The times., 1897-11-27

liS GlllIpAt soi1ieS ElGCifNs 1Otl!-
pany made the city bright last night de
spite the damage done its plant and powe.
station ny fire early yesterday morning.
While the flames were burning ar nd
engines, dynamos, cables and Instruments,
it was prophesied that tue company could
not gasftSalf into shap. to supply light AMI
power to the city for several days. Butthe
prompt and effective work Of the fire de
parteent, and the hard work of the officers
of the company, avcrted this calamity ami
made it possible last night TO operate all
the arc lights and uostof til. incandescent
lights in the central section OF the city.
Power was also supplied 10 the nianufac-
turing plants dependent OH the electric
company
AS soon as the debris cooled under the
seas OF water pumped upon it, n large
force of electricians and laborers was
set 20 work repairing the damage. Sew
erdl dynaTnos went into action during the
day, ard by nightfaI every dynamo Of the
company was ready for business. All
would have been in operation but for the
loss of several heavy copper cables, which
| SoNltl Apt Dt iCtlldtttl Qutthiy.
After critical exaniina tion of the
plant, the officers OF the company cal
culate1 that the damage would rot ex
ceed $4,000 OF $4,000. rhe first esti
mates were based ON the supposit!on that
the machinery had either heen ruined or
badly damaged. This proved not to be
the case. The only loss on the dyla nos
was due to the destruction OF heIting.
All damage viii lie covered by insur ACE.
Is the insurance OH the building is $4,000
| placed in the following companies: Frank
| lin, Arlington, CorCGran, National Unior.
Lincoln, Geunan-A merican, Fireman of
Baltimore, Hartford, Phoenix Association,
L. and N, Imperial, Phoenix OF Hartford,
| Pratt Continental, Home Of New York, L
and l., Globe ind Merchants.
A heavy brick wall was built ar the
southeast oorucr Of the power house IL
replace TIE wooden che which was burned
out. Gangs of iaen worked all night in
cutting out and replacing dead ables.
The plant Of the company will be In
operation as usual today.
All thc manufacturing industries in the
city dependent on the company were
shut down part OF yesterday, but the cur
rents were renewed with great rapidity
The Washington end of the Washington,
| Alexandra and Mount Vernon Railway
| was tied up in consequence OF the fire, and
1 during the early part of yesterday PAS
| sengers were conveyed to the cars at tht
Long Bridge in busses. The running of
| theuains was resumed yesterda fternoun.
The city postoffice suffered seriously as
| the cancellation machines there are run by
electricity. All the stamping had to he
done by hand, and every available man was
| pressed into service.
The accepted theory OF the origin OF the
fire l. that two heavy feed wires became
| crossed in some way not easy to explain
and that after Tie Insulating had burned
off, the surrounding woodwork ignited
The flames gained considerable headwav
before beinE discovered, owing to the fact
that the building was brilliantly lighted
| About fifty men Were at work when the
fire broke out, but few of them were in
| the southeast part of the structure
1t was IN the circulating room, on the
second floor and above the office of the
compcny that the fire started. When
the Flames We're seen one of the
employees turned In the alarm through an
| instantaneous fire alarm box and three
calls for engines were sent out In Quick
| succession.
1t was a difficult task to combat the fire.
| owing to the Instructions which the fire
Imen encountered. On the west side of the
building is tie excavation for the tasemeli:
| OF the new power station, and along the
south and east fronts We're piles of ,!d
and new electric light poles, terra Gotta
condmts ard heaps of bricks. Then there
was network Of wires, about the charac-
ter OF which he firemen couldnot be ain
Despite the heacway of the fire and the
difficulties under which it was fought.
1t was extihguished within forty-fiVe min.
utcs after he first alarm had been sent ou-