The Adair County news., 1922-05-16
HARDINCS WATCH
FIRE At TREASURY
Second Blaze in Federal Build
ing at Washington-Loss
Estimated at SIS, 900.
CAUSED BY BOILING PITCH
Damage Confined to Roof - United
States Marines Called Out to Guard
Structure-Chemicals Explode
and Cause Fire to Spread.

Washington, May 4.-For the Sec
ond time in three months firemen
early battled with a stubborn fire on
the roof Of the treasury department
which for a time assumed menacine
proportions as the flames, burning
through long superstructure, leaped
high in the air and cast a threaten
ing glow on the White House itself,
while sparks waited across to its sur
rounding terrace.
When discovered about 1 40 a. m.
the flames already had gained cOnsid-
cradle headway and were soaring to
a height of thirty or forty feet when
fire apparatus responding to five
alarms, arrived at the scene. Gaining
impetus about that time from a dull,
rumbling explosion, which f1remen be-
lieve was caused by building mate
rials stored for use in the present
work of raising the roof of the struc-
ture, the blaze cast a bright glow on
the night sky over the entire down.
town section before it began to sub
side under the effect of water from
a dozen hose lines. The White House
and Washington monument stood out
in sharp relief in the fantastic light
of the flames.
Hardings Watch Blaze.
Awakened by White House attend
ants, President and Mrs. Harding
dressed and from a window watched
the firemen battle the flames in the
nearby structure.
When checked after about thirty
minutes effort, the flames had burned
entirely through one section of the
superstructure which tops the section
Of the building that divides the court
and had spread TO parts of the central
portion of the roof.
Unofficial estimates, however. place
the damage at not more than $4,000,
although 1t is not known whether this
adequately took into account the pos
sible damage from water which it was
believed might be considerable in the
court section of the building immedi-
ately under the central blaze.
The new roof structure in other pOr-
tiOns was said to have been only
slightly damaged and not burned
through, which would reduce the dam
age from water in other sections Of
the building.
Marines Guard Building.
Firemen had been on the scene only
few minutes when a Gordon of about
fifty marines, hastily recruited from a
number on liberty here from the
QuanticO (Va.) barracks, was thrown
around the building. The general pub
lie and representatives Of the press
alike were denied permission to pass
within the line, which had made it
| difficult to ascertain the exact extent
of the damage. Undersecretary of
the Treasury Clifford was early on
the scene to take charge of the pro-
lection of the building and the cor
| don of marines was still maintained
there at an early hour.
The blaze apparently was of much
| the same nature as that which oc-
CURED on the treasury roof during Of
| flee hours, when hundreds of en-
! plOyees were in the building, on last
| February s. This was eXtinguished
without heavy damage, although a
threatening blaze resulted from the
burning of much scaffolding and some
| Of the new roof structure.
Boiling pitch, left by wOrkmen,
caused the second blaze as it did the
previous one, f1remen said The dam
age was caused chiefly by the tons of
water which the fire department threw
on the building and which seeped
down through the lower floors.