram Harbor and Long sland Sound.