Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-19
AND NOW IT'S WAS H|NGTON
Disastrous Fire at the National
Capital.
BRAVE LIVES CRUSHED OUT
A Roof Buries Firemen-There Are Bodies in
the Ruins Yet-The Loss Is
100000

Washington. May 1S-Fire swept away
whole block of commercial buildings
opposite the Smithsonian institute soon
after 8 O'Clock this evening. The
lives of at least three fremen were
crushed out by falling walls. The loss
VIII exceed 100000 The buildings COW
ering the block adjoining the center mar
ket held large part of the commission
and wholesale produce business OF
washington, and, while not of great
value, their contents burned so fieroe1y
that great portion of the residents from
all portions of the city were attracted to
the scene of the confiagration. From to
o'clock the district was visited by one
OF the most terrific thunder storms in
years, and II is thought lightning travel
ing on the telegraph wires entered a pos
tai sub-station and started the fiames
which rapidly spread through the highly
infammable materials In the stories 'front.'
ing on Louisiana avenue, Ninth. Tenth
and Il streets. In q few minutes, under
general alarm orders. the entire fire de-
partment commenced its efforts to check
the fire spread, but exploding barrels of
Kerosene and gasoline drove them off and
led them to direct the engines to prevent
Ing the flames from crossing the street to
the neighboring square.
While the ffremen of No. engine were
working hose through one of the old
buildings the roof fell without warning,
burying them in the ruins. Alarming re-
ports at once spread that a dozen men
were killed. The wrecked building at
once began burning furiously and any
attempt at rescue was beyond question.
Not until an hour later had the flames
spfficiently subsidized at this point for the
hremen to begin clearing away the de-
brts. Then three men, Joe Mulhall, Dom
aldson and Kennedy. were taken out and
removed to the Providence hospital At
midnight the framap n a
body. Others are still believed to be in
the ruins and are being searched for
Among the principal sufferers are the
following:
house. No. 1926 Louisiana avenue.
s. Bensinger, horse and carriage auc-
ton house. $40 Louisiana avenue.
Compton Brothers. butter and eggs, No.
934 Louisiana avenue%
Roth & Geoghehan. pickles, No. sss
o. D. Spicer, butter and eggs, 1886 Louis
lana avenue.
F. M. Walker & Co., $50 Louisiana ave-
nue..
F. s. swaine & Son. $50 Louisiana ave-
nue..
The buildings on the B street side,
which were entirely destroyed, were oc-
cupied by Edward Adams, commission
merchant; Taylor Wade, dealer in but
ter and eggs; Frederick Fishiere; j. A.
DdV1S " OOH, w. .. AnQerSOn, TWO stores,
w. o. Shreves; Brown Brothers; Mat
thew, Son & Co., and William Semms.
Jewell Crowley who keeps a small res
taurant midway of the block lost every
thing and barely rescued his family alive.
Later information Is to the effect that
Firemen Giles and Griffin are dead and
that Firemeh Mulhall, McElroy, Keppler
and Kennedy are dangerously, perhaps
fatally, injured. Four others are known
to be in the ruins and several others are
missing and search Is being continued
late into the night for them. This fire Is
one of the direst calamities and Is the
only one of its kind since the notorious
Knox fire of about two years ago. The
buildings that were burned were compar-
atively of small value. though a whole
block of them were swept out of exist
ence. The full extent of the terrible
calamities that attended the confiagra-
ton was not known until a late hour. and
the neighbOrhood surrounding the scene
was thronged up to midnight.