The Washington times., 1913-12-24

ont the front door when there was a
crash and the floors came down. Inc
smoke and fire was so dense that for a
Few minutes no one could get into the
building. Chief Wagner, who had re
sponded on the second alarm. immedi-
ately assumed charge of the rescue
work, and in about ten minutes firemen
had fought their way into the burning
building with axes and got into COM
munication with the men buried in the
debris. They learned that all were
said that Schwerdfeger was uncon-
scious and the extent of his injuries
were not known. IL was thought at
first that he had been killed.
Surgeons Brave Peril.
For nearly three hours the firemen
aattled 10 get at their buried comrades.
in the meantime. calls for ambulances
had been sent to the Emergency and
Casualty Hospitals, and half a dozen
surgeons had been summoned to be in
readiness to give aid when the men
were taken out Several autoE1oS.,e
patrols were also on the scene for
After a hard struggle, Lanahan, as
-ss.ant driver of No. engine, was pull
- out OF the wreck. He was uncon-
scious, but was soon resuscitated. DR..
Kelley and DR.. King, of the Casualty
Hospital, went right into the burning
building with the firenen to aid IN the
rescue work. while Dr. Zinkham, DR..
Ready, and others from the Emergency
front of the building in order to give
medical aid the moment the men were
dragged out
A few minutes after Lanahan was
pulled out, the rescuers got Private
Helmuth from under the mass of debris,
and in a short time the other three men
we're carried osafety.
Stock Burned Like Tindcr.
AS each man was dragged out he was
placed in an ambulance or automobile
patrol and rushed to Emergency Hos
pital.
Chief Wagner said that the building
vas an old one and the falling Of the
floors, he believed, was due to the
weight of the water which was poured
n on them from the upper windows and
rom the roofs of adjoining buildings
The walls of the building did not col
lapse, although there was danger Of
them bucklinS. which added tu the peru
Of the rescue work. -
The upper floors were filled with
stock. which burned like tinder, ana
made the fire a difficult one to tight
at the start. In fact, the flames spread
30 rapidly that by the time the first
nine line was laid smoke and flames
we're shooting out of every WINDOW,
both in The front and rear, above the
stree deyel
Other Concerns Experience Loss.
The fremen confined the flames to
one building. The damage to the build
Ing and stock of the and 10 cent store
el, ofa NJ
Joseph Strasburger. 3lO-12 Seventh
street, was damaged by smoke and
water. Mr.. Strasburger said he could
not estimate the exact amount Of his
loss. but that it would run between 5000
and $1,000.
The basement of the Lincoln National
Bank. on the corner of Seventh and D
streets. was flooded. and much station
cry and some books and papers were
rrined. Stock in Everybody's shoe store,
which occupies the three upper floors
OF the building, was damaged by water
10 the extent of 5000. The bursting of
6 hose did some damage 20 stock in
Eann's. but the loss is nominal, a men,
Der Of the firm said
Hurt By Falling Glass.
Marshall B. Long, a private of No.
a Engine company, was cut by falling
glass at tie Seventh street fire, but
not seriously injured.
Isabel Stanford, eleven years old, of
-T46 Sixth street northwest, was cut on
rhe lip by piece of falling glass while
passing IN front Of the l0-cent store.
She was taken in an ambulance to
Emergency Hospital, where the injury
vas dressed
The three alarms from the box at
Seventh AMI D streets called out fifteen
separate companies, practically all of
tho companies in the central part Of the
District. Other companies from the
outlying districts were transferred to
the more central stations.
The three-alarm fire at Gichners
called out fifteen more com mpanies, leav-
ing only six companies in service in
case of another fire. These six COM
Danies are all in the suburbs. They
were transferred to the more central
stations. thus leaving the suburbs
practically unprotected in case a fire
mad broken out
shortly before o'clock fire was dis
covered Ia the store of r. B. Stewart,
l122 Fourteenth street northwest. but
several companies had already left The
IO-cent store fire and were able to re-
spopd. The blaze, which was OF I'M
known origin, old S160 damage.
Spontaneous combustion was respon-
sibie for a fire late yesterday in the
coal bunkars of the National Training
school Ssr Girls, Conduit road. The
coal buniyeTs are located several hun
dred feet from the schol buildings and
there vas 10 excitement among the in