The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-11
A FIREMAN'S "REMINISCENCES.
John A. Walsh Recalls Historic
Blazes in Washington.

| member of the department. and twice a
foreman, makes an interesting story OF the
| work of the fire ladies Walsh is now
a private of No. . Engine Company. but is
| practically incapacItated for active duty
He is sufferer from rheumatism a foe TO
all fire-fghters and has now before the
Commissioners an application for retire
meht and the allowance of the pension. 1t
is understood Chief Engineer farris has
endorsed this application.
\ all the big fires since the assassina-
ton of president Garfield. in July. 1887.
Walsh has been at the pipe He was ap
pointed 2 private of No. l Engine Company.
July 20. 1881, about ten years after COM
ing TO America from Dublin, ireland. his
birthplace For nearly seventeen consecu-
tive years he remained with No. l Engine
| Company. most OF the past decade occupy
| ing the position of foreman. About three
| years ago Walsh became foreman of No
Engine Company. but owing to his physi-
! cal condition. he was soon transferred to
/ No Engine Company where he now
/ serves as a private. He was twice injured
| in the service of the department.
/ Going back into the past Walsh said
! the cid Jefferson School building Sixth
/ and Streets southwest, on the morn
{ ing of February 4. 1882 It was bitter cold
that day. and when the first alarm was
sounded at 800 a. m, it was quickly fol-
lowed by a general alarm. calling out the
entire force of the department. The JEFF
ferson School building was a brick struc-
: ture. four stories high, and burned with
amazing rapidity- There was laboratory
in the cellar of the building. where an
explosion of chemicals. it is thought.
started the fire Cornelius Ryan, an en-
ploye of the Pennsylvania Railroad, saw
flames shooting up from the cellar through
several windows. and ran to No. en-
gine house. nearby. to give the alarm.
! Five minutes later a general alarm was
sounded.
Explosions. of chemicals in the cellar
J followed one another as the fircmen arriy-
ed on the scene, and Walsh, Charles Boss.
now foreman of No. / Engine Company;
James Adams, of No. /. and John Kane.
of No. Company. were severely hurt.
( Walsh was hurled from a ladder while
handling the pipe and his shoulder broken:
Boss and Adams were badly burned about
the face and limbs. and Adams. now en-
pl0yed rs watchman in the department,
sustained painful bruises by a fall Mar
tin Groin was then chief of the Fire De-
partment. and Joseph Paris, the present
head of the fire fighters, was foreman of
No. Engine Company.
The National Theatre took fire for the
third time at l O'Clock in the morning of
February 10. 1885. and was almost totally
destroyed. a negro named Robert Ford.
! employed about the playhouse discovered
the fiameS from the rear of the building
and ran to the street and gave the alarm
! to passing policeman. When the first
engines arrived the fire had gained great
headway and was soaring toward the
roof with roar. endangering adjacent
property. 4 general alarm brought out
, all the engines in the city. but the iremen
could do little beyond saving adjoining
buildings from destruction. The theatre
was shortly rebuilt.
AS assistant foreman OF No. / Com
pany Walsh directed his men at fire
at the Buckley building, Pennsylvania
Avenue, west of Ninth Street northwest.
/ in the spring of 1883. The whole depart
ment was called out and some time was
lost in locating the fire. which was burn
ing fiercely under the roof. With Private
Beuller Walsh took the pipe and climbed
up the fire-escape thence out on a narrow
| ledge four stories above the street from
which it was possible to work on the
flames The fire was extinguish he'd with
difficulty, and Walsh won praise from the
Commissioners and others for his nerve.
Early on the morning of Ma h u, 1885
St. Dominics Church Sixth and L
I Streets southwest was discovered on fire
( Fortunately the fire was discovered ut
once but a general alarm was sent in
that the spread OF the flames mi yht be
checked. Another fire attended By Walsh
while he was in charge of No. 1 Engine
( Company was that at the Chapel of the
Church of the Covenant, Connecticut Ave-
nue and y Street northwest on the morn
/ ing of January 1G. 1892. The Rev. DR..
Teunis S. Hamlin, pastor. was writing in
his study adjoining the chapel when the
tiames broke out, apparently coming from
the basement of the building. He gave
the alarm by telephone, and the entire
department. was soon en- the scene.
There was a disastrous fire at the home
of the late James G. Blaine. on Dupont
Circle. which broke out before daylight of
January l. 1891. The flames caused loss
of more than $50 900. l.. T. Letter was he
lessee of the property, and resided in the
mansion. 4 negro named LomaX hap
pened to be passing the residence on his
way to work. and he saw fire issuing from
/ windows in the basement. LomaX hur-
ricdly gave the alarm, and Chief Paris
ordered a general alarm when he arrived
at the house.
February 3, 1897. was the date OF the
fire at the home of ex-Secretary Tracy. of
the Navy, / Street near Connecticut Ave-
nue. northwest. lamp left burning in
the parlor of the residence Is thought to
have caused the fire. Mrs. Tracy, Miss
Mary Tracy. and maid named Josephine
met death during the coniagration. the
two latter from the flames. Mrs. Tracy
leaped from rear third-story window
when the fire was burning fiercely about
her, and was almost instantly killed. Ex-
Attorney General Miller threw open his
home at 1903 Massachusetts Avenue north
west to the afflicted father and husband
and the bodies of Mrs. Tracy and Miss
Tracy were taken there pending burial
Mrs. Wilmerding. daughter OF Secretary
Tracy, and Miss Wilmerding. her daugh-
ter. were IN the residence when the fire
broke out, as was the Secretary himself
but they escaped. The Secretary was taken
down ladder at the front OF the house.
and Mrs Wilmerding and daughter jumped
and were caught by fremen. Ex-senator
Evarts and others made an investigation
OF the fire and the conduct of the depart
ment. The enquiry was most thorough
but 10 blame was attached to the depart
ment at the close Of the investigation.
The fire which consumed the immense
poweIhouse of the Capital Traction
Company late in the night of September
-, 1897 is recalled by Walsh II was
just before midnight, when the company
reached the burning building on Pennsyl-
vania Avenue near Fourteenth Street
So rapidly did the powerhouse burn that
it seemed one huge mass of fame The
glare from the conflagrati tion was plainly
visible in Alexandria, Falls Church, Va,
and even Rockville. Md. Firemen were
kept at work on the ruins of the building
for twelve hours. until the afternoon CT
Fol