The Washington times., 1904-12-21

dressed to the rescue of the pictures that
were held 50 close TO the club heart
Arthur Peter was in the front rank OF
the fight
Save the pictures was the cry. ana
at the risk OF sufrocation the cry was
needed and the pictures were saved
From Defective Wires.
1t xas evident that the IRE started
from defective electric wiring in the
neishberheod of the freight eieTtor. on
the Seventeenth Street side of the
building The flames swept up the va
cant drum shaft next 70 the elevator
sfaft. and had reached the third floor
before an alarm was registered They
| were already leaping out OF the eastern
windows when the first company ar
rived In few minutes they had
pierced the roof and started 10 encircle
! the building The third floor was gutted
from east 20 west. the progress Of the
flames being checked only at the club
chambers. on the west side Of the ciuD
building proper
The lower floor also felt the effects OF
the fire, though not in such degree as
the upper part The nremen were in
straeted at the beginning 20 concentrate
their efforts on the library. the only
part of the club property which could
rot possibly be replaced, and as q re-
/ suit. while the building is burned both
above and below. the west end of the
second foer is hardly touched.
The Hottest Corner.
The hottest corner of the building
was the Office, the barroom and the
cellar in the southeast section. where
tfae fire originated Smoke poured
/ dors so dense that the fremen were
driven to the outside. Firennen with
spoEges in their mouths were sent TO
The library but forced 20 retreat before
the suffocating fumes The water tower
on the outside did Invaluable service
and immense streams of water were
played on the burning building The
F, truck companies iabored on al sides
and IN less than al hour the fire was
under control A little more and the
last spark was extingutshed-
Wreck and Rum.
| When tardy club members arrived the
| comfortable rooms which they had left
/ III peace and quietude the night before
/ presented a sorry spectacle OF wreck
! and ruin Water was dripping from
( floor 10 floor. the carpets were wet,
ruined and soggy beneath tneir feet.
/ broken glass was scattered ever the
/ floors. rich rugs and draperies were
/ trampled under foot and n few pictures
and portraits which had not been res
cued were mixed IN the general ruin
I Capt. Tom O'Connor. of Engine Com
pany No l. WAS the first officer on the
ground His first action was 10 send
/ IL another alarm The additional COM
panies responded quickly. though the
( icy pavements made their progress
rather slow aC times The ice and snow
/ also in1peded the work of the fire nen
about the building making ladder work
extremely pre2arious-
/ Within a few minutes Chief Belt and
three assistant chiefs, Wagner KeIiiher
iaald Sullivan, and Acting Assistant
Chief John Smith were on the ground
directing the fight P W. Nicholson.
acting fire marshal in the sickness OF
Fire Marshal Bieber. WAS early on the
ground
Fight for the Library.
The library was the first thought that
sprang into The mind of the club mem
/ bers as they reached the burning build
ing. The collection of books, 6o.0e0 in
number, is priceless and unique, en-
i bracing many first editions and other
volumes that could not possibly be re-
placed. Every field of thought is COW
iered. in almost every language. His
tory, diplomacy, art lettzrs-these are
but = few of the subjects to which IN
/ teIlIgent attention and Iens-contfnIIefi
effort have contributed toward the per
fection of the club collection
Preserve the library at all hazards,
members OF the club besouSht Chief
kelT, and the ehief wrought sorenuousIy
marvel. Though the rooms below and
above were swept by IRE and drenched