The Washington times., 1921-01-10
REEDASSURED
FIRE SECURITY.
Better Protection Will Follow
| Congressional Probe Of Re-
cent Hospital Blaze.

Adequate fire protection for the
400 disabled patients at Walter
Reed Hospital is assured as the re-
suit Of a three-day hearing before
the House Rules Committee of Con-
gresham McLeod's resolution TO in
vestigate the fire that caused the
death Of an insane soldier at the hos
pital December ~.
WILL MAKE IT SAFER.
Col. ]. ID. Glennon. in command OF
the hospital, who appeared at the
hearing this morning, assured the
Rule Committee that the hospital ex-
ecutives were anxious to cooperate
In every way possible with the city
fire department to make Walter Reed
Hospital safer for the patients.
He admitted that the hospital fire
apparatus was inadequate TO cope
with a big fire and said the author
tiles at the hospital lived in dread
every night of just such a catastrophe.
AS result OF the hearing Chair
man Campbell declared there wac no
further necessity for pushing the in
vestigation since all parties concern.
ed were anxious TO remedy conditions.
PROTECTION PROMISED.
1t was authorized by the committee
| to inform the District commissioners
that the hospital executives were
ready to cooperate with them at once
and to take up the matter i'm
mediately.
Col. Glennon said that steps already
| had been taken by the District com
missioners TO pave the way for more
adequate fire protection. The com
missioners have recommended addi-
| tional fireplugs and fire apparatus at
| the hospital, Col Glennan said, and
these will be installed as soon as pos
sible.
He declared further that he was
waiting for report today from
the quartermasters' department with
regard to recommendations that
would make the temporary buildings
Of the hospital a great deal safer.
By plastering the walls and making
other improvements he said the
buildings could be made to burn
more slowly in case of fire and would
AFFORD better protection.
| Colonel Glennon went into details OF
| the fire. denying that there had been
| any such delay in calling out the city
| fire department as had been charged
| before the committee. He said there
| had been some slight delay telephon-
Ing. but that the alarm had been sent
had been discovered.
Colonel Glennon was assured by
the committee that Congress was
ready to do everything possible for
the protection of the patients and
that they felt sure that cooperation
| between the city fire department and
the hospital authorities would ac-
complish all that an investigation
| was designed to do.
| COnRresSman POu 0f North Caro-
lima declared there evidently was a
movement on foot throughout the
country to improve conditions at the
| hospital as he had received appeals
from many American Legion officers
on the Mcleod resolution.
ADMITS CONGESTION.
Colonel Glennon denied that the
men were locked in their rooms on
the day Of the fire and said the at
tendants were on guard.
"There was no reason why any man
could not get out" he said.
| Charges that one of the wards had
been fired so patients had to break
their way out were explained by the
commandant. He said frail wires had
been installed to keep dangerous pa
tients from escaping. but that these
wires were easily torn down on the
day of the fire.
The committee went into the ques-
ton of more adequate housing facili-
ties for the patients . Colonel Glen
non said between eighty and ninety
bedridden patients were housed in
the main building, which sa perma-
nent structure. At least one hundred
patients could be accommodated in
the main hospital building. he said, al
though this would necessitate the
building of another structure for the
personnel. He believed however, that
patients would be safer in a tempo
rary building in case of fire, as they
could be brought out more easily than
from the two or three story brick
buildings.