The Melony Block,fire occurred on May 6, 1908. The Maverick Laundry was located in the building which was just across the street from the Hooker House. At the time of the alarm, 12:05 P.M., thick black smoke was coming from the building. According to the Chronicle story, “some companies arrived very shortly after the alarm and in a few minutes there were three streams of water on the flames”. Chief Wade Webster arrived and sent out a general alarm , “as it was evident to the chief that he would need all of his men”. Eventually, eight streams of water as well as chemicals of the Alert and Montgomery companies were being used to suppress the flames. The fire was believed to have started in the basement drying room where the huge amount of clothes drying there, along with carpets and oily machinery created not only a mass of flames but billowing clouds of smoke as well. Some of the laundry’s employees first noticed the fire but spent time trying to put it out with fire extinguishers and a garden hose but it gained headway faster than they could control it and it was then they sent in the alarm. Several firefighters were overcome and had to be helped back out and “getting a little air they soon revived” . Interestingly enough, and most likely due to the diligence of the firefighters, what at first looked like a disastrous fire, was under control in about 40 minutes and firefighters began to take out baskets of clothes – some scorched, some merely wet. The recall was sounded at 1:05 P.M., just an hour after the original alarm. The fire had also spread to the cellar of George Walker’s saloon in the building to the left. It burned barrels of beer and bottles of liquor but was extinguished before it could enter the first floor. Even so, on May 11, an article in the "Hartford Courant"  stated that there was some criticism about the fact that there was a delay in getting apparatus to the fire because it was necessary to wait for horses to draw the apparatus. Fire Chief Webster said it was just four minutes from the time of the alarm to the time that water was being played on the fire. The chief continued that the apparatus got there as quickly as possible but that men were “distributed all over the city”. The chief also lamented the fact that there was not enough equipment (rubber boots or coats) for all of the firefighters and that the Board of Engineers had no rubber clothing provided to them by the city. The chief’s comments were taken seriously by the city council and so, at at a city meeting in July, citizens voted unanimously to appropriate $1,400. For 1,000 feet of hose, two hose nozzles, suspenders, twenty-four rubber coats,and twenty four pairs of rubber boots.This week’s photo is one of six different photos taken at the Melony Block fire. For questions or comments about this  week’s photo or article, please e-mail us at “threadcity@outlook.com”.