The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-09
Great Loss Attends
 Early Morning Fire
 In Business Section
(Continued from Page 1.)

Buechler at $5OO0o, were in the heart
 of the fire. They were guarded by
 the police after the flames had been
 Quelled sufficiently to allow approach
 to the Repositories.
 Frank Bernier, employed by local
 newsdealer, discovered the fire. Leav- ing a Fairfield avenue lunchroom, shortly before 5 o'clock, he detected smoke. Investigating, he found the
 jewelry store of Max J. Buech1er at 48
 Fairfield avenue, to be filled with smoke.
 Bernier ran to Main street and Fairfield avenue and pulled an alarm from Box 32. In breaking the glass door on the box, Bernier severely cut two fingers of his right hand. When the first fire engines arrived, the rear of Buechler's store was in flames. When the door in the front of the store was forced thick black smoke rolled out in clouds. Hoseman Arthur Chambers was one of the first to enter the building with other fire
 men of Engine Company No. g. l A few minutes later Chambers was
 carried to the street by his compan-
 ions. He had been overcome by ] smoke and had collapsed on the floor Fellow firernen applied first aid treat
 naent while the ambulance was called.
 Dr. E. B. Weldon of the ambulance corps ordered Chambers removal to
 SL.stN
 returned to the scene of the fire i later.
 i Ladderman Patrick F. Ferrfter of
 Truck Company was hurt shortly
 after Fireman Chambers. Was carried
 from the building. Ferriter missed his footing and fell headlong into the cellar of Lyon & Grumman's store.
 His head was badly cut, but he stuck l to his job after receiving temporary l treatment.
 Chief Johnson ordered ai second alarm sounded soon after his arrival. l At that time the fire had assumed I nenacing proportions and it was
 feared that it might sweep the whole
 block The double alarm called hve engine com panies, one chemical com l pany and two truck companies to the fire.
 When it was seen that the fire was l 2. serious one, several policemen went 1 to +be Adams House and Atlantic Ho- tel and notified clerks to. warn the guests that there was fire in the neighborhood.
 Many of them already had been warned of that fact, however py the nall of black smoke that enveloped 4he neighborhood. Many guests in both hosteIries lost no time in step ming out into the cool, December morn, somewhat thinly clad. When they saw later that their danger was not nreSSing. they r0Iufn0Q tO InSAA 1AlONo11S' either to slumber or to dress more fully There was no disorder in frous- Hing the guests in either hotel l As she fremen fought the flames in RuechIer's store, other companies got streams in through Cutters cigar store and Lyon & Grunmans hardware store. The fire had eaten through the ceilings to the second floor, in the rear of all three stores,f ana the north end of the upper floors was a roaring fur mace.
 Before the drenaen could get eff ls4ectual streams into the rear of the upper f1oors the flames swept up the elevator shaft to the top floor Of the building. Vast quantities of infiam- nlable material fed the flames here and soon the sky was illuminated as the fire broke through the roof. Aerial ladders from Trucks 1 and ? were raised on Middle street and Fair 1 field avenue and the hremen tackled the blaze from the room. Laddermen from Truck 1 and hosemen from En- zine company made their way at great peril into the top floor, where the flames were mushrooming from 1 the arched wooden ceiling. - 1 On their stonachs, they crawled with the lines of hose to 9 vantage point from which to fight the fire. The men were in the attic for twenty minutes when an ominous cracking warned them that the ceiling was about to collapse. They huddled into corner ] just a fraction of a minute before large section caved in A moment later, another section dropped. driving
 them back still further The second section to fall remained partially sus- pended by a few timbers on the side nearest the hremen-
 'sIt was just good luck that kept 20 of us from being crushed and burned under that falling ceiling" said one of the fremen later. tfIt hung there l menacingly for a few minutes. before we were certain that it wasn't going to tunn ble on us. It would have been
 good night for us if it did,'' he add-
 ed with a smile as he swung aboard his company apparatus.
 A few minutes after the ceiling fell in the top foor,< another tragedy was 1 ayerted only by the same rare good
 fortune. The elevator was at the top of the shaft when the fire broke out.
 The intense heat soon melted the
 cables and the heavy car, fell to the
 cellar with crash that could be heard
 for blocks. There were firemenl in the
 cellar at the time, but fortunately
 none was near enough to the shaft to be injured. The impact of the
 hurtling elevator smashed the con-
 crete flooring in the cellar and the car buried itself a foot deep.
 Fighting from the upper floors and from a stairway in the rear, several fire companies brought the flames un-
 der control within an hour
 Tons of water had been poured in to the building and stock that escaped
 damage from fire was ruined by water and smoke
 It was after noon before the last
 company left the scene of the fire
 Sergeant Edward Wagner was in charge of the big police deai1 at the i fire. After warning guests in near
 by hotels, the police established fire
 lines on Fairfield avenue and Middle street.
 Considerable worry was given the f1re-fghters because of the fact that a branch factory of the Remington