Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-19
WOMEN IN PERIL
At F STREET FIRE
Three Taken to Hospital Suf-
fering From Burns and
Other Injuries.
OTHERS NARROWLY MISS
HAVING ESCAPE BARRED
Two Buildings Gutted, With Heavy
Loss to Structures and
Their Contents.

~,
occupants of apartments on the upper
floors of the building at 61s f street
northwest, We're painfully burned and
otherwise injured during a fire which
almost completely wrecked the building
this morning. A number of other occu-
pants of the building were compt ed to
make hasty exit.
The fire was discovered shortly after
5 O'Clock on the second floor of the
building, the lower floor of which was
occupied by the Pure Food liquor store.
Before the flames Were extinguished the
structure had been gutted from the first
floor to the roof, and the building at
GIG F street had been badly damaged,
while several occupants of the apart
ments and rooms on the upper floors of
the two structures We're compelled to
Chamber slightly clad, down the fire es-
capes.
Mrs. Offutt and Mrs. Roat were taken
to Casualty Hospital, where it was found
they had sustained severe burns Other
occupants Of the building Eere less Sc
riously burned while cropping their way
through the dense smoke and flames to
fire escapes or other exits from the burn
ing buildings.
Fire Escape Saved Them.
Mr.. and Mrs. Carl NJ Newton, who
occupied the rear part of the top floor
OF No 61S, went down the fire escape
Louis Farow, colored, employed in Pal
mer's stable, in the alley in rear of the
burning structures, heard cries of help
and went to the assistance of Mrs. New
ton. He carried her part way down the
iron stairs, wrapped her in blankets and
fol 10 ha
She was slightly burned.
In house No. GIG about twenty roomers
were panic stricken. Y. 2. Stone, a Grip
pie, and his wife conducted a rooming
house and had nearly score of roomers.
Young men on the top floor and Mr.. and
Mrs. Stone, who occupied a room on the
third floor, were awakened by the fire.
Mrs. Stone said she got up to close her
window and saw the blaze leaping from
the windows of the next house. She
shouted fire several times, and soon her
guests were on their way to the street,
without waiting to gather much clothing.
l.. w. Randolph & Co., patent attor-
neys, occupied the greater portion Of 61S.
Most of their equipment was burned or
damaged by water and about seventy
employees were thrown out Of employ
ment, although it was announced the
work of the firm will be quickly re-
sumed. On the lower floors of both
buildings the big stock of liquors of the
Pure Food Liquor Company, Max koh-
ner, manager, suffered damage.
Four Alarms Sounded.
Four alarms of fire summoned more
than a score of fire companies to the
scene. Deputy Chief Sullivan responded
to the first alarm, and the second alarm
brought Chief Wagner. When the fire
men got in sight of the two buildings the
amount of fire and smoke that greeted
them made 1t appear that the entire block
was doomed, and there was no delay in
calling out additional companies
Screams of women in the two structures
were plainly heard by tiremen and others
who were laboring to rescue the occu-
pants of the houses and save the build
ings from destruction. and rumors of
missing persons only served to make the
situation appear most desperate.
Mrs. Offutt, almost in the midst of
blaze and smoke, stood at one of the
front windows on the fifth floor and
screamed for aid. 1t was feared she
would leap to almost certain death, but
she needed the shouts of those who told
her to wait, and finally, accompanied by
Mrs. Roat. made her way through the
! smoke and reached the pavement.
On the stairs the women were met by a
policeman who had started to go to their
rescue, and he was about to pick up one
of them and carry her to the pavement
when she cried: Don't take hold of ME;
am too badly burned
The policeman saw the women safely
to the pavement and had them hurried to
Casualty Hospital in the sixth precinct
patrol wagon Mrs. Newton was also
taken to the hospital. Mrs. Offutt was
able to leave the hospital after her burns
had been dressed but Mrs. Newton and
Mrs. Roat remained. Mrs. Newton was
only slightly burned, but Mrs. Roats
condition, physicians this afternoon stat
ed, is critical
Found Escape Difficult.
Roomers in the apartments of the
Stones had much trouble in getting from
| the building. John S. Giles, Frank Ben
nett, Julian Gatslick and Mr.. McCuen
were on the top floor. and so close We're
they to the fire that they had no time to
stop and get their effects together.
Giles first thought was of his mother
and Miss E. c. Hart an aunt, who occu-
| pied a room on a lower floor. Mrs. Giles
had not been awakened by Mrs. stones
outcries she stated, and the first she
knew of the danger was when her son
| rushed into her room and shouted:
Mother. fire
| NV son literally dragged me from
bed Mrs Giles stated, and my sister
| seemed so bewildered that she did not
want to get out of bed.
Young Giles picked his aunt up in his
arms and carried her from the building
| The ladies were taken to--lhe house of
neghbors, where garments were loaned
| them and they were made comfortable.
| All their effects were soaked with water
| but were not burned.
| Miss Carrie Earl and Miss Kate Sulli-
| van were among the roomers on the third
| floor Mr. and Mrs. Stone went to the
| hallway of neighborng office building
| and remained there until late in the
| morning to hear reports of the damage
| their effects sustained.
| ..It's an awful thing said the elderly
man but we are fortunate in that we
| had our goods insured
| Scores of persons employed in the two
| nuildings, most of them young women,
| knew nothing Of the fire until they
reached the vicinity of their places of
employment. and many employed in
| neiehboring buildings were not satisfied
| that they were safe until firemen told
them there was no danger
Loss Estimated at 100000.
! Fire Marshal Nicholson has not COM
pleted his survey of the burned buildings
! and has not yet been able TO make an cs
4 innate of the total amount of damage
| caused by the fire. Estimates of persons
concerned place the total loss at about