Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-05

AY, AUGUST 5, 1911
mac company of the fifth ward, as the
pany was located at AZ and P streets
northwest. In November the president.
James Young and John P. Ingle were
appointed q committee to wait on the
commissioner of public buildings and sug-
gest the erection of an engine house at
some suitable place outside of the Capt.
toll grounds. and also to give him their
views as to the plans and ask for the
erection OF an alarm bell.
Fire in Alexandria.
The Intelligencer OF Friday. January 10,
1927, gives an account of the Awful Fire
at Alexandria, which broke out at .
O'Clock the preceding day. 1t notes that
the river was frozen over and the Their
mometer stood at 13 degrees above zero.
The townsmen literally flew to the as
sistance of their neighbours the Columbia
company was on its way in a few min
utes and soon after 300 persons from the
navy yard, the Washington company from
the post office, the Alert company from
the second ward and the Union from the
first. we'll as all the marines from the
barracks. under Capt. F. e. HoWle.
numbering in all a thousand men, re-
sponded. They arrived when the fire was
most appalling, but it was arrest
ed and a vast amount of property saved.
The AlexandrianS were nearly exhausted,
and the reinforcements from Washington
were most opportune. The paper says
that it was wonder that the fire was
put under control. A fierce northwest
wind was blowing. and the water as it
descended turned to ice and sleet on the
hremen's garments.
In 1865 John P. Ingle wrote letter
to James A. TAFT. then president of the
company. stating that DR. May about 10
o'clock on the morning of the hre. by tine
aid Of his spygiass, found that the town
was on fire in three different places, and
gave the alarm, that the Columbia press
ed wagon and two horses into service
and the Columbia's engine. hose. etc,
were on their way, and before II o'clock
were pouring a stream of water on
house at the corner of Prince and Union
streets, and prevented it from burning,
and he says he has every reason to be-
lieve that if this house had caught the
warehouses on the east side of Union
street and the shipping, ice-bound at the
wharves. would have been fed to the
flames. The Columbia got its supply OF
water through a hole cut in the, ice
A bout forty houses were burned, and the
loss was over 100000.
January IS, while the citizens and en-
gines were at Alexapdria. the roof OF
Aliens dry goods store, few doors west
of the site of the present Star office, was
discovered on fire. but was extinguished
by neighbors with little loss. January
"a a meeting was held of citizens OF the
fifth ward, south of E street south, be-
tween 4th street east and 10th street
west, to organize fire company-the
Phoenix Of the fifth ward. The Wash
ington company was called to meet jan
uary %. and an appeal was made FOR
the formation Of a hose company, for
which a hydrahlion and eco feet of hose
were at their service. At the meeting
Of the Washington company the same
evening Andrew Coyle was elected pres
ident: Henry Smith, carpenter and build
er, residing at 18th and F streets. vice
kah Langley. lumber dealer. at 18th
street wharf on the canal, treasurer;
John B. Martin of the fourth auditors
Office. captain of engineers; Jacob Ben
der, master bricklayer, captain OF hose
men, and Thomas j. Switzerland, cap
tain of hosemen.
Franklin Fire Company Formed.
Tuesday, January 80. 1927, the sub
scribers to the Alert company met at
the Lancastrian School house, and Febru-
airy adopted constitution and changed
the name to that of the F'ranglin Fire
company, electing officers as follows:
Christopher Andrews of the third au-
ditor's office. president; George F. Colt
man, builder, vice president; William
James of the registry office. secretary;
lSddC SoopSt, SIOcl, oIl cliHSS ~ ana O.
nue. near 18th street, treasurer. Febru-
airy a new company, the Phoenix or
the third ward, was formed at the Wash
ington company's house. at which DR..
William Gunton, druggist, at 9th street
and the Avenue, was elected president:
c. F. Wiltach. druggist, at l. and 18th
streets. vice president: Richard Wright,
secretary, and EleaZer Lindsay, treasurer.
The Washington Fire Company rendered
its engine, hydraulion and hose. and they
TOD n
Gated near 9th street and the Avenue.
At the annual meeting of the Anacostia
company, January "a. Edward w. Clark
was elected president; John Prout. vice
Matthew Wright, treasurer; Henry Awk-
ward, director of engineers. and James
Friend Of the line men. Peter Griffin Of
the ladder men, Robert Clark of the ak
men and Charles Venable of the furniture
men.
Under an act of the corporation of May
"a the mayor was authorized to purchase
eight fire plugs to be placed on such hy-
drants as in his judgment was required,
and it is remembered that they were on
Sd. AZ. 9Th. It'll, 9th and 18th streets.
June 80 an ordinance was passed to collect
the water of several streams into the
spring called Carroll spring, on the east
side of New Jersey avenue near F street
east. This water was also carried to
reservoirs near the Eastern Branch mar
ket and other places. August 10. 1897.
an appropriation Of 5000 for the purchase
of an engine. hose cart, etc. for the use
of the engine company of the fifth ward.
the Phoenix, was made. August Of the
same year SIS was appropriated for an
engine house near the Center market.
In the early part Of September two two
story houses on the site OF the present
library were burned. The Columbia fire
company met at the Office of Alexander
Mccormick October and resolved that
the next meeting be held in the new en-
CINE house, which had been erected at the
northwest corner Of New Jersey avenue
and B street southeast, now within the
Capitol grounds
New Home of Columbia Company.
The first meeting of the Columbia fire
company in the new engine house was
held Tuesday evening, January p, 1893,
at which William j. Mccormick was
president pro tenn and William Ingle
secretary. Several new members were
elected. among them Robert Brown.
foreman stonecutter; Christopher Dunn,