Evening star., 1896-11-17
ALEXANDRIA AFFAIRS
Needs Of Improved Fire Alarm and Engine
Service.
The Example Last Night-Tried to
Own the TOwn-L0cal Notes
Of General Interest.

broke out IN an unOccup1ed frame dwelling
on Patrick street, Just south Of Duke. Tine
Columbia engine went to the scene, but did
! not go into service, the fire being extin-
guished by buckets. The fire is supposed
to have been Of an inceDdiary origin. The
| Hydrahiion engine IN responding to the
alarm broke down while crossing the tracks
of the electric railway company on King
street and could not. of course. go into
service.
Three things Of great Importance to the
city were demonstrated most clearly by last
nights fire. In the first place. the need OF
complete and absolutely reliable fire
alarm seryice, with direct connection with
the engine. The system now in vogue
which is, of course better than none is
that the person discovering the fire. in or
der to turn in an alarm. should run to the
rearest telephone, send in the alarm to the
central office. and the central Office then
phones the alarm to the engine houses
making, as a matter of course, several
minutes delay, which is oftentimes the
cause OF serious damage.
Last night the general alarm was not
sounded for some five or sA minutes after
the police whistles we're blown and the cry
OF fire was heard: and the alarm of the
Columbia Fire Company was not rung
Until several minutes later. AS the Alex
andrfa fire department Is almost entirely a
voluntary one. 1t is most important that
these alarms be rung promptly to get the
tenn would, 1t is said help matters greatly
Then, again, the Hydraulon engine broke
DOWN. leaving only one engine, the Column
bia, In service. This has occurred several
times or late. one or the other engine
breaking down; and at the Chemical Com
pany's fire both for time being out of
service 1t Is said that the city is doing
itseii serious damage by not providing
ltseiI win third engine, even IL that en-
g1ne be Kept as a relief and not be put int O
actual service. though the necessity is seen
py all In a few weeks now the new Hy-
draulion engine house will have been COM
pieted, and this will cause that engine to
move from the business portion of the city
leaving 1t entirely without fire protection
Inc Hyoraulion Is now located where it
| can best protect the business portion of the
city and its shipping interests but in a
short while 1t will be moved to within
few squares Of the Columbia engine house
| heart of the city
| Inc Hydraulion engine, as stated broke
| GOWN In gong TO the fire, on King street
| between Washington and Columbus caused
! ty the left hind wheel catching in the
| track of the Electric Railway COMPANY
The company does not use groove rails IN
the city, consequently it is with much trou-
bic that vehicles are able to cross IL. In
cities much smaller than Alexandria ii is
| said that the authorities will not allow
anything but groove rail TO be used in con-
slructing street railways, and the query
Of AleXandrians is why do not the city
| fathers compel the railway company to use
| groove rail in passing through the city,"
| Christian Endeavor Society,"
The fall meeting of the Christian En-
| deavor Society of northern Virginia viii
| convene in the Methodist Protestant
Church Saturday morning next. 1t will be
| opened at 9:4J o'clock, with service OF
| praise by the Baliston Society, followed al
10 o'clock by devotional exercises by the
Arington Enceavor Society. after which
| Rev. Frank Benson. pastor of the NJ. p
| Church. in this city, will make an ad-
| dress of welcome This will be responde1
| 10 by Mr.. Fl. o. Cornwell After singing
| some selections by the choir the business
| for consideration will be taken up. The af-
| ternoon session viii be follows: Music;
| pm. address by Rev. Dr. Jenkins For
Christ end the Church, music: 2:25 pm,
| Endeavor as Soul Winner Falls
Christian to Signs Our Piedge?" Vienna
| -:34 p. m. The Objections to Christian En-
aeavo:. Manassas: 2:40 pm. Christian
| Endeavor Fellowship" Lewinsvile: music.
Arlington; 2:@ pm. question box and open
| parliament. led by Rev. DR.. Mason: 300 D.
m, collection: prayer social intercourse. Al
| me evening session the program will be
continued as follows: Praise service, 100
pm: 40 pm. address by DIR. W. c. Alex
| ander, Some of the advantages of Chris
| tian Endeavor: S:15 pm. conservation
| service, led by Prof. II. +. Towe; s:45 pm.
rniZpah benediction.
1
| bers Of Epworth League of this city and
| Del Ray to take part in the exercises.
SwfndIed Brother Chinaman.
Moy Two. a Washington Chinese laundry
man. was arrested by officer Atkinson yes
! terday. charged with having obtained a
| $40 gold piece from Sam Sing. a King street
| 1aundryman. 1t appears that about three
| weeks ago Sam Sing went to Washington,
and while there he met Moy Two. Shortly
! afterward Moy Two left and came to Alex
andria and went to Sam Sings place and
told Sans wife that her husband had sent
| MIN after SO She gave him the money,
| and he left, and Sam entered a civil suit
| against Moy for the money. When the
case came up for trial before Justice Pei
| ten this morning Mr.. John Green, counsel
| for Sam Sing. moved that the case be re-
| moved to the corporation court While the
case was in progress Sam, upon the advice
! OF his counsel, secured a criminal warrant
| from Squire Beach, hence the arrest. The
| case will come Up for trial tonight at 4
| o'clock at the station house.
Thought They Owned the Town.
| Harvey Ross, John Williams and Milton
Thomas, three Washington negroes at
| tempted to take possession of the city last
night. Officer Beach happened to come
| across them, and their disorder was of
| short order, for they were soon placed be-
hind the bars at the station house The
!
ball at Odd Fellows Hall, on South Colum-
| BUS street. last night in honor of McKin-
| ley's election. A large crowd of negroes
came from Washington to join with their
| Alexandria brethren in celebra ting Among
| them were the three named above After
| filling Up with gin and other ccncoctions
| they proceeded to do up the town on
Ger Beach had considerable trouble in land
| ing them at the station house. This morn
| ing they were fined $ EACH which -they,
paid. my
Police Court,
Eight prisoners were in the docket this
| morning. Mayor Thompson disposed of
| them as follows: Richard Burnett. char.a
abusive language toward Officer Knight.
| fined $40. In default of which ne went to
Jail for twenty days: James johnson and
Thomas Burns, charge, suspicious charac-
ters. ordered to leave the city; Harvey
| Ross, John Williams and Milton Thomas.
colored. charge, drunk and disorderIy. fined
| 80 each; Maggie O'Brien, one of the demi-
monde, charge. vagrancy, sent to the work
house for ninety days; Lewis Carrinston
| colored, charge drunk and disorderly con-
duct, case continued until tonight to OBJ
tain additional evidence.
Wills PrObated.
The will of the late Mrs. Mary d. Greg
| ory was admitted to probate in the corpora