The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-02-17

6QI1relYt Fu1Il0Q, dIlQ LuO D1S TOI-
Two of the three hremen who were
injured last night by falling walls are
recovering. Daniel Killeen, Jr., 2O3G
Seaview avenue, driver of No. hose
In Bridgeport hospital, is suffering in
tensely from pain in the region of his
right arm. An x-ray Will be taken
this afternoon to locate possible
fracture Of the arm or collar bone
Henry Hilsinger. 695 William street
hoSenaan of No. 2 Engine, who was
taken to Bridgeport hospital with in
jury to the right arm, Will soon. re-
cover.
Investigation is being made today
by the fire department officials to as
certain the cause which is still shroud-
ed in mystery. Experiments conduct
ed this morning by Electrician Arthur
Platt, of the fire department, has dis
closed that when the auxiliary line
from the spring shop to the main line
box was reconstructed it was in work
ing order This experiment tends to
show that the circuit was disturbed
last night by either being cut. broken
. or burned.
Other suspicious features of the fire
pointing towards a combustibIe gas in
connection with the fire, is the rapid
advance of the fire from it's point
of inception, the intense feat that pre-
cIuded the fremen getting near the
walls fell outward intact.
Absolute denial was made this
morning by all officials of the Farist
Steel Co. that they were manufactur-
ing or had in the past manufactured
either directly or Indirectly any ma
4eriaI for war purposes. They were
at a loss to conceive the cause of the
fire, as their watchman has reported
that he passed through the building
in which it originated just three min
utes before he noticed that the whole
structure was abIaze.
Chief johnson said today:
Among the peculiarities of this fire
is that it apparently blazed the most
in the big rolling mill while the night
watchman persists that it started first
in the tool room which was in am
other section of the plant We must
take his word for this ~
stOmcials and others in the Farist
Steel Works declare that no heat or
combustible material was anywhere
near the suspected spot of origin for
many days.
: Speaking Of criticism of the depart
ment being late in fighting the fire,
Chief Johnson said today:
The trouble came through the fail
Are of an auxiliary box to work. When
our men came to the fire upon the
call OF an outsider, we wanted to send
in a second alarm. The night watch
man told that he had just rung
in an alarm from the factory We
then saw no necessity of ringing in
another. In a few minutes, however,
when apparatus did not respond we
took the matter in our own hands
and sent in a second alarm from a
street box and also called other com
panies by telephone
The fire was discovered at 1O:40 by
Watchman John Farrell, living at s7s
Catherine street, as he was going his
rounds Of the rolling mills. He has
been employed in that capacity for the
last 35 years AS Farrell entered
the mill opposite the Office of bhe COM
pany he found the interior of the
wooden building a mass of flames. He
ran to the private alarm box of the
company and opening the door of the
box he pulled down the lever.
Farrell ran to the gate of the fac
tory yards and al.yiousIy awaited the
arrival of the fire apparatus for fully
10 minutes, he said. He then ran
back to the private alarm box and to
his astonishment he found that the
weight of heavy tinnbers falling inside
the first rolling mill.
Farrell says he then ran to the
gate on East Main street and here
he struck snag. He was unable to
open the large swinging gate and by
this time N1cCOf race WaCCnTnan al
the plant for the last 16 years, came
to his assistance. They had a, diff
cult time Of it opening the big swing
ing gate and all this time the big
fire was raging in rolling mill No. 1. II
had now extended to rolling mills
and 8. "A man named Crowley, work
ing on one of the nearby oyster boats
was passing at the time. He saw the
two watchmen frantica1ly endeavoring
to open the big gate and realizing
there was something wrong and that
no alarm had beenf rung in from the
private box. Crowley ran to East
Main street and Stratford avenue,
where he turned in an alarm from
box 631.
On the first alarm Engine compan-
les 2 and 8, Chemical No. 1 and Truck
Co. No. 2 responded. On the secona
alarm Engine Companies and re-
eponded. Chief Daniel E. johnson,
upon his arrival, saw at a glance that
It was necessary to turn in a second
alarm and he did so at box 631.
A panoramic view, such as was new
gt5cntinued On Page 2-b Il