Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-19
BRAVELY THEY DIED
Continued from First Page.)

or six more companies, and 1 hope that
Congress, now that the appropriation bill
Is before twill see the necessity and grant
the request. Then there is the firemen's
pension fund.- At the present time it is in
a very bad condition. and cannot under
stand what Is to become Of the widows
their lives last night. ] desire to add"
continued the chief, IAN expression OF
gratitude to the members of my depart
ment for the noble work they did last
night and to the police department that
assisted US so materially and especially to
Police Surgeons hewitt and Mayfield, who
braved every danger to alleviate the suffer-
ings Of our injured men,"
A BRAVE DEATH.
officials Tell of the Terrible Flames
and Crashing Walls.
First Assistant Chief Belt. in an inter-
view with a reporter of The Star today
concerning the fire, said: ".In the thirty
fc ur years that have been connected with
the fire department in Washington there
has never been such a disastrous confia-
grafton. Nor has there been one so large
1 was at my home last night when the
gong sounded. Fortyfour single strokes
in rapid succession was the first alarm re-
ceived, and / imagined in a moment that
the wires had been crossed and that ac-
minute afterward 1 heard engine company
No. go by on the dead run. and then l
knew that there was fire and that that
company had received the proper alarm
My buggy was standing at the door, and
in less time than it takes me to tell you
I was on my way to the fire. Arriving at
the scene Of the conhagration l witnessed
a sight that told me in a moment that the
fire department of Washington would be
taxed to it's utmost. had four companies
on that first alarm, and after placing them
two at each end of the block. for at that
time the entire square seemed ablaze. l
sent my man to sound second alarm
AS l ran along the Louisiana avenue front
of the burning buildings l saw that the
flames were rapidly spreading and l ran
myself to a telephone and sent in a general
alarm calling out the entire department
After the arrival of the chief engineer and
Assistant Chief Kurtz l was detailed to
fight the fire from B street. The fire must
have been burning some time before the
have told you already. seven buildings were
on fire and the flames We're pouring out of
them as far as the curb line. The heat
was intense, and the men suffered con-
siderably from exposure There is no COM
pariSon between this fire and the patent
office fire. Why. with the present strength
of the department we could have confined
that fire at the patent office to the west
wing. and 1t would never have gotten
away. You know my views concerning an
increased fire department. and don't need
any other argument than this fire to use
in support Of my position. With an in
creased force. which the city certainly
needs. the loss at this fire would have been
materially lessened."
Assistant Chief kurtZ told the sad story
of the death of F'iremen Giles, Conway and
Griffin to a reporter of The Star this morn
ing. He said: Il had been detailed by
Chief Paris to fight the flames from Louis
lana avenue, and the companies under my
charge were working along that street 1
had them distributed as l thought best at
each end of the block, with the idea of cut
ting Off further progress Of the flames east
or west The fire was different in many
respects from any l ever attended. In the
first place, but a few feet interviewed be-
tween the rear Of the buildings on street
and those on Louisiana avenue. and
the buildings on both streets were on fire
1t was impossible to attack any one OF the
fires from the rear. Company No. was
fighting on the outside of one of the burn
ing buildings when the cry went up that
several Of No. company had been caught
in one Of the burning buildings. Locating
these imprisoned fremen 1 saw at a glance
that it was necessary in order to keep them
fl ON being roasted to death to get a COM
pany inside an adjoining building and fight
the flames back from them.
I'm the adjoining building the partition
wall had fallen and the bricks and debris
were piled fully fifteen feet high. Engine
company No. .. with Foreman Wilson at
the head. climbed this mass Of debris and
from this point Of vantage fought the
advance OF the cruel names upon the I'M
prisoned firemen. The wall at that time
to the west looked perfectly safe, although
I took the precaution to warn the men
not to turn the hose upon it. then re-
turned to the street to direct TIE move
ments of the outside company. As L reach
ed the door 1 heard sharp report, which
sounded like the discharge of hundred
rifles, and turned in time to see the men
retreat The pipe line was in charge of
Firemen Brown. Raum Kidwell, Conway,
IEscoc and Griffin. AS 1 say. the men
were on the retreat down piled brick when
1 saw the wall topic and come crashing
down upon them. AZ l looked again 1
saw three of my hest and bravest tiremen
disappear under the falling walls. They
were FiGemen Giles. Conway and Griffin.
They never uttered cry, and l knew in q
moment that it was all over with them.
AS soon I could gather the scattered
forces of No. 0 took them to the front
of the building to fight the battle with
death for the lives of their imprisoned
comrades. Chief Paris reinforced my
rescuing party, and the men worked IS l
never saw them work before. But all their
efforts were useless, for the cruel bricks
had done their work and the lives of
those three brave men who had faced
death to save their comrades lives had
gore out Truly, it was a human sacr-
flee Of brave men FOR the lives of their
&C mrades. Never in my experience IN
the fire department have 1 seen such an
exhibition Of bravery, and the records of
lives will live as monument forever to
the deeds of brave men,"
DEAD AND INJURED.