The Washington herald., 1909-11-20
RARE BOOKS BURNED
Fire Ruins the Library at
Georgetown College.
SERIES OF MIsHAPS OCCUR
Early Morning Blaze I'm Old North
Building Causes $4,000 Damage.
Hose Carriage and Horses Plunge
over Embankment - Students Aid
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Pipes Blamed.

/ A fire which originated in the boiler
room OF the Old North Building. at
Georgetown College, yesterday morning
/ destroyed valuable library OF rare
books. a loss OF $1,000 was caused be-
fore firemen gained control OF the blaze.
/ II was about O'Clock when the halls
Of the old building. which was erected
/ in 1925. began to fill with smoke. awak-
enIng thirty students asleep In dormi-
/ tories on the upper floors, and sending
+ them scurrying 70 the campus.
Flames Spread Quickly.
The flames originated around over
heated steam pipes and ate through the
/ floor about them into the library, where
/ they spread with such remarkable rapid
/ ity that in a few minutes the ancient
structure seemed doomed.
Alarms were sounded and engine COM
/ panies We're soon on the way 70 the
scene. Fire Marshal Nicholson was drlv-
/ ing IN his buggy at full speed when he
/ reached Wisconsin avenue and = streets
| northwest. The horse attached 70 the
vehicle slipped on the asphalt and fell.
upsetting the buggy and throwing the
/ fire marshal and the driver 10 the street.
/ They escaped injury and continued TO
/ the fire.
/ Superintendent OF Machinery Robinson
/ also had a narrow escape from injury.
/ He was driving 70 the fire and was go
I ing through Executive avenue az high
speed when the horse fell and slid FOR
/ fifteen yards on the asphalt The horse
was hurt, but the occupants OF the
/ buggy were not injured.
The most sensational accident occurred
after the apparatus reached the sCene
and fremen were lighting the flames. A
/ hose carriage was driven 90 "a hydran'
near tho brink Of steep embankment
and the driver, Ernest W Lowe. leaped
to the ground TO get blankets with which
20 cover the horses. which were steam
! ing after the long run.
! He had no sooner turned his back when
/ the horses started running headed FOR
I the embankmeut Believing he could
save the horse and the hose carriage.
Lowe risked his life and jumped for the
heads OF the frightened animals. catch
ing them by the brides and swinging on
The team went over the embankment
Lowe clinging for life 20 the bits and
low. Persons who saw the accident de-
scribed the escape OF tho driver as mi
raculOus.
Second Alarm Sounded.
a second alarm was sounded, but be-
fore the arrival Of engines responding
the first companies on the scene had
gained control OF the blaze. The fire was
confined TO the library. in which Their,
were hundreds Of valuable volumes. paint
ings and antiquities. The Commercial
loss Is not felt by the faculty. as It is
covered by insurance, but they appre
ciate the damage caused by the blaze be
cause nearly everything destroyed wa,
brought from great distances at much
labor and expense and donated 70 tht
college by persons Of note
/ The conference room OF the library
where the rarest editions were kept, wa
not damaged. except by smoke Tn,
cases in which the books were kept wer'
made Of beautiful Brazil wood brough
from South America years ago by for
mer student
The damage 10 tho building Is esti
mated at 1880. and the loss OF the con
tents is placed at $500. The loss IS COW
cred by a blanket insurance.