The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-10-20
OLD CONTRACTOR FOUND DEAD IN
 BOOMING HOUSE
Miles BeardsIey Apparently the Victim of Accidental
 AsphyxiatiOn.
was EXPERT IN USE
 OF HIGH EXPLOSIVES
Contracts Included Foundations X. of Local Bridges-PiOneer in Pennsylvania Oil
 Fields.

The boflv of Miles BeardS1ey, one Of l4he most prominent citizens of this city some score Of years ago ana a man of wide reputation througnout the middle west, as contractor anu ofl-weIl shooter, was found dead III pea
 this morning in a Fairfield avenue l1-agzD- house He was fully dressed and had apparently died from the ef- Fersz Of gas strangulation through the accidental blowing out of a light 1n the room-
 age and for a number of years out or ac4fve contracting business in this city, he was still well known and occasion a1Iv consulted in the pile driving line 1x many of his successors in that bus- mess.
 Fsorn in Huntington, Conn, where he first married, his early years were i~nertS in travel about this and other tcor.ntries- He had been in the oil well i5istrfcts of Pennsylvania, and. Ohio, first as a drilling contractor and later as an expert handler of nitro-gylcer- inc The most extensive or hazardous lu1dertakings were successfully per formed by himself and those under his direction and 1t was not long before he had 'amassed a. comfortable for tune
 Fze came to Bridgeport about forty sxears ago and in the driving of piles | brothers. Henry and Alonzo Beardsley, were in the dredging business he took fhe pile driving contracts about this city. having successfully driven all the foundation for the Stratford avenue ibr4dre Later he became associated -~stFs aFano4 A. BIaAeman of this city. Their contracts were numerous. in rIuding the old Congress street struc- 4ure the old railroad bridge and many other large pieces Of work With ad- ivanctng years and the decline of some iof hss many financial interests he -raduaIiy.- withdrew from active work and for the past twenty years has either assisted others in their work or lived upon the Interest of former spec ula<1ons-
 TTntiI recently he had lived upon Gf1- bert street, but about two weeks ago he removed his effects to 509 Fairfield avenue. where he cared for himself In the room was both a small gas stove and a gas jet. He retired to his room come time yesterday afternoon which 1~as 1he last seen of him alive This ,rnorriue as one of the inmates of the house was going up the stairs strong sodor Of gas attracted her attention It
 was traced to Beardsley's room. When the door had been broken in he was ifornd lying upon the bed fully dressed xvftf, his pipe beside him. The gas was turned on at both the jet and stove iFurner. He had apparently fallen Iaz7een and was overcome Dy lAS tfumes. Medical Examiner s. M Gar lick called to view the body today,
 granted permission for the removal of .ff,s body to the Rourke & Rourle un- idertakfng parlors and expressed him self as satisfied that death was acci- dental rather than suicidal.
 Besides a grandson, Clifford Boards lev. connected with the United Illumi : mating Company of this city, it is not believed that any other relatives live here One son. Charles B. Beardsley, is believed to be located in Cleveland. Though it was rumored today that iflae deceased had been in poor financial condition recently and had become greatly depressed, it was known that lsubstantial renittanceS had reached him from time to time. and it was as- lserted that a letter received by mail after his death carried cheeks for a considerable sum of money
 Besides his grandson in this city, ione sister living in West Haven, son in Ohio. there are no surviving reia- iffves. A son, Willis Henry, died late fin August of this year in New Haven.