The Washington times., 1909-11-04
Rudolph & West Hardware
Store Suffers $58,O00 Fire
LoSS-Block in Danger.
START IMMEDIATELY
ON REPAIR WORK
Cuno Rudolph Is At Banquet When
Attention Is Attracted to
Blaze.

According 10 the estimate made today
by Cuno II. Rudolph, of the hardware
firm of Rudolph & West, a damage and
loss Of SIS, 600 resulted because of the
FIRE whiC,s came near sweeping the en-
tire establishment at 1882 New York ave-
nue. late last night.
This figure does not include the many
thousands of dollars that the firm esti-
mates it viii lose in business while the
burned area is undergoing repairs The
loss TO the stock and building is insured :
the resulting Inconvenience, however.
win have TO be borne by the firm.
Mr. Rudolph, at work in a rear office
today. with burned walls and material
on every hand. said that he expected to
be able to open the store for business
within fOrty-eight hours.
Extensive repairs that must be made
70 the third and fourth stories of the
building viii commence Immediately.
The first and second stories were dam
aged only by water.
Partner Is Notified.
Mr.. Rudolph was attending the ban
quet TO the visiting japanese at the
New Willard when the fire was dis
covered. about 1880 o'clock. His part
ner. Wrliam D. West, was in New
were under control he was informed by
long distance telephone Of the loss.
While Mr.. Rudolph was engrossed in
the welcome being accorded the COM
mercial leaders of Japan, his attention
was called TO a magnificent pyrotech-
nical display of shaft of flame darting
upward hundred feet above the roof
lines. Commissioner Henry /. West.
who was sitting near by, summoned a
waiter. and III a moment the latte- re-
-
store of Rudolph & West was on fire
After hastily eXcusing themselves. the
Commissioner and Mr.. Rudolph left the
hotel
Commissioner Macfarland. too. who
was also a banquet guest. excused him.
self, and personally directed some OF the
fight against the flames. Both Commis-
sioAetss beIore they We're recognized by
the policemen, were ordered to stand
back out of the lines.
Origin Not Determined.
BY the time Mr. Rudolph got To his
store he found that the third and fourth
floors Of the firms fOur-story building
were hopelessly lost in fire. Just how
the lre started no one has vet been able
70 discover. although Fire Marshal
Nicholson has made a thorough investi-
cation. The first and second stories
were damaged only bY water
IN at least one respect the fire was
one Of the most picturesque Washing
ton has witnessed in several wears
Just who discovered the blaze is not
yet known. The engine house on lower
fourIeenth street and that at the cor
ner OF New Hampshire avenue and NJ
street responded
a rather remarkable feature Of the
IRE was that the blaze appeared Ia a
crowd OF at least 5000 persons who had
gathered TO be directly in the center of
the block bounded by New York ave
nue.. F, Thirteenth and Fourteenth
streets There appeared 10 be no
spread, just spiral, gauzy sheet which
Tor time threatened the entire block
However. within an hour the fire de-
partmeut without the necessitv or
turning In general alarm, manage
10 gain control OF the blaze and bv
midnight the fire was practically ont
The f1ames got in so worth of dam
age IN the oil and paint store of Hugh
Reilly at 1884 New York avenue. and
the food OF water also slightly dam
aged the stock of the National F,Iec-
trical supply building at 1890. The
neigh boring street car lines were
blocked for quarter OF an hour.