New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-23
WATERBURY BURNS AND
MILITIA TAKES CHARGE
City Hall Destroyed in Series of
Fires Police Say Are Work
of InCendiarieS.
PANIC SEXES THE CITY
Alarms Sound at Frequent In
tervals Until Old Fire Bell
Melts-Fireman Gain
Control.

IRy Telegraph 20 II" Tribune
Waterbury. Conn. April % Fires
doubtless Of incendiary origin have
broken ont all over town since o'clock
this afternoon. and the city is in a state
OF terror. In thirty minutes there were
no fewer than ten fires, and the crowds,
policemen and fire apparatus rushed
wildly from one spot to another, while
many false alarms added to the excite
ment. The City Hall 81. Patrick's
Parish Building and Pythian Hall have
all been destroyed. Numbers If false
alarms have increased the panic. and
tonight militiamen are patrolling the
streets and driving the crowds home
The police are convinced that there is n
plot to destroy the city.
All of the fires started in Easements.
and I'm many instances oil soaked rags
We're found. The fremen were able to
control all the fires except the one i'm the
city Hall Here flames were discovered
i'm a pile Of painters materials in the
cellar Of the police station, and shot up
the airshafts. reaching IN" roof and the
bell tower The old bell which for forty
years has warned the city of fires
changed wildly as IT announced it's own
doom and crashed to the interior Of the
burning building.
BY hard work the police saved the
P,er,,.s' Eo1I.r,, ard roD,r5s 'Tbaro u.as
not much else TO lose for the city had
just spent $4,000 in repairs on the
structure and the varnish was scarcely
dry. But this very yarnish and paint
fed the fire and when at last the flames
reached the great piles of refuse paper
in the attic, the accumulation Of almost
a half century, a great torch fiared out
al the top OF the old house. 1t cost $50,
900, and since the Improvements had been
insured for $4,000. The loss is 100000
30 valuable papers except the assessors
records were destroyed.
The nremen succeeded in saving the
Kingsbury Hotel, twenty-five feet away,
which was in great danger at one time.
When a big aerial truck turned over
Ladderman John McChen, who was
strapped to the top, came down fifty feet
to the ground. but telephone wires broke
his fall and he was uninjured.
Chief among the other fires this after
noon were those in the undertaking es-
tablishmcnts IF J. II. Melville and Mar
tin Begins Sons. The Mulyille fire
quilted the St Patricks parish building.
The loss is about $1,000 At II o'clock
tonight Pythian Hall was on fire, and
the Apothecary Hall CCmpany's seven
story fatiron building, just fifty feet
away. is i'm grave danger This is in the
heart Of the section that was spared by
the great fire Of 1902 Alarms have come
in from Rauscr's meat market and
block on Bank street.
Mayor Reeve communicated with
Colonel McCabc. Of New Haven, who is
now i'm command Of three companies Of
the Connecticut National Guard, $50 men
each. and the soldiers are ordering
everybody off the streets. Detectives are
already m work. and one man was ar
rested this afternoon on suspicion. but
later released. If any prisoners are
taken. Superintendent Beach has ar
ranged with the county commission TO
use Tn" cells in the new county court
house. as the regular lookup was de-
stroycd in the city Hall fire
one Of tine fires this afternoon was
near theatre and IN tn" excitement
. ,,.,,..f gI.rf,J .I'ir.'" Several