Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-19
TEAM AND MAN UNHURT;
HOSE WAGON is WRECKED
"Old Black joe" Veteran Fire Horse,
Drops Dead After Hard Run.
OLD NORTH BUILDING AFIRE
Old Books Valued at $8, 500 De-
stroyed in University Library.
Sleeping Students Escape.

A spirited team of fire horses htched to
q hose cart dashing down a one-hundred-
foot embankment and another fire horse
dropping dead after a hard run with his
mates were incidents of a fire that
burned out the library of Georgetown
University early this morning.
On the way to the same fire Fire
Marshal Nicholson had an upset. when
his horse fell. dragging the buggy. The
fall Of the horse driven by T. NJ. Robin
son, superintendent of machinery. going
to the fire, was the fourth incident of
the sort.
About fifty students were asleep in the
dormitories over the library when the
fire was discovered. All escaped safely.
The flames. which originated in the
boiler room, licked their way through to
the library above. Rare volumes were
destroyed before the blaze was brought
under control.
SIC, 900 Loss Covered by Insurance.
| The Old North building. in which the
| fire occurred, was erected I'm 1875. About
So. 500 damage to the books resulted.
Damage to the building is estimated at
about $1,000.
| The loss Is covered by insurance. Fire
Marshal Nicholson made an investigation
and concluded that an overheated steam
| pipe caused the blaze.
| One Of the hose carts responding to the
fire alarm drew up at the brink of a high
embankment near the university. The
driver, Ernest w. Lowe, turned for a
| moment to get blankets for the horses.
steaming after long run, when the team
bolted over the edge. Lowe seized the
bits and was whirled OF down the hill
nit ha nd
The embapkment is graded into two
terraces. When the cart struck the sec
ond terrace the wagon pole hit the
ground and snapped or. The hose cart
was catapulted to the bottom, and Lowe
and the horses rolled together in another
direction.
Neither horses nor driver were injured.
The hose cart was reduced to wreckage.
"Old Black joe one of the veteran
horses Of the department, after a Cruel
ling run of three miles uphill. dropped
dead Just a. his steamer drew up to the
fire hydrant.
Escape Is Miraculous.
Shortly after hose carriage No. reach
ed the college grounds and after the hose
had been run from a plug to the build
| ing, Driver Lowe, who was guarding the
horses under his care. saw that the hose
carriage horses had become frightened
and were on the point of running away.
One leap brought him to the head of the
| runaway team. He grabbed the lines and
swung to them. The horses SHE'D and
went over the double terrace, landing
| about 100 feet below the road.
Witnesses of the accident expected that
or hurt seriously. They were amazed TO
see them on their feet unharmed at the
foot of the lower terrace.
How did you do it?' inquired fireman
| of Lowe.
II caught hold Of the horses" he an
swered, "and there was nothing else to do
but go with them. There was no letting
go after they started over"
| The escape was deemed something short
4 of miraculous. Some years ago horse
and cart went over there and the horse
ran away after reaching the bottom.
Thirty Sleeping Students Ecoape.
About thirty students were sleeping in
the Old North building at the time. The
| fire started in the southwest corner of
the building, directly over the pipes lead
| ing from the boiler. The pipes were al
most against the ceiling.
Smoke soon filled the building. The
| students were aroused. They were all
! fighting the fire in a short while, using
| the water supply in the building, which,
the fire marshal states. was not very
| effective.
1 One OF the StuQents was fnlSseu IN
| quiry was made for him. He had remain
| ed in his room longer than the others.
| however and to avoid the thickening
| smoke came down the fire escape.
| The students were never in danger.
| They experienced no difficulty in getting
! out of their rooms.
Several rooms suffered water damage.
Occupants had to seek other quarters
| after the fire had been extinguished.
/ 1t was about seven minutes past 8
O'Clock when the smoke filled the halls.
The private box was used and sew
eral fire companies were soon at work
| Fearing the few companies responding
| to the first alarm would be unable to
| cope with the blaze. q member of the
fire department sounded q second alarm
for the purpose of summoning additional
companies. The blaze was checked how
ever. before much headway had been
! gained
| The fire was confined to the library
! Most of the damage to the books was
done by smoke and water, few of them
having been burned.
Old Books Destroyed
| Fire Marshal Nicholson made a careful
examination OF the water supply in the
building and suggested that larger pipes
| that many old books were In the library
The library was valued at about $4,000.
There is a blanket insurance on the uni
versity property OF $2s2OOO. and S57. $50
! on the contents OF the building in which
the fire occurred.
! At Wisconsin avenue and p streets the
horse of Fire Marshal Nicholson fell as
| he was driving to the fire. The accident
| to Supt. Robinson happened on Executive
! avenue.
Conv{et Killed hv n Guard