Evening star., 1925-01-11


the fire when a sudden gust of wind
shot the flames up the elevator shaft
of the warehouse.
Wind Gets to Work.
The suction in the shafts and the
wind from the vents made by the fire.
men did the work. The blazes shot
up to the roof. burst the windows
out and sent electric wires sputter-
ing out with loud Kisses. Accompany
ing the hiss of the sparks. was a roar
and the flames shot out into the
street, forcing the spectators and fire.
men back from the building.
From basement to roof the build
ing, some Is years old, and leased
by the Kann Company from Cornelia
Ross Potts, trustee for a Baltimore
estate, was packed with drygoods
paints, packing material, mattresses
, celluloid articles, household furnish
ings, vanished wood refrigerators
tables and hundreds Of similar
articles.
To the hordes of thrilled men
women and children on the street
the fire demon took on a tangible
form, as the 50-foot tongues OF
flame smacked with a seemingly in
satiable appetite at surrounding
buildings.
The great sheets Of liquid fire, as
they burst forth from the mbline
structure, looked as though they were
literally bending the brick shell out
ward. With principal supports un-
dermined, an entire floor suddenly
would give way and plunge down
ward into the seething furnace be-
low, at times carrying the floor below
along.
Lack OF Windows a Handicap.
The intense heat made 1t impos-
sible for the firemen to put the ex-
tension ladders against the hot bare
walls until about IL o'clock, so that
they were greatly handicapped in
lighting the blaze in sections of the
building where 1T could not be reached
before because of the lack of win
dows. At that time, the fire was
well under control, but burning in
various parts of the building
AS fast as the water hit the fam
ing fire pit, it turned to steam. The
wood in the building was so hot al
this time that when a stream OF
water was removed from a particular
point to another, flames Immediately
would flare up in the section from
which IL was shifted
Inc torrent Of water rushing from
the burning building filled the streets
through manhole covers and cellar
gratings of Kann's store, filing the
basement book department to a depth
of several feet. A large portion of
the water also came through a con-
duff connecting the department store
with the warehouse.
As the water began to rise in the
basement of the store, a group of
employees attracted by the fire, as
well as some of the officials, donned
boots and removed the most valuable
goods to the floor above. Later, it
was pumped and siphoned out by
firemen, working under the direction
of Fire Marshal Seib.
Woman Taken to safety.
Patrolman C. F. DahIglish of the
sixth precinct, on duty on Eighth
street, saw flames eating their way
across the roof of the Kann ware
house. A rooming house at 7O9 D
street, one door away, was directly
in the path. The officer entered the
rooming house and assisted Mrs Wal
ter Rosemary to the street with her
insurance papers and personal jew
elry. She collapsed when the flames
shot into the street. Seventeen other
roomers of the house left
Every precaution was taken by the
in the vicinity of the warehouse from
being caught unprepared had the
names spread to adjoining structures.
Lieut.. Cornwell of the ninth precinct,
when the volcanoes of fire shot men
acingly more than 80 feet out of the
windows of the burning structure,
hastened to the nearby stores and
warned those inside to be prepared to
leave at moments notice. Those in
a A ArY1 M
the northwest corner of Eighth and
D streets. gathered on the first floor
Immediately but were not forced to
desert the store.
More than so cedar chests. on dis
play IN the windows of the warehouse
were placed on ID street sidewalks by
the hremen when they smashed
through the glass show windows.
Juggles Burning Timbers.
AS the flames ate their way TO the
top OF the warehouse. large pieces of
burning timbers fell, only to he
caught by the deluge of water from
the hose and shot back into the air
One large board, aiame. dronned
dangerously close to group of fire
men on the d street side of the build
ing. =
Four automobiles parked on the
began TO blister with the heat. Two
of the tires on a machine burst. and
the tops were damaged.
"A letter box on the corner of y
street opposite the warehouse CON
tanning letters which wouId have
oeeh picked up, was partially melted
ana the letters in the box destrovad
Ihe brickwork and signs on the n
street side of the store were dam
aseo oy the terrific heat of the flames
leaplng across the street.
Improvised lunch stands uera CO.
upon the west side of Eighth street
between d and f streets, where the
Young Mems Hebraw Associa tion
the management of the Strand Tbe'
ater and officials of Kanns' served
hot coffee and sandwiches 10 Tho
chilled and water-soaked fireuar
The firemen, however, did nor ston
to eat until the fire was comp1eteIy
under control.
Covered by Insurance.
Sigmund Kann, member of tho firm,
was in Baltimore when the fire brok 3
out. he was notified by long-distsnce
telephone and arrived here before the
nre was extinguished. He said that
the building and contents were en-
tlrely covered by insurance. The de-
stroyed warehouse, he added. was
used as an Immediate supply stor-
age place. The company's main ware
house, he said, is on C street. several
blocks away. Stock in the main store
was not damaged by smoke which
forced its way into the building. MIR.
kann asserted, although considerable
damage was done to stock in the
basement by the flood. The store will
De open as usual tomorrow, he de-
clared.
MT. hann expressed his deem
gratitude to Chief Watson and b;e
men for the valiant efforts thew mad
to stem the blaze, and he exnrassed