Norwich bulletin., 1918-10-05
PUTNAM

ing ffludy as nlBn as $0u,uVu. IHe1 chief damage is to the dry goods stock of the B. G. Bugbee store, the largest mercantile establishment in the city.
 The fire, which broke out at mid night, damaged the building occupied entirely by the Bugbee store and the adjoining brick building known as the court house block. The heat inside the Bugbee store was so terrific as to cause the plate glass in the big show windows on the Elm street side to crack in many places.
 Though the loss is one of the most severe that has occurred in any fire in this city since the conhagration at the Wheaton Building and Lumber Company's plant and adjoining pro- perties a few years ago, it claimed special public attention because of the fact that there is very strong sus- pici/h that the fire was of incendiary origin and on Friday two young men were being held at the police station that they might be questioned as to what they may be able to tell about the fire. It was understood Friday aft ernoon that no charges had been filed against them, nor was it admitted by officials that they had obtained any in- formation from them that might help in fixing the responsibility for the fire. The fire that damaged the Bugbee building and the Courthouse block was discovered by Irving H. Miron, chief clerk of the local board who was at work in the local board office at Torrey and Geissler's when he heard an alarm ring in for a fire in the rear of the Mullan building on Main street | Running out to see this fire, he dis | covered smoke pouring out from be- | hind the Courthouse block on Elm street and saw the glare of flames. | Runnin~ in an alley way between the Courthouse block and the build l ing occupied by the A. and P. store, Mir Miren. who had been joined by Fred Bruce. found a pile of boxes | heaped near the rear entrance, to the 1 Bugbee store blazing. Mir Miron said l Friday that if he had had a fire ex- 1 tinguisher at that moment he could have, very probably put the blaze un- ! der control or extinguished it entire | ly. He and MT, Bruce tried frantic
 ally to force the rear door of the Pro- | gross confectionery store in the Court | house building to get water they knew | was there, but without avail.
 l The firernen responded promptly | but the fire spread with such rapidity | that it gained big headway before the | fight against it began and heavy
 damage was caused the Bugbee store | before the fire was put out.
 The fire department worked valiant | ly and successfully against blaze that l threatened a real disaster to Putnam
 and were it not for the damage to the
 large and very valuable stock in the i Bugbee store the loss in other ways | would not have been exceedingly | heavy.
 Several young wonfen who have
 apartments in the Bradley Theatre
 building had to be aroused before they
 learned of the fire, but all of then
 escaped without injury.
 As the fire gained headway it att
 through the walls of the Bugbet
 store building and began to sweel
 the interior when the fight against i
 was commenced by the department ) Thousands of gallons of water wer
 poured into the store from stream
 that led in from Elm street and iron Front street and down from the roo1
 At the same time the fire swept up ward under the everhang of the Court
 house block into the superior cour
 room. The fire was quickly checke in it's sweep to engulf this building 8 but before it was controlled the flame 7 had eaten through the floor in iron , of the bench and had damaged tha corner of the courtroom in which i f the fireplace and prisoners pen, tn
 room reserved for the judge and ha
 eauesed some damage in the jur l room.
 n The law library, in the next larg r room adjoining escaped with barely f trace of injury and the big law hbrar is intact and undamagec.
 Tenants-business places-on tn |. street floor of the Courthouse bloc ' had their stocks damaged in greate !, 2 or lesser degree, chiefly from smoh but the M. J. Lynch stores stock wa
 not injured in any way.
 On the Front street side the stoe in the store of Mark Wilson. cigar confectionery, magazines, etc, wa U damaged to the extent of about s1, ,O0 Giraca's fruit store, Courthous
 block, had some damage from smok :. as had the Progress Confectioner s store, adjoining.
 The belief that the fire was of in T cendiary origin seems to stand on fir e ground, for it was within a few min > utes after the alarm came in for u Q fire in rubbish in the rear of the Mu
 Ian building that the other fire Ws - 'diseovered and started under much tf Il same conditions as the Mullan fire. l. It is possible, it was said Friday af
 
 :, underway may bring forth startlir II announcements as to incendriasI Il { Putnam has had series of bad fire
 all in the central section of the buI y mess district, within the past thrl e or four months, and it is not thougl -s likely that all occurred in what migl y be termed legitimate ways
 'f Insurance will reimburse to some e y tent persons who lost in the big ii
 that almost was an exclusive topic s conversation here Friday, but the n l. loss will not be inconsiderable
 d Though the name of John Edwal IS O'Claire, North Grosvenerdale, al y peared in the official casualty lis $ published Friday as having been s e verely wounded in action in Franc '- it is thought by some here that the 'o is an outside chance that this refe
 to the wounds he received in actit " some time ago. and about which l Ie has written to his relatives in u is nearby town. It is known that, in if great many instances the names in tl Ie casualty lists are of those injure is weeks before, and it is hoped that tn
 will prove in O'Claires case, for 1 '. is not only entitled to all the sympatf l. that naturally goes out to woundt le lover there" but also because he h; le made a splendid record as a fightir h man and has figured in some hai
 raising experiences operating wi if raiding parties at night in No Man "a Land His letters home have been il ,- tensely interesting.
 J. The teachers of the Putnam Hic ,e school and Staate Trade shop, with IF few friends gathered at the His