Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-01
RESCUED FROM DEATH
Ladies Remove Children From
Burning Building.
DANGER OF SUFFOCATION
Firemen Barely Escape From An
other Blazing Structure.
AT WASHINGTON BARRACKS
Undesirable Element in the Greet
ings to New Year-Loss
Covered by Insurance.
DANGER OF SUFFOCATI0N
AT WASHINGTON BARRACKS

/
There came near being a fatality at
| fire the last night of the old year. Had j
| not been for the heroic conduct OF two
ladies two children might have died o
| slffocation The fire occurred in Jennings
china art store 71S nth street northwest
| about TAO o'clock. Miss Louise Pooley
housekeeper for DIR. Damon "A. Binkert
| who occupies apartments on the uppe
| floors, discovered the blaze and rushed
from the third floor with Damon, thu
six-year-old son of her employer. Mis-
Pooley was greatly excited and almos
exhausted when she reached the lower
| floor with the boy. having passed through
the binding smoke. She appealed for as
sistance, and Miss Minerva Carr, who
| lives two doors from the house in which
| the fire occurred, responded. Miss Carr
heard Miss Pooley say there was
younger child-Roland Binkert-in the
| apartment OF DR.. Binkert, and withou
stopping for the firemen police t
| clear the way she hurried through thu
smoke to the third floor. returning In
short time with Roland In her arms.
The blaze in the store had started iron
some cause not definitely determined
and considerable Roadway had beer
gained by the time Miss Pooley made
the discovery and caused An alarm to b.
turned in. When the f1remen reached
| the building the art store was doomed
The blaze had reached practically every
| nook and corner Of the establishment
and the noise made by the breaking o.
the china made it evident that but little
of the stock would be saved. A quantit,
of china and art novelties belonging Il
the Hirsberg Art Company of Boston hae
| recently arrived at the store, and thu
stock was destroyed. In addition to these
novelties number of oil paintings were
| destroyed.
Loss About $4,000.
| John A. Jennings proprietor of tn,
| store, was summoned to the building, bu
did not reach there until the damage hat
| beeh done. He estimated the loss t.
| the stock at about 5000, while that t.
the building was estimated at abou
81, 900. The bnuilding and contents wer'
| insured.
The appearance on the streets of thu
several fire companies was the cause O.
attracting a crowd of curious ones to thu
| scene Of the fire, and those who were
| there early enough to see Miss Carr come
| from the burning building with the baby
| in her arms sent up a cheer
rs anybody else in the building?' In
| quired small newsboy, who was one o.
the many spectators.
/ "Why?' inquired a bystander
"'Cause, said the boy. 'if anybody's
in there l can get EN-. I got boy ou
of fire once
The newsboy was assured that all the
occupants of the house had been rescued
and was told there was nothing he coulC
do. The crowd waited about the vicinity
of the burning building until the firemei
H. fa1 fIofr
Fire Marshal Nicholson made a thor
ough investigation Of the building ant
expressed the belief that the fire wa:
due to spontaneous combustion. The
fire. 1t is thought started in the studio
and was caused by some greasy cloth,
left there. The clearing away Of the
debris will probably not begin until aftel
| the insurance companies have made al
| examination of the premises. 1t Is statec
| that the damage on the upper floors wa:
| caused by smoke.
Blaze at Washington Barracks.
Another fire the last night Of the ole
year came near sacrificing the lives O
several members of the fire department
Three of them were overcome by smoke
and came near being suffocated, two o
them having been so seriously affected
that 1t was necessary to remove them t.
the hospital at the Washington barracks
where the fire occurred. They were Pri
yate Ernest f. Padgett of No. trucl
company and Private Thomas Buckley
No engine company. The third fireman
to suffer from the smoke was resuscitatet
without being removed to the hospital.
| TT was one of the meanest fires / hav'
ever had to fight" said Assistant Chic
Wagner to star reporter. Inc piaz'
occurred in a tireproof vault the doc
being the only outlet, and the smoke wal
so dense that a great amount of trouble
was experienced.
| 1t was about o'clock when the alarm
was sounded. summoning the several com
panies Of the department to the grounds
and the quantity Of smoke which greeted
the firemen gave the impression that i
| would be necessary to call additional com
| panies, but Chief Wagner found that thos'
| on the ground would be able to cope will
| the flames
| The fire occurred in big vault under
the hospital schoolroom, where terra cotts
| tubs were stored. The tubs were packed
in straw and held together with ligh
strips of wood. furnishing inhamman on
material enough to make a hot blaze
While the tiremen were working to pre-
vent the destruction of government prop
erty the three members of the department
were overcome, as stated. The two who
| were suffering most from the smoke were
assisted from the building and hurried tt
the hospital, where they soon recovered
j. ater they were able to return to theil
quarters. A.
| Fire Marshal Nicholson visited the
| building today and states that damage
| to the amount of several hundred dollars
| had been caused by the blaze.
Small Fires Elsewhere.
The last fire Of the old year occurred
last night about 11:3O O'Clock in a house
on C street No. 16 engine company re-
| sponded to the alarm and the flames
| were quickly extinguished. Not more
| than SIS damage had been caused.
| Members of the fire department retired
after the noise of the ringing bells, toot'
| ing whistles and the horns had died away
wondering what the first day of the veal
would bring them in the line of duty, anC
| about 6 o'clock this morning they were
awakened by an alarm for blaze thai
had started in the kitchen at the house
81 Ceion Fox, 141 p street southwest, anG
| the destruction of the house was threat
ened. but the prompt response and quick
work on the part of the firement prevented
the spread of the flames: The damage from
| a. amounted TO about S400