Evening star., 1923-03-10
Fl. MYER SUFFERS
s1QD,0Q0 FIRE LOSS
Barracks Kitchen FIue
Blamed for Origin of Spec.
taCuIar Burst of Flame.
ONE SOLDIER INJURED
Hospital Patients Safe While
Frame Structure and Part
of Brick Burn.

The concrete foundation posts of a
temporary frame barracks, a partially
destroyed brick building and scorched
connecting wings with the general hos
pital at the Fort Myer military reserva-
lar fire which ragged for more than two
hours last night and destroyed about
100000 in property and equipment.
That section of the post adjacent to
the entrance of Arlington national GENE
tery was this morning strewn with
beds. mattresses. lockers and personal
equipment Of about seventy enlisted
men. and a large detail Of soldiers was
at work cleaning up the debris. while
board Of investigation was checking
on that material and government prop
erty which had been destroyed. in or
der to ascertain the exact amount of
damage. This board. which was ap.
pointed this morning by Mai. J. NJ.
Wainwright. commanding officer Of the
post post is composed of Maj. G. P. George,
18th Field Artillery: Capt. James r.
Finley. Sd Cavalry, and Second Lieut..
Harris +. Scherer. Sd Cavalry.
Col. Dwight Davis. acting secre-
tary OF war, in the absence Of Secre-
tary Weeks, who is in Florida, visited
the reservation this morning TO de-
termine the extent Of the damage aid
was escorted on his tour by Mai.
Wainwright.
Blame Defective Fine.
The blaze is believed to have orig
mated in the kitchen from a defective
fue: The Kitchen stood in the center
or the horseshoe frame bar
racks. occupied by Headquarters
Combat Train of the 18th Field Artil-
lery. The fire was discovered about
$3.50 o'clock after it had made con-
siderable headway and was bursting
through the roof of the structure.
Immediately it spread to the eastern
side of the horseshoe shaped barracks
and. famed by wind from the
south. spread to the other side Of the
horseshoe. In less than three-quar-
was a mass Of brilliant embers. while
the brick building to the west was
enveloped in flames and the wooden
wing connecting the latter with the
, porch of small building to the north
of the barracks also was burned
Although the fire had gotten under
way before it was discovered. the
seventy men of the headquarters
train who occupied the temporary
and government property. The brick
building known as the isolation
ward was unoccupied at the time, bu,
in the cellar was stored CONSIDERABLE
property, which also was saved from
| the fire. At 10:45 o'clock the progress
of the fire in the isolation ward was
checked and from then until 1920
o'clock this morning. when the last
blaze had died. the f1re-fghters had
the upper hand. The isolation ward
building and has been standing at the
post for many years. The south end
and vast side Of the structure were
heavily damaged and much Of the in
terror was destroyed. but it Is be-
lieved it can be repaired. The frame
with the general hospital were dam
aged, while the once which led to the
temporary barracks was destroyed.
Only One Patient DISTURBED.
In the main building Of the hos
pital were thirty patients, and ac-
cording to Col Peter c. Field. medi-
cal officer Of the post. they remained in
their. wards and rooms, although the
tance away. Ono patient was re-
moved from tho hospital to another
place because Of his serious condi-
tion, as it was thought the excite
A general alarm was sounded
throughout the reservation as soon
as the fire was discovered and the
fire-fighters But the apparatus owned
by the post was not sufficient and q
call was sent to Washington. Nos.
s. 16 and % engine companies and
No and truck responded. The
assistance rendered by these units
was declared. today to have been
invaluable.
Many Of the soldier-hremen oe the
post were scratched. cut or bruised
| In the work Of fighting tho hre. eergt.
Hamer was struck on the foot with