Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-22
Vigorous Fight Confines Linn.
its of Hagerstown Fire. 4
LOSS is ABOUT $4,000
Flames Break Out in Rear of tho
Fahrney Building.
HOTEL FRANKLIN Is MENACED
Many Occupants Flee From thu
Building in Night Clothing to
Nefghboring Houses.
Special Dispatch 10 The Star.

Special Dispatch 10 TIE Star.
HAGERSTOwN. Nd, December o.
One OF the most destructive fires that has
visited Hagerstown in many years burned
for several hours here early this MORN
ing. For . time 1t was felt that one en-
tire business block would be destroyed.
but energetic work on the part OF tina
firemen confined the blaze to a compare
lively small area.
The fire broke out about I o'clock in the
rear OF what is known as the Fahrnev
building. North Potomac street, a new
three-story brick structure erected dur
ing the past year by Fahrney Bros. who
occupied one OF the large ground floor
storerooms as a novelty store. The other
large storeroom was occupied by the At
lantic and Pacific Tea Company.
From the Fahrney building the flames
spread almost Immediately to the Hotel
Franklin. a four-story brick structure or
the north. and in a short time the entire
rear of the hotel was in flames Guests
at the hotel were thrown into a panic.
and in their excitement several sustained
injuries. George Riley. blind man. who
boarded at the hotel. had leg broken as
the result of a trunk falling upon him.
MANY Oh the OCCUPANTS Oh tie nOteu
fed from the building in their night
clothes and were taken care of by resi-
dents of the neighborhood. Harry l..
Jones. a fireman. rescued a five-year-old
child from the third floor OF the hotel
after the building was filled with fire
and smoke.
McCardell Building Barred Flames.
For q time it looked as IL nothing
could prevent the destruction of the Nc
Cardell building, a handsome four-story
structure. erected only a few yeais aga
by McCardell Brothers. whose large cloth
ing and shoe stores occupied the entire
first floor, the other floors being apart
ments. An eighteen-inch wall with no
openings or timber exposures on the
north side OF the McCardell building
proved a check to the p.ogress of the
fire in that direction. Aside from the
damage by smoke and that caused by
water that came from above through
broken skylights, the McCardell building
is intact.
By hard work the hremen prevented
the flames from spreading from the
Frankli. Hotel to what is known as the
knode building on the north. So serious.
however. did the danger appear that the
manager of the Hagerstown branch OF
the c. d. Kenny Company. Baltimore.
which occupies one Of the storerooms In
goods to be hauled to q place OF safety.
Fahrney Building Wrecked
The Fahrney building IL Q wreck ana
the heaviest losers are Fahrney BrotherA
who. in addition to owning the building
had q large stock Of Christmas goods n
their store. The entire stock Of the Al.
lantic and Pacific Tea Company was
ruined. Other occupants Of this build
ing. who occupied apartments and oflfses
on the second and third floors, were
William B. King. photograph gallery: DR..
w. d. Hauver, physician; Thomas w.
tractor; Maynard Jones and family
In the McCardell building the Offices
and apartments Of DR.. Frank ~. Hoff-
meier. physician. and the apartments OF
Mrs. George b. Oswald widow OF the
former court clerk Of Washington coun-
ty. were damaged by smoke.
John w. Dolan. proprietor of the Hotel
Franklin which Is owned by ID. Rama
difficult to estimate the full extent OF
damage done there. BY flooding the
structure the f1remen prevented its COM
pieee destruction.
Origin Of Fire Mystery.
The fire. when discovered by Policeman
John Peltz. was burning in the rear OF
the Fahrney building and the Franklin
Hotel. On which property it started does
not seem to be definitely known. nor is
the origin plain.
While the firemen complained at the
start that there was a lack of water
pressure. this was overcome by running
water from the street mains into cisterns
and using steam fire engines to pump the
water from these cisterns to the scene o.
the fire. This relieved the number or
lines OF hose connected directly with the
street mains and gave the firemen all
the water and pressure they needed.
A leading fireman this morning said that
it was the stubbornness of the fire. and
not q lack Of water, that made the blaze
hard to combat. 1t is not believed the
loss will reach $4,000. with insurance to
the amount of about $4,000.