The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-18
Court to Tell Who Shall ;
 Bear Big Fire Loss
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The fire was discovered at 5:49 o'clock by Miss Margaret Bongurap 14 years old, of Al Helen street. Al this point there are four three story buildings in the course of erectloh- The framework and sides of the buildings are cotnp1ete and were wait ing for the clapboards, which are to be put on today.
 At Helen street and Berkshire ave nue is the first of the. four build ings but the one in which the hre began was the fourth one near Still man street. The flames licked. the side of the third house and this was soon a roaring furnace. Had the wind been from the southeast in stead of from the northwest con 1agration might have resulted.
 The neighborhood east of Penn broke street from BarnuIn avenue to Old Mill GEeen is covered with frame buildings. Several of them hold l2 or 16 families and have only two doors available for 16 families to make their escape.
 For more than an hour the nremen fought, the flames but it was imposs1- b1e to save the first building which soon fell to the ground after having been burned complete to the foupda- ton. The firemen then directed their attention to the other frame build 5. ings of the U M. c. Go. on the op- posite side of Helen street were not endangered and this may be laid to the fact that the buildings are of modern improvement and are made almost hreproof as possible.
 Residents of the neighborhood were busy gathering up their--belongings and in the household of Mrs. Michael Griffin at 852 HalIett street, pande- rnonium reigned. The Griffin home is within 50 feet of the burned build ings and the strong east wind then blowing carried the flames so they licked the sides of the building at S52 Ha1lett street. An instance where one of the Griffin family defed in East Bridgeport. While the girls and boys of the family were gath ering everything of value in the Grif- fin home with the intention of fleeing for safety Patrick Griffin, the elder of the family, sat quietly nunching his evening meal and refused to leave the table although the flames from the burning buildings were al- most near enough to singe his eye brows. The firemen soon turned their attention to this house and no damage was done the building except to scorch it.
 The total damage is estimated at $2o,OO0. The buildings are the prop erty of John Boone of 624 Map1ewood d avenue. It was Boope's intention to turn them over to the Remington completion. The flames were so threatening at the start that on his arrival at the scene, Fire Chief Do-7- ie1 B. Johnson, ordered-the sounding of a second alarm of fire from box No. 437 at Berkshire avenue and Hal lett street
 In fighting the fire Second Assistant Chief Jacob Horkheimer stumbled in to a hole and his knee was wrenehed so severely that he had to be taken home. Minor injuries were suffered by William Walter of Engine Go. No. 1.
 The various fire companies had scarcely returned to their houses when an alarm came in from box No. S16 and calling the apparatus to the Burns Go. yards on Lindley street. Fire in boiler room destroyed a small shed. While this fire was in progress another alarm was sent in for a fire in a three-story brick build ing at S76-S82 Main street, between Union Square and Bank street. An alarm was later turned in from box No. 13. at Main and Bank streets. The fire started in the kitchen of the Paris restaurant and Burned through two floors, filling the building with smoke. The stock in the tailor shop of L.. Edwin Sceli, in the same building, was damaged. The total damagefs plac- ed at/$1O,O0O. The furniture in the overhead households being nearly de- stroyed by the smoke and water. < Hoseman George Smith of Engine Co. No. 5, while running across the street near this fire, was struck by a. passing automobile. He grabbed the radiator and hung on until the ma chine came to a stop. He was drag ged about, 50 feet and outside of re- ce1ving a few bad bruises he was not injured.
 Lieut.. William Keiser of. Truck Co. No. 5, received a wrenched back when he slipped in. some mud near the Helen street fire.
 
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