New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-12-05
Mistake in Sounding Alarm
Causes Delay of Five
Minutes While Flames Are
Raging.
STARTS IN ROOMS
OF HOSE COMPANY

TowIspcople Garry Books From
Clerks Office After Documents Arc
cues 1000 Rounds of Ammunition
New Britain and Bristol Sent
Aid
Plainville's combination town hail,
library, included in u three story
building on Pierce street, were de-
stroyed by fire today. the last embers
not being extinguished until after l
o'clock this afternoon. No final esti-
mate of the loss has been made but
the damage will be heavy probably
about $685. 900, and it will be necessary.
practically to rebuild the structure
walls remain standing.
Henry Orviss, in charge of the
towns road repair gang, entered the
! building about 1890 o'clock and
lors Of the fire department. He ran to
! the office of Town Clerk Usher and
| expressed the belief that the building
! was af1re. The town clerk advised
| smashing in the door leading to the
fremen's quarters but it was decided
| to search for q key and q visit was
! made to the home of Fire Commission
: er II. {. Thompson. In the meantime,
someone trleDhOned to the Bristol
I Mfg. co. plant. flom which the fire
alarm is sounded. and ordered the
! whistle blown For some unknown rea-
! son, the wrong alarm was sounded.
| only one blast on the factory whistle
J being given whereas five should have
! been blown. The sounding of the sin
, gle blast confused the tiremen and
= they knew not in which direction to
go until the proper alarm was sound
| ed five minutes later, after a citizen
had gone to the Bristol Mfg Co. and
! given directions.
BY the time the firemen had assem-
| bled, the blaze had gained great head
way and had swept from the second
! floor, where it originated. into the
large public hall on the third floor. 1t
J was seen that the Plainville fire de-
partment could not battle successfully
with the blaze and an appeal for help
| was made to the New Britain and
Bristol departments and each respond
| ed by dispatching an auto fire pump.
Chief II. NJ. Dame and several fire.
| men went to the scene in the chiefs
car and apparatus was sent from En-
| gine Co. No. 4, in charge of Captain
Grove.
| Water Pressure Poor.
| Inadequate fire fighting equipment
owned by the town of Plainville and
poor water pressure combined to
| make the task of the town tiremen a
! serious one. Four streams were
! turned onto the blaze, one from the
roof of the Grange building, next door.
But two streams directed from the
ground barely reached the seat of the
fire and had not the out-of-town fire.
men arrived it is probable the build
ing would have been burned to the
ground.
While the fire was at its height,
townspeople rushed into the office Of
the town clerk and carried out arms
full Of books and important docu-
ments. The official records of the
/ town We're unharmed Town Clork
Usher was working on one of the
books when he learned of the fire and
placing 1t IN the vault, ne slammed
the door and retreated to the street.
Although not officially summoned.
the Plainville Home Guard went to
the scene and succeeded in carrying
to safety 1000 rounds of ammunition.
which would have created havoc had
| the flames reached it. The Guards
men also rescued their rifles and
. thereafter maintained fire lines, pa
trolling the streets and adjacent
ground and preventing a general in
flux of the public
Among the property carried out Of
the first floor was voting machine.
which was lugged into the yard A
few minutes later a chimney fell on
the box containing the machine. hit
ting squarely. and reducing it to junk.
CHIEF Wins Crowds Applause.
| Chief Edward r. Prior, who recent
ly took command of the Plainville
Hose Co., won the applause Of the
spectators when he climbed a ladder
leaning against the front of the build
ing and rescued a line of hose that
had been put through window. ur-
| gent cries for him to come down were
CONTINUED on Eleventh Pagel