PEQUOT HOUSE BURNS.

FAMOUS OLD HOTEL AT NEW LONDON COMPLETELY DESTROYED.

Special to The New York Times.
New London, May 7. -- At an early hour this morning the famous Pequot House, which crowned the headland at the western entrance to New London harbor, took fire and the blaze lasted for several hours, threatening the entire Pequot settlement of cottages and many splendid Summer homes on Pequot Avenue. The cause of the fire is not known.
Two of the Pequot cottages near by were entirely destroyed and one other, belonging to MRS. ANDREWS of New York, was wrecked.
That the burning of the old hotel will affect the Summer trade considerably is conceded by many of the leading merchants and citizens. Had the hotel burned a few weeks earlier the prospects of an up to date hostelry on its site this Summer would have been an assured fact.
As the matter now stands there is no regret that the ramshackle wooden building that had long outlived its usefulness as a modern Summer hotel, has been wiped out of existence, but the fire causes speculation as to what effect the loss will have on Summer patronage.
Many of the cottages in the colony are leased by the Pequot Hotel owners, and their occupants depend upon the big hotel for meals. It is too late to erect another hotel this season, and the prospective cottagers are apt to cancel their leases.
As the main hotel was about fifty-eight years old, it was practically valueless from a structural standpoint, but was insured for $15,000. The total loss to the hotel and adjoining buildings is estimated at $35,000.

New York Times New York 1908-05-08
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!