Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-10-19

LOSS IS ABOUT 100000
,Firemen Battle All Night With Flame
The "Firefighter" From Wash
ington Aids Department.

The third destructive fire on he
same square in recent years broke
out shortly before twelve o'clock Sat
urday night and the large brick ware
house of Charles King and Sons, on
the southeast corner of Queen and
Lee streets was destroyed. The fire
department made hasty response
and worked heroically, but the dense
smoke which poured from the build
ing rendered it impossible to enter,
and Notwithstanding their every ex
ertion to extinguish the flames. the
structure with most of the contents
was burned. Fortunately the fire was
confined to the building in which ii
originated, and the main Office struc-
ture with the books and other valua-
bles were saved. The warehouse will
be rebuilt as soon as possible, and
business of the frmi will proceed
without interruption, arrangements
having been made to rent other ware
houses for the present.
When Chief Gronau reached the
blaze it had already made considera-
BILE headway, as it had evidently been
burning on the interior for some time
before being discovered. The Queen
street warehouse in which the fire
started was brick and metal bull
ding, two stories in height and rs by
100 feet in size. IT was stocked with
groceries salt, fish, sugar, flour, bas-
kets and two car loads of matches.
The entire contents were destroyed.
On the east of this building is three
story ware house, also of brick with
metal roof and inside fire walls, and
this also was completely destroyed
This building was occupied on the
first floor by the shipping depart
ment and the second and third floors
were stocked with canned goods. to-
bacco. chambers, supplies, stationary
and dry goods. A fire wall which par
titioned this warehouse : from the
main warehouse and Office saved the
remainder of the property from de-
struction and also kept. the fire from
spreading to the lumber yards of W.
A. Smoot and Co. on the east and
south. In the main building was a
large stock of Christmas goods and
and novelties which were not damaged
Although every available piece OF
apparatus in the local department
was rushed to- the scene and the Alex
andria fremen, largely composed OF
volunteers, worked like veterans IN
their. effort 20 obstruct the progress
of the flames, Fire Chief Robert +.
Gronau, of Alexandria department,
soon realized that additional aid
would be necessary to prevent the
destruction of the big manufacture
ing plants and lumber yards that
surrounded the King warehouses. he
telephoned to the Washington de-
partment at 10 o'clock and about
20 minutes later 'The Firehghter'
arrived at the pier of the Alexandra
FERTILIZER and Chemical Company.
The vessel soon had five additional
streams turned on the burning build
inrs but with the additional help
little progress was made in prevent
inc the further progress OF the fire.
An attempt was made to secure seve-
raj engines from Washington to be
broupht over the road, but before
the arrangements were complete the
fire was placed under control.
The first alarm turned in at 1850
o'clock when the watchman w. A
Shinn notified the police station
house that smoke was coming from
underneath the door of the King
warehouse. An alarm was turned in
followed Immediately by a second
and a third. The entire department
was turned out and the reserve en-,
I; pine pressed into service. The Reli
ance steam engine had just reached
Alexandria yesterday morning from
Hartford, Conn. where it had beer
sent to be repaired and was ais
hastily assembled and used in pump
inc water from Queen street dock.
The building and contents wer