Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-12
TAFT IN NEW YORK WO0DLEY INN BURNS
Conference to Be Held With Guests Driven Into Niqht
Prominent Republicans. Only Partially Clad
ADDRESSES CLUB TONIGHT FLAMES famed BY WINDS
President Expected to Announce His Building Entirely Destroyed With
Legislative Program. Loss About $4,000.
ATTITUDE TOWARD FINANCES MADE ROPE OF BEDCLOTHEs
Campaign Had Sensational Escape-Women
to n Danger.
Guests Driven Into Night
Only Partially Clad.
FLAMES Tanned BY WINDS
Building Entirely Destroyed, With
Loss About $4,000.
MADE ROPE OF BEDCL0THEs
One Man, Shut Or From Stairway,
Had Sensational Escape-Women
Calm in Danger.

Woodley Inn. large, four-stnry frame
building which stood about 200 yards
back from Wisconsin avenue, near Wood
ley lane. was destroyed by fire early this
morning. All of the thirty-five guests,
most of whom were women and children,
escaped uninjured.
The flames started just before o'clock,
and, famed by strong wind. soon en-
veloped the building. The smoke awak-
ened several persons at about the same
time, and in a few moments every one
in the house was aroused. Several Of the
boarders were compelled to rush out into
the snow I'm their night clothes and very
few were able to save even a small por-
tion Of their personal effects.
1t is regarded as remarkable that every
one should have escaped from the burn
ing building, as the flames spread quickly
and the fire started at a time when
every one in the house was asleep. There
were only few men in the house. and
all praised the quiet manner in which
the women. aroused by the cry of fire.
hurried out of the house. Several of
them were partially overcome by smoke.
and as they groped their way through
the halls and down the stairs they had
to be assisted to the door, Within a
few minutes the entire neighborhood
came to the assistance of those who were
driven out by fire and offered them cloth
ing and shelter.
Woman Aroused Sleepers.
One of the first to discover the fire,
which seemed to have started In the
kitchen or laundry. In the northwest cor
ner of the house, was Mrs. Margaret
F. Munday. She was awakened by the
sitting smoke, and, quickly throwing q
few garments around her, hurried into
the hall and knocked on the doors of
the sleeping rooms and calling to those
inside, Come down to my room quickly"
In the meantime the smoke, which be-
gan to fill the house, had aroused sew
eral other sleepers, who hurried to
awaken the members Of their families or
friends.
In the shortest possible time every
one In the house was, arouseds and they
had just gotten outside when the flames
burst out. and swept the entire side
of the building.
An alarm was sent in by telephone,
and engine No. 20 was soon on the scene.
1t was evident, however, that nothing
the firemen could do would check the
flames, owing to the strong wind. En-
gines No. ) and No. q RESPONDED to
the second alarm, and in a short time
all that 1t was in the power of the fire
department to do was being done to
save the building and the personal ef-
fects of those who lived in it. The loss.
including the building and the property
Of the patrons of the inn, is estimated
at about $4,000. The house was valued
at about $4,000. There was $4,000 in
surance on the furniture carried by Mrs
Munday, but 1t is said that this amount
VIII by no means cover the loss. The
building, owned by r. Cushing Daniel
was insured for aoout two-thirds its val
ue. MIS-. Brindley, who was stopping
wit - hnv.
to have lost about 5000 worth of dia-
monds. and many other guests lost large
amounts of jewelry, paintings, silverware,
rugs and clothing.
His Escape Cut Off.
One of the most thrilling escapes from
the fire was that of W. s. Ufford, whose
room was in the fourth floor, or tower,
of the hostelry. He was awakened by
Mrs. Munday pounding on his door, but
before he could reach the stairs all means
OF escape through the house were cut OFF
by the mounting flames and the thick
clouds of smoke. Mrs. Munday barely
managed to run down the steps again be-
fore that lone means of exit from the
fourth floor burst into blaze. There was
no ladder about the premises, and while
Mr.. Cfford had time to hurriedly don his
clothes, the dense smoke soon compelled
ried all of his bedclothing along and,
while awaiting the arrival of the firemen,
he knOtted the sheets and blankets into a
rope. One end he tied to an iron bar, and
when 1t seemed certain no means of res
cue would come in time he dropped the
rope over the edge of the roof and low
cred himself. hand over hand, to the
ground.
In commenting this morning upon his
escape. Mr.. Ufford said: Ever since l
the danger from fire. The only stair
way in the place was directly In the CEN
ter, and, just as / anticipated, it formed
a perfect flue for the flames. I think I
could have escaped even without the i'm
provised rope ladder. because l had
jumps from my window to a porch roof
and thence to the ground.
Need for a Ladder Truck.
But 1 do think the fire served most
forcefully to illustrate the need for q
big truck. with long ladders. on the top
of the hill Cleveland Park and ad-
jacent suburbs are building rapidly. and
In the immediate vicinity of what is now
the wreck of Woodley Inn are at least
three large schools. The long upgrade
from Georgetown makes 1t an absolute
lOI Tie HOIScS ~ pun d
truck to the higher portions of Wisconsin
avenue in time for the ladders to be OF
the slightest use in rescuing persons from
burning buildings. The company Of fire.
men in Tenleytown has only one or two
short ladders, and it would be pract-
cally helpless to save life II one of the
three or four story school buildings on
the hill should take fire, as did Wood
ley Inn, in the middle of the night"
J. HI. Forsyth was also on the fourth
floor. He arrived at the inn on the last
electric car, reaching there about /
o'clock. AS is his usual custom. he
glanced through the house to see that
everything was all right and that there
was no danger Of fire. He detected no
indication of the fire which short time
afterward developed.
Those who slept on the third floor We're
Mr.. and Mrs ]. s. Garland and two chill
dren, Mr.. and Mrs. w. Ralph Kirkham,
Mr.. and Mrs. Oscar Gariessen, Mrs Ar
thur w. Woods. Miss Pritchett. Miss
Ea stman, Miss Lea and DIR. and Mrs.
Morton Chapman. Mrs. s. s. Leach and
Mrs and Miss Young were on the second
floor Mrs. Margaret +. Munday and her
daughter slept on the first floor. Other
inmates of the house We're Miss Hollings-
worth. Miss Todd. Mrs. Wagner, Mrs and
Miss Brindley. Col and Mrs. Thomas III.
Handbury, Miss Eastman. Mrs. Watkins
and Miss Porter.
The sound of the engines and the noise
in the neighborhood awoke the inmates