Evening star., 1923-11-09
Storage Structures of Levy
Furniture Co. and Wilkins
Grocery Co. Raced; Flames
Spread, Defying Firemen.
HEAVY SMOKE SUSPENDS
WORK IN WHOLE SECTION
Workman Overcome, Rescued by
Other Employees; Surrounding
Buildings Saved by Quick Work
of Department; Thousands Gath
er at Scene; Police Reserves Out.

Famed by strong wintry winds
two four alarm fires today swept two
large business houses, destroyed
property valued at near a half mil
lion dollars, and enveloped Northeast
Washington in a dense pail of chok-
ing black smoke for many hours be-
fore half of the city's entire fire
fighting force got them under con-
troll.
Both structures were used as store
houses, and in each instance large
quantities of oils and similar highly
infiammable materials helped the
flames to spread beyond control even
before fire companies responding TO
first alarms could reach the scene.
In neither case did early discovery of
the flames succeed in saving the
structures they visited.
The plants destroyed were:
Warehouse of John II. Wilkins
Company, Inc, wholesale grocers. To-
Gated at 523 Rhode Island avenue
northeast.
Warehouse of Philip Levy & Co,
furniture dealers, located at 90 l.
street northeast. Their local retail
store is at 735 7th street northwest
Blaze Spectacular.
The blaze that gutted the latter
warehouse was one of the most spec
tacular that has been seen in Wash
ington for years. 1t started in the
furnace room in the basement and,
although the place was filled with
workmen, the fire raced from cellar
to roof in less than fifteen minutes,
defying every effort of firemen re-
spending to four regular alarms and
one private alarm to overcome it for
several hours.
Fireman Injured.
One fireman was injured seriously
enough to require his removal to
Sibley Memorial Hospital and a score
of others were made i'll by the smoke.
The injured man is John s. Irodden
| of No. % engine company, who suS-
| tanned contusions of the head and
lacerated hand when he toppled from
ladder after being made dizzy by
the smoke. falling ten feet to the
ground. The other men affected by
| the fumes were able to continue on
duty after receiving treatment at
attending ambulances.
| A colored laborer first saw the
flames eating their way among film
sy packing cases near the furnace.
Shouting a warning to Benjamin Mil
| ler. superintendent of the building,
the man started to throw buckets
of water on the blaze, while Mr. Mil
| Ter sounded an alarm from the private
! box that brought three companies of
| fire apparatus to the scene.
/ Workman Is Rescued.
So rapidly did the flames spread
that the colored workman whose
name was given as Robert Jones. was
trapped and overcome by smoke. He
was rescued by a score of other en-
| ployes who had formed a bucket
brigade while awaiting the arrival of
| the firemen. The captain of the first
company to reach the building, real
! izing that the flames were far be-
yond control, ordered another alarm.
and this was followed closely by three
more calls from a regular box.
The warehouse was literally jam
med with crates of furniture Philip
| Levy & Co. were storing for Christ
mas sales. The highly vanished fur
niture emitted yeritable screen OF
smoke that successfully baff1ed every
| effort of firemen to enter the struc-
| ture for nearly half an hour. Finally
half a score of men equipped with
| gas masks carried pipe lines to lower
| windows and succeeded in making
/ their entry.
Floor of Building Falls.
| In the meantime dozens of other
| high-pressure lines were being
played upon the building from the
roofs of nearby business establish
ments. Within half an hour after
the first alarm had been sounded the
first floor, loaded with $4,000 worth
of Christmas rugs, crashed into the
cellar and the fire department chiefs
ordered their men to continue the
unequal battle from safer distances.
The flames were already pouring
from upper story windows and,
realizing that the place was doomed,
the firemen centered their attention
upon confning the blaze to the one
building, which they succeeded in
lasted well into the afternoon.
Business was virtually suspended
for blocks around the scene of the
fire, choking smoke from the bRrr
ing furniture making it literally i'm
possible TO comfortably remain in
doors. The smoke found its way up
around Union station and even to the
Capitol, and several thousand specta-
tors hurried to the scene. Police re
serves were rushed from several sta
ton of Maj. Sullivan, kept them at
safe distances from the burning build
ing.
The fire was located in the heart of
one of the most dangerous districts
in Washington-the wholesale dis
trict- Close by it were numerous
storehouses of packing companies
and warehouses for general merchan-
disc coming into the city at Union
station, only a few blocks distant it
Wilbur F. Nash, 122 NJ street north
west, and rented by Philip Levy &
Co.
N. P. Shriner, manager of the 7th
street store, estimated the value of
the furniture in the place at $780,
600. He pointed out, however, that
his company's actual loss will be far
greater, because it will be impossible
now to obtain additional shipments
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