Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-16
Sympathy Expressed for Fire
men in Loss of Comrades.
PLANS TO AID FAMILIES
Benefit Performances in Theaters
One Method Proposed.
TO URGE CONGRESS TO ACT
Citizens Will Attempt to Secure Leg.
islation to Make Payment of
Pension Certain.

a message of sympathy becaus; of the
deaths of Capt. Timothy J. Brown and
Private Michael A. Downs of engine COM
pany No s. who were killed Saturday
while fighting a fire. has been received
by Chief Wagner of the fire department
from George w. Horton, fire chief in
Baltimore.
Accept my deepest sympathy in your
terrible calamity was the message from
the Baltimore chief.
From F. w. Plugge, secretary of the
Washington Tobacco Company, Chief
Wagner received the following: The
brave and efficient work Of your men in
fighting the fire which destroyed our place
of business is worthy of the highest COM
mendaton, and we wish to express.
through you. our appreciation of their
efforts. which doubtless saved the adjoin-
ing property. While regretting the Pc
cuniary loss attending this fire, we feel
more deeply the loss of life and the phys
ical suffering of our brave men, and most
deeply do we sorrow at the deaths of
Capt Brown and Private Downs. Our
sincere sympathy to the bereaved families
is extended through you God alone can
assuage their grief"
Maj. Sylvester. chief Of police. sent
Chief Wagner the following message OF
coincidence: You and your men have
the heartfelt sympathy of myself and as
sociates in your sad bereavements. In the
face of this sad lesson would a great gov.
eminent hesitate TO provide a full pension
allowance for the SorrOwing widow and
children for husband and father who
R>Yl tao
and for those who must be visited by
like calamities i'm the future? l went
home from the fire sick at heart
Chief Wagner has received a message
from DR.. Henry w. Jaeger. head resident
physician at the Casualty Hospital. ask
ing that the hospital be advised in the fl-
ture Of all fires which necessitate the
sounding of second alarm. The am
bulance will make a quick response in
all such instances, DR.. Jaeger write, and
victims to the hospital.
Responding to the suggestion made by
Chief Wagner yesterday, the widows Of
the dead firemen consented to have q
n. ]. Kennedy. one of the assistant pas.
tors of St. Dominio's Church. will Of.
ficiate at requiem mass. which will be
sung at o'clock in the church. He
will also accompany the bodies to Mount
Olivet cemetery, where they will be
buried.
Selected as Pallbearers.
Those who are to serve as pallbearers
for Capt. Brown are: Capt. p. j. Sullivan.
No. 8 truck company; Capt. ]. T. Rossi-
ter. No. 10 truck company: Capt. Hello
han, No. II engine company; Capt. H. F.
Mcconnell, No. IL engine company: Capt.
J. ]. Hanlon, No. % engine company
Cas-. ID. McLane, No. IS engine COM
pany.
Private Downs pallbearers will be Capt
w. F. Lanahan. No Is engine company
Lieut. Thomas Buckley. No. engine
company; Conrad Weitzel, engineer. No.
engine company; c. D. McAuliff. as
sistant engineer, No. 4 engine company
Private G. w. Cecil, No. Ii engine COM
pahy; Private NJ. d. Murphy, No. en-
CINE company.
Chief Wagner today directed a detail
OF seventy members of the department to
serve as an escort at the double funeral.
Members of keane Council, knights
OF Columbus, OF which Capt. Brown was
q member, will also be in attendance.
Fire department officials say they fear
the condition OF the pension fund may be
such as to deprive the widows of the
funeral allowance of $40 each. at least
for some time to come. and it is reason
to get the amounts The Commissioners
Will fix as their pensions.
Discussing the question of pensions for
the families of the two firemen, Chief
Wagner said today he favored giving
them substantial pensions. In the case
of Capt. Browns family. he stated. he
will recommend pension of $50 for the
widow and So each for five of the six
children. Children's pensions cease when
they reach the age of sixteen years.
Have Supported Parents.
II has been the custom of the depart
ment to give childless widows Of firemen
a pension Of $50 month, the chief stat
ed. but in the case of Mrs. Downs he
thinks greater amount should be given
He has concluded to recommend a pen.
sion of so for her. While she has no
children, she and her husband have beer
supporting Mr.. Downs parents, and sh,
will continue to assist them.
Capt. Brown was member Of the re.
lief association, which will pay the widow
$1,000 She has already been advanced
member of the association. About tive
years ago he dropped out because he fel,
that he was unable to pay the extra as
se>sments the demands upon his salary
having been SO great
A. c. Mayer, manager of the Lyceun
Theater. conferred with Chief Wagner
this morning and offered to give a Sun
day night benefit performance for tn,
families or the dead firemen. He sug
gested that similar performance a
each of the larger theaters would net
substantial sum. There would be n,
difficulty in getting the talent, he stated
and he informed the chief that he woul,
take up the matter with members of civil
ORGANIZATIONS.
Isaac Cans. manager of Saks e. Co.
store, wrote Chief Wagner this mornn,
THAT he would give employment. IL de
sired. TO Timothy Brown, eldest son o
Capt. Brown. The boy is fifteen year!
old Mr. Cans also promised to do wha
he could to have the pension fund PLACED
upon substantial basis.
Urge Congress to Act.
The need of appropriation by Congress
to establish a fire and police pension
fund, which shall be adequate to pay TIL
pensions authorized by the present law
to firemen. policemen an their families
will be discussed at a meeting of tn
Board of Trade committee on publ
order ibis afternoon. The committee. @
which Walter 4. Brown Is chairman, viii
| take the matter up particularly with ref
erence to the deaths of Capt. Brown an
| Private Downs.
Mr. Brown said today that his cornn,i.