Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-09-12

The heart of the wholesale and
manufacturing district of the city
was threatened wich being wiped out
Saturday night : result Of three
separate fires, eaci. about mile
apart, which entailcd damage 1stimat-
ed at $227,75v. ,'agtial!y covered by
insurance.
The first and most serious fire was
at the general storage warehouse OF
the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation
where damage estimated at S20O,O0c
was done.
The less to building and contents
is covered by Insurance it is stated
by Treasurer Christie.
The second blaze an hour after
ward was at the frame warehouse of
the Mutual Ice Co., used jointly by
the government and the ice company
the loss to building ard contents to-
gether with the loss to the firm OF
" A. Smoot will reach S27 ,25O COW
ered by insurance.
The third fire was an ark belong
ing to James Deane on the river front
north of the plant of the Old Domin-
ion Glass Company"s factory which
took fire about the same time the fire
occurred at Mutual Ice Company ware
hou. The fire department did not
respond u this fire. Damage will b.
less than $1,000. All three fires are
supposed to have been of incendiarl
origin.
Exactly at TAO o'clock Sergt. vii.
kinson at police headquarters receiv
ed message that there was fire al
TIE plant of the Virginia ShipbuildinG
Company, word being received from
John Sisson, 723 South Lee street
who saw the blaze from his house. A
few minutes afterward the watchmar
at the shipyard telephoned there was
fire at the plant. In the meantime
the alarm had been sent to the three
engine houses and every piece OF
motor apparatus in the city was max
ing it's way to the shipyard. When
the firemen arrived the big storage
warehouse was mass of flames. II
was doomed. Fortunately there was
no wind of any consequence blowing
and the iremen confined their ef-
forts to preventing spread of the
fire to the adjoining buildings which
were menaced by the flames. In this
they were successful. The fire was al
exceedingly hot one and the tiremen
at. times imperiled their lives as the
walls fell one by one, the east wall
being the last to give in to the flames.
Fire Chief f. J. McDermott upo;;
arriving on the scene directed the
work of the tiremen and soon haG
three streams playing on the burning
building water being obtained from
the river. Coupled with this the fire
equipment at the company's plant was
put into operation and six streams OF
water soon were also playing on the
structure from their hose They OBJ
tanned their water supply from an ar.
tesian we'll As soon as the fire
started the electric powerhouse at the
company's plant was put into opera
ton and the big yards were illuminat-
ed which greatly aided the firemer
in their work Power also was obtain
Gu W pump liIS SGttL IIOii kilC Wei
by electricity.
L. d. Christie, treasurer of the COM
pany, was at his home in Rosemon;
when he received telephone message
that there was fire at the shpyard
Fearing that the entire plant might
be destroyed he at once phoned Wash
ington and requested that the boat
Fircfighter from Washington be sent
down. At S.25 o'clock the Firefghtel
arrived on thc scene and anchored al
the company's wharf and three min
utes afterward was shooting water to
ward the fire from its highpowered
water cannon. The distance, however,
was entirely too far and the water
failed to reach it's objective point.
For fifteen minutes, however, the
adjoining buildings east of the burned
structure were sprayed and it was a;
this time. that telephone message
was received that the plant of the Ice
Ccmpav's warehouse was on
fire. The Firefghter Immediately
proceeded up the river to this plant
at the request of Fire Chief Nc
Dermott.
In the meantime the shipyard fire
was under control. A part of the ap-
paratus at once proceeded to the ice