The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-09
Lyon 8 Grumman's Hard
 ware Store Swept By Flames That Rack Many Other Stores in Fairfield
 Avenue and Middle Street
One Fireman, Overcome By Smoke, is Rushed to Hos pital and Another is Res
 cued After Fall Into Gel
 lar of Burning Structure.
Score of Fire Fighters I'm perilled as Ceiling Crashes In Upon Them, While They Work in Attic of Fire Swept Building.

Bridgeportss business center was threatened this morning by a fire that broke dut in the cellar of M- J. BuechIer's jeweIry store, at 43 Fair 1eld avenue. and quickly communicate ed to four other stores near Middle street and Fairfield avenue.
 The damage is estimated aE more than $125,O0O. The loss on the buildings, owned by the Hicks Realty Co. is placed at $10.ooO-
 The business houses that suffered were.
 Lyon 6 Grun1man, hardware
 dealers, Fairfield avenue and
 Middle street, damage to stock
 and fixtures estimated at nearly
 S1O0,OO0
 Max Buech1er, jeweaer, 4s
 Fairfield avenue, damage to stock
 and fixtures, @5 900.
 Cutter & Sherman, tobaccondsts
 and sporting goods, A Fairfield
 avenue, damage to stock and fx-
 tres, $S,OOO.
 Mrs. M. A. Brown, halter, 90
 Middle street. damage to stock
 and fixtures, $4,0OO.
 J. O. Gerbich, barber, 92 AEid-
 de streef, danage to fixtures
 Two hremeu were hurt in fighting ffe blaze Hoseman Arthur Chambers of No Engine company was over come by smoke and taken to St Vim cents hospital in the ambulance. He riter, of No. Truck fell head1ong into the cellar of Lyon & Grumman's s, Iacerating his head
 Guests in the Adams house and At Iantic hotel were routed from their beds on warning from the police that a dangerous fire was in progress near by. Many of them fled to the street f77f VI panic in either hoste1ry.
 Two alarms were sounded The first at 4:55 was sounded by a passerby and the second, a few minutes later, was rung on orders of Chief Johnson. It was after noon when the last fire company picked up'' and returned to fits house.
 Adjoining the burned buildings. on Middle street, is a branch factory of the RenfngtonzU. M. c. company While officials state that no explosives are used in this plant, the fremen worked with just a bit of uncomfort- able feeling because of it's proximity.
 Lyon & Grumman's store was hit hardest. Four floors of the building are heavily stocked with goods. The two upper floors were wrecked by fire, and stocA in the lower floors was greatly damaged by water and smoke.
 Officials of the firm this afternoon are making an estimate of Lyon & Grumman's loss. No definite figures were obtainable, but it was said at the company's office that the damage to stock and fixtures wouldn't be far from $1O0,0OO. The total stock is valued at nearly three times that amount.
 t The fire evidently started in the eel far of Bt1echler,s store It spread to tTle rear of Cutter & Shermans s and to Lyon 6 Grunman's In the latter store, the flames swept up an elevator shraft,e mushrooming( on the upper floors.
 Captain Thomas Broderiek, inspec- tor of conb1stibles;, made an inYes- tigatioa this morning and said the fire started in Buechler's cellar, probably frem spontaneous combustion. He be- lieved it had been burning a long while before it was discovered
 Cutter & ShermaH's loss was mostly by smoke and water, though the flames did some damage in the rear of the store Bueeh1er's was also hit hardest by water, while the fire dam age was also extensive Browns hat shop was completely wrecked by the fire. and the damage to Gerbich's bar Der shop came mostly from the flames. Two safes, holding gems valued by