The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-03
With Thermometer But Little
Above Zero Firemen Wage
Battle on Main Street
PROPERTY ADJOINING
FIRST NATIONAL BURNS
Building Occupied by Newport
Bowling Al ey. and Chesa-
peake and Ohio Records De-
stroyed his Morning

WIN sim NsHu DfoNBaE inc
flame -kSvard. and weather that
frofc their clothing a. thsy work
csl. hrcmcn ea:iy this morning
hattlcd AGAINST fhc>e haudicap>
in ~uhiuing the fire that destroy
I'd the building next to the First
Natis nal Bank Old Main street.
and threatened Tor a time TIN. de-
struction OF tn" old Pace block.
I he tircIncn worked rapidly and
against odds in the facc If which
i, H. considered remarkable that
the tire did Ito; result in greater
io~- Of property. NJ one time
II appeared IA though the flames
would make their Way acro>S>
Main street. ~trting 6rr To many
business places
The building destroyed had two
stores on the ground floor, one Of
which was occupied as the Newport
Bowling Alley. The space in the sec
ond and third stories being used as
storage for records by the Chcsapeak e
AMI Ohio Railway Company In ad-
diton TO the destruction OF the build
ing the flames made their way up
along the side " the First National
Bank building. setting fire To awnings
and hetQg in constant danger Of
Htoa King through the windows and
setting the office fixtures ablaze.
Though the fire seemed under con-
~ at 3 80. surprise came To tho FIRE
men Ia the discovery Of Hsmcs in
offices al the renr end of the ~aN-
i'euth foor of the EtrsJ National
Bank building. There came from the
sixteenth floor windows "a heavy vol
umc of smoke, aud II was with con-
siderable difficulty thai the flames
there were reached. When the build
ine's hose ana the chemical streams
nj the Fire Department were turned
into tire blaze it was shortly extin
guished
fircmcn Respond.
Within Il few minutes after the first
alarm was sounded "A second was
turned in that brought extra equip
ment 10 the scene OF the blaze. Six
lines OF hose were trained through
t1r front windows of the btiiitIins,
and as many more were handled from
the rear alley As the water sprayed
rom the hose long icicles formed on
RI" iiremen took on a sheet Of ice
and IN n few minutes the ground
was covered with ice. All this pre-
scented extra difficulty for the men.
hut they worked valiautIy and III a
short time had the flames uncer con-
troll
Has Hands Frozen.
captain Harris. OF Truck Company
NO |. had his hands frozen while on
an extension ladder on the Main
street side of the building shortly
after the trucks ladder was run up to
take line of hose to the level OF the
third-story windows of the burning
structure.
he was engaged in setting the
stream from the ladder His gloves
gathered spray from the steaming
stream, and as II settled into their
nhre II froze stiff, causing the gloves
TO stick to the nozzle and the LADDER
side.
Removing his hands with difficulty
from the frozen gloves, he descended
the ladder and went into the Capitol
city Lunchroom. opposite the fire.
Here immersions in water almost ice
colo restored circulation. Brisk rub
biug brought life into the hands and
before the ambulance. which was call
N'' $3.50 it-f sui HNoli, arrived, captain
Harris slipped o. dry gloves and re-
turned to his company and to active
work in relieving other firemen whose
hands were. numbing and whose faces
were covered with frozen spray.
The intense cold was made more
bitter by the westerly wind that swept
into the block from lower Eighth
street This carried sparks and spray
in spectacular shower to the side
walks on Main Street and on Ninth.
water and ashes freezing together.
Water Freezes on Pavement,
The pavement around the fremen
bore thin coating of ice that made
standing and moving about extremely
difficult The situation was splendid
ly handled despite the weather's han
dicap.
The alarm, three sizes. brought to
the scene every engine company in
the city except three. and a later
call brought an additional engine.
Chiefs Joynes. RATIO and Wise v ,re
on the job directing the work from
the several ankles. That the fire did
rot eat its way into the four-story
structure adjoining on the east may
be regarded as due to the remarkably
effective work OF the department
The fire was one Of the hottest in
many months. The fiflimsy papers on
which arc, the .racorda . " hich the
Chs9apsAke md oAis RAILWAY c.