Evening star., 1923-02-21
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
DAMAGED $4,000
Four Firemen Hurt and
Warehouse in Northeast
Suffers $4,000 Loss.
SMOKE HAMPERS WORK
Holes Cut in Walls for Hose as
Flames Are Checked Below
First Floor.
SMOKE HAMPERS WORK

Twelve engine and four truck com
panies responded to Il four-alarm fire
in the warehouse of the public
schools at lst and X streets north
east shortly before o'clock last
room of the cellar and probably had
been burning an hour or more before
it was discovered.
F'iremen succeeded in preventing
the flames from getting above the
first floor. but we're unable to avoid
water and ire damage to the school
supplies. The first floor over the
furnace room fell III. The fire did
not reach the front portion of that floor.
Damage to the building was esti-
mated by Fire Marshal L. V. Seib at
about $4,000 and to the stock at
about $4,000. Much of the supplies
of the manual training schools. on
the upper floors. the fire marshal
said. can be salvaged
Four Firemen Injured.
Lieut.. Norris Murphy. No. = engine
company. received cuts to his hand
when Il stream of water smashed a
large pane of glass. Charles c. Ach-
stetter, deputy fire marshal. VINO was
working near the lieutenant. narrow
ly escaped injury.
Lieut.. z. J. Crimmins. No. 10 engine
company, received injuries 10 his face
and hands. as Gid Private Julian G.
Sydnor Of No. l6 engine company.
DIR. G. ]. Murphy. police and tre sur
geon. dressed their wounds.
Fire Marshal l.. V. Seib, the fourth
member OF the department. suffered
M injured leg in falling through an
opening IN the burned floor. lie did
not stop to have his injuries dressed
Because OF dense smok" the WORK OF
the firemen was made Glfncult. anu IL
became necessary TO cut hoies IN IN"
wall in order to get hose lines 70 th@
room in which the fire originated.
The building. three story brick
structure. is owned by the Ierfulli al
Storage Company and leased By the
District government.
Appeal TO Congress.
An appeal Will be made to Con gres9
by school authorities to rush through
Congress before adjournment IA spe-
ciat deficiency appropriation to re-
place the school supplies destroyed
in the fire Unless special funds are
Forthcoming, ii was said today. many
pupils in the graded schools Will be
forced to purchase their own supplies
through the remainder Of the current
semester, because the schools have
no money available to meet this
emergency
Mai. Raymond u. Wiimarth. chief
finance officer OF the school system,
today began Il survey OF his records
to ascertain what materials were IN
the storehouse at the time of the
fire. School officials viii not know
until his investigation is completed
the amount of money nece SsarS to re
place the supplies which went up In
. flames =.
They included books. pencils. % per.
pens and erasers and sewing, md nual
training. domestic art and dorte site
science materials. as we'll as ehuip-
, uent for the special schools.
shortage Already Existed.
Destruction Of the school supplies
VIII he felt severely BY the schools
owing to the fact that a shortage al
ready exists and Congress has be
fore il an item for a deficiency APP
preparation Of $4,000 for additional
supplies.
The fire caught the storehous.a II,
the midst of th- delivery OF second
semester supplies and many OF the
schools had not received their quota.
It is the pupils in these schools who
are facing the expense of furnishing
their own supplies unless Congress
acts before March ).
As the employees Of the warehouse
are under the jurisdiction OF tho
board Of education. ii is likely that
| this body may make an investigation
! to determine the cause of the blaze.
! This question probably will be con
sldered by the board at it's meeting
| this afternoon.