The Washington times., 1922-05-03
President and Mrs. Harding Aroused By Early Morning
Fire Which Sweeps Roof of Treasury Damage SIS, 900

HS VVIu(
Explosion of Kerosene Tears
Huge Holes in Roof Of Struc-
ture-Tons of Water Cause
Havoc, But Important Docu-
ments Are Saved-Marines
on Cuard-Five Alarms
Sounded.
Lighting up the White
House and arousing from
their sleeping rooms Presi-
dent and Mrs. Harding, who
became interested spectators,
a fire, which broke out in the
new frame superstructure on
the roof of the United States
Treasury, blazed spectacular
ly for more than two hours
this morning before firemen
were able to extinguish it.
$4,000 Damage Done.
A thorough probe is under way
by Treasury officials to ascer-
tain the cause of the fire, which
did damage, mostly by water, es-
timated at between $4,000 and
$75,60O.
Superficial investigation has
caused the officials to believe that
the fire was started by a pot of
boiling pitch used in the roof
construction. Two months ago a
similar blaze broke out on the
roof.
Two-H0u Fight.
For more than two hours the fire.
men, responding to five alarms, and
in command of Fire Chief George $.
Watson. desperately fought the
flames, which lit up the skies for
miles.
The firemen succeeded in confin.
ing the blaze to the roof superstruc.
ture, but in drowning the flames
threw into the building thousands OF
gallons OF water, which caused most
OF the damage to documents on
lower floors OF the building.
The fire was discovered about 1880
o'clock by Harry c. Johnson, OF
bethesda, Md. Johnson. who is a
watchman for the Treasury Depart
ment. and whose duty it is to patrol
outside the building. noticed flames
leaping from the roof, and he ran 10
Pennsylvania avenue and Fifteenth
1. "A 10,
Explosion Occurs.
\ few minutes after the firemen
reached the building, an explosion
OF a large tank OF kerosene oc-
Cured Had it not been for the
explosion OF the kerosene. II is he
lieved the flames would not have
spread to the extent that they did.
The fire broke out in what in
known as the linking material
room." used by the contractors in
the construction of the superstruc-
ture TO the roof The blaze was
confined to an area of approx.
mateIy thirty by one hundred feet,
In the mixing material room was
the pot of pitch, the tank OF kero-
sene and other materials which are
heing used in the construction work
on other parts of the roof.
Directly under this section OF the
roof is the office and workrOOms
of James A. Wetmore, Treasury
architect, where plans for all gov
/ crnment structures are duplicated.
/ However, none of the original draw
! ings of the architects department
were in this room and thus were
| not damaged.
Valuable Machinery Wrecaed.
! Another room on the roof adjOin.
| ing that where the fire broke out,
contained valuable machinery which
was wrecked. The explosion or the
/ tank of kerosene tore large holes in
| the roof which permitted the tons or
water thrown on the blaze to deluge
! lower floors
Soon after the fire was discovered,
| officials of the War Department dis
Matched marines to the building and
| secret service men were called to
guard the offices The first officials
/ TO arrive were Assistant Secretary of
| the Treasury. Col. Edward Clifford,
and w. G.. Platt. chief clerk, both
| of whom took charge OF the situa.
! ton
After the fire was under control
J a large corps Of labOrers, cha arwomen
| and other workmen were dispatched
to tho Treasury to pump water from
the basement and to mop up the
office floors and throw tapaulins
over valuable papers and documents.
Another of the departments dam
aged by water was that of the Trea
sury accountant. 1t was said that
no valuable original documents that
could not be replaced were greatly
damaged.
Flames Awake Hardings.
The President and~Mrs. Harding
were awakened by the light in their
! sleeping rooms. Guests of the