Evening star., 1898-12-19
VICTIM A SECOND TIME
stumph's Mattress Factory Damaged by Fire
This Afternoon.
Loss Estimated at About 100000
Disaster Recalls Event of
Four Years Ago.

Fire visited Stumph's mattress factory
on Massachusetts avenue northwest near
9TH street. about / o'clock this afternoon,
and did considerable damage on one of
the upper floors. Water poured into the
building by the fire department damaged
a large amount of the stock. 1t is thought
that the total loss will reach between $1,000
and $1o,0oo, which will have to be paid by
insurance companies. Some of the insur-
ance was held by local companies, but just
W hat amount could not be ascertained this
afternoon.
1t is supposed that some machinery on
the fourth floor became overheated and
caused the fire. By hard work the depart
ment succeeded in confining the flames to
the floor on which they originated When it
became known that the mattress factory
was in danger hundreds of people respond
ed to the alarm, some remembering the
disastrous results of the fire there four
years ago, when lives well as property
perished to the flames. The present build
ing is supposed to be strictly fire-proof,
but the flames We're hard to control, and
the firemen had their hands full for a short
time.
On the Fourth Floor.
Chief Paris was on the scene in a short
time after the alarm reached headquarters,
and he directed the movements of the de-
partment. The fire, as already stated,
started on the fourth floor, where the ma
chinery was in operation and where a
number of people, including several ladies,
We're at work. The flames were discov-
cred in one corner of the room near what
is known as the picking machine. A guam
tity of hair for mattresses was in the
picker at the time.
The Alarm Given.
The employees who were in the room at
the time made an effort to extingush the
flames, but seeing this could not be done,
they gave the alarm and Albert Haske, one
of the number, rushed to the office and
had the manager send in an alarm from an
automatic box in the buIiding. by the
time another alarm was sent III, this time
from box lJ3, some OF the nre companies
had reached the factory. When cnief PAR
rls arrived smoke was pouring from the
WINDOWS and apparently from The roof. A
line of hose was taken UP the nre escape
IN the rear OF the building and the nre
men soon nad water pouring on the nameS.
soon aIIerward Two truck companies reach
ed the DuIulng ana extension lauuers We're
hoisted to the windows IN 1renr. up which
the pipe lines We're carried.
The burning oil The hair and other mat
tress material maze a dense smoke, and
rendered the WORK of theynremen difficult.
1t was feared .he blaze would finu i,s way
TO the top floor, anu pefnaps wreck the
roof, but this was prevented ny the Hood
ing of the building.
Stock Damaged by,sWater.
While the firemen were at work large
volumes of water were rushing uown the
stars, well as from the windows, and
some of the stock Of MATTRESSES. material
and brass bedsteads were damaged. En-
poyes of the firm nd not desert the build
ing, but renamed and protected the SOCK
as well as they couId.
1t Is due TO their Efforts, 1t is said that
much valuable properly was saved from
rum by Water.
The presence of so many companies Of the
fre department at the building caused a
Suspension OF street trathc for time.
Hose bridges were finally put across the
tracks and traffic was resumed. While the
damage to the stock in the Stumph building
amounts to considerable, lengthy suspen-
sion OF business is not likely to follow.
1t is stated that the stock in the building
today was worth more than 1000, and the
hremen were complmented for saving SO
much of 1t.