Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-21
FIRE DESTROYS PLANT
Nothing Left of Fireproofing
Company's Building.
NO WATER TO STOP BLAZE
Terra Gotta Works a Mile From
Nearest City Plug.
LOSS ESTIMATED AT $50, 900
Flames With Difficulty Kept From
Spreading to Adjoining Property.
Railroad Wires Burned.
LOSS ESTIMATED AT $4,000

fire which ragged fiercely for nearly
two hours this morning entirely destroyed
the main building Of the National Fire
proofing Company's plant at Terra Gotta
Starting presumably near the boiler in
the southwest corner Of the building, the
fire gained complete control in a very few
minutes. rendering futile all attempts to
extinguish II. Engine company No. II
was ordered to Terra Gotta and under d.
rections of Acting Battalion Chief Beers,
did not attempt to put the fire out. as the
nearest fire plug was about a mile away,
hut the fremen kept the flames from
spreading. and pushed the walls in to
prevent them from falling on the Bal
timore and Ohio tracks and on the work
men in the kilns situated next to the
main building.
The damage Is estimated at $4,000.
partially covered by insurance. Nothing
is left of the building or equipment.
Whistle Sounds Alarm.
When Supt. John Daniels was near
ing the factory on his way to work
at $40 this morning he was surprised to
hear the factory whistle blow fifty min
utes ahead Of time. Suspecting something
was wrong he started to run, reaching the
Office in the burned building just as the
Waterman, who had blown the whistle
reached there. Daniels says that smoke
was beginning to roll through the rooms
He attempted to put In an alarm by tele-
phone. and just got central when the
wires were broken or burned through.
In going from the Office he had to
crouch. as the smoke had become sitting.
lie ran TO Martins store. some distance
west OF the factory, and sent in an alarm
from there Engine company II respond
ed alone. AS there was absolutely no
chance to turn any water on the building,
the dried grass surrounding the place
and to make sure that large wooden
building across the tracks, directly east
did not catch fire.
Wooden Flooring Fed Flames.
The building was used for drying
green" pottery and was filled with thou
sands Of feet Of steam piping This is
now a wrecked and tangled mass. Wooden
flooring fed the fire. and the beams and
roof burned without the slightest diff
Guilty. Within An hour the place was
utterly ruined.
The equipment of the factory consisted
Of the steam pipe. pug mills. mixers
etc small railroad. used for trans
porting clay from a nearby bank into
the mixing room, was destroyed as far
as the track and trestle extended into
the building. Several small steel cars
were badly smashed.
The place is now filled with thousands
OF tons OF burned clay and pottery, and is
TOO hot to touch. SO that the firemen and
workmen could not start clearing the
debris. While looking for q two-inch wa
Ter pipe which entered the building near
the north door. flremen uncovered a mott
en- mass of clay almost in liquid state
Telegraph Wires Destroyed.
Portions Of walls and chimney still
stand. but are cracked and are leaning
outward. They will have to be torn down
Telegraph and telephone wires running
along the railroad tracks were torn down
by the burning of the poles. A force of
men was Immediately put to work repair
ing the damage.
The burned building stood within a
stones throw Of the scene Of the rail-
road wreck at Terra Gotta which oc-
CURED nearly two years ago