The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-02-05
Burning Of H 81.
Bachelors Club" !.
is Minor Tragedy
Housed Treasures of
a Long Succession
of Bachelors

"A LHSSER Tragedy Oh the hisn'
OF the big snow was the fire at
171S H street, the Bachelors
Club" where three or four official
bachelors have lived for 10. these
many years. They were not al
ways the same bachelors, for they
were usually some Of the younger
and most promising unmarried
men of the State Department. or
the War Department, entirely too
attractive to long remain bache-
lors. But the house was furnished
with the accretions of long sue
cession of them, and they were
men who had travelled all over the
world for Uncle Sam and had COL
lected many treasures. 's....
For instance. in his day. before
he married Dorothy Whitney. Will
lard Straight was of that com
pany. and there is-or alas! was
"a wonderful Chinese room called
by his name. And in his day, be-
fore he married Beatrice BEND,
Henry p. Fletcher. Amba ssador
designate to Belgium, was one Of
them; and in his day. BILLY"
Phillips, U. s. Minister to the
Netherlands, was one of them-and
there are dozen more. Indeed,
II I remember correctly, the la
mented Colonel Archie Butt, who
! was aide to President Taft and
who lost his life w:len the Titanic
went down was the first marriage
able eligible" to live at Ills II.
or late Eliot Wadsworth. Assist
ant Secretary Of the Treasury.
has been making his hoEae at the
Bachelors Club: also Basil Miles.
Of the State Department-with his
big Irish sheep DOG; and Leland
Harrison, likewise State Depart
ment, and a Colonel Logan. And
they had Andrew Peters, BILLY"
Phillips brother-in-law and present
Mayor Of Boston, with them as a
weekend guest, when along about
o'clock in the morning they
were routed out by fire. They had
to escape into a cold and snowy
world with just what they had on
which was next to nothing. pa
jamas and such. AS for Mr.. Peters,
he had to borrow clothes to go
home in, and, well they didn't fit
him as his own immaculate gar.
ments do. Mr.. Wordsworth. how.
ever, had achieved perfectly cut
and tailored evening clothes by
the time the White House dinner.
came around a-Vs5c~ a
THE men are ali broken up at
the loss Of their home and talk
Of rebuilding 1t and replacing
everything. But those who knew
it, in all its unique glory, sigh re-
gretfully and say 1T can't be
DONE" One hopes. however, that
they managed to save the big sill.
yer loving cup, with its There
they gor' on one side-the names
of the bachelor residents Of the
house, who have braved the matri-
monial seas, the names Of their
brides and the dates Of their we'd
dinss-and its Here they Gomez
"a list Of the babies Of former
jewellers within those Watson the
other. - ......
DIR. and Mrs. Sothoron Key, who
had the house next door, were also
burned out and escaped in the
middle Of the night with very lit
tie but what they had on their
backs. All their lovely old ma
hogany, some Of which had been
In Mrs. Keys family for genera
tons. is gone. But they are 30
thankful, in the face Of the Knick.
erbocker- tragedy. that no one was
hurt that they have no complaint
to make.
DIR. and Mrs. Key have taken an
apartment at Stoneleigh Court,
Where the doctor will also have his
offices. Eliot wadsworth Is es-
tablished in a suite at the Pow
hatan. but I haven't heard what
the other bachelors intend to do.
Mime. Labat to Receive