Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-08-15
Lower Fairfax Items.

The annual festival of Pohick Church
Sunday school, held last Wednesday
evening in the grove near the church,
was very successful affair. There
was large attendance, and all present
appeared to enjoy themselves.
Two of our excellent country teach
ers, Miss Lila Alilstead and Miss Nellie
hewitt, have returned from the normal
which was held at Culpeper Courthouse
this summer. They report an interest
ing session and speak in high terms OF
the hospitality of the old town.
Mr.. William Claggett has returned
from q pleasure trip to Maryland,
bringing his cousin, Mr.. Charles Clag
gett, with him.
Dir. John Troth, of Accotink, has
been quite i'll, but we are glad to see
him up and out again.
Mrs. Moore, of Washington, with her
children, has been spending some days
with her sister, Mrs. George Hams, in
Accotink.
Mr.. and Mrs. Frank Landstreet, OF
Hartman, Tenn, have been on visit
to Mr.. LIS father, Mr.. A. c. Landstreet,
at Mount Air.
Mr.. Heating s. Nelson, ST., has been
visiting friends at Olivet and Pohick,
and has now gone to see relatives IN
Albemarle county.
The late rains gave assurance of q
better corn crop than was expected in
this neighborhood. There is a poor
outlook for late potatoes and the gar
dens generally are dried up.
SAVED BY A CAT.-That number Of
persons did not lose their lives in the
fire in q himsy frame tenement in
Brooklyn yesterday morning seems
miraculous. AS it was, five persons
were burned-fortunately, not serious
ly. To Mrs. Smeltzer's cat belongs all
the credit for the rescue. It's cries
awakened the sleeping tenants in time
to allow their escape from their already
flaming home.
The house is three-story double
frame tenement, occupied by six
families. 1t is himsy, infammable
structure. At 2:15 o'clock yesterday
morning, when all the persons dwelling
there were sound asleep fire broke out
in the hallway on the first floor. 1t
cracked and smoked and gained good
Roadway, and was climbing quickly up
the himsy stairway before it was MOTTO
ed. Then it was that Mrs. Shelters
black cat gave the alarm.
Immediately the startled animal set
up such hullabaloo as would have
done justice to a back fence concert.
1t Moved and tore around and finally
pounced upon the bed of its sleeping
mistress as to awaken that parsonage.
It did not take Mrs. Smeltzer long to
jump out of bed, rush out into the fam
ing hall and awaken the house with her
screams. A policeman meantime saw
the fire and rang out an alarm. When
the engines arrived they found that
they had lively little blaze to cope
with. The tenants were all out, but
many were so burned by their run
through the flames as to necessitate an
alarm for two ambulaDces.
Mrs. Smeltzer's cries awakened the
family of Thomas Ryan, who occupy
the rooms on the third floor, and the
Coughlins, who have rooms across from
the Ryans. The jumped from their
beds and rushed out into the burning.
smoke-filled hallway. At the second
floor they were joined by the family OF
James Hunt, and then began a mad
stampede down the narrow stairway,
which was just beginning to burn. The
heat was intense, but the half madden
ed crowd pushed ahead. They got out
Just before the flames rose to q height
that would have cut off all chances of
escape.