Evening star., 1908-01-30
FIRE IN F STREET BUIlD|NG
DENSE SMOKE ASCENDS FROM
VEERHoFF STRUCTURE.
Flames Immediately Beneath the
Roof-Large Crowd Assemblies.
Report Of the Damage.

a heavy column of smoke ascending al
1880 O'Clock this morning from the roo
of the four-story building at 1917 f street
occupied by Otto L. Veerhoff. art dealer
causeu local alarm to be sent to No
l6 engine company. Before the firemer
reached the scene an alarm had beer
turned in from box 142, and several othel
companies and trucks. with the waite,
tower, responded. BY the time the fire.
men arrived dense volumes of smoke were
crcwd had assembled
Tho police reserves from several pre-.
cincts were also on the ground, com.
manded by Capts. Cross, Williams. Doyle
ana Boyle. No flame was visible from the
sidewalks below. but the dense smoke
continued to roll upward from the roof
After some difficulty the firemen man.
aged to get several lines of hose to the
fourtf story and opened their water bat
teries on the fire. which seemed to be
on the fourth floor in the rear. Immediate
ly beneath the roof
A tall white man appeared on the cor
nef or the roof on the + street side and,
employing his hands as a megaphone
yelled to the firemen below:
Here, you fellows. what the deuce are
you doing down there? Bring your hose
up here quick
The man was enveloped In smoke,
which was issuing from the room and
cornices. A moment later a colored man
ran to the edge Of the roof and shouted
down:
Come up hyah. it's burnin' like hades
in dis roof"
Crowd in Street Cheers.
The crowd in the street cheered, the
f1remen placed an extension ladder in
position. and several ascended to the
roof. In short time a number OF
streams were playing on the flames. The
employees of Mr.. Veerhoff and others be-
gan to remove valuable paintings from
the storeroom on the first floor. The
wisdom OF this step was soon evident
as the blackened water from the upper
floor poured down to the storeroom in
great streams. causing much damage.
Firemen climbed about on the window
ledges and the corner of the roof at dizzy
heights, like spiders running through their
webs, and experienced much difficulty in
hauling the hose up to the scene Of the
conflagration.
Employees of the Dulin G. Martin Com
pany. dealers in chinaware, etc. In the
twin building adjoining the Veerhoff es-
tablishment, went to the roof and took
other steps to protect the property of the
firm in the event of q spread of the
flames.
The second floor of the Veerhoff build
ing is occupied by F. s. Smith & Co, con-
tractors. and the deluge of water from
above is said to have caused considerable
damage to the property of the company.
The firemen finally attacked the roof of
the Veerhon structure with axes IN order
to reach the seat Of the fire. and soon
thereafter had 1t under control.
Amount Of the Damage.
Fire Marshal Nicholson stated late this
afternoon that the flames did not break
out in q workroom on the fourth floor, as
had been said, but were discovered direct
ly under the roof in a space In which a
man could not stand erect. This, he add
ed, made it extremely difficult fd the
firefighters to get near the blaze for a
.ong time. The flames burned through the
roof and did damage to the building and
contents approximated by Mr. Nicholson
at between 5000 and $1,000. The ire
marshal added there were no electric
wires near and the cause Of the fire Is
therefore mystery. which he Is investi-
eating. The blaze was one of the most
stubborn the department has had to con-
tend with for several years.
Paul F. Grove, secretary Of local fre
insurance company, made complaint to
Chief Engineer Belt today of alleged
slowness Of the fire department In get
ting into service, and because, as ne
states, the nremcn nauleQ nose lOducu
with water to the top floor of The Veer-
hoff building. when the hose should
have been taken up while it was empty.
He also complained that the chemical
company which responded on a local
alarm continued to render tnenective
service, imperiling the business section
of the city, without turning in another
alarm and calling other engines and
the trucks into service.
Mr. Grove also complained that when ne
went to the nearest fire box, where ons
policeman and two f1remen were standing.
he found that five minutes had elapsed
since the flames were discovered and still
no alarm had been sounded. Finally, MIR.
Grove said, he pulled the box.
Chief Belt said to a Star reporter this
afternoon that Mr.. Grove had made a
verbal complaint to him and promised to
put a forma. complaint in writing and
send it to him.
The building is owned by Mrs. Murdock,
who resides near Chicago.