Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-05
FIRES IN THE DISTRICT
REPORT OF CHIEF BELT FOR
MONTH OF APRIL.

. There were eighty-seven fires in the Dis
trict of Columbia during the month of
April and three deaths are indirectly due to
them, according to a report made to the
Commissioners today by Chief Belt of the
fire department.
During the month" says the report,
''ninety-fouT alarms We're received. of which
fifty-eght were bell alarms and thirty-six
local alarms. OF the bell alarms six were
false and one alarm was sounded for
fire for which another box had been sound
ed. The fifty-one fires occasioning bell
alarms caused an estimated loss of $T,143
to property insured for S136, 495, and the
thirty-six local fires did damage estimated
of S13, 100 The total loss, 1891, was less
than per cent of the total insurance, S149,-
$685.
OF the eighty-seven fires occurring dur
ing the month, forty We're in brick struc-
lures twenty-six in frame structures. one
in stone structure, one for the burning
OF furniture wagon, one for the burning
of a straw pile, one for fire in a show
tent, one for a fence fire, one for a fire on
public dump, two for the burning of brush
and thirteen for the burning of brush
During the month two men lost their
lives at fires responded to by this depart-
ment. ]. ]. Ball. white age thirty-two, met
his death on April 20 at the fire for which
box 613 was sounded for fire at the garage
of the United States Express Company and
Charles Appanalla, white, aged sixty was
burned to death at the fire for which box
519 was sounded on April 26.
On April 10 Mrs. Mary McNerney white
age eighty, was struck by a horse of truck
company while that company was re-
spending to box 424. The injuries she re-
ceived resulted In her death April 20
Mrs. Honora Sherman, a pensioner of
this department. died April 5.
Engine on Monument Grounds.
To protect the buildings of the American
railway appliance exhibition held on the
Monument grounds, this department
placed in service there one extra chemical
engine, with enough hose attached to reach
a " building on the ground, and also placed
In service hand hose, reel. hose fire ex-
tngulshers pick axes and fire hooks. The
lrclcsure was made into three districts and
a hre alarm gong erected on building in
each district and the men duty in
structed in case of fire to sound the alarm
on the bell of the district where the fire
was. The association provided twelve men
to be hremen, and seven of this number
were put on duty April II, while the build
lngS were In the course of construction, and
on April 26 this department assigned five
OF its experienced members to the grounds
and they were replaced at their respective
companies by the other five men allowed
By the association Capt. William Luskey
or chemical NO. D was placed in command
and Private w. B. Lnkins of engine COM
pany NO. was assigned as his lieutenant.
To further protect the buildings a tele-
phone fire alarm station, No. 1874, was es-
tablished at the grounds and four engines
two trucks and two assistant chiefs were
assigned to respond on the first alarm at
all times.
On April % chemical engine company No.
was changed 10 an engine company and
numbered II. The establishing of this en-
CINE company was a long step forward in
protecting the suburb of Brookland as
heretofore the distance away of this suburb
has caused considerable time to be lost be-
fore the first engine company could reach
the scene. This change was made at a
comparatively small cost, entailing some
changes in the house and the buying of an
engine
The department was inspected during the
month by Mr.. T. E. Sears of the national
board of fire underwriters, who made care
full inspections of the apparatus and APP
planes of the department.
The board of surgeons submitted the fol-
lowing sick list: Lieut.. NJ. G. Metz and Pri-
Yates ]. N. Browning. NJ. A. Frawley, C. E.
Keefe and d. j. Bradley.