The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1932-07-20

Damage estimated at $4,000
was done late last night when a fire
broke out In the Central building
owned by Michael Duke. The fire
was first discovered by Marcel Roy
and Harold Weeks when the lat
ter's light went out In the fruit
store which he conducts in the
building The fire was first dis
covered about 10 O'Clock with a
still alarm being sent into the fire
department who responded with
one truck and a few men. A line
Of hose was laid and at this time
the seriousness Of hte blaze was
discovered with a general alarm
being sent IN which called out the
entire fire department with the
three trucks.
With the general alarm sounding
the alarm for the center of the
village, a large crowd soon gath
cred and due to the heavy clouds
OF smoke which was pouring out
OF the building, a second alarm
was sounded by the Eagle Lock
company calling out It's own de-
partment.
The Terryville FIRE department
laid two lines of hose from the
hydrant located across the street
from the burning building while
the Eagle Lock company depart
ment laid a line of hose from one
of the hydrants In the factory yard
and started their heavy duty pumps
at work. About three hundred
feet of hose was laid by the fac
tory company and they attacked
the fire from the front part Of the
building while the regular flremen
carried their lines Of hose around
to the rear OF. the building.
Heavy clouds of smoke issued
from the building which is oc-
cupied by four stores and three
families. The fire seemed to be
In the cellar with the fremen at
tempting to attack the blaze from
both the front and rear. Thou
sands Of gallons OF water was
poured into the cellar, with the
thick smoke continuing to issue
from all parts OF the building.
The stores on the first floor were
occupied by Harold Weeks, fruit
and vegetable store with the stock
being a complete loss; Marcel Roy.
proprietor OF the Center Drug
store, whose stock was damaged by
smoke; the IGA store and meat
market owned by Michael Duke
and the Center Lunch owned by
Michael Degnan. The second floor
was occupied by the families OF
Walter Il. Mahoney. Nicholas
Torpillo and Walter Drezwlcki.
The flremen were obliged to chop
large holes through the floor Of
the fruit store to get at the seat
OF the blaze which seemed to be
conferred under this store. The
FIRE did not break through into the
drug store or the other stores, al
though the smoke damage to the
drug store and meat market will
be heavy with the damage being
estimated at close to 5000. The
damage to the frufit store will be
about $500. Tho fire broke out
through the partitions Of the build
ing and It was necessary TO attack
this Blaze by chopping large holes
into the side OF the building and
pouring water through the paru-
tons. For q while. It was feared
that the entire building was DOOM
ed, but the heroic work OF the
firemen In battling the blaze
through the heavy smoke kept the
flre from the other parts Of the
building. Michael Duke. owner OF
the building late last night esti-
mated that the damage to the
building will be close 10 $4,000. .
The sounding OF the two general
alarms following the still alarm, at
traGted large crowd OF specta-
tors to the center Of the village
making It necessary ia. erect hre
line 70 keep the crowd back from
the danger. II Ia figured that close
TO 5000 spectators, viewed the nre-
men fighting the blaze. oficer
George Buckley was on duty with
the ,fire police while the other
police were stationed along Main
street handling the heavy trafIic
which came, IN from the neiRhbor-
ing towns, carrying spectators.
TrafIic was routed around the
streets. Trolley pasaengers were
Ing Al he efd Of The line at the
time OF the aounAlng Of the first
darn, Tbe BfistoI. PiainyiIie
Trafnway company was Obliged to
out a., extra trolley On the Terry
vile wi Inc 20 keep their schedule
on time, stif
Much OF the damage 10 The
building was confined 70 the cellar
although lha flames di6 set Into
the partitions on the west end "
the building. The families 81 the
second moor moved oui AZ of their
furniture when Tor while, e 1u-
g,0afAH that fHa aHfIHf building W4f