The Washington herald., 1908-04-14


George apartment house. at Twentieth
and L streets northwest, at 1890 o'clock
last night. a woman and a man jumped
from q second-story window.
Others who were terror-stricken would
have made similar escapes had not the
hremen interposed. Ladders were raised
to the windows and half dozen persons
wsre carried in safety 10 the pavement
below
Hundreds of people who had packed
themselves in the streets about the build
ing watched the rescues with suppressed
admiration, which was made known by
shouts of praise as the frightened tenants
were safely landed.
Started IA a Laundry.
Tie fire started in the Chinese laundry
OF Charles Lee, under the southeast cor
ner Of the building The flames came
from the rear of the laundry into an air
shaft and. aided by a strong draft, spread
into the apartments above.
Mrs. Annie Kammrow. living on the
second floor. first saw the flames, and
gave the alarm She called TO persons
in the street, who turned in a FIRE alarm.
As soon as the fremen arrived a sec
Ond alarm was turned in. The action Of
the fremen probably prevented loss Of
life
When the cry of fire was first heard.
Mrs. Carlson, living in the front apart
ment on the second floor, ran to the
stairway. but finding il filed with smoke.
ran back into her apartment and jumped
from the front window. she landed on
a pile OF bedding thrown from a window
and was not injured
Just after Mrs, Carlson jumped Mrs
Lottie who also has an apartment on
the second floor, dropped her young baby
boy into blanket that was held by sew
eral men, The hremen arrived in time
to take the frantic mother down a lad
der, before she could jump after her
child
Michael Ferri. living on the third floor
of the apartment house. carried his wife
and child TO safety and then returned TO
carry ont some OF the family belongings.
He threw several articles from win
dow, and then pocketing his wife's jew
elry, tried to go down the stairway, the
way he had taken his wife and child out
The hallway was filed with smoke and
fame. and Ferri decided to jump rather
than face sufrocation.
Italian Is stunned.
While a crowd Of several hundred
watched in breathless anxiety. the Italian
climbed out on the window ledge. let HIM
self cautiously down until his foot touched
the top of the corniee Of the window of
the second floor. and then carefully swung
himself down until he stood on a narrow
ledge, half way. between the second and
third floors The smoke curled about
him and flames licked at his feet and
hands from the open window. Some one
made a pile of mattresses and bed quilts
and Ferri jumped. He landed in heap
and lay stunned.
Carried into a nearby house and given
stimulants, he was revived.
Several other men and women were pre-
pairing 10 follow Ferris example, when
the fremen appeared. They called to the
frantic people in the windows to have
courage and wait
The long extension ladders were run
up. and amid the cheers of the crowd Of
spectators, Privates Tom PurseH. Pinck-
ney, Cross, Fuller and Branzeu, all of
Truck ?, mounted the ladders, and within
less than ten minutes had carried to the
ground five persons
Private Purseil rescued John johnson
and his wife, Lena, from a perilous posi-
ton on the top of a second-story win
dow, and his comrades carried down Mrs.
o. Stock, Mr.. and Mrs. Lottie, Mr.. and
Mrs. Towers, and woman named Dono-
hue.
After the house had been emptled at
tention was turned to preventing the
flames from spreading. The airshaft.
where the fire first gained headway,
proved fiue. and it was only after
hard fight that the flames were subdued.
an Overheated stove.
An overheated stove in Lees laundry
started the fire. The Chinaman was in
the front of his shop. and when he re-
turned to the rear. after an absence of
several minutes. he found the back room
AA-t@A win 1lttbht anu AAdAllSe. ne SAEEIeU
Celestial tried TO extingulsh the fire with
buckets of water. but finding this impos-
sible he ran back into the room, and.
seizing his cash drawer, ran out and
down the street Charlie was not seen
again during the evening.
Mrs Kammrow. who discovered the fire.
said she had occasion to throw some
waste paper in the air shaft. She opened
the window and was greeted with a sheet
OF flame and smoke She withdrew her
head but with great presence of mind
called at the top Of her voice ''F'ire!s The
cry Travelled up the airshaft, and soon
nearly every occupant Of the house was
aroused. After arousing the household as
best she could. Mrs. Kammrow and her
husband escaped by way OF the staircase.
When the first cry of IRE was heard
many persons threw their belongings
from windows. Beds, bedding, and pieces
of furniture were showered down in
heaps. and only the threats of the noIica
made the excited people remember that
those who were working for their rescue
IN the street We're in peril of being struck
with some OF the furniture.
Commissioner Henry B. F. Mcfarland
heard of the fire and was on the scene
soon after the fremen arrived. He as
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