National Republican., 1877-09-25
YESTERDAYS FIRE.
ANOTHER FIRE.
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY NEAR THE
PATENT OFFIJ'E
(Cbniinued RON First Puge. |

DESTRUCTION 0r riR IRR2rEmrY nrE9I NEAR THE
While the attention of every one was directed
to the spreading flames on the Patont Office a
fire broke out at 2:l5 o'clock In tho building
No. 627 q street, occupied rs a livery stable by
Gheen 4 Osborne. Tho flames were at first
confined to the rear Of the building, but
spread rapidly, and soon onvelopcd the entire
structure. Tho Baltimore engines had just
arrived. and were at once put to work on this
fire. II originated In the rear Of the second
floor used as hay loft, and as the place was
filled with hay aud othor infammablc material
the flames spread with lightning rapidity.
Fifty horses were stabbed on the ground floor,
and rs the sparks came falling through the
ceiling they became frantic and neighed
piteously. Willing hands were numerous. and
their efforts were first directed to the animals,
which were all secured and removed In safety
to another street.
These saved. tho movable stock came next
and after hard and rapid work all the car
riagcs on the lower floor were gotten out Of
danger. Meanwhile tho fire had created sad
havoc. All the Baltimore engines which were
at work on the fire were assisted by the
Alexandria Hook and Ladder Relief Company
and two of the Washington companies. A
full force of water was turned on, and had but
little pcrccptiblc effect. The fire gained great
hcadway, and soon the entire building was
one mass Of flames.
The upper story was occupied by the Galva-
nizcd Iron Cornice Works, Mr.. d. W. Stock.
still agent, and being stored with oils. white.
lead and paint, fed the flames beyond all con-
| troll. There wero thirSy-fve carriages on the
second floor, oil of which pcrished when the
roof fell in.
NARROW ESCAPE.
| While number of men were on this floor re-
| moving articles from the front rooms the
smoke poured In upon them in dense, binding
volumes and cut of their retreat by the stairs
has I.I .f ls...
the windows, and half wild with tcrrcr they
climbed ont and jumped into the outstretched
arms OF men on the sidewalk twenty feet below.
Fortunately they escaped serious injury, be-
you'd being nearly suiiocated. One of them,
J. Ford, of No. 3 company, says he left other
mon in there, and could not say what had be-
come of them. There were two tircmen and
one citizen with him, he said, and he had not
seen them since. Jim West, an employed of
| the iirin, who was The other man that jumped,
was almost confident there were others behind
him. One of them was man called
Dummy" II there were other men with
these two they surely p2rishcd as they did
not come out of the window and there was no
| other possible mode of exit.
The rumor that three men had been killed
in the fire gained general currency, but was
discrclitcd by the cooler heads, and subsequent
investigation failed to confirm the story. The
truth will not he known until this morning
III.
is believed to have been killed.
SPREAD or THE FIRE.
The livery stable Is flankcd OIL one side by
L. VI. Chapin's stable, and on the other by his
carriage factory. They are both two-story
! bricks, and escaped burning out to be crushed
by the falling of the side walls of Ghcen's
| building. Most OF the contents of any valua
had b,cn removed before that event
Tho next building ON the east was three
story brick, occupied by +. W. Murphy's
patent works, and stored with lumber and
other combustibcs. Their movable contents
were all removed, and the building saved by
the free use of water. Bates soap factory ad-
joining was also saved. Great alarm was
manifested by tho merchants doing business
on the seventh street side of the square. and
many of them began to remove their stock on
the sidewalk, but 1t was soon seen that the
fremen would certainly confnc the Are to the
building where 1t originated, which they did
after noble struggle Of three hours. The
fire was fierce one, and completely dest stroycd
the building where It originated, and that in
turn by the trcachcrons walls did much dam
age to the contiguous houses.
THE EXTENT or THE DAMAGE.
Mcssrs. Gheen & Osborne have suffered to the
extent Of about 81, 900. Their building was a
fine large thrce-Jtory structure, and was built
in 1876 at cost of $4,000 II is now a per-
feet ruin. The front wall, minus the orna-
mental cOrnicc, still stands but owing to its
swollen and dangerous condition will havo to
be torn down. Their los in stock amounts to
about SG,GN. They are insured to probably
one half their loss in the Manhattan. Rcpublir,
Niagara and Peoples companies of New York,
aud the Shawmut Company of Boston.
Mr. Chaplin estimates his loss at about S2, 800,
on which there is q partial insurance. The
principal damage was to carriages In the rear
of the stable, where the full force of the wall
fell Mr.. j. q. Matlock is the owner of the
property. His loss Is about 5000, fully in
sired.
joys horse-shocing shops and S. 7. Weeks
carriage repair shop, next door on the east
were also damaged to tho extent of few hun.
drcd dollars each.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
When the fire started It was supposed ia
have caught from spark from the Patent
Office but this theory was soon dispellcd by
Mr. Ghccn, who showed that that was an i'm,
possibility The building has metallic roof
and the fire started in the rear of the second
story in the hay loft There was no way for
sparks to reach this portion of the building
from the outside. Besides, men had been sta
toned on the r,1f aud entrances to watch 70,
stray sparks. That it was the work of an in,
cendary is certain, but there is great doubt a,
to the pcrpctrator.
WORK FOR TIE POOR.
+ A sentiment which was quite uniyersall,
expressed by the spectators at the fire ycstcr
day was that they were glad of 1t because /
r would furnish work for the poor 1t Is yer,
probable that it will be necessary to employ al
extra force of clerks for u few days to arrang
the papers which were scattered during tn
fire.