Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-24
Prohnhlc oriein of the Fire.

very little lnQeeU IRaI IHe udmeS pdSSeu
by.
Probable Origin of the Fire.
The Bryan building abuts on the Y. NJ. C.
A. building. The front room of the latter,
alongside of 1t, was occupied as an office
by Secretary Pugh. In the rear was
small air shaft, and opening into this were
two small windows on the first. second and
third floors of the Bryan building. The
fire had it's origin either in this air shaft
or directly adjacent to 1t, and the flames
entered the Bryan building through the
windows on the several floors almost as
soon as they had got full headway in the
Y. NJ. C. A.
The fire had got tremendous headway by
the time the first engine reached the spot,
little or no chance of saving the building
In which 1t started The flames rose to a
great height and the smoke and heat were
Intense, making the task doubiy diff
cult one for the f1remen. Fortunately there
were no serious casualties, although Tiller-
man Charles Hopkins of truck A had a
hand badly cut by broken glass.
AS near as can be ascertained the fire
must have started about $40 o'clock am,
although 1t was several minutes later be-
fore 1t was discovered. The first alarm
reached headquarters at 5:32 from box 141,
located at the corner of 18th and l streets,
and 1t was sevefal minutes after that be-
fore the first engine reached the scene Of
the confiagration. There was confusion
of alarms, ewing to the fact that two boxes
were runs IN simultaneously. The result
was saSt there was some doubt as to where
the fire actually was burning, and at least
one or two of the engines were started off
on rather Il wild goose chase. The FIRST
alarm was turned in by Policeman Will
lam j.. Settright of the first precinct, who
was on duty In the neighborhood, and
turned in an alarm from the box in front of
he rang the box on three different occa-
sicns, and says that number of street
railroad employees and others saw him do
it, But there is no record at headquarters
of any alarm being turned in from that
box.
Discovered by Policeman SettriR1it.
The fire was first discovered by Police
man Settright, who was near the building
at the time. His attention was called to
the smoke by colored boy, and at first
they thought 1t was from the kitchen Of
the Elsmere. which is just back Of the Y.
M. c. A. building. A closer inspection,
however, showed that the lower part of
the Y. NJ. c. A. building was filed with
smoke, and the policeman hurried as fast
as he could 10 the box in front of the Riggs
House. Then be jumped into a night liner
and hurried back to the scene of the fire.
Together with Policeman Cooper he broke
In the front door of the building and
found that the fire then had not got much
OF a start, but. owing to the dense smoke,
1t was almost Impossible to locate it's exact
position. In his opinion, a few buckets of
water or hand extinguisher might have
put out the lre, but there was nothing of
the sort at hand. The engines did not re-
spond, and the passing minutes seemed like
hours to Tie two policemen. Settright
again jumped into the night liner and ran
back to box 146. and rang it twice this
time. This was about $50 o'clock, as near
as can be determined, for Settright had
just returned from the patrol box where
he had gene to hang up his rubber coat.