Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-04-28
The Fire at Miehler Place

The Fire at Michler Place.
THREE HOUSES OF THE ROW BADLY DAMAGED.
Shortly before one O'Clock yesterday morning
IRE was discovered IN the fine row of new brick
houses on F street near 18th, known as s.Michler
place" Owing to some cause not yet explained
there was great delay in the ival of the fire
department, by which loss of valuable time.
the flames gained considerable headway before
any water was thrown. The iremen acquitted
themselves well when they got to work. and by
Their exertions suppressed what threatened at
one time to be one of the most destructive con-
hagratiOns which has occurred in this CITY for
many years.
THE DELAY
was more than a half hour; but the time
made by the engines after the alarm sounded
was very quick. Chief Engineer Cronip with
several OF the fire commissioners, were on the
ground IN a rev minutes after the alarm and
the former drove at once to the station-house
and turned in general alarm, which brought
out the entire department In the meantime
the IRE had spread to several of the adjoining
houses, and general scramble was made by
OCCUPANTS OF the row to save life and property.
THE FIRE APPEARs To HAVE ORIGINATED
IN the lower story OF the house of Paymaster j.
y. Carpenter, the second building from the
corner or 18th street, but IL cannot be ascsr-
tanned whether from the hues of the Iatrobe
heater or from the cooking range When dis
covered the flames had already run up between
the slhdding and had ignited the Mansard
roof, and was spreading rapidly from house 10
house a servant first made the discovery
Snsnt,tn ne f pr e seemed to be raging among
home by the paymaSter from a cruise in the
European squadron, which were stored in the
When the fremen got to work three of the
houses were on fre-Mr. Carpenters, Colonel
Iiat : on he corner, and that of Mr.. Snfin,
east OF Mr.. Carpenters residence. Water was
fiehtIiui, but owing 70 the slate cover ny the
mansaTd roof '-0
THE FIRE COULD roT BE REACHED
as II set med TO be rushing underneath and gain
ing Roadway fast. Chief CrOnin ordered M his
ohg ladders TO the roof Of the center house, and
a hose was carried mp. Two other streams were |
by thiS time playing from the rear. The fire |
now shot mp from the roof of the center bnid |
ing and a line OF hose run inside tue mas |
ssge-Way and 10 the top OF the roof, where the /
ese-pipe was inserted, and the fire checked in \
<ihat aiTeetiOn. The fremen had succeeded in /
breaking hS"i@@SS ..asro-sh tina rnas at several |
points, and deluge of water was thrown into /
the burning mass. By O'Clock a. m. the fire
was under the control of the fremen. but tbey
continued on the ground until every spark was
extingGished. was
GALLANT RESCUE OF A CHILD
During the tUmult was heard the screams of
MIS- aTpenter, who suddenly remembered that
htr child was IN the upper story OF her house
where the IRE was raging. Several started for |
the rescue. Mr.. Cassidy, who ascended nv the |
stairway, was driven back by the fiames but
Mr. /" IN; Digs went up the stairway of the adj
joining house, and walked along the cornice
outside until he reached window in fha house |
OF Pavmaster Carpenter, where the cbiId % !
ne broke In the window with his hands, and !
stlzlhg the child, returned with it by the same |
route. " '-' ''iio
ONLY ONE ACCIDENT
occurred during the confusion. Mr.. Harry
Elicit, while going to the assistance of a Iady |
made a msstep and fell into an area. striking |
him. He was picked up and taken into house
corner OF 18th and i streets, where Drs. Lincoln |
and Hagner attended him. He was badly, per-
haps fatally injured, but is better this morning.
Details of policemen were made from the va
rious stations, and good order prevailed. A
guard has been kept on the property since the |
VI /
families get their goods away. Yesterday a |
large number of persons visited the ground 20
see the ruins The damage by water was prob |
ably a great as by fire, which coud not be
avoided, the ire being in the roof principally.
The fire in the residence OF Mr.. Carpenter
was the most destructive, and burned IL com
ture.
THE LOSSES AND INSURANCE
Paymaster Carpenter loses everything In his
house, including many fine goods brought home
by him from China and Japan. He estimates
his losses at - ,O00 on which there is no insur-
ance. The house occupied by him totally
destroyed, and was owned by Mr.. A. II. Shep-
herd, who also owned the houses occupied by
Dr. Rose, Mr.. Sniffen. and Mrs. Mckinney,
all Of which were considerably damaged by fire
and water. His losses are covered by insur-
ance.
Mr.. y. b. Fugitt owned the houses occupied by
Mrs Commodore Wood AMI Mr.. TiltOn, and he
Is also protected by insurance. The occupants
AL lcse more or less and none are insured. Mrs.
Wood, Mr. TiltOn, and Mrs McCeney removed
most of their furniture, and met with but little
about $500, about equally divided by fire and
water.
Col. Piatt's house was insured for s. 900 in
the National Metropolitan, but this does not /
take in the furniture. AGONY the building.
which has not been damaged 10 the amount
insured.
Mrs. Commodore Wood and Mrs McCeney
removed their goods yesterday to their resi- /
dences in the county The Office OF the geoogi- /
cal survey was not much damaged except by |
water. Lieut.. Wheeler in charge took the most |
valuable papers to Winder's building during
the progress of the fire. This Office is at No. |
TsJs. and east Of the residence OF Mrs McCeney. |
IL Is estimated that the total loss, after de-
Quoting insurance, will not exceed s2O,coo.
Mr. CARPENTER SAYS
he came home about one hour before the fire Il
broke out, and had retired TO bed. but was |
awake when the alarm was gwen; that he only |
which he sleeping and take little son from |
bed and tried 20 go down by the stairway, but |
was driven back BY the smoke o.nd fire and had /
tn escape by window On TO the top OF the bay /
window 10 the next house, from which he l
brought his son safely 70 the front street. He |
tiIe IRE caught between the studding and I
ran mp through the basement, aud 30 on to the /
-Teoi, but L unable TO account for it very pre-
cisely.
FORTY MISrTKs' DELAY-wHY WAS 1T?
WAsHISGTOS, ID. C.. April p. 1873.
Esttor e Ae star In the report OF the lire in |
Michler Place, az published in your morning |
contemporaries, 1 observe some inaccuracies, |
which, a. they are calculated to mislead the |
public, feel called upon to ask you to correct.
At about Is minutes to a. m, while visiting |
the watchmen on post at the War Department
buildings, i heard a cry OF alarm proceeding
from the direction of 18th and streets Has.
tening 10 learn the cause OF the outcry on NV
asking swhat was the matter ?'' woman cried
out, {" For Gods sake save Us, the cellar is on
FIRE., At this time there was no hre visible
from the street. but without further DELAY l ran
around through 18th street to the signal Office in
q street. and kicked the door to arouse the
inmates and get the key of fire alarm box SIS,
which I procured after q few minutes delay,
and turned on the alarm. This was about 10
minutes to I a. M. The fire department arrived
AZ the fire at about half-pSst I. Suchc Mr..
Editor, are the facts, whatever may be said TO
the contrary. Yours, respectfully,
HENRY MOORE.
WHO Or WHAT Il RESPONSIBLE FOR The
DELAY?
The following correspondence in reference to
the alarm has been pa ssed
OFFICE FfRE-ALARN TELEGRAPH, No. ASP
louisiana avenue, Washington, ID. c., April
9th, 1s.3.-kgjor A. c. Richards .SspSyiE cad
ssf Metropolitan Police. Dear Sir-Some DELAY
MAS nccasinned his morning in ai . - aIarra