New Britain herald., 1927-08-23
S5,000 FIRE LOSS
 IN BRISTOL BLAZE
General Alarm Brings Dept. to
 Grain Co. Building
THEATER LOSES AUDIENCE
Woman Who Sold HooCh to Police man Fined S200-Boys Rounded Up For Stealing Athletic Supplies -Reckless Driver Held.

Fire, which broke out in the grain elevators of the Bristol Grain and Supply Go. at 172 North Main street after o'clock last evening. result ed in the sounding Of the first gen. eral alarm in the city in several
 months. The fire. which started
 from a cause as yet undetermined in small shed located on the north of the building, rapidly spread to the rear of the main building.
 At the first alarm. Squad A and Engine Companies Nos. l and 2 re-
 sponded When Chief John H Hayes
 saw that the blaze had gained too much headway to be extinguished with chemicals, three lines of hose were laid and the streams poured into the flaming piles of hay. The smoke after few minutes became so dense that firemen were able to stay inside the building only for a few minutes and seeing that more
 men would be required, Chief Hayes sounded a general alarm. Welch
 Fire company and number of members of the volunteer depart ment responded and the men were relieved at short intervals
 Captain Morgan c. Farrell Lieu tenant Bernard Fitzsimmons, Fire man Frank Roberts and Volunteer Fireman Howard OLeary, all of En- zine Co. No. 1. were overcome by smoke but recovered after a short time in the open air. Lieut.. Fitz- simmons, however, was in serious condition for some time and was obliged to go to his home.
 The loss was roughly estimated today at sS5.00o. Walter E. Wood. secretary of the Bristol Grain and Supply Co.,. stated last evening that the total value of the stock was sS5,o0o.
 After two hours of hard fighting. the fremen succeeded in restricting the flames to the rear section in which five cars of balsd hay were stored. together with considerable amount of grain. The company was doing business today in the front end of the building.
 The building. in which the com- pany is located was erected more than 30 years ago by the late Otto Strung, who conducted feed mill on the first floor. The second floor was occupied by the Y. NJ. T. A. & B. society number Of years ago. At present there are three floors, each of which is. filled with numer- ous chutes and passageways which made the ire-tighting an extremely hazardous undertaking. The top floor is reached by small ladder located inside of the elevator pit.
 When the fire appeared to be spreading to adjoining buildings, State Policeman Herbert Cleveland and Policemen James Burns and Dewey Carpenter called on Daniel Peters, proprietor of the Bristol theater, located just south of the mill, and advised him to clear the i theater. This was done, the crowd 1; leaving in an orderly manner. The ! Bristol theater was the scene of a | fire early in the year and was prac- ! tically destroyed at that time.
 Although the fire was under con- troll at about 10:30 p. m. it was nec- ! essary for tremen to throw water | into the building until 10 o'clock l this morning. Six streams were i used continuously until midnight, {, four streams from midnight to a. i m, two streams from to a. m. | and one stream from that time on.
 The Bristol Grain and Supply Co. | has been existence for several years. , Lester W. Goodsell is president; | Richard H. Beamish. vice-president | and treasurer and Walter F. Wood, ! secretary. Mir. Beamish Is on his vacation and was not notified of the ! fire.
 Released Brakes on Cars
 A number of boys. who watched | the fire from the top of a string of | box cars on the siding in the rear of the Bristol Grain and Supply Co. building, released the hand brakes on the cars, which started to roll down the incline toward the main inc. They came to an abrupt stop, however after travelling a distance ,f about 50 feet when they crashed nto a number of freight cars on the over end of the siding.
 Crowds Hinder Bremen
 In spite of tfe fact that specta-