Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-18


with them the greater portion of the time
since the calamity. DR.. Bell, the resident
physician, stated that Bevans is 20 be re-
moved to his home in Anacostta today,
but the others will remain at the hospital
until their condition improves materially.
NEED OF FIRE ESCAPES.
What Building Inspector Entwtsle
Says On the Subject.
The great fire of yesterday afternoon
still continues to be the principal topic of
conversation all over the city. and now that
it is known that a number of human be-
ings lost their lives in the flames the hor-
ror that attaches to the catastrophe has
been greatly intensified. 1t has once more
called the attention of the public to the
great need for proper systems of fire es-
capes in such large buildings as the one
that was so completely destroyed yester-
day afternoon. The loss of life seems all
the more shocking when 1t is stated that
one of the Stlmph brothers only recently
contracted for a set of fire escapes, and the
material reached this city by train yester-
day morning. The tools of the workmeu
were already in the building. and the work
Of erecting the escapes was to have been
begun this morning.
Fire Escapes Ordered Last June.
The records of the Office of the building
inspector show that Stumph & Bro. were
notified on June Is that they must put up
proper fire escapes. If they would comply
with the law. They showed no immediate
desire to do so. however. and the building
inspector claims that he did everything in
his power to induce them to take some &C
ton, but without effect The law on the
subject is broad enough in its scope to take
in all such structures as this, but, un-
fortunately. there is no way to enforce it.
were IN the district attorneys Office de-
cided that the law was SO full of glaring
defects that 1t would be utterly out of the
question to attempt to enforce it,
The District authorities have tried on
numerous occasions to have Congress REM
edy these defects in the law, but so far
their efforts have proved fruitless. Both
Inspector Entwisle and Fire Chief Paris
know that they cannot put the law into
effect, but they endeavor to keep this fact
from general knowledge, and when they is
sue their notices to property holders they
do 1t In very mandatory tone although
they are aware that the orders are worth
less, unless the owners of the buildings are
willing, OF their own accord, to comply with
their demands. 1t was only last SATURDAY
night that Chief Paris was informed that
IRE escapes were to be put into the Stumph
factory.
A Talk With MIR. EntsisIc.
In conversation with a Star reporter this
morning Building Inspector Entwisle said:
This catastrophe should call attention
once Il ore to the great need for a change
in the law governing fire escapes That
flre yesterday spread with such terrible
rapiGty that l cannot, of course saw that
even If there had been all sorts of ap-
piiances on hand any one could have es-
capped of those who were burned to death
but even If they had only saved one life
they would have been far more than worth
while. We have long realized the necessity
Tor thorough system of fire escapes in
this particular building, but we could do
nothing about ii. My assistant who is by
law inspector of fire escapes and elevators
visited the Stumph place a number of
oInes ana urged them to comply with the
law. But that WAS all that he could do
and 1t was only few days ago that was
notified by them OF their intention TO do
what they should have done long ago.
Other buildings That Need Fire Es-
caDes.
'All the proprietors or owners of large
buildings in the District have been notified
of the provisions of the law again and
again, and the majority of them have conf
piled without any further delay There
are still a number of fragrant violations
however. For instance, there are three i'm
one immediate neighborhood that ought to
have been attended to long ago. l refer TO
Wizards Hotel, the Corcoran building AT
18th street and the avenue. and the Ebbitt
suitable escapes in case of fire, and, while
the Ebbtt House is better off in this re-
spect, 1t Is still not all that IL should be
Chief Paris and l inspected that building
some time ago, and ordered the number of
fire escapes to be considerably Increased
as there should be at least five, but nothing
has ever been done in the matter"
How about the Stumph building itself
apart from the matter OF fire escapes?"
The Walls Were Green.
at was an ordinary building of brick.
with wooden beams and floors and without
any effort to make 1t fire proof. 1t COM
piled with the building regulations in all
respects. however, and the story that the
walls were insecure by reason of the fact
that they were only eight inches thick at
the upper part is not true at all. The wallis
were thirteen inches where they were thin
nest. One trouble with them was that they
were green walls, for il takes fifteen or
twenty years for mortar TO get thoroughly
hardened, and they were more liable to ex-
pansion from extreme heat. They simply
sweled out and fell apart. If they had
been thoroughly seasoned they would prob
ably have held out some little time longer"
One of the Quickest Fires ON Record.
One extraordinary feature about yester-
Gays great fire was the rapidity with which
the flames spread and the short time that
elapsed before the whole building was moth
ing but mass of smoldering ruins. 1t
was ore of the quickest fires on record
Just eighteen minutes from the time the
first alarm was turned in the walls fell
with a crash. Some years ago an iron