Norwich bulletin., 1918-11-23
MARTIN T., BURNS Funeral Director and
 EmbaImer
 DANiELsoN, CONN.
 Telephone te3-12
PUTNAM

FO 1NAM
 The French River inn at Mechanics vile was damaged by fire, smoke and water Friday morning. Just after 10 o'clock an out of town alarm eall- led out the chemical corlpany at the headQuarter's station. This company got away within two minutes after the alarm sounded, and the word was tquiekly passed about that the fire was at the French River inn.
 Arrived at the fire, the members of the Putnam department found smoke Ipouring out of the windows and a general hustling going on by boarders to remove their possessions from the threatened building. Tho fire was quickly brought under control, but it | was nearly ;tn hour before it was fi- nally. extinguished. Meanwhile the home like inn had been temporarily ruined as habitable quarters. The 1 fire had ragged on the seennG floor of the two and a half story huilding. The exterior of the building did not show Iany great amount of damage after the l fire had been put out, but the interior was eonsidera bIe of a wreck
 The loss by the fire is estimated at about $5,000. Water was poured into | the threatened structure from a i1y-, drant system that has long been es- tahlfshed in the building. Tbc Putnam 1 firemen did good work in subduing the | fire. One length of their hose burst 1 while they were at work. but this in- terfered with their efforts in only small I degree, though it reduced the fight ing pressure on that particular line. It is considered that a defective chimney flue was responsible for the 1 fire, which was discovered by the cook at the inn. The alarm, inmedi- ately sounded. brought ouf the village | fire fighters, these being supplemented later in their work by the Putnam l fremen Miss Ellen Kingsley, who has l lived at the inn since it vas opened, went to her room on the second floor ] to get some aluable papers Upon at l tempting to make her way out of the building she found the hallway into which her room opened flied with fire 1 and smoke. so she had to be taken 1 ott through a window of her room and down a ladder to safety. l Boarders were quickly Ht work try l ing to save their belongings and after l the fire had been burning for a few minutes lawns all about the burning l inn were strewn with trunks, beds, bedding and other furnishings. The boarders' possessions were in many cases considerably unused up, but the losses were not great.
 The inn iaas been maintained for a number of years by the French River Textile company which operat- es a big worsted plant in the village 1 and manufactures a high grade pro- duet The inn was ideal in many ways and made m exceptionally pleasant and finely eq;iipped workers home for temploYes of the company.
 l While no definite statement was
 forthcoming Friday it was the inn
 nression that the inn will be restored by the company. The fire loss, it is understood, is at least partly covered
 by insurance.
 Orders have been received by the To- cal board to close and seal all rec l lords of the selective service in this division by December 10. The orders direct that the records shall be placed in the cabinets provided by the gov
 errment and that each cabinet shall be sealed by nr. J. B. Kent, chairman of the board. These records are to be kept inviolate and after the date men tioned shall not, in any degree or par , ticular, be subject to examination by } anyone excepting members of the board and authorized members of the clerical staff. This is in accordance with the orders to the board, as tc
 al lther local boards, by Provost Mar
 shal General Crowder.
 5 On these records much will depend when insurance and pension claims
 come to be considered at the close oi the war and thereafter. The records 2 also continue the best available rec ord of the districts mar power ant . much of value otherwise to the gov
 ernment. Many things concerning eacl registrant are set in considerable de. d tail ip the Guestionnaires and here S after no one except those mentioned will be permitted to examine these re. k lords excepting upon written order O : the governor of the state o- on a sim e liar written order of the provost mar Il shal general.
 The records also will be tbe basis O s many important phases Of the histor, : Iof the war. These records, in the ligh . of today, have become excee dinglv i'm : portant, so. their safety is being hedg,
 led about with every possible safe,
 guard.
 Word was received here Frida,
 morning of the death a. Middletowl
 of Mrs. F. W. Barber, wife of a rura
 superintendent of schools, insurround
 ing towns. who made his home herr
 for several years. Mrs. Barber hat
 been i'll with influenza and pneumo
 I HAd- 1FS- 1PdI per 5 uedlH occuTfeu O1
 Thursday afternoon.
 II Friday afternoon at 1.3c .s,e Eunera
 of William Smith was held from hi
 home on .Chapel street, with servicei
 lconducted by Rev. 6. c. g. Mckay a
 the Baptist church. The service wa
 attended f,by a large delegation o
 members of Israel Putnam lodge o Odd Fellows of which fEe deceased Twas noble grand Burial was in Groy, t Street cemetery.
 Mrs. Horace Steefe, 74 died of in
 tfiuenza, at her home in Fabyans II
 the town of Thompson Mrs. Steere ii
 lone of the few persons of advanees