Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-26
Suspicion That the Knox Fire Was
Not Accidental.
The POLICE AT WORK
The Mass Of Debris Still SmouL
ders and Burns.
l. o S S + r E p O r T f d

The building was guarded by a watch
man named Kingsbury while In the stable
foreman and ten assistants were kept at
work all night. During the fire kingsbury
told policeman that shortly after o'clock
IN the morning he saw a man in the main
building acting in a suspicious manner.
When he approached the man the latter
asked for the loan of a wrench with which
to unscrew a gasoline tank. The man. so
the Waterman told the officer, was named
Harris and one of the proprietOrs of pat
ent gasoline motor which was being tested
on the Belt Line railroad According to the
watchman's story, as related by the officer.
he ordered the man out
The latter obeyed and moved toward the
door. the Waterman following. When the
Waterman reached the Gospel wagon. which
was stored near the main entrance, the man
was nowhere to be seen. Ten minutes af-
terward the Waterman discovered flames IN
the region of the gasoline engine and sound
ed the alarm. Sergeant Byrnes and one of
the officers of the sixth precinct met the
man near the Belvidere Hotel few mo-
ments before the fire broke out. The facts
Wee at once communicated TO Inspector
Hoiiinberger the chief of detectives. A
rigid inquiry was made, and the Waterman
summoned before the chief. He repeated
MS story of the fire, and two detectives
were at once set upon the case.
Thus far no additional information has
been obtained. A member of the firm told
reporter of The Star of his suspicious
ard said the matter would be sifted to the
bottom. The strange thing about the whole
business was, he said, the presence of Har-
ris In the stable at that hour of the morn
ing. He had no right there. OF course he
would not say that Mr.. Harris was directly
or indirectly responsible for the confiasra-
ton. but the circumstances were certainly
suspicious.
The police have been on the lookout for
Mr.. Harris all day. but up to the time The
Star goes to press have not been able to
apprehend him.
In an interview with a reporter of The
Star this afternoon Mr. w. s. Knox said Ii
vas impossible to state what the firm would
do in the way of erecting a new building.
When the insurance companies got through
he would be able to state. The business of
the firm was going along, however. and
would continue to do So He thought there
was no doubt that a handsome fire-proof
structure would be erected on the present
site.
sim 1T Work.
All last night the fire smouldered Now
and then 1t would break out. and the fire.
men would hurry to the place with the hose
and extinguish IT. 1T was found necessary
to keep two companies at the scene all
night. aud. although tired and weary with
their fierce battle with the flames engine
companies No. and kept streams play
ing upon the srEouldering embers q all
through the night. LAT u o'clock this morn
ing engine company No. relieved them.
and all day this company fought the in
satiable flames which. like BanquO's ghost,
would not away. 49,.
The scene this morning was one of utter
ruin. Several. high, walls blackened by the
smoke stood like grim specters above the
smoking mass of debris that was piled high
up in the air Whenever a spot was To-
Gated where the fire ragged underneath,
corps of fremen would loosen the surround
tunity to get at the fire. But It was slow
work. There is evidently considerable fire
under the rubbish, and Chief Paris is
afraid to leave 1t for an instant. The freI:
men show plainly the result of their hard
battle with the flames. The injured are
doing well. and hope to be at their posts
before long.
A NARROW Escape.
Another story came out today which
shows what a narrow escape the men from
engine company No. had from being
buried alive. The company. under COM
mand of Foreman Keliher was directed to
take a position on the roof of Adams ex-
press stables and fight the fire from that
point of vantage.
A short ladder was run up from the mar,
row alley which leads from r street into
the main alley in the rear of the building
Up this Foreman KeHher led the way. He
was accompanied by Assistant Foreman
James G. Wilson. +. r. Brill, John Car
rington and Albert Easton.
There was another roof few feet above
the stable roof, and Foreman Keliher de-
termined that was the better place to stand
Surrounded by his men he directed the
stream, little dreaming of the possibility
of falling wall. Suddenly there was a
snap like the discharge of toy pistol. and
with mighty rumble the big south wall
came tumbling down. There was no need
to warn the men. They all saw it coming
and made dash for life. They could not
see hand before them, and blinded by
Tho rlSh nndl fhnir Ii,-a,
Assistant Foreman Wilson, followed by
Foreman Keliher. ran too far and fen head
long from the roof twenty feet below to
the alley. Fireman Brill caught the ladder
and broke his fall.
Fireman Darlington jumped and landed
safely, although his feet are badly bruised.
Fireman Easton came down the ladder.
When Fireman Brill landed he heard his
foreman crying out in pain. Foreman
Keliher is a magnificent specimen of a man,
standing over six feet and weighing nearly
300 pounds. Brill hurried to his foreman.
but found he was badly hurt about the
back and needed assistance. He tried to
life him, but could not. AS he was hurry
ing through the alley he heard some one
ellie cry out in pain. 1t was the assistant
foreman. He was lying on his back writing
In agony. He had sustained a compound
fracture of the leg.
Fireman Brill lifted him upon his back
and carried him to place of safety, and
then called for assistance to rescue the fore
man. 1t was we'll the men jumped. for a
moments hesitation would have cost them
their lives. The place where only a moment
before they had stood had disappeared. The
falling wall had carried 1t away. .-...-,
Tie Scene Today.
Thousands 81 people visited the scene of
the ruins again today. and hundreds lined
the sidewalk all day watching with idle
curiosity the lazy smoke curling upward
from the ruins -
The story OF the, death of the brave fire.
men who lost their lives was rehearsed
again and again Toward the afternoon
Health Officer Hammett directed Messrs
Knox to REMOVE ,the dead horses, which
We're makingd their presence known in a
very disagreeable manner. When the first
one was taken out the crowd drew away.
The stencil twas, intolerable. The work
of taking the carcasses out however must
necessarily be SLOW for thousands of tons
of debris are piled upon them. Health Off
Ger Hammett however. says they must be
removed at once, for they threaten the
health of the neighborhood.
Chief Paris today made a detail of four
teen men to attend the funerals of the
brave firemen who persisted in the flames
yesterday. One of the unfortunate features
of the fire is that the poor, ill-paid firemen
will have to pay out of their meager salary
$3.50 each toward defrayng the expenses of
the funerals. AS one of them said to a re-
porter of The Star today, 1T isn't that
object to helping my poor unfortunate COM
H.. l,.A tov