Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-05
Patterson Family Rescued.

| Gu, dHu fought Inc HaHeS with the re-
mainder of his company.
/ Patterson Family Rescued.
Truch company F reached the scene only
| a minute or two after No. II company did.
| Capt. T. T. Warren directed his men to
erect two ladders. and sent Lieut.. Smith
! and Privates Mckay Green and Holmes
| up to assist Privates Galpin and Carter in
| taking the Patterson family down. This
! was done in few minutes but not mo-
| ment too soon for the binding smoke and
sitting gas had almost suffocated the per-
! sons in question. While Mr.. Patterson and
his wife Were being taken down thirty
| six-foot ladder 1t broke. Mrs. Patterson
| was the only one to sustain an injury she
| being slightly bruised
| While the work Of rescuing the Patterson
family proceeded, Capt Davis and his men
had sharp fight with the flames. Twice
| he was overcome by the escaping gas, but
| after few m inutes In the air went back
| to his work, and in a comparatively short
| time had extinguished the fire.
Mrs. Lowell. after being rescued. missed
! her younger child, and, believing that she
| had been cut off in the burning building,
| tainted. The child. however, had received
| attention. and the family were cared for by
! relatives and friends.
| The cause of the fire was not ascertained
| The spectators commended highly the eff
| forts of the firemen, who modestly replied
that 1t was work which they are prepared
| to do at any time.
The blaze came through a ventilator In
the floor of the vestibule between the
front door and the hall door. AS this was
1 a small enclosed cellar used for gas meters
| it is believed the fire originated from hot
ashes from pipe in the hands of some one
| in the vesttbule for protection against the
| weather
Opinion of Engineer Cooper.
Mr. ]. E. Cooper, who is the proprietor Of
dairy at 1405 Park street, which is To-
| Gated in the Berwick Flats building and
| who has charge of the heating apparatus
of the structure, says that he believes the
! fire started under the grating at 1902 14th
street, and that some one carelessly drop
ped sparks from a pipe through the grating
| upon a shelf where the gas meters are
located
Mr. Cooper thinks the shelf became
| ignited and the lead pipes connecting the
meters with the house melted. After the
| flames were Subdued Mr.. Cooper conducted
| several of the firemen over the cellar and
| showed them that the fire could hardly
| have originated from the heating appa-
| ratus 1t is added by Mr.. Cooper that late
Saturday night he made the rounds of the
cellar and that everything then was in
proper condition. After the fire started,
according to Mr.. Cooper. it spread to some
storage goods in the cellar and thence to
| the stairs, cutting off the escape by that
| means of the families living in the building
Explosion Near Lincoln Park.
| Persons living in the vicinity of Lincoln
Park were alarmed yesterday afternoon
about 2:30 o'clock when they heard an ex-
| plosion in the cellar at the Bernard apart
ment house. 11th and East Capitol streets.
Occupants hurried from the building fear
| ing a fire would result, and an alarm was
| turned In from box $50. Several companies
| of the fire department responded and a
large throng Of spectators soon gathered.
The cellar was filled with smoke. but there
was no blaze
When the smoke had cleared away it was
found that the explosion had been of suf-
| ficient force to shatter the heating ap-
paratus and put 1t out OF commission,
cesSitating the temporary use of gas heat
| ers. There was nothing found in the cellar
| to Indicate what had caused the accident.
Not more than ten minutes prior to the
report Mr.. Bernard Wall. owner of the
property, had looked after the heating APP
| paratus and left it in good condition There
was nothing wrong with the gas fixtures.
1t is believed that the explosion must have
been caused by the accumulation of gas
from the burning COAL. The water pipes
were broken and the cellar flooded. About
$500 damage was caused.
Mrs. Bromley Severely BURNED.
Mrs Alice Bromley. twenty-eight years
of age living at 1041 Jefferson street.
Georgetown, was severely burned about her
face hands and body yesterday afternoon
while trying to prevent the destruction Of
her home. Her uve-year-Olu daughter dccl-
dentally overturned an oil stove and caused
a blaze. The mother grabbed the stove for
the purpose of throwing 1t from the house
and preventing damage, and in SO doing
her dress caught fire.
Charles Hickerson happened to be passing
the house at the time and went to the as
sistance of the woman. He succeeded IN
smothering the flames. but not before Mrs.
Bromley had been badly injured. The af-
fair attracted q large crowd of men. women
and children and some of them remained
to look after the child Of the burned woman.
Others played the part of hremen. extin-
gushing the blaze IN the house before
much damage had been caused. Policeman
]. J. BranseiI assisted ia the work and
afterward had Mrs Bromley removed to
the Georgetown University Hospital. It
was stated at the hospital this morning that
she viii probably recover.
Husband and Wife Victims.
Mrs. Sarah Griffin, ffty-efght years OF
age. living at o47 26th street was painfully
burned yesterday morning about 1929
O'clock about her body by her dress catch
ing fire from stove. She was in the
kitchen at the time, and when her garments
were seen to be ablaxe her husband Martin
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