Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-02-05
SERIOUS FIRE WIPES
OUT PARLETT PLANT
Flames Of Unknown Origin Destroys
Old Ice House Which Has Not
Been In Use
FlREMEN DID GOOD WORK
Notwithstanding Big Start Blaze Had
Gained CODflagratiOn is Kept With
in Building Where it Started
Last Night


Last Night s.
Threatening for a time to assume
proportions of some of the most Sc
riuos confiagrations the town has ever
/ suffered, fire of still unexplained ORR
gin completely destroyed the ware
house of the Parlett and Parlett Com
pany, Inc, at the intersection of
Craig and Dock streets last night.
Discovered shortly after eight
o'clock. the flames had made danger
Gus headway inside the building, and
by the time the fire department ar
ing the structure. However, with
their usual ability the fire laddi IS
held the blaze within the original
structure and prevented its spread to
the logn row of frame dwellings i'm
mediately across the street These
buildings were seriously scorched,
however, and it required hard and
intelligently directed work on the
part of the three deputy marshals
and their men to prevent serious
spread.
As it was the damage amounted to
something over $35, 900, which is part
ly covered by insurance The sud
denness of the outbreak of flames a. d
the rapidity with which they spread
through tn whole building added to
the suspicion that the fire may have
been of incendiary origin. Just
about fifteen minutes before the fire
Mr. j. W. Martin, and a number of
business associates held business
conference in the C. w. Martin Lum-
Der Company Office. Immediately adj
dining the building whejre the fire
started. When they left they passed
imediately by the structure and OBJ
served nothing unusual. At about the
same time Patrolman William Curry
of the police force had been standing
at the head of the City Dock imme-
diately facing the building and only
about half asquare away. He OBJ
served nothing Then within quar-
ter of an hour the whole of the rear
of the structure burst into flames. The
blaze apparently driven by a strong
draft started through the upper story
and by the time the firement reached
the scene the structure was burning
from one end to the other. The diff
ficulties of the firemen were in
creased by the high winds, and by the
intense cold, which had frozen the fire
plugs in the Eeighborhood. After re-
spending with the old Silsby steamer
engine, the members of the Indepen-
dent Engine Company sent their hose
truck back to the engine house and
towed out the automobile engine.
This piece aparautls was working
all right for pumping purposes, but be
causes of repairs that have been in pro
gr SIS for some time could not propel
itself. When it reached the scene of
the blaze it was placed beside the
City Dock and the firemen were COM
PEELED to chop through nearly two feet
of ice to get suction line into the
City Dock from which two streams
of water were soon pouring into the
veritable seething furnace of flames.
Still another circumstance in con-
nection- with the fire was the explo-
sion of several large tanks of ammonia
which were stored in the building
These explosions did no damage
though they were rather terrifying as
they in turn went off, with loud de-
donations. With the usual provost
guard out in town to look after the
sailors from the Naval Academy who
were in town on liberty, it was not
/ - r..eo-. A. l,l,,aianlyatc had INN n
ed to the fore and were assisting the
| firemen wherever it was possible.
Mayor James F. Strange was soon
on the scene, as were most of the po-
lice force of the town under the di-
| rection of Chief Obery and Sergeant
Holiday In addition Captain Louis
/ Nj. Mutton second in command at the
Naval Academy was on the scene
East and north of the burned build
| ing is thickly settled residential sec
/ ton, and the direction of the wind to
certain extent aided the fire fighters
! in holding the sparks away from this
section. Had the department not
kept the blaze where it started, how
| ever. there would undoubtedly have
| resulted a serious and disastrous con-
| flagration.
The fire is all the more suspicious
because not only had there been no
fire in the structure for some months,
but there was no electric wiring from
| which short circuits or other electri-
cal heat might have been generated.
The authorities are making an investi-
/ CATION of the blaze.
The firemen we're greatly aided in
] their work by the kind thought and
generosity of Mr.. j w. Trautwein. a
| City Dock merchant, who supplied oil
for the engine constantly, and gave
| the firemen gloves which they appre-
| ciated