Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-26
No. 1862.

through the building giving the alarm 10
all until they had to be helped out OK the
structure themselves.
Cantain ]. c. Glapnan, head Of a detective
bureau, who was asleep on the tnlro hoof,
was awakened and escaped In MS hisnt
clothes. He lost all the records OF MS OF
fce Nothing was saved froIa the upper
floors.
Mayor Fleischman was present at the
scene Of the fire.
Actors Peculiar Escape.
The escape of VIII Jones. Cincinnati
actor. lust before the roof OF the purnlhs
building fell, and his rescue half DEAD
from the top of the building was thrill
ing and almost miraculous one. Jones
presence Of mind. which led him to- throw
his cuff into the street below and thus
make his whereabouts known, saved nus
life.
After a hard rehearsal Jones went to the
Pike building about midnight to get ELS
yalise, which he had left in studio OF an
artist friend on the fourth floor. Alter
entering he was so tired he fell asleep In
a chair. When he awoke suddenly he was
nearly blinded and suffocated. He crawieo
to the door. Outside in the great airshaft
the flames were shooting up. How he mace
his way he does not know, but some In
stinct found him the stairway leading 10
the top.
He went up to the roof and in some
manner got through a skylight. He fell
over something and was stunned. When
he recovered the flames were shooting
through the roof. He crawled to the edge,
but the firemen in the street did not no.
tice him. He shouted himself hoarse. He
took his cuff and wrote on it:
II am on roof Nearly dead from gas.
(Sgned) JONES.
He threw 1t to the ground and reporter
picked 1t up and located the figure OF a
man standing outlined in the sparks. Jones
crept along the edge of the rear OF the
building and there waited for the firemen,
who placed ladder across the alley from
the telephone exchange building. Jones
was carried down and taken to the hos
pital.
the Pike was remodeled and the theater
redecorated and refurnished at an expense
Of several thousand dollars, over 1850
worth Of gold leaf alone being used In the
decorations.
The scenery and costumes used by the
Pike stock company during the season
which closed last Saturday night, valued at
about $4,000 were stored In the opera
of the expensive costumes used In the pre-
sentation Of Cinderella" during Christmas
week.
The loss of the Henrietta Crossman COM
pany, which has been at the Pike this
week, is over double that of the Pike stock
company. Henrietta Crossman was called
up with other guests at the Burnet House
and witnessed the burning Of her COM
pany's effects.
The Pike building belongs to the Pike es-
tate. and Powell Crossley Is the general
lessee, subletting it to over 200 tenants.
The building adjoining the Pike on the
west, a fine sx-story structure, was sup
posed to be fireproof, but the intense heat
from the Pike fire and falling walls dam
aged it very much. 1t is owned by Louis
Seaschgood and Is occupied by the Balti-
more and Ohio Southwestern railroad on the
first floor and by numerous tenants in the
basement and by Richter & Phillips, whole
sale jewelers., on the second story and
others on the upper floors. The loss Of
Richter and Phillips Is very large, although
there was considerable salvage, as the
Seasongood building withstood the flames
for some time.
Among the losers are Artists John Ward
Dunsmore, Rena de Camp, Elizabeth G.
Eckstein and c. A. Meurer, whose studios
were lost with many valuable pictures.
Girls Stick at Their Posts.
ing. across an alley from the burning Pike
building. were badly frightened as the dark
clouds of smoke rolled about the building
The exchange rooms are on the top floor Of
the six-story building, and the night force
consists Of eight exchange girls and the
night manager, George Cappes. The girls
pluckily stuck to their posts from 80 to
$3.50 am, when the flames were blazing
in their windows so they were ordered out
Later they returned to their calls" and
when the large day force of girls came on
duty they fearlessly went to the sixth floor
for duty, although the fire ragged all around
them.
The Pike Theater building was totally de-
stroyed by fire in 1885, and 1t narrowly
escaped total destruction on March 80. 1902
CANAJOHARIE. N. Y. February 26.-
The office building and smoke houses Of
the Beechnut Packing Company were burn
ed today. The loss Is 100000; insurance,
S23 600