The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1919-02-03
BEAUTIFUL HOME AT ROSE
HILL BURNED LAST NIGHT
Second Story AMI Roof of The Home
OF Captain Howard Hirst Burned
Out Last Night.

Second Story AMI Roof OF The Home
OF Captain Howard Hirst Burned
Out Last Night.
A fire which was discovered short
ly after seven o'clock last night,
burned the beautiful home of Capt.
and Mrs. J. Howard Hirst, On Rose
Hill' farm. The fire is believed to
have started from a wood stove in
the room of Captain Hirst's mother,
Mrs. Mary Hirst land undoubtedly
had been burning some little time
before being discovered, as Mrs Hirst
had been downstairs about an hour
when the noise Of the fire was first
heard by her daughter-in-law, Mrs.
]. Howard Hirst, and herself.
An investigation showed that the
fire had probably burned between
the walls for some little time, and
finally broke out in a closet. The
extent of the damage will not be
known until the contractors make an
investigation, but the whole roof and
much of the upper portion of the
building is, undoubtedly, destroyed
beyond further usefulness.
The Hirsts had been down to sup
per, and were sitting in the library
of the home talking, when a noise,
which the two ladies mistook for a
dog, was heard. Captain Hirst, at
the time, was talking to his brother,
Fred, and did not hear the noise.
After hearing it for a short time, his
wife decided to make an investiga-
ton, and opened the door to the
room, thinking that the front door
of the home had blown open, and
that dog had gotten in and was
lost.
But when she opened the door she
was surprised to find the flames
bursting out into the interior of the
house upstairs. She called to Cap
tain Hirst to stop talking, and he
Immediately got in touch VIII Cen
trail, and asked her to notify the fire
Department, and also at the same
time to ring the home fChief of
Police Brannock. The alarm was
quickly given and the members of
Rescue Fire Company sped quickly
on their way to the scene of the
blaze, but it was found as soon as
they got there that there was not
enough hose, and the motor hose
wagon was dispatched to bring more
hose and the engine.
Last night there was an abundant
supply of water, the register at the
Engine House showing that there
was one hundred feet of water in
the standpipe when the fire broke
| out, and ninety feet when it was put
out. But last nights fire, like a
great many others, demonstrated
conclusively that tractor for the
engine is needed; it requires time to
go to fire and then back to the en-
CINE house for the engine. The fire
last night, too, demonstrated beyond
| the shadow of 4 doubt that an auto
mobile hook and ladder wagon is
badly needed; the firemen were bad
handicapped in their work, on ac-
count of their inability to get at the
fire, which was in the roof, With a
good hook and ladder outfit the men
could have gone up to the roof and
| turned the stream right on the fire.
instead of trying to keep the outside
wet while the inside burned.
! Captain and Mrs. Hirst were for
tunate in saving portion of their
furniture upon the lower floor, and
some of it on the second floor, but
were unfortunate in that they lost
practically all of their personal eff
fects. The Captain saved no cloth
ing except that which he wore while
his wife wa snot much more fortu-
nate. His mother succeeded in say
ing many of her personal effects, in
Guiding old jewelry, and other arti-
cles to which she was much attached
: The house had just been newly
! painted and papered from top to Dot
tom, the paper hangers having only
gotten out last week; in fact, Cap
| tain and Mrs. Hirst did not move
into the house until after the first of
January, having been living at Mr.
Hirst's LAGRANGE" farm prior to
that time, the Rose Hill dwelling
having been occupied By former
Sheriff G.. w. Bradshaw
The house was built in 1851 by
the late Wilson Byrn, who resided
there for many years. 1t was pur-
chased by the Hirsts in 1888, and
has been occupied by them continu-
ously since that time. 1t was one OF
the show places of the vicinity, the
location having a delightful river
view, while the house was situated
in a beautiful grove of trees. The
loss is hard to estimate at this time
but will likely amount to several
thousand dollars.