Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-01-29


| DETAILS
fire broke out about four O'Clock this morning
IN the rear part OF THE STAR building which about
gutted that part OF the structure while great DAM
| age by water was done TO the entire building The
part OF the building where the fire originated was
occupied by the presses, the stereotype and fle
rooms, and portion OF the composing room
when or how the fire originated is not at all GER
tain. The watchman OF the building says that
about four O'Clock he woke up and smelt some
thing burning. He got up and went through
the entire building, but found everything all
Hght MI. Chambers, the special watchman at the
planning mills south of the avenue says that he saw
the fire and came and kicked on the door and woke
| up the watchman In the building and then ran
across to No engine house and gave them the
alarm. THE STAR Office watchman says that when
he got up the second time, awakened 10y the bark
ing OF his dog. he went at once to the press room
/ ana when he opened the door he a column OF
! lame pouring up the small elevator shaft TO the
ceiling He at once ran TO the house OF engine
company No =, and also gave the alarm which
was responded TO by that company. The alarm
which was sounded, owing TO an unexplained delay
IN Ine lire alarm telegraph Office did not reach the
other companies In intelligib!e shape for fully f
teen minutes. Afterwards a general alarm was
sounded, tut IL was after o'clock before the en-
tre force was on the ground. The early arrivals
In the Vicinity of the fire state that flames were is
suing from the top of the building and from the
lower story. The press room, which occupies the
entire first floor, has elevator shaft running to
tne stereotype room, and another running from the
latter 10 Ine Top OF the building As far can be
ascertained the flames originated In the rear OF the
press room ana rushed up the shaft, spreading out
when IL reached the upper story, and burning with
great fury.
Chief Cronin said that when he reached the scene,
aboutelght minutes after the alarm was received,
M une enIlfe rear building, both front and back, was
wrapped In flames and smoke was pouring out OF
the windows OF the main building. He thought for
tlme that the entire structure was doomed and
he said that it had most threatening appearance
7 n m
moor and fought the flames with SO much yigor that
the ilre was kept within the bounds OF the press
pui,ulHg, where IL originated Owing to the intense
cold which prevailed at that early morning hour
probably the codeSG morning OF the winter-the
iifene, The buildings, and everything drenched by
nne water was soon covered with sheetlng OF ice.
There was large throng OF spectators gathered In
Ine vicinity OF the fire, composed mainly OF the
owners OF the valuable property in the neighbor-
hood, who watched the progress OF the fire with
great anxiety.
When the rear wall fell In persons In the neigh
Dornoou thought that IL was an explosion and this
added to the crowd which had collected. The rear
portion of the building extended SO near the rear of
lne buildings facing on the avenue and occupied by
w hltaher Co., statoners, the MesSrs- Gait,
jewellers, and other business firms, that the fire.
men devoted themselves TO the work OF keeping the
nameS within bounds with great energy,
Chief Maddox OF the Engine Company No . the
frst on the scene, said that the fire was burning
with the greatest fury in the part OF the press
room ; that In his opinion 1t then was drawn up
the elevator and attacked the stereotype room and
1olowlng the other elevator shaft reached the top
nre to burl with greater force.
Inc character OF the contents OF the room
was rather lnf1ammable, there necessarily
being good deal OF oil and grease about
where, machinery is employed. The greatest
precautions have always been employed to guard
fore is unaccountable.
After the fire and smoke had subsidized and the
day began to dawn, some idea could be gained of
the damage which had been sustained. The press
room was mass of ruins and the two magnificent
last Iast presses, which The STAR has taken SO much
hopeessly. The bright surfaces and polished metal
OF the presses were Streaked with rust coated with
Ice Ice and blackened with smoke. The Scott press,
the fire seems to have originated. was damaged
more seriously than the Hoe press in the front
The canvas covers, which are thrown over the
presses, had OF course disappeared In the rames
and at first 1t was supposed that the metal por-
lions of the delicate and intricate machinery had
Deen melted and warped and bent by the heat
A further examination, however, leads to the eb-
ef that the Scott press is probably utter wreck
is very badly damaged. The Scott press is valued
at $4,000 and the Hoe press at $21 900 The engine
@ which was In the lower part OF the ROOM was very
Dadly injured The boilers had been removed some
time ago to new building which had been erected
In the rear of the adjoining building, and were
therefore not affected by the fire There had been
no fire in the press-room for the past ten days The
wainscoting of the walls and the wooden ceiling
were ere fharred fhs ns to crisp by the great heat
occupied by the stereotypers, the flames made a
clean sweep, but owing TO the character OF the
sustained by the machinery, except that which
would arise from the contact OF the water and the
rough usage received In the excitement of a fire.
this room, were destroyed. These included eight
plates for the double sheet and weekly and four for
the daily sheet. As the matter used had been dis
trbuted for the most part, the destruction of the
plates necessitates the resetting OF the entire
matter.
The third floor of the rear building was used ,or
the storing OF the files OF the paper and the extra
copies OF The STAR, unbound, which had been pre-
much of a headway In this room. and the niles of
papers on the shelves along the walls I'm numerous
cases. ESCAPED with charred edges The bound fles
90 not seem TO have been injured very much.
The fourth and top story of this building was
used as the makeup room" for the COMPOSING
room, and here the fire burned with as great fury
as it did in the pressroom The DESTRUCTION OF the
forms and type was complete, with the exception
OF the type that remained in the cases The chases
rules, orm-tableSalmoSt the entire font OF type-
were completely destroyed, and new dress VIII be
necessary. This loss OF matter In the form. to- |
room below, will make 1t Impossible for The |
WEEKLY STAR to issue this week. its regular publ
Ihe entire building was damaged by the water |
and confusion OF fire.
AS far as the patrons of The STAR are concerned.
this fiery misfortune Will not be felt except perhaps
by the readers OF The WEEKLY the names had |
hardly died away before arrangements were made |
oy Mr.. Geo. w. Adams, president OF THE EVENING |
STAR company, who was on the ground soon after |
the fire alarm sounded for bringing out the regular
H. AN IN. foreman
OF the composing room once began the work OF re-
moving The cases. and before nine o'clock they were
In place In the Office OF Judd & Detwieler, whose
printing house is within few doors OF THr STAR
Office. BY the kindness and ready courtsey of |
MeSSrs. Judd Detweier the force OF STAR pri1ters
which had been increased to fifty In order TO meet
promptly the emergency OF reSettting the entire
paper, were soon at work. and with scercely any de-
lay, the daily preparation for publication went on
Not only was ii necessary to set the regular news
matter OF the day, but every advertisement SO that
every WOrQ that Is contained in THE STAR to-day
was set since nine o'clock this morning
Mr.. Geo. E. Lemon, the publisher OF The National |
Tribune, kindly allowed the use of his press for run
ming on The STAR, and I'm this way the publication
was Facilitated and delay prevented. Owing to a |
dinerence In the presses The STAR appears today
Win seven columns instead of the usual eight AS
promptly as possible a force of men under the di-
recton OF Mr. Fred Pilling began to clear out the |
rubbish and repair the damage done. The most I'M
portant matter which required attention was the
western wall which threatened to topple over upon
the roofs below. The work OF STRENGTHENING it
went On, and In addition the burned portion of the
building was being cleared out In readiness for re-
building, which VIII be begun at once 1t is esti-
mated that the rear building Will have TO be en-
trey rebuilt and that the loss In this particular is
between seven and eight thousand dollars
at $500 Including the injuries and loss TO the
valuable machinery the totalloss by the fire is placed
at between $4,000 and $4,000. This loss is par
TALLY covered by insurance.
AT the fre-arlarm Office the records show that
there was some disturbance on the wires at 4:53
O'Clock a. m, and from some cause some OF the bells
struck lIregularly. At ass an alarm came I'm nv |