Norwich bulletin., 1912-10-18


 stated on Thursday would not cover | half the loss. Their was about $10,000 | worth of finished cloth in the mill, and ! about 15,0o9 pounds of yarn which | with machinery and buildings would l bring the loss un to between $6O,00O l and s75,00o.
 Expected to Rebuild. '
 To inquirers on Thursday, Benjamin Lucas, senior member of the firm said that they would probably rebuild.
 The loss on the school house is partially covered by insurance of s1,200.
 A blacksmith shop, belonging to John Chadwick, across the road from the mill, was on fire on the roof and was twice given up but was finally saved by the efforts of a bucket bri- gade and the help of the Norwich Fire department, which sent the auto chemical in response to a call for help.
 The dwelling houses of Theodore Mi colai, Henry Hart, and Charles Bar rows were also on fire on their roofs, but the fire was put out with buckets of water and wet blankets. These houses are also across the road from the mill.
 When the fire started in the picker room, which was near the boiler room, it spread with amazing rapldity and in 10 minutes from the time 1t started it could be seen that there was no hope of saving the mill.
 Driven From the Pumps. | Because the valve in the penstock, which controlled the water supply for the fire hose, was either shut or closed, no water could be secured to put on 1,a aoxr olyo spread so fast that they soon drove the men from the pumps away A l sixty gallon tank of chemical was used | in the picker room and other hand extinguishers as well as live steam, I but nothing had any effect.
 | In three quarters of an hour from the time the fire started the roof fell | in. The men from the engine room were forced to leave in such 6 hur- " that they had no time to shut off | the engine and this continued running till the big belt burned through when the engine raced till it came to a standstill. The water wheel kept turning all through the fire.
 Some of the hands who got out of | the mill at first and then returned to I get things they had left behind, had to come out of the windows the sec ond time.
 Aut Chemical on Hand.
 The auto chemical from this city, which was summoned, reached the scene of disaster twenty minutes after receiving word of the fire. They made the trip down the rough roads in ten minutes. When the firemen arrived the mill was burning so fiercely that they could do very little to save it. They rendered all the assistance they could in protecting nearby houses and other property from the flames.
 Traffic on the Norwich & Westerly road, both passenger and express, was temporarily expended, because an arm on one of the company's poles near the mill was burned off, allowing the feed wires to fall to the ground, mak- ing 1t necessary to shut down the pow CT house. About noontime repairs were made and traffic was resumed. The heat from the fire was so intense that ties in the roadbed of the trolley tracks nearby were badly scorched, and tho track was warped out of shape. Thd bridge across the stream of water in the village was also badly burned and is unsafe for travel. Telephone com munication with the village could not be had, soon after the fire started, as |
 SchooIhouse Burned.
 The heat and flying sparks set fire
 to trees and grass in the neighborhood At the schOolhouse, some way up the
 cove, the grass on the bank caught fire, and while the two teachers, Miss Mullin and Miss Hollowell, with tn,
 scholars, were putting this out, thu
 schoolhouse roof also caught fire.
 The Norwich firemen were on hant to lend assistance, but they were un.
 able to do anything as there was nt pump to force water from the pond . The building was quickly burned to tn ground. All the school supplies and part of the furnishings were save, by the teachers and the children. Struck in the Eye by cinder.
 While at work at the fire, Johl , Lynch of the auto chemical company 7 received a blow from a burning piec 5 of wood, which struck him in the righ [ eye. A musician dressed the injure , eye on his return from the fire, bu . it will bother him for several day yet.
 Mill Built 54 Years Ago. The mill, which was situated at tn l southern part of the village, was erect :. ed by Benjamin and Samuel Lucas. 5 e years ago, and had been in the pos e session of the Lucas family since it 2 erection. Its equipment consisted 0 ] four sets of double cards, five S1
 spindle mules, and 28 broad looms. T employed fifty hands.
 A large number froen Norwich an E other nearby places were attracted [ l the scene of the fire and the wall were crumbhng and falling all da U Thursday.
 e Large Stock on Hand. T At the present season the mill ha S an unusually large stock of cloth an :. yarn on hand Five thousand pound s of yarn had only recently been re ceived and in the office was $2,00 l worth of cloth that came from Ney
 York the day before the fire.
 The office books, about 50 bales c
 raw materials, and a small quantit of cloth. were all that was saved.
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