Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-08-28

6:@1 High water S:l0 q. m. ant
322 Pm
WEATHER PIoBARILITEs.-For this
section generally fair; southwestern
winds.
A Hot FIRE.-Shortly before eight
o'clock this morning a telephone mess
age from the gas works announced thai
the Standard Oil Company's house or
the north side of Oronoco street, be-
tween Lee and Union, was on fire,
The alarm was sounded and as the
apparatus hurried to the scene q cloud
of black smoke eurled up from the
northeast. The fremen soon saw il
would be impossible to save the build.
ing with the large number of barrels
of coal oil and gasoline in it, and their
exertions were directed toward con6n.
ing the fire to the building proper and
thereby save the railroad cars nearby,
as we'll as tho depot buildings and the
gas and electric light works across the
street. The iremen worked heroically
for that purpose and they were emil
nently successful, for after the confia-
grafton had ragged furiously for two
hours and nothing save parts of the
walls of the oil house remained, the
other property was uninjured. The
employees of the gas and electric light
works We'd assiduously with the fire
department, while the police did all
they could toward the common end.
The Hydraulion engine took charge OF
the plug at the corner of Fairfax and
Princess streets and the Columbia took a
stand at Fishtown with the entire Po-
tomac river for a reservoir, and tons of
water we're thrown in the flames which
danced heavenward with demoniac
fury, while the smell of burning oil was
waited through tie entire city by the
northeast wind prevailing at the time.
The heat too, was intense, and the fire.
men and others engaged in removing
barrels from the enclosure, and
goods from railroad cars near by were
nearly Frustrated by the fierce heat of
both the fire and the sun About fifty
wards from the mass of burning oil and
barrels were the forty-fve-thousand-
gallon tanks, and it was realized that
should the fire reach them an explosion
and a ~coniagation would follow which
might not be stayed until the entire
river front were destroyed. There was
therefore no little apprehension mani
tested as the flames grew fercer and
6ercer and licked up everything COM
bustible they could get within their
embrace. Some hay on a train which
vas sidetracked near by caught fire,
but numbers of willing hands at
tackled the flames and extinguished
them. The bales were subsequently
rolled from the cars to 8 place of safety.
Oil from broken barrels which had
been rolled out of the enclosure was
meandering toward the river, andlmuch
exertion was required to keep fire from
it, as it twas forcing its way in the in
cline toward the wooden buildings at
Fishtown. The flames finally showed
signs of weakening, though a.quantity
of burning coal oil at the extreme west
end still roared furiously, and the
streams from the engines which were
poured into it and into the piles OF
twisted tin 3 few feet away made a ter
rible roar. BY this time pnddles and
lakes of water had been formed all
around the fire by the copious streams
from the river and plug. The fire was
now in its last stage and under control
and only ragged in patches here and
there. 1t was deemed expsdient, how
ever, that a plug stream be continued
from the Hydraulion during the day in
order that there could be no possible
chance of the fire getting outside OF
the warehouse enclosure. 1t is gen.
orally conceded that there never was a
better managed fire in this city, q plan
of operations having been devised i'm
mediately and carried out successfully.
1t is said the Relief Hook and Ladder
truck occupied but twenty-six seconds
in getting under way for the fire, and
the other apparatus made remarkably
good time. The fremen and those who
We'd with them worked until some had
to desist from sheer exhaustion, MI.
Wilmer Kemp, for instance, having
toiled until he vas overcome and fell
in a faint. He soon recovered, how
ever. MIR. George Petty had his hand
severely cut while removing some tin.
The origin of the FIRE is a mystery,
that is if William Turner, a colored
employee, can throw no light on it, as
he was the only one on the spot where
it occurred. 1t started in the cooper
shop in the northern end of the struc-
ture, where barrels of gasoline, paints,
&c., were stored. Messrs. Thomas
Mullen and George Klaus, from the gas
works, were in the building at the time
purchasing q small quantity of gasoline
for the city. Turner was drawing it for
them, when q slight explosion was heard.
Mullen and Klaus were some feet away.
and they approached Turner who they
found endeavoring to smother with
sand flames which were coming from
a barrel of gasoline. Mr.. Mullen told
the darkey he couldn't extinguish the
fire with sand and offered his services
to 20 to the gas works and telephone
for the fire department. Turner says
he has no idea how the fire was started,
and asserts that it did not have its orr
gin in the gasoline, but somewhere
close to it. The loss will be about
5000. There is said to be no insur.
ance either on the building or stock. a
temporary shed will be erected imme'
distely and the business of the com
pany continued as usual. The com
pany was shipping oil to Washington
this morning while the fire was raging,
a new and larger building of much
more imposing structure will be erect
ed as soon as possible.