Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-02-09
Some Government, Records
and Blueprints Consumed
in Washington Blaze.
GENERAL ALARM
Occupants Leave Building in
Orderly Manner as Roof
of New Addition Burns.
lBy United Ncws.1

broke on; suddenly on the roof OF
the United States Treasury Depart
ment Building here late WEDNESDAYS,
destroyed new construction work.
some government records and nura-
Der Of blueprint soldier hospital
drawings entailinE loss OF approx
! ;n,hteiy $4,000
: a general niarm bringing all tao
Il larger district fire companies to the
scene was followed By a rush frpri
the building OF all clerks and othcr
employees. There was 10 panic, hoy
ever. girls as well Is men leavir:
tho build nr in perf.c: order. and
hundreds e chem remaining near n;
hand To watch the blaze.
pnTcs Form Gordon.
- heavy rurdon Of police and other
government operatives were promptly
thrown around the huild;nE-a meas
AYE o. projection for IN. billions in
! gold bullion. currency. war savings
Fs<;amps treasury certificates and other
ssNaiuanle holdings in the department
fSvaul;s.
t.. crowds which gathered Inn
;, inei.atcly, u.tn thousands bloch,a
e.,ho s.Iswliks aud all traffic Ms q:
< n stands;ili We're kept we'll back
.'-froiu the structure. For blocks IN
n.,aoh auection from ,he department,
i. street cars. "u'cmool,s and re'"'-
= trans were TRcNod IN 'mo;ioniass
Z 3Sn a. ire d.hivrs sought TO msNe
es'-u.y acsinsi TIE h!ase.
= Hug. painting hre engines smoked
and pumped ua III ; dts o: the ou'iC-
= lug after the hose lines had bean
-out up 80 the roof. One" these 50
s-euto action ;hc nremen made short
-yoik 90. ihe !ia=c. A.ierwaTG a
'~'ch cl.-rp revealed o'a:nace 20 The icoi
= -of Tho new addition beng hu!l' cn
Tlhe Treasury Department; All val
- uanle records appeared 10 have H"en
I. saved from ssriuus damage from
--cl;aer IRE or water. Blueprints and
= t-acires Ct complete plans FOR The
.'--rew building OF the Tushsree !nsii-
s,,u,e n Alabama snd Of tho three
81 a!iea States Public Health service
:. Hospitals n Waua waila, Mash. Falo
= .llto. cal. and The Bronx. y y,
- (Which :or time We're threatened,
< were saved.
= Plans In Drafting Rooms.
Z. These plans were stored IN draft
X INK rooms. immediately under the
z blueprint which was Quilted by the
= fire. Many bluerr!nts were destroy
ED. together with six blueprint ma
: chimes. the total value Of which was
: approximately $4,000 Employees
> however. were able TO remove the
:. most valuable plans from this room,
: before the blaze reached II. The
!, drafting room was not reached by the
!. fire, although drawings and archi-
: tects' parapiternaiia were injured by
= the water which penetrated from the
=. room above.
:. The fire is believed TO have started
:. with the boiling over OF vat OF
: pitch used in the roof construction OF
y-thc new Treasury extension, now In
: course of building The fire spread
&-rapidly over the tar-papercd roof IL
f. >nla!y penetrating the blueprint room
-Chem!cals used in thS room exploded
with 40 serious damage save TO give
s-.furihcr scope 10 the flames
W"rkmrn Fight Flames.
Approximately thirty workmcn la
.lorcd with the flames until the fire
'<fghtcrs arrived. The work Of tho lat
Ter was checked for some minutes 10y
2.;he height q; the building, which pre-
:, vented the rapid carry Ing "f hosclincs
s--,o the roof OF the department.. FL
Dally long extension ladders We're put
ZAP on all sides and streams %: water
rggan TO effectively play on the hla2.
T. For a time II Was. feared that the
: cascades OF water lowing down the
5sIuner side OF th- Treasury court way
w ou!d penetrate tho Treasury library
with is thousands az volumes sit
mated Immediately beneath tho roof.
%,whcre the FIRE started Slight dam
.TaEc was Effected there. however.
S.-Nany employees in IN. drafting-roo
-~nnx!pTs to say" ;ncir months of work
S.Joiued win Hrrmcn in carrying hose
,~across III" roof and were drcnched
= 10 the skin by water playing from the
opposite sides.
= Within thirty minutes OF the Ares