Evening star., 1921-09-11
Virginia ShipbuiIding Corpo-
ration Swept by Flames.
Ice Company Damaged.
BELIEVED INcENDIARY;
THREE SEPARATE BLAZES
Houseboat Burns-Sky Illuminated
for Hours-Washington's Fire
fighter Gives Valuable Aid.

Three fires, believed by officials Of
the fire department to have been the
work Of incendiaries. threatened the
entire water front of Alexandria for
more than two hours last night and
caused damage estimated at approx
imately $250.0O0.
The most serious blaze started at
1:40 o'clock in the large storage ware
house of the Virginia Shipbuilding
Corporation. Damage at this plant
was estimated at approximately 5000.
600. The second blaze was at the
frame warehouse of the Mutual Ice
Company. in which was stored several
thousand dollars worth of cotton, the
property of the United States gov
ernment. This fire started exactly one
nour after the first. Damage here
was estimated at about $4,000.
During the progress of the ice
company warehouse fire, a third less
serious blaze started on a houseboai
anchored of the river front above the
plant of the Old Dominicn Glass
Company Damage probably will he
fixed at hess than $1,000. .
Fire Department Taxed.
Every piece of apparatus Of the
Alexandria fire department was
rushed to the ahipyard and put the
blaze under control after an hour of
desperate fire fighting. The ware
house. which was reduced to :.
smoldering mass of twisted steel.
brick and debris, housed valuable
equipment for use on the 9,400-ton
steel freighter, George NJ. Morse,
which was anchored less than a hun
6red yards from the burning build
ing. The flames did not reach the
ship.
Vt-tually every item of general out
fitting for steel freighter. together
with numerous tools, was housed in
the shipyard warehouse, and practi-
calfy the entire contents of the build
ing was demolished. The building was
a one-story brick and steel structure
125 feet in length by 100 feet in width
and rs feet in height. 1t was
danked on one side by a fabricat-
ing plant now used by q coaLsubsti-
tute factory. which was not damaged.
On another side was the tool shop.
copper shop and paint shop of the
shipyard, none of which suffered ma
terial damage.
Thousands Attracted.
The fire blazed up suddenly. Within
for of< r. a
sounded, the sky was red from the
flames and thousands of Alexandrians
were ,hurrying through the streets
to the scene. approximately five
thousand persons witnessed the blaze
Three streams from the Alexandpia
fire department were thrown on the
fire after it had gained considerable
headway and SIX streams from the
shipbuilding company's water system
were shortly afterward sprayed on
the blaze, pumped from artesian
wells.
The electric plant of the shipyard
WAS put into operation as soon as
possible and arc lights illuminating
through the grounds aided the fire.
men considerably. The Firefighter
from the Washington fire depart
ment's dock, arrived at about S:25
The stream from its water-cannon,
however. failed to reach the burning
building. but did effectual work i'm
preventing the spread of the fire to
adjoining structures. -.
Shortly after the shipyard blaze
was placed under control, word came
that the Mutual Ice Company,s ware
house. approximately a mile north on
the river front, was in flames. Fire
Chief E. J. McDermott Of Alexar-
dria. requested fire officers of the
Washington tug to proceed there. The
Firefghter arrived at 9:15, at which
time the warehouse had been reduced
to a red-hot ash heap, but in this case
also the tug aided in preventing the
spread of flames.
s.5rounAi.g STRUCTURES Saved.
The second fire had started as sud
denly as did the first. Before appara-
tus had arrived, tongues of flames
were licking their way through the
roof and efforts of the firemen were
centered upon saving surrounding
structures. The lumber warehouse.
offices and yard Of W. A. Smoot &
Co. were situated within fifty
yards Of the blaze. directly adjoining
the burning warehouse. Fortunately
perverse wind currents did not ham,
per the firemen or allow the blaze to
spread. On the south OF the ware
house was the large brick plant of
the ice company. Across the street
from the ice plant is located the
$3.000.000 Alexandria Naval Torpedo
Station. Directly across the street
from the fire was the wholesale gro
Gerry frm of Charles King & Son.
Inc. the stables of which establish
nent were threatened.
The warehouse was approximately 100
feet in length by 50 feet in width and
was so feet high. The forward part was
used as a government warehouse for the
storage Of large quantity Of cotton
and other highly infiammable material
In the rear portion of the structure n
quantity Of straw was stored, belonging
to the Mutual Ice Company. Virtually
al. of the contents Of the building wers.
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