Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-06
ROUSED BY ALARM BELLS
Big Building at Takoma Park De.
stroyed, With $4,000 Loss.
MANY HAVE NARROW ESCAPES
Electrical Students Lose Clothing
and Personal Effects-Formerly
Used as Hotel.

horizon about o'clock this morning
gave silent notice to the fire and police
departments of Washington that there
was a big fire in the northern suburbs
The glare proceeded from the old Takoms
Hotel structure at Takoma Park Md.
just over the District line. A blaze ha6
started in the kitchen on the lower floor
while nearly 200 students were asleep ir
the rooms above. That there were nc
fatalities or serious accidents is consid-
cred almost miraculous.
The big building. which was entirely OF
frame construction. was occupied by the
Bliss Electrical School, and the nearly 2O(
occupants were students from many parts
of the world and instructors. The build
ing was four stories high, crowned with
high cupola, and contained 13O sleeping
apartments. It's destruction was COM
plete. The fire burned down into the
very foundation and left but few
charred timbers standing.
The building originally cost 81. 900. and
the management of the Bliss Electrical
School added Improvements estimated al
$25,OOO The plant and machinery were
worth about $4,000 making the tota
loss approximately $4,000. The build.
Ing and contents were insured in severa
companies. but 1t Is not believed one-hall
of the loss Is covered by the insurance.
Later In the morning an investigation
was made. and it was stated that the fire
was started by leakage of gas from
pipes in the serving ROOM between the
kitchen and dining room.
Firemen Could Do Little.
Several thrilling scenes marked the
progress Of the conflagration The Wash.
ington fire department responded to the
alarms, but the fiame-fghters were pow.
erless to prevent the destruction of the
building. owing to the infiammable nature
Of the time-dried timbers and the higf
wind.
George p. Carter. the colored watch.
man. was on the third floor Of the build
ing. masking his rounds about 2:45 O'Clock
this morning when he was startled by
hearing an explosion on the lower floor
He hurried down the stairs and found
that there had been an explosion of IL.
Illuminating gas in the kitchen. The
kitchen and adjoining dining room were
soon enveloped in flame. The building
was provided with complete system OF
fire alarm bells. Carter set them going
and In an instant there was violent
ringing of the gongs on all the floors.
The students and instructors piled ou,
lower portion of the building in flames
AS the fire was at the beginning con-
fined to the rear of the structure, those
OF the occupants who were in the from,
rooms had time to dress hurriedly. Those
In the upper rooms in the rear were not
SO fortunate. Upon opening their doors
great volumes Of smoke poured into theil
sleeping rooms. They had barely time tc
rush down the stairs and out into the
frosty atmosphere, clad in scant nigh,
garments. The citizens of Takoma Park
opened their homes to the shivering stu.
dents and teachers.
Some of the occupants of the front
rooms managed to carry out their trunks
and put them in places of safety in the
nearby woods. The trunks were un-
locked and the sparsely clad ones were
in a number of instances given the extra
garments of those who were more fortu-
nate. In the meantime the citizens kim
died fires in their homes and supplied
The chilled young men with steaming hot
coffee.
Used the Fire Rope.
The bravery of Rubena Herrera, stu
dent from Costa Rica, was praised by
his fellow pupils and the citizens who
were attracted to the fire. He occupied
a room in the cupola with Evan Mickle
young man from Reading. Mich The
room was about six stories from the
ground. When Herrera heard the fire
gongs ringing and saw the clouds OF
smoke. he rushed down stairs When he
saw that the lower part of the building
was ablaze. he ran back into the struc-
ture and went from floor to floor knock
ing violently on the doors Of the sleeping
rooms to arouse the occupants who were
still slumbering. Then he ran upstairs
INTO the cupola and aroused Mr.. Mickle
nnVf ,xDI J,
to the lower floor, but were driven back
into the cupola by the volume of flame
and smoke that were enveloping the en-
tire rear of the building. Two fire ropes
were found dangling from the outside of
the cupola and upon these the men made
a spectacular descent to the ground The
rope upon which Mickle descended reach
ed the lawn, but that upon which Herrera
went down lacked about ten feet of
reaching the ground. After dangling at
Its end a moment the Costa Rican
jumped to the ground. Bo;h men es-
capped injury beyond the burning of their
hands by the friction caused by the ra Did
descent.
Instructor Coles Hands Burned.
was badly burned about his hands in
endeavoring to save some of his property
student named Haywood. who is
SOI0eW Wldt OedI, Ulu not near the changing
of the fire gongS. and his fellow students
had considerable difficulty in getting him
out of bed and rushing him from the
burning building.
The blaze as seen from this city pre-
sented a spectacular appearance The
old hotel building is situated on high
ground, and the fire painted the northern
sky a fire-red. Some of the policemen
and early morning pedestrians at first
believed it was caused by display Of
aurora borealis or northern lights. BY
the time the Washington fire companies
had reached the doomed hotel building
the flames had gained such headway
that the firemen saw any efforts to save
the edifice would prove futile. So they
directed their energies to saving the near
by property.
Clarence Mattherson. the steward. and
W. G. Meade. a student from Corning, N
Y, had an exciting time getting out Of
the building. The steward was one Of the
first persons in the building to detect the
odor of smoke. He went from his room
10 the lower floor to make an investiga-
ton and was partly overcome by the
smoke. When he finally returned to the
upper floor he found it necessary to
crawl upon a rear roof. Then he shouted
to Meade to follow him.
Mattherson got a fire rope and man.
aged to descend to the ground, a dis
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