Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-06
THRILLING RESCUE FEA1S
SAVE EIGHT FROM DEATH
Some Are Forced to Jump From Sec
ond-Story Windows.
NIGHT AND DAY OF FIRES
Unusual Tax on Heating Plants
Keeps Firemen on the Jump.
Severe Weather Causes Vic
tins to Suffer.

Trapped by flames at o'clock this
morning in the Miller apartments at 7th
and D streets southwest, five families
were driven out into the bitter cold IN
tleir nightclothes. Thrilling rescues are
ltredited with having saved the lives of
eight persons.
Cries Of Fire aroused the families
from their slumbers. and instantly there
was a panic, a rush for windows and
doors. Smoke and flames blocked the
passageways, and some jumped from the
second-story windows when they saw
mat their escape was blocked by the
names.
William E. Miller, owner Of the apart
ment building, who occupied the tlont
apartment on the second moor with bis
wl1e and three small children, narrowly
escaped with his life and was lady
burned about the face and head w-uile
enecting the rescue Of his family and
another man and his wife.
Flames Scorched His Face.
Looking out into the passageway, he
saw it was filled with thick smoke, but
nevertheless he seized his wife anu call
ed out to her to hang on to his shoulders.
He hastened to the beds where his three
small children, Vivian, seven years old !;
Dorothy, four years old, and Jonn
eleven months old, were sleeping and
grabbed the younger ones under his right
arm. holding the other by the hand.
He made for the passageway and
fought his way out and down a flight OF
steps and staggered into the icy cold
outside. The flames licked his cheek and
ears, singeing them badly. and also
singed his hair, but the other members
of his family escaped without injury.
Miller heard the calls Of A. T. Sher-
wood. who occupied the rear apartment
ON the second floor. The passageway
by this time was SO thick with smoke
and flames that escape through it was
Impossible.
Hand your wife out OF the window
to me- Miller shouted.
Standing on the window beneath Sher-
woods. he braced himself. and caught
Mrs. Sherwood in his arms. as her hus-
window above Then Mr.. Sherwood low
cred himself from the window, hanging to
the sill. while Miller caught his legs ana
placed him safely on the ground.
While this daring feat was being enact
ed James Lockhead and his family, con-
sisting Of his wife and their e.ght-month-
old baby, Nettie. were trapped in their
apartment on the second floor. To at
tempt to go down the stairs would mean
to face death, SO they turned to the win
dow.
Reached Roof Of Shed.
Holding his young wife in one arm
and his baby girl in the other. Lock-
mead climbed through the window IN
the bedroom. despite the smoke that
almost stified them, and after great DIFF
fictlty clambered to the roof of shed
under the window. It was q distance
of six or seven feet from the shed to
the ground, but he first lowered his
wife down. handed the baby to her and
followed himself, taking refuge In a
neighbor's house. They also were bare
footed, and clad only in their night
clothes.
Mr.. and Mrs. Winslow, who lived
down stairs on the first floor In the rear,
were first awakened from their sleep.
and 1t was Mr.. Winslow who rushed out
to the corner in his pajamas and bare
457. He hurried his wife out OF the
front door without any difficulty and
then spread the general alarm through
the house.
year old daughter, who were sleeping in
a front apartment on the first door, had
a narrow escape.
When Mrs. Murnane was awakened
her apartment was filled with smoke and
flames, which blocked the exit. After
vainly trying to escape by the door, Mrs.
Murnane who is old and feeble, managed
to crawl out Of her front window to the
street, and helped her daughter to get
out also. They did not have time to put
on even a wrapper ana ran SnlverlnG into
a neighbors house.
Room Mass Of Flames.
A. r. Roberts a young man living
alone in a front room on the second floor
front awoke to find his room q mass Of
flames. He Just had time to climb out
OF his window onto the roof. and then
succeeded in lowering himself to the
ground.
That all escaped without serious mis-
hap is considered remarkable. for the
building is not fireproof and the interior
was badly damaged.
Just how the fire originated is not
known 1t is believed that a trash box
outside the door of Mrs. Murnane's apart
ment caught fire, spreading to the rest
of the building. The police give the
cause as spontaneous combustion.
Before the engines arrived the flames
had spread all through the lower and
upper apartments and the inmates were
driven out into the near-zero weather In
their bed clothes. They took refuge in
The home of Mr.. and Mrs. William G..
Keafauver, 703 d street.
The tirenen had difficulty in fighting
the flames on account of the wind and
cold, but their quick work prevented the
fire from spreading to the store OF the
Sanitary Grocery Company, occupying
the northeast section OF the building.
However. the flames did spread to w. c.
Motifs restaurant. next to the grocery
store, and did about $50 damage. Mr..
Miller places his loss at $5,OOO which is
partially covered with insurance.
About 7:45 o'clock Mr.. Keafauver. from
his home across the street. noticed
sparks issuing from the apartments after