Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-04
Many Persons Brought Down
Extension Ladders.
APARTMENT HOUSE BURNS
Dense Smoke Sends Occupants Sour.
rying to Places Of Safety.
LOSS ESTIMATED AT $4,000
Rumor That Blaze Was of Incen-
diary Origin Discredited by
Chief Wagner.

Ten engine companies, five truck COM
panies and the water tower responded to
three alarms of fire from box 340 last
night, shortly after 10 o'clock, following
the discovery Of a blaze In the basement
of the Nansemond apartment house. 22d
and n streets northwest. A dozen fam
ilies were rendered homeless. several
others sustained losses and it was neces-
sary to assist many persons from the
building.
Occupants OF the forty apartments were
forced by the dense smoke to hurriedly
leave tho building and seek places where
they would not be in danger OF suf1oca-
tion. many Of them finding 1t necessary
to use the fire escapes. Others were cut
OF from tho fire escapes. and the best
they could do was to go to the outer
windows, O few Of them getting out on
lodges.
When Samuel r. Henry, second bat
TALON chief Of the fire department.
reached the east wing Of the structure.
he found things In bad shape. Occu-
pants Of many Of the apartments al
ready had been forced to the windows
and nre escapes, he says, and 1t was as
much as the firemen could do to pre-
vent some Of them from jumping to
almost certain death.
Brought Down Ladders.
Members Of No. 2 truck company put
up their extension ladders without de-
lay and the work Of rescue was quickly
begun. Some Of the people occupying
apartments a. high UP as the fifth
floor. the chief said. were brought
down the ladder. a few Of them be-
ing afraid to descend the fire escapes.
Shortly after the fire started an occu-
pant OF the building told the police
and hremen he saw q man run through
narrow alley from the direction Of q
rear entrance to the building.
Il hardly think the building was set on
fire -purposely," Chief Wagner stated,
but 1t may have been fired accidentally
by some person who had entered the
basement to sleep on a pile OF awnings
Fire Marshal Nicholson estimated the
damage to the building at about 5000
and the contents at shout $1,000. The
building was fully insured. but the con-
tents were only partially insured.
The fire started in the basement room
in which the lockers were located and in
which awnings and other material were
stored. soon reaching the upper floors
through the lath and plaster partitions
which, Chief Wagner says. served as so
many nues. Every time fireman would
make an opening in a wall he would find
flames
So quickly did the fire spread from the
basement to the roof that the firemen
entertained but little hope Of saving any
part of the structure. Chief Wagner and
his assistants soon had the firemen fight
ing the fire from the top and sides, how
ever. and they succeeded in combining
the flames to the east wing of the struc-
ture.
Jump From Windows.
c. W. Henry. druggist in the apartment
house. occupied an apartment on the first
floor. directly over where the fire started
and he found it necessary to jump from
q window Of his apartment and rescue
his family in the same manner. The floor
OF his apartment was burned through, a
piano, beds and other articles Of furni-
ture dropping through to the basement.
1t was not until long after midnight that
the fremen were able to leave the scene
of the fire.
Fire Marshal Nicholson made an in
vesttgatton of the fire and learned
that the principal losers were L. F..
Miller. C. w: Henry. G. w. Wilson. F.
r. Mast. %. F. Watson. Harrison Wade.
ran. w. E. Birch. Joseph Zuber. E. L.
Pelletier. A. s. Thatcher and s. T. St.
Clair. Mr.. Henry was probably the
heaviest loser and he carried no in
surance.
The report Of Battalion Chief Henry
says the occupants of the apartment
who were rescued from the building
by members of No. engine COMPANY
were Mr.. and Mrs. A. s. Thatcher, S.
III: Basin. Miss Regina Saunders, d.
Gill, Mr.. and Mrs. s. T. st. Clair. Mrs.
Joseph Iuber and son. Mrs. La Gurst,
MI and Mrs. Marllett. Mrs w. e.
Birch. Miss Riggsby and Mrs. Burdett
and daughter.
Auto Runs Into Lamp-Post.
While W. E. Bleo, assistant electrical
engineer Of the District of Columbia, was
going to the fire in his automobile his
machine collided with q lamp-post 1t
Massachusetts avenue and Dupont Circle.
The machine was badly damaged No
one was injured. Mr.. Bleo was going
west on Massachusetts avenue when a
large touring car rounded Dupont Circle.
In endeavoring to prevent a collision Mr..
Bleo guided his automobile toward the
curb and it struck the lamp-post.
While No. automobile patrol was re-
turning to the police station from the fire
DR.. l.. Elliott, fifty years of age az
1leS street northwest was struck by
the machine. The accident occurred at
10th street and Scott Circle. The physi-
clan was Thrown 10 the street. He said
he was not injured.
bed In room on the second f1oor
OF oil 18th street northwest, occupied by
Charles Brownfield. caught fire i'm an
unknown manner shortly after { O'Clock
this morning. An alarm was sounded
from box 142, to which the fire depart
ment responded. The damage was about