Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-01


to invite all the engineers Of the city to
meet the third Wednesday evening in Oc-
tober.
Thanking the Department..
Members of the fire department have
received congratulations from a number
Of owners of property about the vicinity of
the burned power house because of the
work done in saving other property. To-
day Mr.. D. Nullany, who owns property
on 14th street. sent to Chief Paris the
following letter:
dinates for the efficient manner IN which
You succeeded in preventing the spread of
the flames at the Capital Traction building
wednesday night. My residence and place
OF business Is diag0nally opposite the burn
ed building on 14th street. It is the only
frame structure in that immediate neigh
borhood and it looked for time as though
nothing could save it. But through your
ageous services of your men, nv place and
All TIE surrounding property were saved.
am sure that the people Of Washington.
particuiariy those living near the scene of
the Washington fire department and it's
capable Chief
The Origin of the Fire.
The origin of the fire has never been as
certained and probably never will be. -In
regard to the impression prevailing that
the flames originated in the printing es-
adjustment of William Gettinger on the
third floor, D street side, Mr.. Gettinger
sald today that he could not see how the
lire could have Lossibly started on his
premises. On the night of the fire Mr.
HettlnScr ana several members Of his force
We're at work in his printing Office until
II o'clock or a, few minutes afterwards.
Mr. Gettinger did not leave the room with
Mr. Samuel Moore as stated, Mr.. Moore
n'v1ng preceded the proprietor with two
or three other employees by about a minute
Mr Gettinger came out with Mr. Williams.
MS foreman, and Miss Oxley. Mr. Williams
rocked the door on the outside and Mr.
Gettnger turned off the electric light in
side by means of the switch near the door
IN the corridor outside. The trio then
walked on and joined the other parties
VINO were ahead of them. Mr.. Gettinser
SAYS also that there was a large room
right across the hall from his establish
menr which was used by the Southern
Railroad Com pany for the storage of waste
paper. and that it presented all the chances
for the starting of a good fire.
HORSES IN DEMAND.
The Fire Causes the Market to Be-
come Active.
The Introduction of the horse on the Can
ltai Traction road is giving employment to
a large Number Of persons, who are glad
TO get any kind of work. At the George
town end of the line there are compare
lively few horses stationed. The change
OF animals is made at the union depot.
ano there are about five or six extra pairs
OF teams kept for the purpose of giving
the others occasional resting spells. The
company still owns the buildings on NJ
street just west of 32d street. in which
there are facilities for accommodating the
II Scfh hra tLat 4,
again be used before long.
The supply of horses and mules is limit
ed. The prices have suddenly taken an up-
ward Jump, more than doubling the pre-
vious hguies. Animals in fairly good con-
dttion which could have been bought for
10 or $50 have now risen in price to $50
and 800, and in some cases even higher.
Another serious drawback felt yesterday
was the lack of suitable harness. and
scraps OF leather roughly sewed together
were made to answer the purpose until
better material could be secured.
HALF A MILLION INSURANCE.
Latest Estimate OF the Total of
Policies Held by Fire Victims.
The interchange of information among
Insurance men which has been continued
ever since the fire leads to the impression
among them that the amount OF insurance
Carried In the power house outside OF the
S250000 of the Capital Traction. Company
would largely exceed first estimates, and
it was said this afternoon that 1t would
not be beyond conservative limits to place
the entire amount of insurance involved in
the destruction of the power house and its
contents and the injury tc the surrounding
property at s50O,O00, leaving s250.000 to be
paid to losers other than the Traction Com
pany Messrs. Tyler & Rutherford. the
well-known F street representatives of so
many leading fire insurance companies,
gave a Star reporter this afternoon the list
of the policies carried by the Southern
Railway Company, the Lanston Morotype
Machine Company and William GettInger
on property destroyed in the power house.
The Southern Railway Company carried
$4,000 on the contents of its offices in the
destroyed building. distributed as follows:
Home Insurance Company, New York.
s., $50; National Standard Insurance Co,
New York, $500; New York Underwrit-
ers' Agency, $500; Svea Assurance Co,
Gothenberg, $500; Armenia Insurance Co,
Pittsburg, $500; Security Insurance Co,
New Haven, $1,000; GLOBE Insurance Co,
New York, 5000; Traders, New York.
5000: Assurance Company of America
$4,000; Mutual Fire Insurance Co., New
New York, $1.50O; Reading Insurance Co,
Reading, $500; Albany Insurance Co.,
New York, s1,500; Pacific Insurance Co.,
New York, $1.0G0.
Inc IcHotype IudCiuHS '-oHl-
pany had $4,000 as follows: National
Standard. New York. 5000; Lincoln, Dis
trict of Columbia, 5000; Continental. New
York. 5000: Phoenix, 5000; Atlas: s1,50O;
Greenwich. 5000; Georgia Home, 81 800
William Gettfnger' had $1,000. He held a
policy on the National Standard Company
of New York for $2,u00 and in the Mutual
of New York for $1,000.
Mr.. Everett Rapley's loss on the ma
chinery and equipment of the National
Publishing Company will reach $4,000. on
which there is insurance of 5000. largely
in local companies. Two new Mergenthaler
linotype machines, two printing presses
and other valuable appliances of a first
class printing ofioe were destroyed.
1t was stated at the headquarters of the
District fire department today that it would
probably require four or five days to OBJ
tain definite list of the losses sustained
by the various victims of the great power
house fire, with the amount of insurance
Carried by each and the names of the COM
panies issuing the policies. The report on
this important phase of the disaster will
be made out by Fire Marshal Drew, and