Evening star., 1896-12-29

= am, Y; pm, ~; maximum, Al; min
fmum, 16. -
alarm was sent by telephone While this
caused a little more delay than would have
been caused by the sounding of an alarm
in the first place, there could not have been
any better or more effective piece of work
done. So far as he had been told the fire
seems to have originated in the cellar from,
an electric wire, and because of the in
hammable material, such as is always to
be found in furniture store, the flames
spread with such rapidity that the clerks
did not have time to save all the books and
papers in the store. 49,
The experience of last nights fire. said
the Chief should impress upon Congress
the necessity for an increase in the fire
department. 1t was absolutely necessary
to call out the entire department in order
10 save the entire squara from destruction
and, as he has already said there was only
one company left ts protect the remainder
OF the District. And while only this one
company was left two alarms were sent in
fortunately one of them was a false alarm
and the other was for fire in frame shan
~ IN the county on, the Brentwood road.
Chief Paris. when asked about the burst
irg of the hose at the fire, said that sucn
accidents could not be iavoded. 1t some
times happens, he said. that hose breaks
because OF the long service, although the
oepartn a ent makes an effort TO keep only
sood hose in service. The life of hose, he
sald, Is about three years. Sometimes a
horse will step on the, hose or an engine
ail arlve over 1t, which will make weak points.
Then. too in handling The hose there will
pc doubling and if there is much pressure
of water a break win follow. The bursting
oa nose at fires he said, is something that
!''s This Morning. -
All this morning there was big crowd of
curious people standing about the ruined
building and commenting upon the COM
piete wreck the fire had made At the very
rear there was a portion of a wall stand
Ing, as was also bit of wall about the
main entrance. Everything else had been
razed to the ground.
A more complete examination TODAY casts
no further light on the cause of the fire
and the employees of the store are practi-
cally unit In the belief that 1t was the
electric wires under the floor that started
the trouble. The flames were first noticed
within very few minutes of the time that
the current for lighting the building was
turned on. The store employed between
sixty and seventy people, and they are all
out OF work for the time being, Temporary
omces were opened this morning at 1888 H
street. While no arrangements for the
future have been made. it is generally
agreed that the store will open up again
as soon "a, as suitable quarters can be Sc
cured. This morning, when things had
cooled down sufficiently, an attempt was
made to open the big safe which stood In
the main office.
1t was standing in it's usual place this
morning and had not even toppIed over
It was warped and bent by the heat of the
fire, but when 1t was opened it was found
mat the contents. which included the most
valuable books and papers Of the firm. were
practically uninjured. All the books with
the exception of two or three have been
recovered, and this will greatly facilitate
the work OF estimating the amount of dam
age done.
1t was found this morning that the rear
of the Church of the Epiphany was more
damaged than was at first thought A
number of the leads In the outer sheathing
of the big window back of the chancel were
melted, allowing pieces of the glass to fall
and break, A Christmas celebation was in
progress In the church when the fire broke
Out, and there was naturally q good deal
OF excitement. The curtains about the
windows OF the Sunday school room were
IN danger OF taking fire, but a nmber Of the
older boys made haste to pull them down
and the coolness of the older heads in the
assemblage prevented anything like a
panic Later. the ladies in charge of the
exercises served coffee to the f1remen who
were at work. The parish house in the rear
OF the church was in great danger, and was
only saved by flooding 1t with water. The
rooing room caught fire several times, but
|
headway
Dr.. It, Sowerss was a aaheaxy, loser.
when the fre was .ip progress he called for
two lines Of hose aud directed the efforts
Sudns hoSss fSel re0 Of his nunSsr nase
OF places, and 1t was Oily BY the hardest
Kind OF work that the entire building was
Kept from being defroyed. When It was
volunteers from the crowd stssted in to re-.
move the furniture, So ,e6ectually was this
done that good deal OF It has not vet been
recovered. and lots of handsome pieces of
furniture and bric-ai aibrab were ruined The
interior Of his house today looks as though
a cyclone had gone through 1t. More than
sS.OOO was expended on The frescoes of the
mouse, ana these and the walls in many of
Inmates his loss at about $4,000 fully in
srred -ss
Mr.. w. 8. Thompson:s house. 1922 New
as iork M avenue; was Alao damaged. but not to
- esis 81. ss,,g
Police EstAmate.
The police report kivsshe the total loss at
100000. divided as 8 follows: Damage to
rink building, 10000. insurance $4,000;
stock 100000. Insurance. $4,000; damage
70 u. Sewers residence. slesOoO. fully IN
FaIse Pretenses Charged.
On q, charge sof. afalse pretenses, Judge
Miller in the Police Court this afternoon
held Wisred F. G,iindon OF A716 II street
northeast for the action OF tiis grand j,,ry.
It was charged that October IL last Guin-
CON pretended to Mr.. y. and Mary Cannon
that the stock. fixtures and good win Of his
place Of business, a retail liquor establish
ment, Was entirefy frse from sencum brances.
BY such falHe pSetenses 1t was alleged
Gutndon obtaiped 1 81 800 from Cannon,
Later 90 1t was sset forth, 1t was found
that an encumbrance OF $206.75 existed
aGainSt the nrOnerfv