The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-12-19
..NIain Street.,, Continued.

"Main Street." Continued.
 Below Bulls Head, at the interseC- ton of Main street and North Wash ington avenue, are still standing the homes once occupied by Sturges Beers Oscar ChamberIin, William Lowe, By ron Worsley, Elam Nichols, and Tom" Barstow. All these homes are on the east side of Ma;n street.
 Sturges Beers was the father of Sturges Beers, the veteran pawn broker, of the sadly-missed firm of Beers and Devoe. After the death of MT. Beers, the firm was continued under Peck and Devote, and when "Pud'' Peck died, his brother, Charles. took the business, which he still con ducts on Middle street.
 Oscar Chamberlin served in the Civil war and died a few years later. Elam Nichols owned the long wooden tenement block, in~which he also lived, and which is still standing. Will Ham Lowe was of the firm of Lowe atd Watson boiler makers. and Tom , Earstow was a stage driver in the old days when the route from Bridgeport EoNew York went over the King S highway. A description of this cele- ,-bFafed stage coach driver would be foo lengthy to recount here, but will appear later on.
 Opposite the foregoing row of houses was the residence of Daniel H. Sterling, the war mayor of Bridge port The grounds surrounding the house were triangular in area and eX- tended from Bulls Head up Wash 
 street, then down that street and from Bulls Head down Main street to meet sin each direction, encircing the homes of Captain Bronson Hawley and his the perfect triangle of the Sterling property was cut into by these two Hawley lots.
 Pile of Stones Is Left
 After the death of MT. Sterling, the house was razed and Catherine street cut through from East Washington avenue to Harral avenue. A large proportion of the Sterling estate is The only thing to denote the loca- ton of the old homestead is a pile of cut stone which was once the steps leading up to the large porch. These stones can be plainly seen from Main street.
 Captain Bronson Hawley in early life was a master of clipper ships piled to Liverpool, Australia ana
 1 After a successful service at
 . the captain built his home and sF became a partner in the carriage nrnl of Jacob Mott and company, on State street. He constantly applied nauS- cal terms to the coaches built by his firm The drivers seat was the bow; the rear end, the stern the pole, the "tiller," and the roof the main deck" He was the father Of Edgar, Susan. Rebecca, Frederick, William. Frank and Alexander
 Frederick was president of the PeTCh of Susan Hawley Davis and William C. HawIey of Davis and Hawley. Al exander married Susan only daughter Us George E. Waller, president Of the City National bank They were the parents of Samuel Hawley, now presi- dent of the Bridgeport Savings bank
 Franklin street runs east rom Washington avenue. to end on Main street directly opposite what was then the front door of the residence of Captain Daniel Sterling father Of Daniel H. His house stood in the center of the square where now stands the Fourth Regiment armOry.
 "SeaHorthy" Lane Cut Through.
 Originally, Franklin street was nothing more than a dead lane from Main street. running back about three hundred feet to a fence of split rails The two old sea captains living across from each other-Captains Sterling and Hawley-frequently met as neigh bors and Swapped many red-hot sea yarn. Once they discussed whether 1t would be a navigahle idea to run a clear Course for Franklin lane west by west two points to the south west and remove the breakwater rail fence. As Captain Sterling own ed the land back of the dead end of the lane he decided to 'cast away" \course. up to the top of the hill And khat is how Franklin street was 'Saunched."
 N'Way back in 1886 there were no
 
 square on the east side of Main street, unth HubbelTs lane was reached. There was the home of Sherwood F. Strattpn- father of Tom '.Thumb' and where the midget was born; also the city fire department, and father of home of F. r. Beardsley, chief of the assistant chief c. F. Beardsley of the present fire department.
 The writer of these lines had a real affection for the older fire chef be- cause of a story the chief once told him. This is it:
 When F. P was a little boy, he was playing on the bank of the cu1- vert. the water of which extended from, HubbeEs lane northward to was old No. 2,s, a hand-pump fire en- members of the company. D. H. Sterling. father of the writer. and captain of No. 2's. was holding the nozzle of the hose and urging the members to exert all their energy to show how far a stream of water could be sent
 Kid Gets Soaking.
 Said Chief Beardsb=y: " our father was a young fellow. full of fun. He shouted to the firemen: 'Whoop it up, boys, and see if we cant hit that kid down on Hubben's lanei' They did, alright I got SOAK ing wet and ran into the house cry ing for my mother to dry me. That's how your father treased me. and determined to Erow up and be a fire