The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-03-02
TWO FAMILIES
ARE DRIVEN TO
STREET BY FIRE
Homes Of Theodore Millar and
Mrs. Henry WHITMAN Badly
Damaged
TELEPHONE SERVICE
is WRETCHED, AS USUAL
Much Valuable Time Lost in One
Case in Notifying Depart
ment Of Blaze

Awakened by his daughter, Fay,
when smoke filled his home at No.
496 McGraw-ave., 1t $3.50 o'clock,
Monday morning. and tongues OF
fame were eating their way up the
walls 10 the second floor. Theodore
Millar stood at the telephone In the
library Of his residence. choking with
smoke. and waited three long MN
-utes after telling the telephone oper-
ator to please give him the fire de-
partment. In . hurry. Then he was
forced to drop the receiver and get
some fresh air.
Meanwhile, his wife and the eldest
OF his 1--WE children had arisen from
bed at the first alarm cried out by
Miss Fay, and hastily DOMINIC coats
and stockings, picked up the younger
children, and fed to the home of Q
neighbor, next door. The fire depart.
ment was finally reached from there.
and made quick response, checki:ss
the blaze and holding the damage
down to about $1,000.
Mr.. Millar. in bare feet. and with
his nightgown 40 his only raimeAt.
dashed upstairs to make sure that all
the members of his family were safe
ly out of the house, and then carried
out many articles Of furniture, and
some pictures that he highly prized
as heirlOoms. They were exhibited
years ago, by his grandmother, In the
Detroit Museum Of Art.
Later he followed the firemen up.
stairs. and succeeded In salvaging
some clothing for himself and the
rest of the family.
The blaze started near the furnace,
and crept up the register flues to the
second floor. Mr.. Millar il at loss
to explain how the blaze started.
Miss Fay Millar. young lady, was
the first to awaken, and she quickly
aroused the others. The youngest OF
five children Ii two years old.
1T seems as though telephone
operators would wake up and realize
that call for the fire department at
$3.50 o'clock on morning like this
Ia q real emergency call. and that
they would drop everything and see
that q subscriber obtained almost in.
slant connection with the fire depart.
ment." said Mr.. Millar.
Il had no trouble getting central
who came on the line at once, but
after asking her to please hurry and
give me the fire department, heard
nothing more from her. 1t was fully
three minutes. II not more, that !
waited. before was driven from the
telephone by smoke"
Mrs. Henry Weitzman and her two
daughters, Dorothy, aged 10. and
SADIE, Ave years old, werestrapped In
their rooms at No. 399 Twenty-hfth,
st.. when fire practically destroyed
their home, shortly after midnight
but firemen reached them and carried
them all to safety. Mrs. Weitzman
was i'll, and she and her daughters
were all asleep when Chief Timothy
Callahan. Capt. G. w. Creegan and
Fireman William McVittie dashed
through the smoke to the back bed
room. and carried them to the homo
of q neighbor, who had noticed the
blaze. and turned In an alarm.
Mr.. Weitzman was at work In o
bakery at the time.
The fire had gained big headway.
and spread to the house of r. ".
Jennings. No. 3S7 Twenty.f1fth-st.
which was slightly damaged. The
damage to the Weitxfnan home win
amount to about $4,000.
A defective chimney II blamed for q
blaze which did about $1,000 damage
Sunday noon, to the tw0-story building
at Nos SS7 Dix-ave.. occupied by Van
Loon & Ferry's drug store, and Henry
Potere's residence. The nre started
In the residence and spread to the
rear Of the drug store. where much
Of the damage was done by water.
Chimney fires did slight damage in
the homes OF Mrs. Kate Burnes, No.
- Porter-st, and John Hart, No. 3y6
Franklin-st.. Sunday.
The homes Of Mrs. H. A. Meyers, No.
3s8 Canfield-ave. west. and Moses Rel.
mer. No. 373 Hastings-st., were dam
aged by early morning fires Sunday.
Bursting Of steam pipe In the res.
idence Of Michael Sullivan, No. .17y
iroquoisAve.. caused N alarm of IRE
shortly after O'Clock Monday morn.
Ing, but little damage was done.
An overheated stove 1T w. l.. Krieg.
hons residence. No. 1893 Bellevue.
ave.. a few minutes later, did slight
damage.