Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-17
BLAZE ALSO DESTROYS
FOUR ADJACENT HOUSES
Eisinger Bros Lumber Yard, North
OF the Grounds, Suffers Damage.
SMOKE HINDERs THE FIREMEN
Plans OF the Management Under
Way for the Opening
Of Ball Season.

All the stands except tf1e tin ends or N.
"bleachers' at the American League
oase ball park were destroyed by fire
shortly before noon today. Four build
ings. which were formerly a part of
F'reedmen's Hospital, Immediately to the
north OF the park. were wiped out and
the hremen had desperate fight to stop
the hre at Eisinger Brothers lumber
yard' which is directly adjoining the
| four old hospital buildings.
Officials OF the base ball club are CON.
sidering this afternoon what steps will
be necessary to start the season April IL
1t is possible that a few games will be
played on the grounds of the old Union
League Park. at 18th and IL streets
northeast The Washington club goes
| abroad after the first few games of. the
season, and it is thought that an effort
will be made to have the new stands
ready for the base ball crowds by the
time the club arrives in Washington for
its second home series.
work on a hreproof steel and concrete
stand will be started
The property loss to the club Is between
$4,000 and $25.O00.
Origin Of the Blaze.
The fre which swept over the broad
stands and into the lumber yard was the
quickest, hercest and hottest flame the
dremen have had to contend with IN
years. 1t started In a room under the
| .ffty-cent seats on the south side Of the
diamond.
James p. O'Dea, the superintendent OF
the grounds. known to every base bail
| fan as Larry or 'Reddy" ODea, at
| tributes the nre to the carelessaess OF
a plumber who left a blast lamp un-
watched for a moment whine he .eft his
work to step ouslde the little room.
At first 1t was thought the blaze could
be stamped out, or that a bucket OF
water could stop the spread. Uniortu-
nately all water in the park was shut or
at the time. while plumbers were work.
ing on the pipes. Even then 1t was
thought that no great damage would be
oone, and Bicycle Policeman L. F. Swee-
ney, who, with O'Dea and a man named
John Dondero, was standing near At
hand, sent in a local alarm.
While the engine was coming the
flames leaped and bounded in waves
into the fifty-cent seats.
Men working in the park ran in
every direction to pull alarm boxes.
Five companies ran to the fire from
one of the first alarms pulled from
18th and v streets three minutes after
the first one had been sent in. The
flames ate up the wooden structure
with such speed that by the time half
the city's engines-half the city's
equipment-were coupled to the hy-
drants the interior of the park was a
great crater of fame. Black smoke
rose in a thick pillar hundreds Of
yards in circumference. 1t was diff
cult for the flremen to work because
of the intensity of the cloud that him
dered them from seeing what it was
they were fighting.
Eighteen Companies Respond.
Chief Wagner, who had been in New
York watching the tests OF some gaso-
lene fire engines, reached the city today
the fire and took charge Battalion Chief
Sullivan and Acting Chief Donohoe had
charge of the squadron Of fire engines.
trucks. hose wagons and fuel carts pre-
vious to that time. In all eighteen COM
panies of fremen were called to the
scene, with their apparatus scattered up
and down 9TH street, Georgia avenue and
the lettered streets running east and
west. An enormous crowd of people from
stores Offices and schools ran to the fire,
and the reserve police from nearly every
precinct had a hard time to battle ths
crowd back into respectful lines.
Even with the bluecoats working
hard an enormous crowd broke holes
through the fence at places and tram
pied the diamond and infield into .
shapeless muddy mass.
Thousands of feet Of hose lying across
the lawn and diamond spurted water
from the Joints and made the base ball
park appear as IL herd Of wild animals
with heavy feet had trampled across the
place for hours.
At noon, when the fire had eaten the
grandstand. leaving scarcely a post
standing, the entire energies OF the fire
men had to be turned to the four wooden
buildings once occupied as part of Freed
mems Hospital. There was a wild rumor
in the crowd OF watchers that the build
ings were filled with sick and injured
people. This was not true.
Burn Like Paper.
The buildings were owned by the gov
ernment, and were leased by Eisinger
Bros. and filled with mill stun. machinery
and lumber. They burned like paper.
Watching the destructive blaze with
anxious eyes were people in the old
brick building of the hospital. II was
seen. however that the flames would not
reach that structure unless waited by
very strong west wind.
4. The. fire was a hard one to fight. The
base ball stands stretching around In .
crescent were directly in the way OF
many of the companies. which had to lay
hose through the south side Of the black
ened. weakened and dangerous structure.
on across the infield and again through
the burned and falling stand on the
third base side.
It was IKE . IRE being protected with