Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-02

No One Knows How the Knox Fire
St0r1eGk

At the end OF the week, after the great
Knox fire, the mystery rs to its cause is
as far as ever from being solved and it
now looks as though it would remain a
mystery for all time The investigation,
which has been vigorously prosecuted by
the authorities. is about concluded, but
has demonstrated nothing definite beyond
the fact that the firesin all probability did
not have it's origin in the gasoline wagon
which was stored on the ground floor of
the Knox building.
Fire Marshal Drew has been studying
into the matter very carefully, but the only
conclusion that he has been able to reach
is tnat the flames were either started In
some way through the negligence of the
employees, who were In the building at the
time, or were the result Of spontaneous
combustion. Marshal Drew told a Star
reporter that there was nothing really to
support either one of these theories, but
that they were the only ones left after
eliminating those that were manifestly i'm
possible.
In the course Of his examination one of
the employees, who was under oath when
ne made the statement, said that from
wnere ne was at the time Of the fire 1t
was evident 1t started the second or
third noor and another witness swore that
when he first saw the flames they were
considerably beyond the point where the
wagons were stored. Harris. the owner Of
the wagon. which was first said to have
made an the trouble. has not been seen by
the authorities since he was released by
the police and left the Emergency Hos
pitaL Fire Marshal Drew has made sew
eral EFFORTS to find him, but without sue
cess but he has ascertained that the gaso-
line tanks. which were a part Of Harris
scheme for a motor were not stored at
knoxs at all. The wagon was there but
ne mad removed the tanks and engine for
use In sort OF street car. with which he
was experimenting on the tracks of the
Anacostia line. after the cars had stopped
running at night. He IL a man Of limited
means ana was unable to afford The luxury
OF I double set of engines and tanks. He
mad had his wagon stored at Knoxs for
several months past, but there was not a
drop Of oil about 1t. The gasoline tanl 4
mat used TO form part of 1t are still in
that they were never In the fire Accord
Ing to the statements of members of the
nrm made to the fire marshal they were
always very careful to see that nothing
Oh compustlble nature was allowed stor-
age room. Frequently people who were
storing furniture would send along gaso-
line stoves and tanks. but 1t was an in
variable rule to pour out every drop of
the fluid before putting them away. They
cite the case OF a woman who had n can
OF gasoline among her household effects
when she sent them there. The gasoline
was poured out into the gutter before the
stun was stored, and wneI she came to
reclaim 1t and found what they had done
she threatened n suit for damages. IL was
necessary to pay for what had been lost
before she would be pacified. Many things
were sent there already stoutly boxed and
there Is, of course, a possibility that among
these boxes there may have been lamps or
cans nlied with some inflammable fluid
which had it's effect IN bringing about snon,
taneous combustion. This Is all merely
conjecture, however and the actual cause
or the big fire will probably lever be