The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-01-24

Today am gong to telK apout Q newspaperman who was once Q sailor, and later Q soldier. Ke is William T. Harrington, city edi. tor of The Waterbury Democrat --a member of the Fourth Es- tate who has Q sense of fairness, liveliness and originality. lie was dean of reporters up until two years ago when his employers saw fit to assign him to the im- portant end responsible post he now fills so admirably. He long ago established the reputAtoin of handling his new stories cour. ageouBly, conscientiously and constructively. No other neigh. Dor possesBses c wider knowledge of what is going on in this city.
 William Thomas Harrington, son of James J., and Mary Ellen (Bracken) Burlington, was born right here in Waterbury in the eastern section. Ke received his early education at et. Thomas' parochial school and Crosby high school, before enrolling at the Catholic university at Washing. ton, D. Q. :... Ae had served as on cfrand boy In The Democrat afternoons while Q pupil at St. Thomas school. lie gathered tho mall, rounded up dispatches at the railroad station and per- formed innumerabie other chores. While attending Crosby no worked aS c cub reporter for tho same newspaper. When he enrolled At Catholic university he was obliged naturally, to temporarily aban- don his journalistic career .... Tn 1917, when the United States declared war against Germany, Bill Burlington was one of Q group of students from Catholic univer. gity to enlist with the United States naval reserves. He and his colleagues were sent to tho naval station in the seaport city Of Norfolk, Va. Later ho became Q first class seaman and gunnor's mate with the famous mosquito fleet" which safeguarded Chesa- peak0 Bay, Hampton Roads, Cape Henry, Cape Charles ana other points near tho center or the Atlantic seaboard, from enemy submarines. He saw service on tho U. S. 6. Logonia, under Com- mander Andrews, and also on tho 6. 6. Bulgaria, . former German freighter conflscated by this gov. ernment and later armed and pressed into service. Tho Lssonia was Q yacht converted Into on emergency coast patrol.
 Bill tried unsucCesSfully to Do assigned, to the cruiser, "Cyelop6" which subsequently, disappeared without c trace. The greatest soc mystery, is undoubtedly, the fate of this rugged warrior. ono day the Cyciops put to seq, never to return. She sent no message though she was equipped with wireless. No body, nor any portion of wreckage was ever found. The missing ship may have been struck by Q torpedo; it may have colllded with Q mine, or it may have been overwhelmed by the weather, raging seas, or sunk by some other catastrophe mo ono knows, and no one Will ever know the solution of It's myS- '',HI' pilI FarrinSton aSrT escaped that fate but had the misfortune, how ever, to later break one arm and badly sprain the other, necessitat. ing his remaining in the naval hospital at Norfolk tor ib weeks. While he was convalescing an epidemic of polioimyelitis, or inc fantile paralysis, descended upon the hospitatl causing Q general quarantine |. Bill was sent home in December. 1917. but by February, two months later, had joined the army. He was sta- tioned at Fort Glocufn one month, and then sent back here to serve on Draft Board No. 2 under the late Thomas B. Jackson 7. It was then that Bill met Miss May Fitzpatrick who served as secretary of Draft Board No. l. Dan Cupid displayed his usual ex- pert marksmanship and the wsSi- ding bells soon rang out announce ing the wedding of Bill and May. Today they have three charming children: William T. Jr., il: James F. 9; and Ann Marie. two years old. ... Bil returned to The Democrat as re- porter following the signing Of the armistice and served in that capacity until his promotion to the city desk as successor Co Martin scully. beloved neiehb0r who passed away year ago.
 He weighs i60 pounds and is five feet. seven inches in height, with blue eyes and brown hair. Ne enjoys ell outdoor sports. Musl-