Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-13
Fierce Fire in The Evening
Star Building,
IMMENSEVOLUMES OF SMOKE
Blind the Printers in Their Efforts
to Get Out.
MANY NARROW ESCAPES.
THE STAR STILL SHINES

Shortly before o'clock this morning a hre
started in the basement of IHE EVENING STAR
building and in less than half an hour the rear
nortion of the structure, from the business
Office To the extreme northern end OF the edl-
fee and from tho basement to the ROOF was
wrecked. No lives were lost, but there were
MANY narrow escapes. The fire created intense
excitement and during the morning Pepnsyi-
yania avenue i'll the vicinity of The STAR once
was crowded by thousands Of people.
At the time the fire started the employees OF
Tuv sr.R had already commenced the work Of
the dsy to bring out the paper. Livery man
Was at bis most. attending to his share OF the
complicated undertaking of preparing great
nevspaper for publication. The editors had
sent out copy to the composing room to
start the CORPS of compositors clicking the lit
Ale tvnes into the sticks" The reporters we're
receivinp their assignments from the city
editor before starting on their rounds to sweep
the city, the departments and the Capitol OF
news.
In the press-room the foreman in charge OF
the STARS three great presses, Win MS ioiee
of eight assistants was oiling and cleaning 'he
presses. getting out the immense rolls OF paper
and doing the little odds and ends OF WORK nee
essary to prepare the machinery for lis later
duty.
In the basement OF the building the nremah
who feeds the immense boilers was puss ing
himself about the engine with his back turned
to the boiler. 1t is his duty to keep the engine
clean. The boiler is located in the extreme
northwest corner Of the basement.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
At this moment George Armstead young
coIored man employed in the building came
in with an immense bundle Of waste paper. 1t
is customary to burn the refuse which ae-
eumulates around the building. He opened
the furnace doors and showed the mass inside.
81 couldn't get the door closed" he after
ward explained, land / thought Dougherty,
the engineer, was coming, so left 1t
Gibson, the fireman, claims that Armstead
left the paper on the floor near the furnace
door,
In less than a minute after Armstead passed
out the fireman, who was olling the machinery,
heard cracking and turned around.
The woodwork and ceiling Of the whole room
near the boiler was blaze, which was being
rapidly obscured in q great cloud OF smoke.
Gibson threw a bucket Of water on the wood
work, but, realizing the extent Of the danger,
ran upstairs into the press room shouting
"Firer'
THE ALARM GIVEN
But the presence Of the flames had been
made known before he reached the top OF the
steps.
Tom Harlow had been working on No
press which was situated just above the boiler.
While cleaning it he saw a cloud Of smoke pour
M by the window and heard the crackle OF
flames underneath
He did not stop to investigate, but dashed
through the room, crying fire as he ran. Then
out of the building he sped across Pennsyi-
yania avenue to No. 2 engine house.
THE STAR Office is on fire, he shouted.
fireman sprang to a rope and gave clang
on a big bell on the wall Down the brass
pole from the rooms above came the fremen.
The horses stall doors few open, the four
magnificent animals dashed out and took
their places under the suspended harness. The
fremen had clambered into their seats on the
engine and hose reel, and as the front doors OF
the engine house opened the machines rum
bled away on their mission of help.
As they turned out of ID street the foreman
say a great cloud of dark smoke rolling high
above The STAR buildings.
1t seemed as il the whole center of the block
turned in the alarm from the box at the engine
house.
No. 2 engine took station at the corner Of
Ilth and Pennsylvania avenue.
The hose was carried along the Eleventh
street front and run into the press-room.
PERIL OF THE PRINTERS.
1t seemed ages before the first truck-Truck
CARVED. Men were elambering down i'm
provised ladders, and the crowd was cheering
and admonishing them TO hold on Smoke
poured from all the windows, and the printers
crowded into them to escape suffocation. Es-