New Britain herald., 1915-01-12
ENGINE BACk-f|RES,
 CAUSING BAD BLAZE Auto and Stock Burned in E. E.
 Linke'S --$3,0OO Loss. APPARATUS DELAYED AT CROSSING

Fire a Stubborn One-To Recom- mend New Fire Company
 Fire, which started in Edward E. Linke's barn at No. 6s Bassett street, when small Ford automobile de- livery car back-fired and ignited the gasoline and oil soaked woodwork, did damage estimated at from $3,0O0 to $5,000 shortly after 7:30 o'clock this morning. MT. Linke states that his property is fairly well covered with will be between these two figures. MT. Linke's barn is a large, three story affair, and when Hook G Lad der company No. 1 was held up at the Elm street railroad crossing by locom otives, the flames were able to gain considerable headway, for the f1remen could not get into the upper floors without this apparatus. To the negligence of the railroad employees in holding up the fire departm ent MT. L1nke and the f1remen attribute the fact that the fire gained considerable more headway and therefore made the loss greater.
 The fire started in automobile wash stand which is built onto the barn, but the roaring flames, fed by the explosive gasoline, burst through two windows leading into the barn proper and in an instants time that, too, was a seething furnace of flames. The Ford automobile was entirely de- stroyed and MT. Linke's big touring car, which was jacked up for the winter, was so badly burned and scorched before it could be removed that the loss will be quite heavy on that. In addition to a quantity of stock stored in the barn, a wagon and sleigh were also reduced to ashes. A horse kept in the barn was saved without injury and Mr. I4inke's daughters car was in a garage, so that was also safe.
 Gasoline Explosion Starts Fire.
 Clarence Burr, of 27 Union street, is employed by Ii r. Li1Akes as scffauffeus. on the delivery automobile and he had just poured three gallons of gas into the tank, when he tried to turn over the engine to start the motor.
 
 the car to take him to the Union Tea companys store at 317 Main street, of which he is proprietor, when an other employe came rushing out shouting that the barn was on fire. An instant later Burr ran out, his hands badly blistered and his coat burned by the explosion. An alarm was sounded from Box 12, but when the fire department arrived the flames were shooting ten feet into the air and had a good start. MT. Burr states that he had just tried to crank the engine when it back-f1red and the next instant a blindng sheet of flame burst forth from under the running board, envelop1ng him in fire for the instant. It seemed that the entire wash stand was immediately a mass of flames.
 Engine companies No. l. and 3 and Hook & Ladder company No. 1 answered the alarm. Owing to the slippery condition of the hard pave ment on Main street the big hook and ladder truck went down Comm ercial street and thence down Elm and Franklin square in order to get the advantage of the dirt roads as much as possible. Chief Dame and the cap tains of the three companies at once saw that it was necessary to get onto the second and third floors of the barn with streams of water in order to fight the fire to the best advantage, but the hook and ladder did not show up for fully three minutes after the other apparatus had arrived.
 Fire Department Held at Crossing.
 At the Elm street crossing the gates were down when the truck ar changing of the gongs the gatetend- CT refused to look at them and the conductor on the crossing refused to hold up a couple of passing switchers while the fire department could pass By actual count the apparatus was held up two and one half minutes, which with the delay of again start ing up from standstil1 made at least three minute loss at the fire. In the meantime the flames had been gaining rapidly, making the work of the firemen the more difficult.
 The hold up at the crossing was the more odious inasmuch as there was no regular switching going on. One locomotive with a single car crossed the crossing and then came back and then a single engine came LID from the round house and back before the gates were raised
 Barn Used As Storehouse.
 MT. Linke uses his large barn as a storehouse and in all three he keeps a large quantity of the stock from his store Over $100 worth of washing powder was ruined by the fire and water and considerable amount of other stock was destroyed. Much of