The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-12-30

West Main and State streets on the evening of December 11th. The loss, according to estimates made by insurance adjustors and fire or ficiaIs, will not exceed $7O,OOO. These facts became known today in the official report of Fire Mar sha1 D. J. Lahey.
 The report includes a descrip.. tion of the building ruined and or adjoining structures that were placed in danger by the flames. The first alarm for the fire was given at 7:13 o'clock and the sec ond at 7:23 o'clock. It was nearly s4 o'clock the following morning before the last company returned to its station from the scene of the kblaze.
 Fire Marshal Lahey's report on the fire, the biggest in this city, in nearly two years, also contains ~criticism of the practice of per Emitting automobiles to be parked ron such a narrow thoroughfare as NState street.
 ' The report follows:
 On Sunday evening, Dec II, 1892, lire broke out in the garage at No. <229 West Main street. a two-story t4bricka and wood structure, owned by Afoysius and Carl Demenske, and occupied by AIS Tire Service and Garage, Inc Aloysius Demenske s.4ras president and treasurer of this 4g0ncern. with Carl Demenske as Hicc-president and Miss Cecelia Demenske as secretary. The com- many was incorporated in January. 1929, at $50,000.00, and the sum kDf $26,600.00 subscribed, employed Ia number tf people at times, and Qsad a weekly payroll of about five lhundred dollars.
 -- Tn or around the building at the -4ime of the fire were Harry J. Wa s<ers, foreman; Michael Quirk and Anthony Rinaldi, Carl Williams, Ind Henry Hoar, employees or help ~ers Of the concern, along with flames Devine of No. 2 Willow sCourt and Thomas Lawlor, Jr, of -s1 Highland avenue, who had just ~tiriven into the place for repairs to the car in which they were rid Ing. The main entrance to the .service floor was by way of West Main St; there were two exists by way of State street, north and south s0nds. Tn the building proper at Sthe southeast corner was an ele- syator of the water hydraulic type. Two gasoline tanks were attached to the garage, one of $50 gal. ca- sDacity, located under the State 1street sidewalk, southeast corner, the other of 1000 gal. capacity, and Iocated under the W. Main street Sidewalk, near State street. The 1uel oil tank was located in front, s1oo, east, under the sidewalk. The fast delivery of gasoline was on Dec. 5, six days before the fire. 400 gal. to the West Main St tank, and POI gal. to the State street . flank. About 300 gal of fuel oil Avas delivered and received Dec z. a932.
 on the first and second floors of the garage at the time the fire Was discovered were total of 28 Automobiles. of all types and des- scription. These were practically destroyed, along with Ford road ster which stood on the west side Of State street, and which could not be pushed out of the way of line flames. It's owner was Carl sMetzger of this city. The efi- matcd loss here to all cars was $10,0O0.00.
 = In addition to the cars, a small Stock room was maintained on the Necond floor, the northeast corner, In which chains, brake parts, com bustion parts, etc, were stored. Scattered about the premises also, fin this part of the building, were About 2,000 tires, as estimated by Mr Waters. These tires were the property of the Goodrich Tire Co. of New York, and the Hood Rub- Der Co of Akron, Ohio, and the estimate of their value was $20,- 100000.
 The first floor was occupied as the office, and service station with the office located on the west side front, and the service equipment inside on the east side. A tire chute to the cellar was on the east side of the first floor front, near the stairway to the basement. Four 50 gal. cylinder oil pumps were installed also near the cellar stair way, as was also one carboy of e1ectrolyte.
 The cellar was in front, the full width of West Main street, with depth only of about 25 feet. It's 0nly entrance proper was by way of the stairway, east side with a 1fatchway near West Main street, on State street. Located in the northeast corner was battery
 
 ing battery charging panel, work bench. two burner gas plate. and lead burning outfit. It's dimen- sions were about 12xl5. The south Side of the battery room was used for the storage of battery cages, and parts, stored on wooden shelves. On the west side was the vnlcanizing department, with sev- eral machines, and a number of good and old tires about. Steel drums containing various cylinder oils, and numerous grease com pounds were gtored along the south side.
 The boiler room or heating unit was on tho east side, just south of the stairway landing and battery room. It was a Capitol Red Top boiler, so called, No B-0-12, made by the U. $. Radiator Corp of De- roit. It was equipped with Hardinge oil burner, at the ash pit, with motor and regulating units extending in front about three feet. The safety controls included low water cut out, pres sure control, stack switch, lock switch, and remote electric control switch, located about five feet west of the boiler.
 Following the fire, as called for by law, the office of the fire mar sfa1 made a complete survey of tiI3 premises. and held hearing, during which mmbers of the con cern and employees and others were duly examined. All of the em- pioyes present at the particular mo- 1nent declared that no explosion preceded the discovery of the fire. Furthermore, there was also the Testimony of two disInterested wit nesses, Nessrs Deyine and Lawlor, that they heard nothing unusual before the flames were noticd.
 Carl Williams, apparently, was aillong the first to notice the fire, q flame bursting out on the east side near the cellar stairway. He fssued 2 cry Of warning to the