Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-11-09
MIDNIGHT FIRE IN
C.L.U,HAlL BUILDING
-.
Blaze Starting from Stove Does
Damage Aggregatlng Sew
-eraI Thousand Dollars.
TWO flREMEN NARROWLY
ESCAPE SERIOUS INJURY
Flames and Smoke Bursting from
Window Envelope Gordon and Smith
AZ They Lead Fight Against Stub
born SIre-ownsr, J. A. Wiilett,
Protected BY Insurance.

pToscStCo W sHeofonSSs
Starting from stove on the second
floor, IRE partially Quilted the Central
Labor Union hall, big three-story
brick building at Washington avenue
and Thirty-seo0nd street, about mid
night :ast night. The blaze was the
second that had occurred in this
building within ten months and was
one OF the stubbornest the firemen
have had to fight in long time. Very
little blaze was to be seen from out
side the building. but within the place
was q roaring furnace and the in
tense heat and dense smoke greatly
handicapped Fire Chief Stow and his
men. A great amount OF water was
thrown into the structure and roughly
estimated the damage to the build
ing and contents from fire and water
will aggregate several thousand dol-
lars.
Narrow Escapes.
Two OF the firemen-John b. Gordon
and Charles II. Smith-haG narrow
escapes from serious injury when they
first started to battle with the flames
The men had placed 30-foot ladder
against 4 window on the Thirty-sec-
ond street side of the building and
climbed to the top OF it. AS they
were pulling up. q line OF hose the
intense heat within the building
smashed the window against which
the ladder rested. Flames and smoke
shot out of the window and there was
a loud explosion, caused by the rus n
OF flames and air. The fire aud smoke
completely envsloped the firemen and
the force OF the explosion threw them
backwards They succeeded in hold
ing on to the ladder, however. and
and escaped q drop of twenty feet to
the concrete sidewalk below. Gordon
had one hand badly burned, but Smith
escaped injury.
Pate Glass Window Broken.
A few seconds after the flames
broke through the window. where the
firemen were working, the Intense
heat smashed a plate glass window
in q barber shop on the first floor OF
the building and the flames shot
through the window clear across the
sidewalk. Another report Hike an ex-
plosion followed and volumes OF
dense smoke poured through the
break in the heavy glass. Smoke
also VAS coming out Of windows on
the side and front of the building
as we'll as the roof and for Few
minutes it. looked as II the building
was doomed.
The FIRE started In the hall on the
north tide OF the second floor OF the
building in which the Machinists' To-
cal union met last night and 1t was
apparent that II was caused by
small stove which had been left burn
ing in the hall. When the names
were discovered by a young man
named Mitchell. who was passing the
place with n companion they had
gained considerable Roadway and had
eaten down through the flooring into
the pool room and cigar store. on the
ground floor Mr.. Mitchell broke open
the front door of the cigar store and
telephoned an alarm TO the Central
FIRE company. That company respond
ed in a few minutes and the hremen
quickly went to work fighting the
| flames.
Building Filled With Smoke
BY the tine the firemen reached
| the scene the entire building was
allied with dense smoke and a few
seconds afterwards the heat broke
the glass in two windows OF the build
ing. Chief Stow put one stream OF
water into the pool room and another
into the second floor Where the Ere
started. 10 fifteen minutes the hre
was under Control. but u was not ua-
til more than an hour. later that the
chief was satisfied that the flames
were out.
A large crowd quickly gathered on
the scene and watched the nre for
possibly han an hour Police Ser
geant W. T. Webb -roped Thirty-sec-
ond street OF and kept the crowd at
a fafe distance from the flames. There
was little or nothing of. The specisc-
ulaF about the FIRE and the crowd soon
dispersed.
So intense was the heat from the
blaze tina, the wall paper IN the 9TH
or halls on the second floor was badly
parched and stripes OF IA fell from
the waits Mucl 81 t-t fatnion ""
the wood work Within the building
also was blistered and scorchec-
Protected oy Insurance.
]. A. WfIlett. cashier Of the Firss
National Bank. owns the building and
Attorney Allan ID. Jones and 7. J.
Hundicy ovH the pool rool and ctgar
store. The barber shop - conducted
by Greek. The furniture and eauirs
meni in the barber shop vere badly
dsmaEed by the heat. smoke and va
Ter. II u understood that The bud.
irE and contents were fully protected
BY ere insurstce Richard Richards
erocerv store. Which n on the ground
floor ~ me huildinK. eae not dam.
arrd Tho han IN which TIE Central
I. Labor Union meets also ezcapcf serf