Norwich bulletin., 1915-11-08
Especial to The Bulletin.)


 wauregan, Nov. West Waure- day morning of approximately s25.o00. Eight families numbering total of up- wards of forty persons were rendered homeless, nearly all of them escaping with no more than the clothing they snatched as they were driven by the flames from the borning buildings. Fire frame structures occupied as business places and tenements 'were totally destroyed a dwelling house was so badly gutted as to be practical ly ruined and barn and sheds were burned to the ground.
 Section of the Village Threatened. Had it not been for the service ren- dered by the General Putnam steam CT and other equipment and men from ! the Danielson Fire department that | section of the village would probably | have been wiped out. The big steam | CT, rushed down at the first call for aid, was set alongside the river on the Wauregan side of the bridge and I pumped the water through long line of hose that finally checked the rush l ing course of the big fire at the Ber- | nard house.
 Help From Central Village. l Help was also sent from Central | Village to aid the members of the Wau- | regan department in fighting the fire, ! but on account of the absence of hy- | drant or other adequate facilities on l the West Wauregan side of the bridges over the Quinebaug river and mill canal the efforts of all the firemen. | valiant as they were, amounted to Ht- tie, the steamer began to drive | heavy stre%~ss at the point where the i fire was eating its way along to a | strong of other frame building, but close together. I Burned Furiousiy Several Hours. The fire was discovered about a.
 m. and burned furiously for several
 hours. At times columns of fire l blazed to the height of more than a
 hundred feet, lighting the sky for | miles, and driving back those who | were engaged in the fight against it or attempting to salvage something
 from the burning structures, It was l nearly o'clock before the fire was l fully under control and the steamer | continued to pour through lines of | hose quantities of water on to the
 ruins until long after that time.
 Fred LavaIlee's Loss $15,0oo. Fred Lavallee, proprietor of a gen. eral store is the heaviest loser. His | store a large tenement house adjoin- | ing, his barn and shed with all of their contents were burned to the ground. | Aside from his two horses, some wag-
 
 hauled out of the barn, he didn't save 1 a nickefs worth. Sunday afternoon he estimated his loss at $15,000-of l this amount S5,000 on the buildings and S1o, ,00o on stock, which happened to be unusually large anc consisted of groceries, dry goods, meats, flour, l hardware and the thousand and one | sundries kept in such a store. His insurance is only $7.500 on buildings | and stock.
 Harmidas Wilmot's Loss.
 Harmidas Wilmot, owner of two ] of the other buildings totally des- | troyed-combination business an dten- ement blocks-was covered by insur-
 ance to the amount of $1,S00. While his original investment was somewhat in excess of this figure. the insurance l will not cover his real loss on the property, which represented a lucra- tive investment that cannot be restor- ed for the amount of the insurance. l to the Wilmot property and his home, George Bernard lost building next I to the Wilmot property and his home, adjoining, was badly gutted - this checked. that his loss is estimated at from S2,000 to $3.000, partly covered by insurance.
 Barely Time to Cloth Themselves.
 Mir. Lavallee occupied apartments over his store and so hurriedly was he and the members of his family forc- Ted to vacate the premises that they had barely time to clothe themselves, one child getting out with no more than its rompe-s on. The fire start ed on the second floor of the Lavallee | building at the rear of the store in | one of the rooms occupied by one of the three families that were tenants
 there, accordins to the theory that 1 was accepted by the owner Sunday afternoon, but just how no one seems i to know. The families fin the La val1ee tenement house. which was a | large two and one half story structure, | were those of Henrele Jilleau, H. Der l thiaume and George Polin. They lost l everything.
 Tenants of WiInot Building. | Tenants in the Wilmot building near | est the Lavallee store were Fortuna Chartier, proprietor of a barber shop, l Thomas Lizotte, who dealt in candy 1 and. lived in the building, and Henry
 Bernier.- Their loss was practically was the Cooley millinery parlor and
 Charser end family. This building
 and it's contents was wiped out, the loss suyestimated Sunday.
 Jas. Thompson and Mrs. John Ber- | nard. widow, were tenants in the 1 dwelling that was so badly damaged.
 Fire Made Rapid Progress.
 The fire made surprisingly rapid progress once it was underway, eat
 ing its way through the big tenement 1 building, which on the lower floor and
 in the roomy basement was used for storing goods and then into the La valIee store building. Shifting wind saved the Lavaliee barn from des- | truction at that time, but as a conse- auence the Wilmot building next to