Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-08
EARLY MORNING BLAZE
Heroic Rescue of Occupants
of a Flat.
DAM AGE SUSTAIN ED
ESTIMATED TO By $4,000, COW
Erred BY INSURANCE.
Men, Women and Children Taken From
Upper Windows of Burning
Building.

Eugene L. Walter a letter carrier; Eugene
Chillini. a grocer, and f. NJ. Mcpherson and
}. X. Steele members of truck d of the fire
| department, distinguished themselves this
morning at fire in, Lanahan flats, on H
| street northwest. The building, a three
| story brick structure. occupies the, entire
| length of the square from New Jersey ave-
nue. to I'd street. About o. clock fire was
discovered by the letter carrier he was
making his collection from a box on the OPP
posite corner. His outcries aroused the
sleeping occupants of the four apartments
| in the building, and he then turned in an
alarm from box 26S, after which he set
about the work of saving the occupants of
the apartments, and was of great assistance
| to the f1remen. Mr.. Chillini also rendered
valuable aid. Three occupants of the flats,
two children and the mother of one of them.
were taken down the ladder by the firemen,
and seven others, four men and three wom-
| en-, descended the ladders without being as
sisted. Acting Fire Marshal Nicholson esti-
mated the damage at about $1,000. He esti-
mated that the building had sustained about
$1,000 damage and the contents about 81 ,000.
The loss is covered by insurance.
Damage BY Water.
ducts a plumbing establishment on the first
floor. Other apartments on this floor are
occupied by Gregor NJ. Nix, saloonkeeper.
and G. w. Fortune. Z d barber. The only
damage done In the business places and in
the flats on the upper floors was by water
as the firemen were able to keep the flames
from entering the rooms. The fire started
In the furnace room, in the cellar, but there
was nothing found by the firemen to indi-
cate its origin. The blaze made it's way to
the shaft of the dumb waiter and soon
| reached the top of the building. The fire
was blazing through the roof when the let
ter carrier reached the vicinity of the build
ing and turned in the alarm. Upon the ar
rival of the fremen it seemed that the en-
tire building would be destroyed, and sec
ond alarm was sent in to call out additional
companies. i-''
The Work of Rescue.
No time was lost by the firemen in reach
ing the of the eonflagration, and sew
eral ladders were put up and the two
firemen mentioned, were soon at the win
dows engaged in rescue work The six
teen months-old child of E. L. Hickman was
rescued by Private Mcpherson, and the
little ones mother was taken down the
ladder by Private Steele Then one of them
went to the third floor and rescued the two
year-old child Of Mr.. and Mrs. II, NJ
Smoot. There was not time enough for the
occupants of the flats to get fully dress
ed-most of them being obliged to leave
the building before they had finished their
toilets. Those who descended the ladder
from the upper floors without assistance
were Mr. and Mrs. Smoot. Mr.. and Mrs.
Dobbert. Mrs. N Z. Miller. D. c. hewitt and
Daniel Hegarty. Most of them We're bare
footed, and it took them but a short time
to reach the sidewalk Mr.. Hickman man
aged to get out of the building without
assistance after his wife and child had
been rescued. Those who occupied the
a.,t, he tl>:, a.
cut off from the head of the stairs by the
flames, and could only leave the building
by going down the ladders.
Quartet of Little People Saved.
Mr.. Nix occupied the apartment dire city
over his saloon, and the door leading to it
is near the head of the steps. He was
therefore able to get out without climbing
down the ladder. His wife is i'll al Provi-
derce Hospital. and his sister-in-law, Mrs.
Amelia Thaler. was there to care for his
two small children She had two children
OF her own there with her, and considerable
excitement attended the removal of the
quartet of little people from the fiat. Mrs
Thaler was so greatly excited that it was
feared she would have fainting spell.
Mr.. Nix and the letter carrier managed
| to get the children out before the smoke
filled the rooms. and took them to the house
| of friends. While the occupants of the
building We're being assisted from their
lHe HTefnen were saving the
| building. The flames had burned through
| the shaft of the dumb waiter at several
| points and filed the building with smoke.
Because of the threatening character of
| the blaze it became necessary for the fire.
| men to flood the building, and in this way
| ConSidera bic damage was done to the
| household effects and clothing. 1t was after
| o'clock when the firemen had finished
| their work and left the damaged building.
| Then the occupants of the flats returned
| to their rooms and did what they could to
| save their property from further damage
| by water.
Praise of Firemen.
All the occupants of the building were en-
| thusiastic in their praises of the fire de-
partment. Mr.. Nix, who was the last one
| to leave the building, was especially
| pleased.
They deserve all the praise they can
get" he said to a Star reporter When
| the firemen came here / would not have
given two cents for the building, and how
they saved it / cannot understand. They
also did splendid work in getting the people
| out of the building. When they do such
| good work / think they should be praised,
| and 1t is my intention to write letter to
| the District Commissioners and tell them
! of the good work that was done"
While the fire was in progress street
car on the Columbia line, in charge of Mo-
| torman Welding, ran over and cut a Sec
ton of hose. There was water in the
| hose at the time and the affair did not in
| convenience the firemen. The superinten-
| dent of the street line said the COM
| pany will reimburse the District for the
| damage.
| Construction of Building Criticised.