Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-16
FIREMAN'S HEROISM
RESCUES TWO WOMEN FROM A
BURNING BUILDING.
Fire in Dyeing Establishment Early
This Morning Threatened Fatal
Results-Damage $500.

The members of four companies of tine
fire department. under Assistant Chief P.
J. Sullivan. responded to an alarm turned
in this morning about 4.3O o'clock. and
| found a blaze in the dyeing establishment
of Mrs. Christina Haldeman, 1913 Pennsyl-
vania avenue northwest. This blaze re-
called the fatal fire there little more than
two years ago. The firemen We're aware
that there was gasoline and other ma
terials in the place which would likely
cause "A disastrous fire and time
lost in getting to work.
Two women, afterward ascertained to be
Mrs. HaldeInan and her daughter. Mrs. Ida
Reagan. leaned from the windows on the
third floor of fine building and screamed
Tor help. Members of Truck c company
went to their rescue. while those connect
ed with the engine companies devoted their
time to the flames. In a short time the
| thirty foot ladder of the truck company
| was raised and Private J. H. Nangle hur-
! Tfed up to the rescue of the women, who
| were i'll danger of being suffocated. Mrs.
Haldeman is sixty years old and the latter
| about twenty years younger. Mr. William
Ward. roomer in the house. had already
| reached the street. He had gone to the
| business part of the house and had at
| temped tc extinguish the flames. He quick
| ly realized that the task was too great Il
one for him, and 1t was then too late for
| him to go to the third floor and assist Mrs.
! Haldeman and her daughter
Smoke from the drying room. where the
| fire had occurred, had filed the entire
building and made it impossible for Mrs
Haldeman and her daughter to remain in
the building much longer. Had there been
any considerable delay on part of the fire
| department the women would proba bly,
have jumped from the window and lost
their lives Private Nangle was in time to
rescue them. however, and when they
reached the sidewalk they tainted.
Had No Time to Dress.
So quickly did the smoke fill the house
that the occupants of the upper rooms did
not have time to dress and We're obliged to
come down in their sleeping garments. Mrs.
Haldeman was first brought down. She
was placed on the fireman's shoulders and
the two reached the ground in a few sec
ords. Then he brought down the daugh-
ter. and policeman escorted both of the
rescued ones across the street to the house
of Mr.. A. Ghiselli. where they soon recov-
cred from their fright.
In the drying room. where the fire oc-
CURED, there were many valuable garments,
and most of them were burned. For
short time the flames ragged so tiercely that
the firemen feared the building would be
totally destroyed The smoke was so dense
that the fire fighters We're for q short time
unable to enter the building. The flames
Were confined to the drying room where
about $500 damage was done to the building
and stock. Fortunately the blaze did not
reach the gasoline in an adjoining ROOM
Two sons of Mrs. Haldeman Samuel and
Frank twenty-five and twenty-seyen years
respect vely. We're burned to death in the
boiler room of the dyeing establishment the
4th of June two years ago At that time
the fumes of gasoline reached the boiler
room from the room where the cleaning
was being done and an explosion was the
result. The two sorS We're killed and
third man in the room severely burned
About two months ago there was a slight
fire i'll the place, which was extinguished
by NO. l engine company before more than
so damage has been done
Investigation Suggested
A friend of Mrs Haldeman called on
Capt. Boardman at police headquarters this
morning and asked that the fire be investi-
gated. He said it was believed that some
suspicious circumstances would be found
The fremen and policemen who were at the
fire found nothing to indicate that an in
cendiary had been at work
Chief Belt will recommend that Fireman
Nangle be granted five days additional leave
and be highly commended for the bravery
| and ability he displayed in the work Of
rescuing Mrs. Haldeman and her daughter