The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-07
Cigarette Butt
 Blamed For
 Stratf0rd Fire

spring house cleaning, road repairing
 and general tidying up after the win ter, has arrived, and the people of
 Stratford are getting busy on the
 work of beating out the carpets, rak- ing up the door yards, and putting
 things into Ship shape" condition
 througout the town.
 The selectmen have hired a large
 gang of men to repair the roads of
 the town which are full of ruts and mud holes. The men started out with
 loads of trap rock and gravel last week and have nearly completed the work of repairing the damaged road beds on the principal streets of .the
 town. Main street, Stratford and Barn
 um avenues, and the other streets
 leading into the center of the town
 have been fixed up and the men are
 now working in the outskirts of the town.
 The Board of Trade is agitating a
 public improvement movement in
 which all the people of the town
 should cooperate it is for the best
 interests of the town and every resi- dent in it. The Board of Trade wants | all the residents of the town to clean up the lawns and dooryards in front | of their property, burning up the old | papers, leaves, and other waste so | that it will not be continually blowing | about, littering up the streets. and | giving visitors and passers-by the inn pression that Stratford people are very slack in these little matters l which tend so much to make a town | an attractive place to live in.
 | All public-Spirited and progressive
 citienzs of Stratford are joining with | the Board of Trade in this Iaudable
 work of cleaning up the town and re- | suits are already beginning to be seen. 1 StraFord for years has been noted
 for it's natural beauty, it's nagnifi-
 cent trees shading all the main streets | of the town, it's well-kept lawns and
 fine houses. Of late, for some reason or mother, things have begun to run down here, and it is indeed gratifying | to note that public spirited citizens
 are taking up the work of restoring Stratford to the pedestal it has oc- cupied as ''the prettiest little town in New Engalnd.''
 If every citizen of the town would join with the Board of Trade in the work it is doing, and help by planting trees, keeping the lawns out, refrain ing from throwing papers and other refuse in thes treets. and in word, 1 cooperating in the improvement work at every opportunity, in very few weeks Stratford would again become known as one of the cleanest and prettiest little towns around this part of the country.
 FIRE AIT HOLLISTER HEIGHTS
 A carelesSly thrown cigarette butt undoubtedly was responsible for 2. fire
 
 gItted the home of Frank GFawzas, l on Jackson avenue, and but for the | efficient work of Chief Allen D. Jud- l son and the crew of the auto-chen1icaI, l would have destroyed two other houses nearby. The fire was discovered at | 10 o'clock last night by a, brother of the man who owned the house but it had gained such headway at that time that it was impossible to extinguish the blaze before damage of several tbn1I nd C7O1I
 It is supposed that the fire was started from a lighted cigarette butt being carelessly dropepd by a boarder, Joe Snetzki, the only occupant of the house at the time the fire started. Snetzki disappeared after the fire, which leads the authorities to be- lieve that his carelessness was respon- sible for the fire. This belief is strengthened by the fact that only Wednesday Snetzki dropped a, cigar and started a fire there, which how ever, was extinguished before it had gained much headway.
 Grawzas' house which was destroyed was valued at $3,OO0 covered by insur- a.nce of $1, 800, and his furniture was almost completely destroyed. II
 BOARD OF TRADE BANQUET
 That the banquet to be given by the board of Trade at the town hail. Thursday evening, April 10th, is going to be the most successful ever held under the auspices of the board since its organization is now almost certain. The committee in charge of the ban quet, through it's chairman PhiIo Ha- ven, has secured D. E. Croft as the speaker of the evening. MT. Croft Is @ lecturer of wide repute and is especially well known in the West The Ladies Aid society will serve the supper and Joseph Wieler, the Bridge port bass soloist will lead the sing F lng.
 TO DEDICATE FIRE TRUCK .
 The Taxpayers Improvement club F will dedicate it's new fire truck with d appropriate ceremonies at the club n house on North avenue this evening. VI There will be an entertainment and Y he members and their friends expect :. 70 have a fine time at the affair The T ire truck is the old "MutuaI'' truck 7 repaired and repainted so that it is T now as good as new. T
 The members of the M. E. church | ,f Stratford are rejoicing over the re- \ urn of their pastor, Rev. E. c. Car 2 oenter. Yesterday MT. Carpenter started out on his third year with his . church and after morning and even ng service was greeted by all.
 Word has been received from Wa v -ervliet of the arrival of a baby girl ' 1t the home of MT. and Mrs. Vernon = Moreshouse. Mrs. Warehouse was < Miss Bessie Houton of this town. . Mother and child are doing well.
 Rev. M. J. O'Connor announced yes ~ ,erday from the altar that the new ' ,hurch on the corner of Broad street . and Main will be started within a few . weeks. Since Father O'Connor came . % Stratford and took charge of this parish he has made it possible to build the handsomest church in town E md this building is to be located on he best street in town.
 MT. and Mrs. John Assum have been spending a few days in New York visiting friends and expect to return 1n Monday evening.