The times., 1899-10-20


the Burning Buildings - The
Flames Discovered After Making
Considerable Hendyay-The Losses
| fire which was discovered shortly be-
fore midnight last night resulted in the
destruction of the plant of the Washing
| ton Woodworking Company, in Twelfth
Street, between Ohio Avenue and Street
northwest, and in damaging to a consid-
cradle extent the stable of John Simmons
which adjoins the planning mill on the Ohio
| Avenue side. and the stable of NJ. H. Sui
/ Ivan, which runs through from Ohio Ave
/ nue. to B Street, and adjoins both the other
/ buildings The estimated loss is between
/ $4,000 and $3.50 and the insurance is
/ about half that amount. The planning mill
! building is the property of the American
| Security and Trust Company. ]. J. Hogan
/ owns the building occupied by the Sim
mons stables, and DR.. Thomas, Of Mont
| gomery county, Maryland, owns the one
4 occupied by the Sullivan stables.
The origin of the fire could not be def
nitely ascertained last night, but there
| seems little doubt that it started in the
! loft of the Simmons stable. Policeman
! J. p. Lallor turned in the first alarm. and
chemical engine No. / was soon on the
scene. LaIor was standing in front of
( No. 1 station at IL 80 O'Clock, when a
colored man came running up to him and
said the stable is on fire. The police
man ran to the fire box, but on finding 1t
out of order he went into the station and
/ tslephoned the alarm He then ran to tae
1 place OF the fire and is positive in his
Ir-4s, Ice INC
/ from the second and third story Windows
of the Simmons stable when he arrived.
Foreman Proctor of chemical engine No.
| /, corroborates this statement. II was
soon apparent that the fire was spreading
| to the upper floor of the mill, and three
additional alarms were turned in. This
| brought out ten engine companies, and the
| work began in earnest. 1t was IL; 40
O'Clock, however, before the fire vas sub
GUed.
The first work that was performed By
I the hremen and officers was the removal
OF the horses from the stables. Twenty-Five
horses were led from the Simmons stable,
and four from the stable belonging to the
mill These were all taken cut before
/ any harm had come to them. For some
time the IRE seemed to be issuing from
every upper window in both buildings and
the fremen surrounded the buildings on
the ten engines into the windows. It
looked as il this only drove the fire to
the centre of the building, and it was soon
apparent that the roof was eaten through.
as a large column Of fire shot UP out of the
centre of the building high into the sky
A ladder was placed on the adjoining build
ing on B Street and hose was run to the
roof Effective work was done by turn
ing a stream into the centre OF the burn
ing building from this point. Tne liremen
had ample room TO work in. as the block
is short between Ohio Avenue and Street,
and the burning building was accessible on
three sides.
The Washington Woodworking Company
succeeded the Hammond Planning Mill Com
pany in the premises, and has been in op-
Grafton about two years The firm con-
sists OF o. T Bailey, manager, and J. f.
MerreN, j. BreZerall, and John Huggin.
Mr. Bailey left the building just few min
utes before the fire started, having been en-
gagged in office work. He was found last
night at his residence, 213 Eighth Street
southwest, by a Times reporter. He was
positive that there was no fire in the build
ing when he left at 1870 o'clock He was
unable 10 give an accurate estimate of the
I value CT the plant and stock on hand but
said that So Geo would doubtless cover the
cost of the machinery, and perhaps S4 000
the stock The most valuable woods were
kept on the ground floor, and it may be that
some of these can be used. The mill en-
ployes from twenty-five to twenty five men,
and their work ceases at 3 o'clock. No
night watchman is employed.
It was reported last night that it was
the custom of number of colored men to
sleep in the loft Of the Simmons stable. This
could not be positively ascertained, but
from the. stories of the police the fire
seems to have originated in this building
The insurance on Hogans stable is $4,000
and the damage is estimated at So 900.
The police arrangements at the fire
were perfect. The reserve from the First
precinct was early called out and Lieut.
Amiss quickly arrived on the scene and
took charge of the force. A large crowd
gathered within few minutes after the
first alarm was sounded. Valuable as
sistance was rendered by the police in
the work of removing the horses and
property from the burning structures.