Putnam patriot., 1923-07-13
HEKUIC kESCUE
 IN CENTRAL FIRE
McEvoy and LaFontaine Save Mira. Mary Wilcox When
 Mayors Property Barns
Lo.s About sz .ooo.-L.ek of Win l
 Prevents Bad Blaze

4 fire that might have reduced 8 large part of the business section of Putnam to ashes had it occurred on [ windy night. broke out about 93o Saturday evening. in the third story of a wooden building at 10 Pomfret street. owned by Victor Chapdeiaine.
 The blaze was discovered by Law renee Light, a clerk in Dresser's drug store, and the alarm was pulled In tv Eugene Brousseau of the same store from Box 4i Fortunately there WIS no wind and the firemen confined the flames 10 the upper stories of the building.
 drs. Mary Wilcox. housekeeper for the roouing house for which purpose the second and third floors are used, was unable to get from her room on the third floor by the stairway be- cause of the smoke, and was rescued through the window by Bremen George LaFontaine and Vincent L. McEvoy. The former climbed ths long ladder to the top story. and en- tered the smoke-filled room where Mrs. Wilcox was nearly overcome by the smoke and fright. He succeeded in getting her through the window to the ladder. and with MT. McEyoy's aid she was taken to the ground. An su- tomobile was commsndeered and she was taken to the Day kimball Hos pital, and left there Monday morning none the worse for her exciting ex- perienee.
 Remove Aged Woman
 Mrs. Welch, the ninety-year old mother of the proprietor of the room ing house. was removed by Police Captain William Jarvis from the sec ond floor to the home of friend. She was unaware that there was fire, and thought that she was going to visit her friend.
 The fire apparently started in the room of Everett Thurber, while he was absent, either from lamp or from an oil stove on which he pre- pared his supper, and accidentally left burning, 1t is thought. Practically all of his property was destroyed. The damage to the second floor was mostly from water. The loss to the building will probably not exceed S2,000, en- tirely covered by insurance.
 The building Is owned by Mayor Victor chapdelaine. and is leased by him to J. A. Gagne, who conducts a second hand furniture store on she ground floor. The floors above are let to Henry Weleh. who conducts I rooming house. It is connected in the rear with a wooden barn, now used largely as storehouse.
 Structure In Center of City
 Across a narrow driveway to the west is large wooden block, recent ly purchased from R. H. Bradley by Frank w Russell, and occupied by Russel's restaurant, Samuel Renick's grocery store on the ground floor, and living rooms on the second floor. It is connected on the east side by coy- cred stairway with the White Front. |" wooden building occupied by the Self Service shoe store. the Direct I'm porting Co.,, Joseph Gagne's restaur- ant in the basement. Beauregard < Montville's barber snop. snd Mans fields storage room on the second floor This building Is owned by the NaZaire Peloquin estate. A wooden over-pass connects this White Front block with the brick Wagner block facing Main street, and this has an end-to-end connection with the Rich block, of wood construction. In the event of high wind it would have been easy for the fire to have got out of the control of those who were fight ing it and levelled this wide business area.