The evening times., 1898-07-30
DsPARfMsar WAS BUSY,

Several Blases Yesterday One -
Which was oaife Destruetive.
The fire department was kept busy yes
terday responding to calls into service.
The first fire occurred just about sun
rise at DR.. Ford Thompson's farm. where
a barn and the outbuilding were destroy
ed, entailing loss Of between 5000 and
$4,000.
The most destructive confiagration was
shortly after 3 o'clock In the afternoon.
1t was at George N. Saegmullers astro-
nomical instrument manufacturing works
at Second and Maryland Avenue south
west. and nearly $4,000 worth of valuable
models and instrument patterns were
damaged.
The building is two stories high. On
the ground floor are located the machine
shops and Offices. Upstairs are two
rooms separated by wooden partition.
One of them is used as carpenter shop
and the other for the finishing Of pat
terms. 1t was in the carpenter shop that
the fire started and flames soon burst
from the windows and doors while the
smoke nearly suffocated the workmen.
Machinists and carpenters seized hand
fire extinguishers and endeavored to
quench the blaze. but 1t had gained such
and some one was sent to sound the
alarm for the fire department.
When the engines arrived flames and
smoke enveioped the entire upper part
Of the structure. Mr.. SaegmulIer and
his assistants had succeeded, however.
in removing many of the finished instru-
ments before the arrival of the firemen.
workmen ran about the place with del
icately adjusted machinery. to get 1t
away from the intense heat. while sew
eral men dashed out the building and
emptied Jars of explosives on the ground
to prevent a further disaster.
The firemen were compelled. owing to
the partition on the second floor, to go
the entire length of the building. and
blaze. This caused some delay. but 1t
was only an hour later when the flames
were extinguished.
The water from the second floor pour
ed in streams through the flooring and
drenched the machinery blow while the
heat warped and twisted several of the
finely adjusted Instruments In the pat
tern room adjoining the carpenter shop.
There was slight insurance on the
patterns, but II does not represent one
third of their value. The building was
damaged to the extent Of 81 .000 and Mr..
Saegmuller estimates that the destruc-
ton of his patterns represents loss OF
fifteen or twenty thousand dollars. For
tunately. the pattern drawings were saw
ed and the models can be replaced.
Soon after the extinguishing of the
flames Mr.. Saegmuller put his men TO
work getting the machinery In shape, and
this morning the ground floor bore slight
evidence of having been the scene Of a
destructive fire. In the carpenter shop
it will take several days to get things
in shape for work. as a number of tools
and machines wflr have to be placed In
position.
While the firemen were laboring with
the flames at the Saegmuller establish
ment an alarm sounded from box 131. at
Ninth and + Streets. The engines and
trucks hurriedly responded. and the re-
serves of No. ! police precinct drove to
the place A search was made for the
fire. but none was found. The crossing
of wires had caused a false alarm, and
the firemen returned to the engine houses.
Two hours later Policeman Goss saw
smoke coming out of the upstairs win
dows of No. 924 Pennsylvania Avenue.
and sounded an alarm Meanwhile some
one in the vicinity summoned the chem
ical engine company. The fire was on
the third floor of the building. and the
rooms were used for sleeping purposes.
II started in a bed. and Is supposed to
have been of incendiary origin. The
flames ignited the mating on the floor
and then burned the furniture. The dam
age amounted to between one and two
hundred dollars