Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-07
THE TRACY CALAMITY.
The Verdict and Recommendation Of
the Coroner's Jury.

STORY OF -HE FIRE REToLD-DRAMATIc STATE
MENr OF A coLoRED MANTLE BUTLER TELLS
HIS STORY UNDER oArH-TEsrrMoSY OF TIKI
| OTHER DoMEsTICs.
At the Tracy inquest yesterday. after TIL
Stars report had closed. John Brent, the col
ored man who first saw the fire and gave the
alarm, was called to the stand. He said it was
about Gas Monday morning when he was going
through Farragut square OH his way to work
and he saw fire in Secretary Tracy's front bay
window. Running across the square no met q
colored man, whom he sent to the engine house,
aud then he ran up the front steps and rang
the bell violently. In about a minute the
butler, fully dressed, came to the door. my
God, man, your house is on fre!' he exclaimed
to him.
| THE BUTLER SEEMED DAzED,
and Brent pushed into the hallway and, pulling
open the sliding parlor doors. showed him the
flames running up the curtains The wood
work did not seem to be on fire, but the draught
| appeared to feed the flames and give them won-
derful life, 80 he shut the doors and told the
butler to run upstairs and wake the folks before
they persisted in the flames. The butler did
not seem to realize the situation and was walk
| ing away from Brent down the hallway to the
rear when the stairs caught fire from the bot
| tom and the flames ran upward like light
ming. Brent then said that, having
| done all that he thought he ought to do. he
went out of the house, closing the front doors
behind him so that the night latch caught. and
began to halloo fire" at the top Of his voice.
He helped the fremen get their ladders to-
gether, and
| WHEN MISS wILMERpINa JUMPED
he picked her up and carried her to DR.. Bax-
/ Tor A. he % ha a{ txvo
other colored men bringing in Mrs. Wilmer
ding, and he helped them. He added: Before
| 1 went away from DR.. Baxters Office the mother
said. Go back and get my father and mother
| out i says: Which room are they IMP She
says: They are in the second-foor back room.
| Then / went back and the hook and ladder
truck was just getting there. says to myself:
| Il guess those people are safe now, and so
went on to my stable, getting there at twenty
minutes past Z. was fireman in this city for
two years. After / came back after cleaning
| my stable, went into the frame house and
helped to lift Secretary Tracy into an ambu-
| lance"
COULD MRS. TRACY HAVE BEEN SAVED?
Brent was exceedingly dramatic in giving
his testimony, illustrating every point by sound
| or action. He was followed ON the witness
stand by Sergt Charles Meyers, third precinct.
| His testimony was not material, being simply
| as to the details of the fire as seen from the
outside of the house.
uryman asked him if he thought that the
| lives would have been saved if there had been
proper ladder facilities, and he replied that in
| his opinion nothing could have saved Miss
Tracy or the maid Perhaps, he added, to an.
other question, Mrs. Tracy could have been
| saved if the fire department had been equipped
with the most improved apparatus
Policeman Cattell was recalled at his own
| request and stated that no window in Secre-
| Tracy's lOnaa broken
THE BUFFERS STORY.
James Welsh, the butler, was called He
said: Il did not know anything about the fire
| till the colored man rang the bell. When I
opened the door the man told me the house
| was on fire. He came in and we opened the
library door and the room was in perfect
blaze. i had been in the dining room and was
going upstairs. The fire seemed to be all
over the room. Then ran upstairs into Mr..
Tracy's room. The door was shut and opened
it. They we're both in bed and l told them to
get out, the house was afire. did not wait to
see them get up, but ran up to the third floor.
BY that time the house was SO full of smoke
couldn't breathe. / cried fire" and then
had to go down stairs again on account of the
| smoke. / escaped by the back stairway.
went down and saw the kitchen maid and told
her about the fire. Kate Green, the ladies'
maid, says she Mrs. Tracy come out of her
| room and start to go to the bath room
and Mrs. Tracy fell at the maids feet.
Miss Tracy slept on the third floor. When
and the colored man looked into the parlor he
said, Shut the door, and am almost certain
that shut il. There was no fire in the CRATE.
| The Secretary stopped to dress or he could have
got out. don't know what Mrs. Tracy was
doing that she didn't get out. They could have
got down the main stairway if they had got up
| Immediately when l called them. When got
back down stairs ran out in the back yard and
saw Mrs. Tracy hanging out of the window. /
hunted around for ladder, and l saw her
when she fell. l was the first one to pick her
up. don't think she meant to let go. and in
fact. after she was taken to the house she said
she didn't mean to let go, but that she slipped
off. / didn't see the cook when she went out,
and / don't know just when she went out.
There were three lamps In the library. but
only one Of them was lighted. have no theory
as to the cause Of the fire."
TESTIMONY OF OTHER DoMEsTIcs.
Kate Green, lady's maid, said that she didn't
hear the butler, but knew first Of the fire when
she opened the door of her room. She went
down the back stairway and told Miss Tracy
| whose room was next to hers, that the house
was on fire.
Emile Henry, a servant boy and R. C. Tur.
ner, the footman gave uumportant evidence,
and then the taking Of testimony came to an
end.
| THE VERDICT.
After celebrating for three-quarters of an
hour the jury brought in the following verdict
| and statement:
THAT the said Josephine Morel came to her
! death by burning in fire at 1884 street north
! west, in the city of Washington, d. c., at about
am, February 3. 1890, and that the cause Of
the fire is to the jury unknown. and that the
loss of life at the said fire largely due to it,
exceptionally rapid spread.
1.-The jury regard 1t but just and proper tc
commend all the officers and men Of both the
| fire and police departments for their bravery
| and efficiency on this occasion. and especially
Officer Cattell, Chief PARIS and Fireman How
| ard Wright, to whom, we believe, the Hon. b
F. Tracy, Secretary Of the Navy owes his life
| ave desire in this connection to call the
attention of the authorities to the inadequate
| equipment Of the fire department of the Dis
trict of Columbia, and to suggest that all mod
ern appliances for saving life at fires should be
| Immediately furnished, and that the number
| of men to each company as well as the number
| of companies should be increased, for the rea
| son that when extensive fire occurs, or two
fires at the same time. the force is entirely toe
| small"
| He Has Been There.
To the Editor Of The EVENING STAR:
Do you know that gentleman who sits di
rectly behind me at the ''Stoddard lectures
and tells every one in the neighborhood tina