The evening times., 1897-09-30
THE ORIGIN IS 4 MYSTERY


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home They had tarried later than th,
| others. putting things In order. and locking
| the office. When they went away, SO fa
as their observation went, there was n,
| sign of fire. Directly after the two mei
| passed down stairs, Watchman Morgan
| passed Mr.. Gettinger's door and wound tn.
I! time box at the end Of the hall. He saw
nothing OF the fire. AS Mr.. Gettinger snd
MT. Moore were leaving the building they
stopped and talked moment with ths
| oil watchman st the door.
Before they could have had time tc
have gotten many blocks away the blaze
burst forth, and in fifteen minutes the
entire structure was one seething mass
Of unquenchable nanfes and the building
0vomed.
The excited cries df '.Fire." served al
the first warning 10 the employees Of the
building who were at work In the boiler
and engine rooms. Scarcely had they tius,
to Realize what itmean and tina they were
IN danger when they received unmis:a Ia bic
intinatior. that the fire was In tie power
house by the great clouds Of smoke which
settled down INTO the lower floors, and
thew rushed for their lives. The stable
doors ON the Thirteenrh-and-a-haIf street
side were thrown open and the emergency
wagon, to which were attached two hand
some brses, was hurried out. Little else
was sayed from the Burning structure,
The warning to the employees had come
so suddenly and unexpectedly ythat they left
without having time to exhaust the big
boiicrs of their steam, or to stop the ma
chinery. For five minutes after ever yone
tz.fs
drive wheels which drew the long, heavy
cable continued TO revolve with the same
rapidity and terrible momentum as though
everything was in perfect order. The
cabAc was running and all She cars were
moving. In just at the very instant the
flames Were shooting from score OF
windows on the D-street side and getting
rapidly beyond the control of the ffremen.
three trains were passing along In front
OF the building ON the Avenue side. pro
PEELED by the power Of the engines and
machinery, which still remained intact.
They mad not long to continue. however,
for soon the entire rear half OF the third
floor fell with a mighty crash, and the
strong iron girders, the heavy beams, as
well As the debris. fell upon the mighty
wheels and they were ciogged. The en-
gines throbbed for d few minu tes longer and
the boilers fairly painted. Then the power
full mar hinery became W arped and bent un-
I'll finalIr the big wheels and cables which
had been endeavoring to throw Off the
debris were finally stopped. Then every
car OF the Capital Traction Company on
Pennsyi rania avenue from the AQue1uct
bridge to the navy yard and On Fourteenth
streetfrom Mount Pleasant to the Treasury
was stopped and the cars were left stand
ing at all points along the road, to be
moved again only, for some time at least,
by horse power.
After every one had fled from the burn
ing power house, Assistant Engineer Davis,
seeing that the entire structure would be
destroyed, remembered that the steam was
still on in the boilers He knew that IL
these exploded that the force would shat
ter the walls and cause them to fau with
great force and - sudden that the loss OF
life would doubtless be grat, especially
to the fIretnen. who were working close
10 the walls
AT the peril OF his own life he reentered
the then fiery furnace and made an
effort to reach the boiler roofns. In this,
however, he was unsuccessful. for the heat
and vast clouds OF smoke drove him back
Fortunately the boilers were OF the tubular
pattern and the ends OF each lube tlex
out separately, causing Compare lively
only a slight explosion. and not enough
to more than Jar the walls, and none fen !.
from the effect of the explosions
During all the crash and crumbiinx, the
explosions and falling walls, the thick,
heavy cables clsnk sos ostheir position on
the big drive-wheeis, ana these wheels,
being 20 firmly set and. held in position.
are to te seen today, with the big W ire ropes
still Gpon them Before the third floor
fell In, even above The cracking and roar
ing OF the flames and the putting OF the
fire engines, the rumble Of the heavy ma.
chinery could be distinctly heard.
ssoon as the first alarm had been turned
In, engine company No. 2, which is located
on ID street. just a half block bove the
power house, Immediately responded, and
In the shortest possible time the firemen
had attached q hose to the fire plug at
the corner uf Fourteenth and ID streets, and
started stream upon the burning build
ing.
1t scarcely reached the third floor, and
in the face of the roaring blaze several
brave firemen assembled the fire escape anil
attempted to fight the conrlsgrHtlon at
close range. The intense heat and the
rspidly spreading flames, In spite Of their
efforts, soon drove them down, and for
this reason the fire continued to grow In
intensity.
scrgt- Acton and Policemen Schuyler
and C0wne, who were at first the only
officers ON duty on the ID street side, hur-
ried to the engine house and sounded In a
second alarm. The department from the
district then came dashing up
and again third alarm Was given.
BY this time Chief Paris. Assistant Chief
Belt and Fire Marshal Drew had arrived.
The chief at once undertook the direction
of the work OF fighting the fire, and or
drred that a general alarm be sent in,
which brought out alt the fire engines,
hook and ladder companies, hose carts.
and every foot of hose and dfire-fighting ap
paratus in tue city.
Some fninutes before this time the police
f,ctn No. station and from Nos
and arrived, and when the general
alarm came In the reserves from every sta
ton responded.
Every available officer In the city was
pressed ih.o service. and did excellent
service under a corps OF lieutcnants and
sergeaIts.
Tie various engines were stationed a {
III points surrounding the building, and
streams from every direction were di@
reoted toward the building. Il
Several efforts Were made by some ofthe
To carry lines Of hose into tho