Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-31
Westerly Subscribes Less Than S20O For Mystic Men Burned Watch Hill Fire-Democratic
 Rally-Workhouse Terms for Two Adjudged Common
 Drunkards-Briggs Building Bought by Manden Block.

Ernest Bhven. IT,, and Luke Mo- Keon, the Mystic firemen who were severely burned at the Watch Hill fire. are still under treatment in the Law renee hospital at New London, and will probably not be discharged for several weeks. MT. Bliven's head is completely bandaged save apertures for the eyes mouth and nose and both hands are bandaged. Every effort is Being made to cure the burns with the least possible disagreement. MT. Nc Keon was not so badly burned as was MT. Bliven, but in addition to his burns. his nose was broken and he received a severe cut in the forehead The two men were engaged in pour ing gasoline into the reserve tank of the powerful pumping apparatus, when a spark from the burning buildings dropped into the pail of gasoline, and , the machine and the men were en- f veloped in flames. MT. Bliven jump ed overheard and naturally the flame went to his face and head, while MT McKeon made a dive overheard and the flame went backward, but his fore head came in contact with rock.
 Both men are helpless in the hos- pital and require the constant atten- ton of nurses. They are at consid- erable expense as well as the loss of employment.
 A subscription has been started in Westerly in aid of these injured men and up to date less than $200 has been subscribed while S1,000 would not make good their financial loss.
 The Mystic company was called by the Westerly Fire district. composed in the main by people of wealth, who, if they knew the conditions, would gladly unloosen their purse strings. The great majority of them had clos ed their summer homes before the fire occurred, and they should be made acquainted with all the circumstances of the distressing feature of the big fire.
 The B. F. -Hoxie company, of Mystic, to which Messrs. Bliven and McKeoD belonged responded promptly to the call for assistance. and made a record run to Watch Eiu with their American La France triple combination motor apparatus. Just as soon as they arrived suction was dropped overheard. the pumps started, and the powerful streams checked the spread of the fire. While the burning gasoline set the clothing of Messrs Bliven and Nc Keon on fire, the fire also communi- cated to the apparatus, but did not in terfere with the continuous working of the pumps. The upholstering was completely burned from the drivers seat. and the paint burned almost con- pletely from one side of the steel body of the apparatus. This necesitates the painting of the apparatus which also means quite an expense. There is no valid reason why this expense should be bourne by the members of the Hoxie company or by the Mystic Fire district. It is time some action was taken by. the Watch Hill Fire dis triCt
 While there are two voting districts in Westerly, both polling places are in NI.1 -1T lsr-+,, so arranged as to have one side of the town hall in the first district and the ether in the second. It is probably the only instance where the polling place for two districts are in the same room. The rolls will open next Tuesday at elections. The total vote of Wester- ly is 1.7S3. with S14 in the first and 969 in the second district, a 5otal gain of 147 in the past two years.
 Whether Westerly will remain a liquor license town for two years more will be determined Tuesday next It Is predicted by local political mathema- ticians, who have given the matter special attention, that 9S per cent. of the total vote of the town will be poll ed, and that the republican majority will be more than 1.200.
 With Attorney John J. FitzoeraId. of PaWcatuck who defended in the re- cent Mansfield trial, as the magnet, even more powerful than that in the gravity box he kicked" at Bradford, there was a large attendance at the democratic rally in the town hall, on Monday night. over one-half of those assembled being all-the-time repub- Hcans. He talked a combination of national and state political issues, and instead of the usual facts and fig ures," he interjected local hits and funnyisms.
 Peter Goelet Gerry, who represented the Second district for single term in the house of representa- lives, and now candidate for United States sen- ator, praised the Wilson administra-