The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-26

fDu1lQer was d gas JeL III CHS parlor of their home at 2S Lenox road,
 Flatbush, at o'clock last night, i'll l preparation for a gay Christmas party | to which 50 friends had been invited, l she ignited a paper bell that was part l of the elaborate decorations of the | room. Half an hour later the house l was in ruins, and on the second floor 1 the firemen found the bodies of MT. 1 Buckley and his oldtime friend, | Frank H. Welch. MT. Buckley was SO ] years old. He had died while attempting to | save his English setter Rec, that had l been a family pet for 15 years. MT. 1 Welch had been overcome as he | crawled about in the smoke-flled up per story in an effort to save his wife, | who was rescued by the' iremen while has was making his frantic search.
 The body of the dog was found near its masters. dozen more guests. including MT. Buckleys son, Oliver K, Jr., of i I 333 East Twenty-third street, Flat ] bush, who arrived shortly after the fire started, were forced to remain helpless in the street and watch the 1 flames consume the building in which they knew MT. Buckley and Mr.
 Welch were trapped. They witnessed the rescue of Mrs. Welch and other guests, including Mrs. Julia Phillips of 1 65 Lenox road and Mrs. Cole, who
 were taken down ladders by the hre-
 men. l Tree Feeds the Flames.
 1 The Buckleys had made great prep ] arations for the Christmas party-an
 affair which had been a big event with them for the last 30 years. All lkl, and-one-half-story frame building
 had been decorated with great care.
 A few minutes before o'clock Mrs Buckley entered the front parlor to light the gas jets and the candles on
 a big Christmas tree MT. Buckley and MT. Welch were in the dining
 room in the rear, which had also
 been decorated with streamers and
 bunting. They called back and forth
 and laughted gaily. Mrs. Buckley
 told them that some of the guests had
 arrived already, and asked tat they
 hurry.
 She had lighted two gas jets and
 was attempting to use the same match
 held in trembling fingers, to light a third when the head fell off and ig- nited the paper bell below the jet At first she attempted to put out the blaze without aid. and then as she
 saw the flames leap from the bell to the streamers, she cried out in alarm.
 When MT Buckley and MT. Welch reached the room the flames had
 communicated with the Christmas
 tree. The tree was at fonce mass of flames., All the decorations in the
 room were ablaze and the home was rapidly filling with smoke. For a
 few minutes the three tried to
 smother the fire, but it gained on them rapidly. MT. Buckley was weak
 from shock and smoke, and Buckley,
 realizing that the fire was beyond their control, shouted to his friend to follow him, and, with his wife in his arms, carried her to te strheet l By this time the smoke was pour ing from the building in volumes, and outside they found a dozen of the guests. MT. Welch ran among them calling for his wife. and, failing to find her, dashed up the stairs and dis appeared into the house.. MT. Buck ley shouted for someone to send in an alarm to the fire department. He was about to go with his wife to the home of neighbor when one of the guests asked about his dog, which he knew
 to be great pet MT. Buckley couldn't find the animal. and, giving his wife into the care of friends, fol- lowed MT. Welch into the smoke-fill hallway despite the protests of the guests. fl
 As MT. Buckley was swallowed up in the smoke of the front hallway cries were heard from the windows on the second floor and Mrs Welch was | ovx71i, out fho oF piazza. She shouted that escape by the stairway had been cut off, and that she would soon have to jump to save herself. As friends shouted to her that the firemen were coming with ladders and that her husband had gone to rescue her. Mrs. Phillips and Mrs. Cole crawled out besidesher. Mrs. Welch looked back once into the house and then made her way to the edge of . the roof. 1l The fremen arrived at this moment and quickly raised their ladders. Af- } ter taking the women to a place of l safety they attempted to fight their way into the house and look for the
 men trapped there, but it was possible
 to make only little headway in the face of the smoke and flame, which , were pouring out of the lower door way and windows, and the windows, n Of the second floor. It was fully 20 E minutes before they could control the blaze. {,
 By that time the interior of the . house was wrecked, and the group of |, Christmas guests in the street real ized that there was no hope of finding
 either Mr. Buckley or MT. Welch 7 alive. The younger Buckley begged 7 the f1remen to be permitted to enter 3 the house, but they held him back
 until they had first made the trip and
 round it safe Then he crawled up the shaking framework of the stair . way accompanied by two firemen ! while others entered by the windows | of the second floor.
 Body Found Near Dogs.
 ! The body of, Mir. Buckley lay in the \ front room and the dogs was two feet
 away. Before MT. Buckley had col- ' lapsed he had reached a point half a. ! dozen feet from the front windows. It was apparent that he had attempt
 ed to drag the dog after him until his
 strength gave out.
 The firemen searched for ten min I utes before they found MT. Welch's
 body. He had lost his way in the
 smoke on the second floor and had U Io biC al h