Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-09-18
The Washington Fire.

Inc WdSuluSlOh hS
By the burning of the lounge, mat
tress and folding-bed factory of Stumph
& Bro, 631-6S5 Massachusetts avenue
northwestW Washington yesterday, seven
workmen lost their lives, three more
were badly injured and several are
missing. The list of dead, missing and
injured are: Killed-W. T. T%ennyson,
Willie Ash, James E. Vaughn, and fon
unknown men. Missing-Phillip Ack-
erman, Henry Fowler, Robert Reitzell,
aud E. Reiksen. Injured-Harry Ba-
con, Arthur C. Bevins, and A. j. Haske.
The fire broke out a few minutes be-
fore twelve o'clock in the mattress
mandatory, and in an hour had spread
over the entire block, destroying nearly
every building in the same block. The
property involved includes the Stumph
building, destroyed entirely, with stock
of goods; the loss or the building is
probably $50, 900, on stock about $50, 600;
insured for about half the total. Build
ing of the Woodruff file holder compa-
ny; loss on building about $4,000, no
estimate of the loss of stock. Hall u
Cammack's furniture store; losses not
vet determined, as the damage to the
building cannot be accurately ascer-
tanned. Lowenthal's furniture store;
damage to stock and building about
$1S, 900; partially insured. The other
buildings destroyed were: J. w. Palm
er's oyster house, Ofenstein's horse
shoeing establishment, and the head
quarters of the United States horse and
cattle food company.
1t is believed that the fire was caused
by a piece of gravel which was caught
in the cottonpicking machine on the
second floor, and thus ignited the mass
es of cotton lint On the floor and float
ing in the air of the DOM The infiam-
mable character of the stuff was such
| hat in a few seconds the entire place
was a mass of flame, and the fire was
communicated so rapidly that it seem
ed to come from several quarters at the
same time. So rapidly did the fire
| spread that all four of the men who
were working on the fourth floor were
caught like rats in q trap, and found
themselves without means of escape.
They appeared at the windows for q
few moments, and the crowd that had
| gathered beneath the walls was horrified
Mt the sight of the helpless men i'm
p~risoned in the tinder-like pile that
was burning beneath them. Every mar
in the vast crowd groaned with horror
as the agonized faces of the apparently
doomed men were seen gazing down
through the awful, smoke-filled space
that separated them from safety.
Policeman Phil Brown, of the Second
Precinct, arrived just at this time,
however, and undoubtedly saved
the lives of the imprisoned men.
He signalled the men to go
around to the Sixth street side
of the building, and while they were
making the perilous journey, he with
the assistance of several others, placed
ii pile of mattresses on the roof of the
blacksmith shop to act as a life-Det.
When the men next appeared, how
ever, they were on the roof, having
clambered up through the scuttle to es-
cape the suifocatipg smoke from the
fire below.
The first man to fail was Harry Bev-
ing, who clambered along the %cornice,
unable to see the men below on the
roof of the blacksmith shop. He was
cliuging with bis finger tips to the cor
nice, and making his way painfully
along. Finally, the heat became so
great that he wasforced to let land was
nj once hurled through thesmoke-ladeu
air to the roof of the blacksmith shop,
three stories below. His companions,
however, saw the mattresses, and tried
to Jump on them. Bacon and Vaughn
made the jump with fair success, al
though Vaughn shortly after died from
tho injuries sustained.
Haske, however, missed the mat
t~resses, and struck the mar holding
them, knocking him down and severely
injuring him about the leg. Haske had
his leg crushed and the ankle broken.
All the men were removed to the
Emergency Hospital, where their in
juries were attended to. 1t was found,
after a careful examination, that
Haske's leg was badly broken, and am
putation might be necessary. It was
determined, however, for the present,
to set the leg in plaster, and give it a
show. The injuries of none Of the
other men were considered fatal, al
though all were serious. The fire was
the fiercest seen in Washington for
many years.