The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-11-08
SPECTACULAR FIRE
RUINS CAR BARNS
AnacOstia Citizens Turn Out
to Watch Flames.
SMOLDERING DEBRIS REMAINS
samuel ". FFIEIer's Coal. wood. aad
Building Material Warehouse Suf-
Washington Railway and Electric
Company, owner of the buildings.

With the ferocIty Of a blaze on the
prairie, the most spectacular fire seen in
Washington in a long time yesterday af-
ternoon reduced 70 smoldering ruins the
block IN Anacostia bounded by Lincoln.
L and Y streets, and Nichols avenue.
where stood two old car barns. a ware
house and several small frame buildings
used for various purposes
The loss is estimated at $1,000 by Off
cials OF the fire and police departments,
and as far as ascertained only one-third
OF The damage is covered by insurance.
Samuel NJ Frazier, dealer i'm coal. wood.
and building material, suffered the
heaviest loss, except the Washington
Railway and Electric Company, which
owned the car barns Mr.. Frazier used
them as a place Of storage. The traction
company's destroyed property was valued
at about $1,000. and the contents az about
One-third Of the value of the buildings.
Why lie Incendiary-
It is thought the blaze was iuceudiary.
a small FIRE IN Frazier's yard was dis
covered about II o'clock in the morning.
and was extinguished by a watchman be-
fore il gained headway.
When the warehouses began burning I'm
the afternoon, the belief that some one
was determined 20 cause Frazier financial
loss was strengthened An investigation
by the police and fire officials failed to
throw light on the origin of the blaze
The fire started a few minutes after
O'Clock. Ten minutes later flames were
leaping 100 feet in the air. sending aloft
cloud OF smoke which could be seen
from high points for miles around. Half
an hour after the fire was discovered
the block reseubIed a furnace overhung
by a black cloud. which moved slowly
over the river and across the city hun
dreds Of feet in the air.
The ancient frame structure filed with
infammable building material Of almost
every description, burned like tn6er and
sent out a heat which could be felt hun
dreds of feet from the flames. The fire
was seen from hills around Washington
and from points in the city, while its
smoke was blown as far as the Union
Station. Street cars, automobiles. car
riages, motorcycles. bicycles. and nearly
every description Of vehicle was used
by Washngt tonians who wished to see
the blaze Streets leading to the Ana
costa bridge We're throngod with specta-
tors. and before the flames were under
control more than 1900 persons had
reached the scene The bridge was
thronged with humanity and from this
point the best view of the flames was OBJ
tdined.
when AnRcoSiia Was Young.
Erected when AnaCostia was in its IN
fancy. the barns were formerly owned
and occupied by the Anacostia and Poto-
mac Railway Company. which kept cars
and horses there until the horse car sys-
TEN was abolished. Then the property
was purchased by the Washington Rail-
way and Electric Company which has
been renting it for years.
One Of the barns was frame and the
other brick. the former one and the lat
ter two stories in height. Adjoining
these buildings in the rear was a long
two-story frame warehouse. part OF
which was occupied by Lewis Cook. a
grocer. at 155 Nichols avenue. Anlcostia.