Evening star., 1898-09-20

descent Gas Lamp Company used No. 526,
! and he lost stock, fixtures and all his
the summer there, total value, 81 500 in
sGred for $500. The Melvin cafe was in
No. 52S, next to Robinson & Cherys. and
Mr.. Melvins stock was worth 81 600, in
sured fo- $500.
The Columbia Theater, which has its
western entrance on 18th street, back Of
Lcose's flower store, bore the brunt of the
flames and was but slightly damaged, the
sizzled paint and cracked window glass
being the chief result of the fiery bias 5
from across the street The loss, well
within $1,000, is fully insured. The interior
OF the theatcr was not hurt a all.
The Loose building, at the southeast cor
ner Of Eth ard F streets, occupied by j.
Louis Loose, florist, and owned by Chas.
G Ihorne, was also subjected to the fiery
ordeal, and Mr. Loose's loss will reach at
least $500 OF this, $500 will cover the
less on the first floor. The second story,
occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Loose, and Capt.
Ridgeley and his wife, the father and
mother of Mrs. Loose, contains their home,
and the loss here is considerable. The con-
tents of the third floor also suffered con-
s!derabiy.
Across f Street.
Across on f street the building which suf-
fered most was the one on the northwest
Corner the top floors of which, extending
across Nos. 12U1 and 1903, are occupied AS
boarding house, called the Orleans
leased by Mrs. Birchfeld This properly
belongs to the Judge Cartier estate. and
the loss on the Orleans from heat and
water Will reach $1,000, there being 10 in
sUrance. The ground floor Of No. 12g1 is
tenanted by Morton G. Stout, the tailor.
Ills front window succumbed to the heat
and the clothing exhibited there was dam
aged. The loss has not been estimated
insured
j. Frank Melton. tobacConist leases
POLL, aid his loss is about 800 in window
glass and window stock, covered by in
surance-
Franklin & Co. opticians occupy the
lower part of No. 1908, and the two show
windows and their contents suffered to a
considerable extent; insured. The Aetna
Fire Insurance Company occupies the sec
Ond floor, ana had a nominal loss from heat
and water.
Fimon Nicoaides has his Saratoga Jap
anese emporium in No. 1908. and his big
show window was wholly ruined and was
cracked out later in the day by Lieut..
Amiss. His loss Is not consid rable, fully
insured.
c. Schneider's Sons own and occupy No
12O7 and their loss from cracked windows
and melted paint is estimated $500; in
sured. On the second floor of this building
is the Photographic establishment of Cline
dinst. He suffered some loss from water,
and a handsome colored photograph Of
.
dow was smudged by water from the hose
pipes.
Reeves, the grocer, occupies No 1909. and
his loss was in melted candies in the show
window, cracked French glass front and
burned paint The building is owned by
the Kennedy estate. Hoover & Snyder,
shoe dealers, lease No. 1211, and they had
cracked show windows; insured.
The Fires Start.
The fire started in the basement of the
Robinson & Cherry building, near the ele-
vator. Thc space is used for waste, in the
shape IF boxes, packing cases. cardboard
and other fiimsy material. The flames shot
up the elevator shaft in the southeast cor
ner, and i'll 4 moment the entire building
was u WhirlWind of fire What started the
fire is as yct a mystery, and all theories in
explanation Of it, when investigated today,
brought The inquirer finally to hall and
the ply from everybody concerned that
nobody knows.
The engines and fires which run the ele
vator are under the 12th street pavement
and separated from the interior of the
building. and the engineer, desiring to get
inside the basement. has always been
obliged to ascend to 18th street and enter
the main store through the front entrance
No one believes that the blaze could by
any possibility have been communicated to
the basement from the engine room. The
United States Electric Lighting Company,
which lights + street and the building, is
authority for the statement that no electric
wires enter the basement, and there is no
doubt among those who were first at the
fire that the flames came from under :he
first floor through the elevator shaft.
It's too much for me-" said Chief Paris
today upon this very point and Mr.. Robin
son of the firm also said in the same con-
ncction. Il haven't the fainteSt idea how
the fire originated. The engine room is
under the pavement outside, and the en-
gineer locks up his room and goes home at
{ o'clock every evening. The blaze could
not have come from there and there are
no electric wires in the basement. No one
knows how it happened, and when my son
am the bookkeeper who were the last to
leave the building, went away there was
no sign of anything wrong"
MIR George +. Emmons, the agent for
Henry Strong of Chicago, who owns the
Robinson * Cherry building and also the
Houghton, Lansburgh and MertZ structures
on + street. today very courteously placed
the Houghton building at the temporary
disposal of Robinson & Cherry, J. Warfield
Simpson, johnson Bros. and the other
firms who have lost their places of busi-
ness. All cordially availed themselves OF
the privilege, except Robinson & Cherry
who accepted from Mr.. Heyden the use OF
the second floor of No 1912 f street, where
they attended to their business and receiv-
! ed the condolences of a host of their busi-
ness associates during the day.
The answers of the Mercantile Trust
| Company, j. p. Morgan & Co. and other
New York capitalists interested in the r,-
! organization of the Baltimore and Ohio
| railway, to the petition of Johns Hopkins
| University, the state of Maryland and 9th
| ers seeking 10 defeat the reorganization
| plan, were fled this morning in the United
| States circuit court. The answer is a vol
! Uminous one and contains detailed denial
| of all the allegations in the petition men
i toned.
Future Plans.
Mr.. Enmons stated to The Star reporter