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July 2021
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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WEATHER VANE RESTAURANT
"Spectacular!" That word is often overused by news media to describe big fires. But when the Weather Vane Restaurant burned to the ground fifty years ago this week it was indeed one of the most spectacular Hamden fires of the post-WWII era. Below is an updated version of an article originally published here five years ago on the 45th anniversary of the blaze.
Revised and re-posted 12/5/14
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Weather Vane Restaurant
4137 Whitney Avenue
Monday, December 7, 1964
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| Weather Vane interiors (Courtesy of Mary Jane McGaffin) |
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Winter 1964-65 was a memorable period for the Hamden Fire Department. Fires would destroy two important Hamden restaurants in December and one radio station in late January. The first occurred on the first Monday of December.
Since 1936, the Weather Vane Restaurant had occupied the rambling 50-year old wood-frame building at 4137 Whitney Avenue, once known as the old Mount Carmel Inn. Twenty-eight years later, on the morning of December 7, 1964, the well-known Hamden landmark was destroyed in a spectacular fire that was believed to have started in the kitchen. The two young daughters of owner Claire DeMaio barely escaped with their lives as they scrambled onto a porch roof to escape the flames that prevented them from exiting their second floor bedroom.
The old Second Platoon, commanded by Deputy Chief Everett Doherty, had just come on duty for the day shift. Recruit firefighters Ed Doiron, Charlie Carlson, and Harold Mangler, who started on the job only two weeks earlier, were still in training with Deputy Chief Training Officer Dan Hume in the basement of Fire Headquarters.
Retired Battalion Chief Gil Spencer was a firefighter at Headquarters assigned to Engine 4 with Lt. Bill Hines and driver Johnny Hoffman. Firefighters Milner Benham and Paul Reutenauer were on Rescue 2, which was stationed at Headquarters in those days. Chief V. Paul Leddy and Marshal Al Purce shared a tiny office at the top of the stairs on the second floor on the north end of the Town Hall, almost where the present Chief’s Office is located.
Gil recalls that right after he reported to work that morning he was delegated to drive Chief Leddy's 1962 Rambler, Car 40, to the Shop to be gassed up and cleaned off after the snowfall the night before. Gil loaded his bunker gear into the Chief's car and headed off to the Shop as the rest of the guys at Headquarters and all the other stations began their morning chores.
The morning routines were suddenly interrupted at 8:40. The alert gong clanged once in all stations, followed by about five seconds of ringing bells. Dispatcher Wilbur Baker’s voice boomed over the station PA systems, "Engine 5, Engine 4, Rescue 2 and Ladder 1, respond on a reported building fire at the Weather Vane Restaurant." No address was necessary. Everyone on the department was familiar with the Weather Vane.
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| Dep. Chief Everett Doherty |
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Gil Spencer parked Chief Leddy’s car by the gasoline pump at the Shop in back of Station 2. Starting his rounds in Car 30, Deputy Chief Doherty had just arrived Station 2 as Baker was dispatching the call. “You come with me,” Doherty barked to Spencer, who grabbed his gear from Car 40 for the long ride north with Doherty to the fire scene.
Gil vividly recalled riding with his shift commander in Car 30. Doherty proceeded cautiously up Circular to Cherry Hill – “the fire will still be there when we get there” - then up Benham to Mix, over to Shepard, and out to Whitney.
A “Plectron” radio system for alerting the volunteers, purchased the year before, allowed Dispatcher Baker to “tone out” the volunteers of Co. 5. The late Jim Mathis was then an 18-year old volunteer firefighter from Mt. Carmel. Retired Deputy Chief Clark Hurlburt always remembered Jim’s recollection of Engine 5’s first radio transmission when arriving at the Weather Vane. "Looks like a good 10-8!"
A seventeen-year old future Hamden firefighter was waiting for the Waterbury bus at the corner of Whitney and Carmel as what seemed like a caravan of fire apparatus flew by. Something big must be going on, he thought.
The Drillmaster was not assigned a department vehicle at that time, but Dep. Chief Hume and his three recruits got to the Weather Vane somehow. Ed Doiron does not recall just how they got there. But they all piled into someone's car, probably Hume's personal car, and off they went.
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With Car 40 still at the Shop, the Chief had to bum a ride with Marshal Purce in Car 41, a red and white 1957 Ford. As Leddy and Purce approached the Big-Y just north of Sherman Avenue they observed the enormous column of black smoke. The Chief called for a second alarm. Engine 3 and Rescue 1 from Putnam Avenue and Engine 2 from Circular Avenue were dispatched to the scene.
A major problem for firefighters was that the fire had a good head start before it was reported. This was evidenced by the fact that the two DeMaio sisters only discovered the fire as the onrush of flames impinged on their second floor bedroom. Fire Marshal Al Purce was later quoted as saying that in his nearly forty years in the fire service "I have never seen a building so full of fire so quickly."
Another problem faced by firefighters were the subfreezing temperatures that immediately created icing hazards all over the fire scene.
The green CR&L Waterbury bus stopped at Whitney and Carmel. The seventeen-year old future Hamden firefighter got aboard and dropped his dime and quarter into the coin receptacle. His daily trip to work in Cheshire usually took about twenty minutes. A slight detour a few miles further up the road would lengthen this day’s commute.
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| Car 30 - 1961 Ford Sedan |
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Deputy Chief Doherty and Spencer finally navigated their way to the scene in the white 1961 Ford sedan that was Car 30. When the two men pulled into the Weather Vane parking lot Chief Leddy was standing there with hands on hips. “Where’s my car?”
Spencer emerged from Car 30 with his gear, "It's still at the Shop, Chief."
Leddy was not amused. His own gear was still in the trunk of Car 40. The Chief then ordered someone from the Shop to drive his car to the fire scene.
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| Ladder 1 |
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Firefighter and future battalion chief Tom Doherty, son of the Deputy Chief and a four-year veteran of the department, was off-duty. Just leaving Liggett’s Drug Store at the Hamden Plaza, Tom heard the deep unmistakable wail of a Federal siren approaching. Engine 2 was barreling north up Dixwell Avenue, well out of its first alarm territory.
His hand over his brow, Tom looked toward Centerville. Nothing. Turning further north, there it was. An enormous black cloud billowed skyward.
The younger Doherty drove straight to Headquarters, where he was stationed on the 1st Platoon. He parked on the ramp in front of Engine 4's vacant bay and ran to the alarm room. "It’s the Weather Vane!" said Baker, and "it's going good.” Tom grabbed his bunker gear and took off north. He remembers that when he arrived at the fire scene the flames were at about the same magnitude as in the well-known Tom Pettis color photo that graced the cover of the Sunday Register supplement a few weeks later.
Gil Spencer recalled that Firefighters Dave Howe and Fred Fletcher manned Engine 5, which was at the hydrant near the front of the building. Engine 4 was in the parking area near the south side of the main building – it can be seen there in the 8mm home movie that is linked from this website. Firefighters Frank Eitler and Bernie Early of Ladder 1 were ordered to set up the ladder pipe on the north side of the building.
Traffic on Whitney Avenue backed up quickly. Nearing the Connecticut Donut Co., the Waterbury bus slowed to a crawl. As it inched its way around the curve just past River Road the entire conflagration came into full view of the passengers.
The future Hamden firefighter was sitting on the right-hand side of the bus. "The radiant heat could be felt by everyone on the bus,” recalled the now-retired firefighter, “Flames were coming from almost every window, leaping forty to fifty feet above the roof. It was a staggering sight, and a sad one, to see that grand old landmark go up like that."
All northbound traffic was rerouted up Brooksvale Avenue and back out to Route 10 via Mount Sanford Road.
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| Lt. William Hines |
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The second alarm brought two more engines and the second rescue to the scene. Capt. Bob O’Donnell, Firefighters Art Smith and Paul Wetmore [Sr.] responded on Engine 2. John O'Hare recalls that he drove Engine 3 with Lt. Dan O’Connell and Firefighters Art Heriot and Ben Mikolinski. O'Hare also recalled that John Tramontano and Charlie Esposito responded on Rescue 1, then stationed at Putnam Avenue with Engine 3.
Since Engine 4 was one man short, Gil Spencer suggested that Lt. Hines was probably alone in the kitchen on his belly with an 1½” line. The only other guy on Engine 4 that day was driver Johnny Hoffman, who was operating the pump.
Lt. Bill Hines was no stranger to danger. The Weather Vane was a piece of cake compared to what Bill experienced on that date twenty-three years earlier, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Bill Hines was in the United States Army, stationed at Schofield Barracks adjacent to Hickam Field.
The Weather Vane fire made significant headway well before the first piece arrived. Numerous interior partitions had made it very difficult to reach the seat of the fire. It was obvious that as the fire progressed it was going to be a surround and drown operation. Chief Leddy ordered everyone out of the main building.
Spencer and fellow firefighters were on 2½” lines outside, but making little progress. They eventually got permission from the brass to use the deck gun atop Engine 4, the same deck gun that was once on the 1938 Diamond T squad. Once in operation, the deck gun was probably delivering about 600 GPM.
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| 50 Years later the old Weather Vane cocktail lounge is now DeMil's. |
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Tom Doherty spent the rest of the day at the Weather Vane. He was with a crew that did its best to save the cocktail lounge, south and rear of the main building. They were successful. The cocktail lounge was only the unburned portion of the restaurant. In 1966, the Weather Vane reopened in that portion of the building, which still stands today as part of DeMil’s Restaurant.
A pumper with a crew remained all night at the Weather Vane on fire watch, to catch small fires that developed from within the devastation.
Spencer and many other members of his platoon were back the next day to continue the fire watch. A state inspector was also there to ensure that the bottled alcoholic beverages were destroyed.
It was a miracle that Claire DeMaio’s two daughters got out of the blazing building alive. Sadly, some irreplaceable artwork by Mrs. DeMaio’s late husband and world-renowned artist, Salvatore DeMaio, was lost forever. Estimates of the loss of the building and contents were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. And that was fifty years ago!
Contemporary newspaper accounts of the fire acknowledged that a delay in reporting the fire was probably responsible for the building being so well involved when the first fire apparatus arrived. Chief Leddy reported that the first call to reach the fire department came from “an unidentified man at 8:40 a.m.”
The New Haven Register reported that “a hysterical woman, also unidentified, reportedly called the police department 5 or 10 minutes earlier, but only said there was a fire in Mount Carmel.”
The Register also reported that fire officials said that fire apparatus responded very quickly, “but that first report [of the fire] may have been delayed because passersby and neighbors felt that someone else had already called.”
The Weather Vane’s main building was never rebuilt on the footprint of the original building. Apparently a snafu resulting from the delay of more than a year prevented the “grandfathering” of new construction as close to Route 10 as the original building was situated.
The Weather Vane was one of the most memorable fires in the annals of the Hamden Fire Department. But Tom Doherty remembers that day for another reason. It was his birthday. (First Pearl Harbor, now this!) Hard to believe, but at the time Tom was still in his twenties!
Eddy Doiron recalls that Harold Mangler, Charlie Carlson and he received plenty of on the job training during their first few weeks on the job. Only seven days after the Weather Vane fire, they responded with Dep. Chief Hume to a man trapped in a caved-in trench on Skiff Street. Regular fire crews along with the three new recruits received commendations for their valiant and successful efforts to save the man.
Eighteen days after the Weather Vane, on a balmy 70-degree Christmas Day, the department fought its next major blaze. More on that one as we get closer to Christmas of 2014.
Revised and re-posted 12/5/14
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The author wishes to thank and acknowledge B/C Tom Doherty, Ff. Ed Doiron, D/C Clark Hurlburt, Ff. Ben Mikolinski, Ff. John O'Hare, B/C Gilbert Spencer and Chief Paul Wetmore, Sr. for their assistance in the preparation of this article.
Eleven individuals at the Weather Vane fire fifty years ago are still with us today: Milner Benham, Charles Carlson, Tom Doherty, Ed Doiron, Harold Mangler, Ben Mikolinski, John O'Hare, Gilbert Spencer, John Tramontano, Paul Wetmore, Sr. and the author, who will never forget the bus ride.
12/5/2014
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| Weather Vane Restaurant - December 7, 1964 (Photo by Joseph Pettits, © 1964 - New Haven Register) |
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| A civilian, Hamden firefighter and Johnny Murray (Murray's Ambulance Service) help stretch a 2-1/2" line toward the north end of the building. (I.A. Sneiderman photo courtesy of Brian Leddy) |
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| (Photo credited to Mongillo Studio, 52 Crown Street, New Haven) |
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| This photo by John Mongillo, Jr. appeared on the front page of the New Haven Register the next day, with the following caption "Requiem for a well-loved inn. Blackened bones of Weather Vane." |
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Weather Vane Restaurant Fire
Monday, December 7, 1964
Gil Spencer has provided an 8mm home movie, taken by his uncle, Harold Spencer of Hamden, of the December 1964 fire that destroyed the Weather Vane Restaurant. The Weather Vane was a well known landmark that stood just past Brooksvale Avenue on the east side of Whitney Avenue.
The movie has been digitally transcribed and is now available on YouTube. Click on the photo at right to watch the YouTube video.
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| CLICK photo to view video (Photo by Joseph Pettis) |
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In conjunction with Fire Fighter I certification for all Hamden career and volunteer personnel, the Wallingford Fire Department kindly offered the use of their training tower and smoke house for several months. The first of these live fire training sessions for career personnel took place on Saturday, December 8, 1984. The occasion was also marked the maiden voyage for one of two of Hamden's new Pierce Dash 1000 GPM pumpers, delivered only two weeks earlier. It was placed in service as Engine 2 the week after this training session. The other Pierce Dash pumper went in service at the start of the New Year.
Under the auspices of the Connecticut Fire School, Hamden's training officer was assisted by Naugutuck Lieut. Kerry Flaherty, who would eventually lead that department. More photos of this first live fire training session, all taken by Chief John Tramontano, may be viewed by clicking on the photo below this one.
Posted 12/5/14
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| Photo by John Tramontano |
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| From the 1996-97 Town Report, soon-to-be Lieut. Jim Dunlop during one of many fire station visits by local school kids. |
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2014
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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Friday, December 12 - This morning the town hall rotunda was once again the scene of the swearing in of three newly-promoted Hamden Fire Department officers. Twelve-year veteran Brian Dolan was sworn in as Hamden's seventh fire marshal since the position was created in 1944. He succeeds Dennis Harrison, who retired two weeks ago. Marshal Dolan served previously as Deputy Fire Marshal. Chief David Berardesca praised Dolan for his dedication through the years.
Lieutenant Dan Such and Lieutenant Richard Lennon, with nine and seven years' service respectively, were sworn in with Marshal Dolan. They will fill vacancies created by the recent retirements of Lieutenants Dave Proulx and Brian Bird. The Chief announced that Lt. Such would be assigned to Squad 1 on Platoon 3 and Lt. Lennon to Engine 3 on Platoon 4.
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| Mayor Scott Jackson, Marshal Brian Dolan, Lt. Dan Such, Lt. Richard Lennon and Chief David Berardesca (Photo by Bob Mordecai) |
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In remarks before a crowd of about eighty relatives, friends and many other department members, Mayor Scott Jackson praised the members of the Hamden Fire Department, "I'm proud to be here in support of you." He expressed his admiration for the unique camaraderie among members of the fire service, noting that many times in today's society and culture people sometimes are preoccupied with fighting about "stupid little things. But what's important," the Mayor emphasized, "is us looking out for each other, and nobody does that like the fire service." Following the Mayor's remarks all three gentlemen were sworn in to their new positions by Hamden Town Clerk Vera Morrison.
Posted 12/12/14
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| Town Clerk Vera Morrison swears in Brian Dolan as Hamden's 7th Fire Marshal |
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| Lieut. Dan Such and Lieut. Richard Lennon are sworn in by Mrs. Morrison |
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Dramatic Below Grade Rescue 50 Years Ago
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| Fire personnel are shown assisting Fr. James H. Smith of St. Rita's Church, who offered consolation to the terrified victim of the collapse. |
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Tuesday, December 15, 1964 - Armando Teixeira, 40-year old Rossotto Company employee, was trapped twenty-five feet below Skiff Street when the sandy walls of a trench Teixeira was working in collapsed around him. While fire department personnel were responding to the scene, fellow workers scurried to dig around Teixeira's head to clear away enough sand for him to breathe. The incident occurred while workers were installing a new sewer pipe near the old entrance to Eastern Industries, just west of the parkway underpass.
Hamden Fire Department personnel, assisted by Hamden police and Public Works employees, worked tirelessly for three hours to free the man, who sustained a broken leg and some minor injuries.
The Hamden Chronicle reported, "At one point the Rev. James H. Smith of St. Rita's Church crawled down into the dangerous pit to console the trapped worker," who was described as "terrified."
This was the second major incident during the short careers of three recruit firefighters, Charlie Carson, Ed Doiron and Harold Mangler, who started on the job in late November. The week before, the three new men helped fight one of the biggest fires of the previous forty years at the Weather Vane Restauant. Lieut. Luke Tobin, who commanded the incident, and two of the recruits later attended an American Legion awards presentation that recognized the efforts of those who participated in Mr. Teixeira's rescue (see photo below).
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| On a stretcher, trench collapse victim Armando Teixeira is about to be removed and transported to the Hospital of St. Raphael by Murray's Ambulance Service. |
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Hamden Firefighters Honored for Below Grade Rescue
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| March 16, 1965 - CLICK to enlarge (Photo by I.A. Sneiderman) |
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| On March 16, 1965, Hamden Post 88 of the American Legion honored each of four Hamden firefighters with their Meritorious Award for the below grade rescue of a trapped workman following a road collapse on Skiff Street a few months earlier.
Honored were Lieut. Luke Tobin and rookie Firefighters Charles Carlson, Harold Mangler and Ed Doiron (not pictured), all three of whom began their careers on the Department the previous November.
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American Legion Post 88 Meritorious Award recipients (L-R): Michael Iezzi, HPD Lieut. Daniel Liston, Frank Gamache, Ff. Charles Carlson, Ff. Harold Mangler, Lieut. Luke Tobin, Betsy Wollensack, and Comm. Charles Noonan. (Photo by I.A. Sneiderman)
Originally posted 3/15/13
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| In addition to those fire personnel in the news photo above, these HFD personnel were also recognized by the American Legion Post 88 for the successful rescue of Armando Teixeira. |
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| December 2014 - The scene of the collapse 50 years later |
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The November 21st website update featured a sampler of six ads from the Hamden Paid Firemen's Sick Benefit Association's 1961 Annual Ball ad book. The original ad book had a total of 252 ads from area businesses. We selected six of the original 252 ads and put them onto a sample page (below). None of these ads appeared together on the same page in the original ad book, but all them had something in common.
We asked if anyone knew what was common to all of the businesses being advertised. Gil Spencer and Bob Slater nailed it. Undoubtedly there were lots of other who did as well.
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CLICK to enlarge either image
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Most of us older "boomers" remember Studebaker automobiles, which were manufactured in South Bend, Indiana from the early 1900s until 1966. Known by many collectors these days for the sporty Avanti, the now valuable Corvette wannabe of the early 1960s, Studebaker also manufactured trucks well into the 1950s. HFRA president Bob Mordecai recently visited the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend and brought home some great shots of a couple of Studebaker's fire apparatus offerings, which included a 1905 hose reel.
Posted 12/12/14
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| 1905 Studebaker Hose Reel - $145 New! |
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| 1928 Studebaker Pumper - $2410.00 - "Outfitted by Boyer Apparatus Company of Logansport, Indiana." |
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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Through the years the spirit of the season has been expressed in many ways during December at Hamden fire stations. But this Mount Carmel display sixty-three years ago was truly unique. CLICK TO ENLARGE.
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| December 20, 1951 Chronicle article (left) and December 16, 1951 Register photo (right) |
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Platoon 2, Station 4 - 1968
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| 1968 - Platoon 2, Station 4 (Photo courtesy of Bob Slater and Ernestine Hines) |
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Website thanks go out to HFRA member Bob Slater for sending along several outstanding images taken from photos and slides given to him by Ernestine Hines, widow of Lieut. Bill Hines (1918-1979). Here are two of Bill's photos - slides, actually - taken at Headquarters in the summer of 1968. Above is Bill's old Platoon 2 crew outside Station 4. (L-R): Firefighters John Hoffman, Paul Reutenauer, and Jimmy Moore. Ff. Gil Spencer is in the upper right. Below is the 1965 Mack, which was Engine 4 at the time. In October 1968 it was transferred to Station 2 and replaced at Headquarters by a new S Model Maxim.
Posted 12/19/14
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| Engine 4 - 1965 Mack (Photo courtesy of Bob Slater and Ernestine Hines) |
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Platoon 2, Station 4 - Forty-six Years Later
Former Chief Tramontano Given a Friendly Welcome
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| Station 4 - December 13, 2014 - L-R: Lieut. Jeff Naples, Batt. Chief John Spencer, Ff. John Coughlin, Chief Tramontano, Ff. Brian Gagnon and Ff. Chip Talmadge |
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Retired Hamden Fire Chief John Tramontano stopped in at Station 4 when he was in town last weekend. Lieut. Jeff Naples and his crew gave the Chief the grand tour. It was the former chief's first visit to 4's since renovations were completed a little over two years ago.
Posted 12/19/14
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"Car 1, Signal 61!"
Chief John Tramontano posed at the wheel of this classic 1935 Ford DeLuxe 5-window "Chief Engineer" coupe at the Pierce factory in Appleton, Wisconsin, when he traveled there with Supt. Paul Wetmore, Sr. and Capt. Bill Coppola to pick up Hamden's two new Pierce Dash pumpers in late November 1984.
Posted 12/19/14
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| November 1984 - Chief John Tramontano at the wheel of Pierce's 1935 Ford Coupe |
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Chief Leddy Inspects His Final Order
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| December 1984 - Retired Hamden Fire Chief V. Paul Leddy with Engine 4, a 1984 Pierce Dash 1,000 GPM Pumper (Photo by John Tramontano) |
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| The Two Chiefs - 12/2/84 |
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When Chief Tramontano returned home from Appleton with one of the two new Pierce Dash pumpers, one of his first stops was the Cumpstone Drive home of newly retired Chief V. Paul Leddy to take the former chief for a spin.
The specifications for two new Pierce pumpers were the result of efforts of a department-wide design committee organized in late 1983. The pumpers were the last apparatus ordered under Chief Leddy's leadership prior to his April 1984 retirement.
Posted 12/19/14
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| This photo taken last October 21st when IAFF President General Schaitberger visited Station 3 was prominently featured in the Fall issue of the I.A.F.F. magazine "Fire Fighter" (Courtesy of D/C Gary Merwede) CLICK to enlarge |
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Chief discovers long gone but not forgotten pick-up truck in 1984 slide.
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Chief David Berardesca shot off an email to the website last week after we posted photos of Hamden's live fire training session at Wallingford Fire Headquarters taken in December 1984, when he was a Wallingford firefighter with five years on the job. Careful scrutiny of one photo revealed Berardesca's 1981 Chevy Silverado pick-up truck sitting in the parking lot. "I still miss it," wrote the Chief.
Below, between evolutions in the smoke house, four Hamden firefighters take a breather on the rear bumper of WFD's ambulance, a piece to which Hamden's future chief was then assigned.
Posted 12/19/14
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| Firefighters Dave McDermott, Charlie Cargan, Gerry Dinneen and Paul Petrillo |
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Please keep the NYPD and all others who serve in law enforcement
in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season.
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Be safe, brothers and sisters!
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2014
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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| Ff. Beaton |
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Beaton Named Outstanding Firefighter of 2014
The HFRA congratulates Hamden Firefighter Dave Beaton, who has been named Outstanding Firefighter of the Year by the Hamden Elks Club. Dave will be honored along with Hamden police Sgt. Anthony Diaz and residents Lynn and Lee Campo at the Hamden Community Service Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 24th at the Hamden Elks Lodge Hall.
Dave is a 14-year veteran of the department and currently serves as vice president of the Hamden Professional Firefighters Local 2687, IAFF. For tickets or information about the event, call the Hamden Elks Lodge at (203) 248-2224.
Corrected 1/1/2015
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REILLY'S RESTAURANT
Only eighteen days after fire leveled the Weather Vane in Mount Carmel, fire destroyed another popular Hamden restaurant on an unseasonably warm Christmas Day. Below is an updated version of an article originally published here five years ago on the 45th anniversary of the blaze.
Revised and re-posted 12/26/14
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Reilly's Restaurant, 2392 Whitney Avenue
Friday, December 25, 1964
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| As firefighters were advancing their first lines into the building. (Photo by John Mongillo, Jr.) |
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Friday, December 25, 1964 was not going to be a white Christmas. There was no doubt about that. The weather was more like a mid-April Easter. By mid-morning, temperatures in southern Connecticut were in the 60s. And despite the very un-Christmas-like weather, everyone was hoping that the Christmas of 1964 would foster much fonder yuletide memories than those of the previous Christmas, which had arrived only five weeks after a shocking national tragedy.
Hamden Fire Department line personnel were still on a 56-hour workweek, working four 14-hour nights followed by two days off, then four 10-hour days and two days off.
After an uneventful Christmas Eve night shift, the personnel of the old 1st Platoon had finished their fourth night and were on their way home for two full days off with their families. It was to be Firefighter Tom Doherty’s first Christmas Day away from the firehouse since joining the department nearly four years earlier.
The old 3rd Platoon, commanded by Deputy Chief James Strain, was starting its third day. Firefighter Dick Carney was assigned to Engine 4 at Headquarters. Dick recalls that every Christmas restaurant owner Charles “Chester” Reilly would drive to his establishment at the corner of Whitney Avenue and School Street to prepare an urn of coffee for the guys at Headquarters, only two doors away.
In a recent phone conversation, Dick related that shortly after the 8 a.m. roll call on Christmas morning, he and another fireman from Headquarters walked over to Reilly’s, but Mr. Reilly had not yet arrived. The two returned there around 10, but still no one was there.
According to Francis "Bud" O'Connor's account of the fire in The Hamden Chronicle the following week (below), Mr. Reilly was delayed because he decided to take his time and shave before heading out that morning from his Paramount Avenue home.
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| Ladder One Arrives (Photo by Stuart Langer) |
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According to other news accounts, shortly after 10:40 that morning John Mongillo, Jr. was walking up School Street toward Whitney from his home on Washington Avenue. Mongillo’s father was a well-known news photographer in the New Haven area and the younger Mongillo was himself a budding free-lance photographer. As he neared Whitney Avenue, Mongillo, Jr. saw smoke coming from Reilly’s.
Hamden patrolmen walked beats in Whitneyville, Highwood, the "Bank Section," Spring Glen and Centerville. Mongillo got the attention of the Centerville beat cop, Patrolman Ron Durkin, who reported the fire. At 10:44, Engine 4, Engine 5, Rescue 2, Ladder One and Car 30 were dispatched on a report of smoke coming from Reilly’s Restaurant.
Mongillo lived only a short distance away. After alerting Patrolman Durkin, he was able to return with his 16mm movie camera just in time to film Engine 4 and Rescue 2 exiting Headquarters. During the next couple hours, the younger Mongillo would capture several minutes of exciting action footage and many still photos of the blaze.
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Dick Carney recalled that when Engine 4 arrived at the scene only a few feet from Headquarters, thick smoke was coming out of the front dormer.
Responding south on Whitney, Engine 5's 1951 Maxim 750 wrapped the hydrant in front of the Atlantic-Richfield gas station on the northeast corner of School Street where 2405 Whitney stands today. Engine 5 then pulled west into School Street by the fire building to leave room for the ladder truck in front. Engine 4's 1954 Maxim 750 hooked up big to the hydrant and pumped Engine 5's supply line.
Firefighter Richie Lostritto, was assigned to Ladder One out of Station 2 with Firefighter Harry Cubbellotti, who was driving. Richie would later serve at the department's Superintendent of Alarms and Apparatus. He recalled that when he and Harry got to the top of Mix Avenue they could see lots of black smoke rising in the distance. “Well, I guess we can forget about Christmas dinner,” said Richie.
Harry recalled the day vividly when interviewed in 2009. “It was such a warm day, I decided to wash my car,” he chuckled. “I was in the middle of washing it when the bell hit.” On arrival at the fire scene, he and Lostritto were ordered to prepare the ladder pipe for operation and then raise the aerial ladder.
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| Photo by Bill Keeley |
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Within minutes it became obvious that more help was needed. Shift commander Deputy Chief Strain called for a second alarm, which brought Engine 2, Engine 3, Rescue 1, and Volunteer Co. 7. Fire Chief V. Paul Leddy was summoned while attending Christmas Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.
At his home in West Woods, Tom Doherty had just taken a seat in his easy chair. He put up his feet to enjoy his first Christmas morning at home since becoming a firefighter four years earlier. Tom recalled that he had just poured himself a shot of whisky for a Christmas toast. Before he had the chance to raise his glass the phone rang. It was an off-duty firefighter – we’ll call him “Bill” – phoning from Headquarters.
“Tom, you have to come back to work. Reilly’s is on fire and the Chief is ordering everyone in.”
The call had to be a prank, thought Tom. (Firemen playing pranks on each other? Imagine that!) Laughing it off, Tom did his best to get “Bill” to admit that the call was a Christmas morning practical joke. Nothing worked. Bill insisted that Reilly’s WAS on fire.
"Okay," Tom agreed, "I'm coming back to work. But if Reilly’s is NOT on fire," Tom warned Bill, "YOU are getting a fat lip!"
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| Rear kitchen addition - south side (Photo by Gorlick) |
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| Same viewpoint. The man in the white helmet with "NHFD / C" on his bunker coat may be a chaplain, perhaps from a neighboring community. (Photo by Gorlick) |
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With Engine 4's pump operator tied up at the hydrant, Dick Carney said that he and other Engine 4 personnel spent a lot of time on the roof. The original wood-frame portion of the building, erected in 1913, had a hip roof. A 1957 kitchen addition of concrete and block had a flat roof. Access to the rear roof had to be made with ground ladders.
Eddy Doiron recalls that he was placed in the Public Works bucket truck on School Street with an inch and a half line pumped from Engine 5.
Entry to the second floor was made from a fire escape on the south side of the building.
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| Ed Doiron in P.W. bucket truck, pressed into service on School Street (Photo by Stuart Langer) |
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Mt. Carmel Co. 5 volunteer Don Steele and his son, Tim, responded from their home on Mt. Carmel Avenue. Don wrote the following notation in his logbook: “Tim and I were on 2 ½” w/ [volunteers] Howie Quimby and Jim Mathis for quite a while. Then Tim + Jim and I on fire escape. First with 2½” then 1½.”
Steele's final logbook notation regarding the Christmas Day fire at Reilly’s: “Total time over five hours.” However, most of the on-duty paid personnel remained there throughout the day until relieved by the night shift.
It was not a very good Christmas after all, especially for the Reilly family. One thirteen year-old by-stander watched the fire with his two brothers from in front of Harry's Barber Shop on the southeast corner of Whitney and School. He recently recalled that Mr. Reilly appeared sad and lost as he watched his restaurant go up in flames. Other accounts, however, suggest that Mr. Reilly handled this immense personal loss with his customary good humor. "If you see my son, George," he is said to have told a friend as the blaze was destroying his business, "tell him he can take tomorrow off."
Reilly’s Restaurant was rebuilt and was back in business before Christmas of 1965. It continued to be an immensely popular Hamden restaurant for more than 25 years thereafter.
Reilly's closed in 1991. Another popular local dining spot, Eli’s-On-Whitney, took over the building a short time later and has been there ever since.
For a detailed account of the Reilly’s Restaurant fire, scroll down to a transcription of an article written for the December 30, 1964 edition of The Hamden Chronicle, by editor Francis “Bud” O’Connor.
[Website Note: In February 1965, the Board of Fire Commissioners voted unanimously to purchase a copy of John Mongillo Jr's excellent black and white 16mm news footage of the Reilly's fire, along with footage of the Weather Vane fire shot earlier in December. Color 16mm news footage of the January 1968 Fleming Company fire was added to the reel several years later. Dep. Chief Training Officer Ken Harrington showed the film of the three fires numerous times during training sessions until at least the late 1970s. Regrettably, it appears that the film has been lost.]
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The author wishes to thank and acknowledge Ff. Richard Carney, Ff. Harry Cubbellotti, B/C Tom Doherty, Ff. Ed Doiron, Supt. Richard Lostritto and Vol. Ff. G. Donald Steele for their assistance in the preparation of the original 2009 article and the 2014 update.
12/19/2014
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| Dep. Chief James Strain (Photo by Stuart Langer) |
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| Reporting to Chief Leddy (Photo by Stuart Langer) |
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| More photos appear below the Chronicle article |
From the December 30, 1964 edition of The Hamden Chronicle, below is Chronicle editor Francis J. O'Connor's account of the fire at Reilly's Restaurant on Christmas Day 1964.
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| © 1964 - The Hamden Chronicle |
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| 12/25/64 - Reilly Restaurant - Early On (Photo by John Mongillo, Jr.) |
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| © 1964 - The Hamden Chronicle |
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| Spectators gathered on this unseasonably warm Christmas Day to watch a very popular local landmark go up. (Photo by John Mongillo, Jr.) |
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"Then with crisp impact, the liquor supply in the barroom exploded. All four large front windows shattered to the sidewalk and a sheet of flame, the width of the building, leapt out, fingered an overhanging roof, then flickered upward, scorching the front of the aluminum-sided structure." - Francis "Bud" O'Connor, Editor, The Hamden Chronicle (12/30/64)
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| The fellow in the foreground looks like Bucky Serafino. (Photo by Ed Doiron) |
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| Firefighters Richie Lostritto and Harry Cubbellotti were on Ladder One that day. (Photo by John Mongillo, Jr.) |
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| Engine 2 Arrives on 2nd Alarm (Photo by John Mongillo, Jr.) |
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| Photo by Bill Keeley |
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| Dep. Chief Strain and Lt. George Reutenauer (Photo by Bill Keeley) |
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| This photo was shot from in front of the Brown Stone House. Curbside parking was still in effect on this part of Whitney until the early 1970s. (Photo by John Mongillo, Jr.) |
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| Deputy Chief's 1961 Ford can been seen in the driveway of Headquarters. Notice several other cars when on-street parking was permitted on Whitney Avenue in those days. (Photo by John Mongillo, Jr.) |
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Within a year the fire damaged building was torn down and replaced with a new building. Reilly's closed in 1991. Eli's-on-Whitney, another popular Hamden restaurant, now occupies the building.
Fifty years later, the only two structures that remain from the above photo are the building on the northwest corner of Whitney and School (formerly Bimonte's Pizza) and the one next door. Two houses north of those buildings were razed in 1968 to make way for the Jefferson Arms Apartments and a bakery that is now gone. Two medical office buildings were added in the 80s and 90s. In 2013, the one hundred year old building in the foreground between Reilly's and Station 4 was razed to make way for an annex to Eli's, which can be seen in the photo below taken on Christmas Day 2014.
Posted 12/26/14
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| December 25, 2014 - Same scene exactly 50 years later |
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| Investigation (Photo by John Mongillo, Jr.) |
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30 Years Ago
Westervelt Becomes Department's First Assistant Fire Marshal
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Wednesday, December 26, 1984 |
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The department's first full time fire marshal was Al Purce, who was appointed fire marshal in 1944 while still a shift commnander, and who went full time in 1948. Purce retired in 1968 and was replaced by Bob "Bubby" O'Donnell. The responsibilities and work load of the marshal had warranted an assistant for many years, but it wasn't until 1984 that the department's first assistant fire marshal position was created and subsequently filled by Lieut Bob Westervelt.
Bob was promoted to marshal when Bob O'Donnell retired in 1987. He went on to serve as marshal until his retirement in 2003 after thirty years on the job. Bob would later serve a term on Hamden's Legislative Council. He is currently an active member of the HFRA.
Posted 12/26/14
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| Ridge Road - Sometime in 1965 |
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| Retiree O'Hare & his '75 Chrysler Cordoba |
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After coming across this 49 year old news clipping of Firefighters Charlie ("Dr. Chucky") Esposito and John O'Hare shoveling out hydrants in the high rent district, it seemed appropriate to show this recent photo of John with his vintage Chrysler Cordoba, which he bought new in 1975. Always garaged, the car only sees pavement on dry, fair weather days - and never when it's like it is in the news photo. John and his wheels are both in pretty good shape.
Posted 12/26/14
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| Mark "Batman" Barletta |
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This could only happen to Mark Barletta, former Hamden fire marshal and President-emeritus of the HFRA. On the job, Mark was also head of the HFD's "Bat Relocation Team," with the knowledge, experience and ability to properly rid residences of bats without hurting them.
Mark wrote earlier this week, "Last Wednesday while tacking down the flag I noticed a small bat sleeping in the folds. I removed him with gloves and placed it in the Christmas tree outside. It was gone next morning. Weird!
Merry Christmas to all! Mark"
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| Mark's Batty Christmas Tree Ornament |
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HFRA Honorary Member Jeanne C. McLean
To All Online HFRA Members:
It is with deep regret that we announce the passing on December 20th of HFRA Honorary Member Jeanne Coleman McLean, widow of our brother retiree Hamden Firefighter Hugh McLean, Jr. (1924-2014). Jeanne was 89.
Funeral was from Sisk Brothers Funeral Home, Saturday, December 27th. A Mass of Christian Burial in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. Burial in St. Mary's Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jeanne's memory may be sent to Connecticut Hospice, 100 Double Beach Road, Branford, CT 06405.
Revised 12/27/14
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