The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-11-06
PRICELESS
DQIES
LOST IN
FIRE
Marie Antoinette Table Among
Relics Destroyed When
Mansion Burns

W0nStOU QUITS
The thrilling jump of a naval
officer from a second-stoFy bath
room window after SCATTERING the
glass and the rescue Of another
who was overcome by smoke and
carried to safety by brother
officer were spectacular sidelights
on the fire which at A o'clock this
morning completely destroyed the
century-old Green Valley Manor,
one of Virginia's ancestral land
marks, which was used as hospital
during the civil war, located three
and.a half miles from Washington.
Two Seriously Burned.
The seriously burned naval Of
ficers who are at the Naval Hos.
pitaI here are:
Lieutenant Thomas c. Latimore,
Judge Advocate Generals Office.
Lieutenant John Lusk, Bureau
Of Construction and Repairs, Navy
Department.
The other two naval officers who
were sleeping in the home which
the quartet rented a year ago from
Herbert Perring Carter, of Eng
land, and his wife, formerly Miss
Polly Siclxles, of one Of the first
families of Virginia, were unin-
jured. They are:
Lieutenant Frank Lowe, Judge
Advocate Generals Office.
Lieutenant BENJAMIN S. Killmas-
ter, Bureau of Ordnance, Navy De-
partment
Discovers Fire.
1t was Lieutenant Killmaster
whose sieeping-room door was open
who first smelled the smoke and
discovered the fire. He awakened
the other officers and was respon.
sible for the escape Of Lieutenant
Latimer after the latter was over
come by smoke.
Lieutenant Killmaster said that
he was at d loss to understand how
the fire started unless it was from
sparks from an open fireplace. He
said, however, that he looked at
the fire and it appeared about dead
when he went to bed following an
informal party last night.
40 idea of the great financial
and historical loss involved through
the, burning of the manor can be
gained from the fact that among
the priceless antiques, heirloonlS
and precious laces burned was u
sewing table used by Marie An.
toinette, a Chinese lamp 2 1000 years
old, and an original Shannon por.
trait valued at $4,000 and insured
for $1,000.
Little Saved in Fire:
The naval officers themselves said
that all they personally salvaged
from the fire was four pajamas ard
two and half pairs Of bed room
slippers.
1t was said today 1T the Naval
Hospital that the two injured lieu.
tenants viii doubtlessly be on the
sick list for five days or more. They
were seriously burned about the
face and hands.
Inaccessibility Of the manor and
lack Of water hampered valiant at
tempts by the Clarendon, Rosslyn
Fort Myer and Washington fire de-
partn1ents to salvage anything.
Flames Spread Quickly.
Aid was Immediately summoned
by the naval officers and. J. L.
Boswell q colored caretaker The
men rushed to the home of Tx
congressman j. Philip Campbell Of
Kansas, where they telephoned The
| fire departments.
, First call was made to the Alex
andria fire department, and Miss
Helen NJ. Campbell Indignantly De
clared today that this company re
fused TO respond. telling her that
the fire was out Of its district.
Praises ID. C. Company.
81 think IT is an outrage" Miss
Campbell said today that Vir
ginia fire department should stanC
idle and permit one of the States
most historic and priceless homes K
burn to the ground. 1 want Il
praise the Washington engine com
4 pany, which did not consider tn,
fire was out of its district, for thu
valiant work It did"
4 The Campbells are intimat,
friends of the Carriers, who ar,
touring Europe, and i will b,
their sad duty to cable them toda,
Of the tragedy.
i Friends Of the Carriers are toda,
searching in the ashes for SOM
of the antiques Of priceless valu,
which It is hoped may be saved
One Of them found a twisted piecI
OF gold today and there were tear
in her eyes when she identified =
as a platter which had come >fron
Damascus.
| Miss Campbell said that anon,
the relics destroyed was an Origina
shannon portrait which was In
sured for $1,000. Also quain
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