Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-10
OLD FIREMEN MEET
ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR THE
ENSUING YEAR.
Arrangements for Trip to Frederick in
June-History of Early Day
Companies.l

Companies
The annual meeting Of the Veteran Vol
unteer Firemen's Association was held at
the old Union engine house, 10Th and II
streets, Tuesday evening" Mr.. j. W.
Thompson was reported as convalescing
from severe spell of ilfNess and Messrs.
G. w. Keathley and Thomas Cissell as still
sick. Progress was reported in the ar
engagements for the trip to Frederick in
June. An invitation from the Ladies' Aux
Hilary to take part in the celebra ton of it's
fourth anniversary the 18th instant was
accepted An enlarged photograph of Mr..
John T. Suter was received.
The following officers were elected for the
ensuing year: James H. Richards, presi-
dent; F. w. Kahlert. vice president; John
j. Peabody, recording secretary and treas
urer; julius Strobel financial secretary; A.
D. Shaw and J. r. Brown, first and second
engineers; A. K. Belt, marshal, and Daniel
Genau. F. H. Fridley, ]. R. Dobbyn, F. a..
Lowe and Thomas F. Cisseu, membership
committee.
The books were examined and reported
to be correct. with the finances N good
condition.
Mr.. P .abody read paper of incidents in
lions in the papers of that period, which
was in continuation of his narrative on old
fire department matters, and was as fol-
lows:
to elect officers at the engine house Feb
ruary of that year, and the minutes
show the following result: Charles L. Colt
man. president; ]. A. M. Duncanson. vice
president; Nicholas Callan, jr.. secretary;
William L. McCauley, Robert Coltman
Anthnnv
tains of engine, hose, property men and
ladder men, respectively"
The fire which destroyed the Treasury
Department early the morning of March
80 is thus recorded in the Intelligencer of
April l:
A Serious Disaster.
I'VE are sorry to have to announce that
the public building east of the Presidents
Square, occupied as the Treasury Depart
ment, was consumed by fire yesterday
morning between 2 o'clock and sunrise
The fire was first discovered in the room
adjoining those of the chief clerk of the
department, usually known among the
clerks and others as Mr.. Lambs room. 1t
is not known whether the fire originated
in the floor or ceiling of the room, the
whole being in blaze before any one ap-
preached, but no doubt appears to be en-
tertained that the fire was accidental.
''The whole room was on fire before the
alarm was given. Even the watch walking
the pavement in front of the Branch Bank
(near the spot perceived nothing of the
fire. the building of the State Department
interfering. Every eXertion was made as
the people gathered to the spot, finding
that it would be in vain to attempt saving
the building, to rescue the books and pa
pers of the several offices. A great deal
was saved by the clerks and other citizens,
considering the circumstances. It Is hoped
indeed that few books or papers of much
consequence are destroyed IAN the books
and papers on the ground floor are believed
to have been saved lin great disorder, of
cOurse), and all those in the third story
were destroyed part of the books on
the second floor was saved. The offices
on the first floor, the books of which are
saved, are the register of the treasury, the
treasurer and the first auditor
ION the second floor nearly all the books
of the first controller, which Office occupied
the greater number of rooms were saved,
and part of those belonging to the office
of the Secretary of the Treasury, in whose
immediate department the fire originated.
In "Dead Hour Of Night"
when the first was first discovered it was
the dead hour of night, and, owing to the
fact that the whole population of the city
was buried in sleep, a comparatively small
number arrived on the ground Very soon
after the first cry of fire was uttered, at
orphan asylum bell caught and reported
the alarm; whence it happened that the
first persons at the fire, next to the imme
date neighbors, were reused by that bell,
and had half mile to run before they ar
rived at it. To save the building when
once on fire would have been impossible
under any circumstances, so fnflammable
was its structure as we'll as it's contents.
Where was the Waterman Of the build
ing? Is a natural question He was, we
have been told, sick at home, and the youth
who substituted him was so sound asleep
that he was perhaps only saved from being
burned to death by those who broke open
the doors and aroused him., Had he been
ever so wide awake, however, unless he
had happened to inspect the particular
room where the fire began, the alarm from
the outside would have been the first no
tice"
This was on the site of the present treas
ury building, and it was similar in plan to
the old State Department, of two full
stories, basement and dome. In the story
Of the fire it is intimated that the cause
was accidental, but subsequently there
were two persons named White charged
with having fired the building to destroy
fraudulent papers filed in claim they were
prosecuting. One of these men was con-
victed and sentenced to the penitentiary
and the other was acquitted. The statement
that the asylum bell rung out the alarm
near half mile from the FIRE, on H street
between 9th and 10th streets, the narrator
cOuld readlly believe, for whoever had
charge of that bell seemed to have been
always ready to ring out an alarm. 1t was
rather a small bell, but effective for alarm
purposes, and so much was it used for
alarm purposes that old firemen would to-
day recognize its tone. Mr. Peabody heard
through other sources that the first person
to discover the fire was the Waterman of a
bank at the northeast corner of 18th and F
streets, and 1t was he who aroused the
young man who was acting as Waterman
Of the building.
Meetings Of Other Companies.
Mr.. Peabody noted meetings of the COM
panies as follows: Union at the West
Market, April g. July and July 8, at engine
house to test capacity of new engine; CO.
lumbia at engine house May Z, September
8, October 1; the Washington at the post
office engine house October g. and November
Z, and the Franklin at the engine house Nav
{, July 2, August 6, September g. October
and November 5. The SECRETARIES signing
the notices were Chas. Little and VIM r
Magruder for the Union; VIM. Ingle for the
Columbia; James T. Clarke for the WASH
ington and Nicholas CalIen. jr., and Ed
ward F. Brown for the Franklin.
1t appears from notices that a firemen's
convention of delegates from the companies
of the three cities of Washington. George
town and Alexandra IVA 90 Had and hoI3