New Britain herald., 1927-05-26
North End of City in Ferment as Incen- diary is Suspected of Applying Torch to Two Buildings.
Evidence of Forcible En. trance at Printing Plant Where Fire Is Found on Two Floors.
NUNS RISK LIVES
 TO RESCUE STOCK

! While the entire city Is alive with
 rumor and speculation, and the so-
 called Polish district in the north.
 western section is in a turmoil of grief. excitement and suspicion. the
 police are conducting an investiga- tion into two early morning fires that did damage estimated at $40,- 900 by Chief w. J. Noble of the fro department, in whose opinion tho
 blaze at the printing establishment of the Polish Orphanage at ATS North Burritt street was incendiary,
 and that at the large barn a few hundred feet from the orphanage
 very suspicious" Chief Noble re-
 ported his suspicious to the police department, and in statement afterwards declared that two sep- arate fires were set in the printing ! plant. and he believes the fire in the barn was also the work of an incendiary.
 May Be School Firebug On every street corner in tho
 northwestern section the fires arc l the principal topic of conversation. Excited groups were gathered in tho stores, homes and business places, as every phase of the destructive visit of the flames was gone into. That the guilty person or persons also started the fire that did damage of $1S,565 in the Sacred Heart of Jesus parochial school December 21, 1928
 was freely stated. but Rev Lucyan i Bojnowski, pastor of the parish and i director of the various undertakings 1 that have characterized the growth
 and progress of the Polish section
 of the city in the past decade, mere- 1 ly shrugged his shoulders and with
 characteristic resignation, asked Who knows?"
 Radical Element Accused Various theories were advanced by
 residents of the section which for
 the past several months has been shaken by internal dissension in the
 parish. Staunch supporters of Father BojnowsA did not hesitate to state
 today that the dissatisfied element,
 or at least the more radical mem.
 bers of this group. were directly re- sponsible for the incendiarism. while
 others declared it to be the work of fanatic or a demented person.
 Printing Plant Broken Into
 The printing establishment was
 broken into by forcing the rear
 door, it is believed, and two fires
 were set, according to Chief Noble. The building is three stories in
 height. the outer walls being of
 brick and concrete construction, while the interior is of wood, with the exception of the walls. The third floor is an open attic and is seldom
 used. On the first floor are the press , room, composing room, offices and similar rooms, while the second floor contains a considerable amount
 of paper, books and like articles. There are front and rear stairs to the upper stories.
 Dog Arouses Neighbor Shortly before o'clock this
 morning, Mrs. Stanislaus Sztaba of 494 North Burritt street, who lives just north of the printing plant, with street between the properties, was awakened by the loud and insistent barking of her dog. Looking out to d .termine the cause of the animals actions. she saw smoke pouring out of the building, the flames inside. A telephone call was sent from her home to Co. Mo- 4 of the fire depart- ment, and immediately on arrival of the firemen at 2:04 o'clock the seri- ousness of the fire was noted and an alarm was sent in from Box SS. which is nearby.
 Supernumerary Officer James Noonan was near the fire house when the telephone call was re. ceived and he rode to the fire. Run- ming to the rear of the building. he seized the handle on the door and with a single pull. opened it. Tho smoke pouring out was suffocating. The composing room, directly inside the rear door on the first floor, was mass of flames, which spread to the ceiling and licked at the walls with a roar that could be heard throughout the neighborhood. Lead type was melted and ran like water. so intense was the heat.
 Fire on Second Floor
 On the second floor. another fro was discovered and here. too. the smoke was dense and the heat ale most unbearable. Chief Noble, who responded on the bell alarm with Co. No. and No. :: ladder company. is positive, he said today. that there was no connection between the. two fires in the sense that one was caused by the other. There is 16 inch brick wall in the rear part of the building and the room on tho second floor directly above the com- posing room was burned only slight- ly, while the room on the opposite side of the wall was blazing fiercely. The theory is that the fires were lighted simultaneously. The sec. ond story blaze destroyed hundreds of printed books, besides gutting tho shelving, the floors. walls and cell. ing.
 The presses and other machinery