The Washington times., 1928-02-03
FIRE MAY COST
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dreds milling about the police lines.
thrown up In the business district
fire area.
Relief agencies were at work
caring for the scores Of injured and
those iii need Of food and shelter.
six banks damaged BY flames were
under heavy guard. In their fire
proof vaults rested currency end
valuable papers.
TWENTY-FIVE OF the cfty's principal
buildings were In ruins In an area
bounded BY High. Bank. AnnaWan
and Durfee Streets These included
three hotels. two theaters club, II
newspaper plant and 4 dozen bust
ness blocks and mills Among the
mills damaged were the Pocasset, the.
Union and the Troy Chimney Com
pany.s mill.
Under Control nc 4. M.
The fire, which ragged from $50.
o'clock last evening until It was
placed under control 1t i. M
today, recalled the naiIlion-dolIar|
fire here twelve years ago.
Many times during the hectic
night the residential district was
threatened "a sparks and fire
brands fell on roofs.
Scores Of families fled to the
streets IN the near-zero temperature
carrying movable belongings. Beth 81
Synagogue, on Banks Street, was
destroyed, and ii hundred families
living III the vicinity 81 the blazing
edifice left their homes.
There were many homeless men,
women and children to care for
after the first excitement Of the
confIagration subsidized. The news
paper plants ruined were the Fall
River Independent and the Fan
River Herald News The plant Of
the other newspaper, the Globe,
was also badly damaged.
Scores Burned
Scores Of men were burned, frost
bitten or otherwise injured In the
night-lcng battle and an emergency
hospital opened in the new police
station treated no less than 800
persons.
Wire communication with the
outside world was cut off for four
hours. but Engine Companies 12,
rs and AZ threw curtains OF icy
water over the telephone exchange
and the telegraph offices, and serv.
ice was resumed Heroic telephone
girls, with fire sweeping about their
building, resumed their tasks.
Thousands faced unemployment
today as the result OF the conflagra-
ton, but business men were making
plans to rebuild and resume opera
tons.
Avoid Theater Panic
Among the buildings destroyed
was the city's largest and best
known hotel. the Hotel Mohican.
The Rialto Theater, the largest mo-
ton picture theater. was In ruins.
The famous old granite block on
Main Street, near City Hall, was
burned out.
A show was in progress in the
Rialto Theater when the fire
reached 4 building some distance
away. The audience left the thea
ter in order An hour later the
tlleater was ablaze.
For time firemen thought they
had the flames confined within the
Pocasset Mills property, but soon
they jumped across Central Street
to the roof OF the New England
transportation Company.
Within an hour the several hun
dred gallons of gasoline stored at
the motor bus terminal exploded
with q roar. Spectators had been
warned to keep out OF tho way and
this undoubtedly prevented a loss
Of life. Then with a mighty sweep
the flames spread into the Main
Street business district.
Dynamite Of No Avail
Dynamite was used, but with
little result. F'iremen were hamp.
cred by frozen hose lines.
Several pieces of fire fighting
apparatus became frozen in the
streets. Hose lines became ice-l
clogRed and useless.
One Of the first Of the big build-il
inks to 70 was the Mohican Hotel, /
containing 400 rooms. Guests had
been warned of the approach Of the |
fire and all escaped.
Firemen and the apparatus they
were obliged to cut from icy streets
moved along with the flames.
waging an uphill battle against |
great odds Time and again AMI
apparatus was called on to leave /
the main blaze to extinguisli fires |
on the outskirts, some Of them a
mile away.
Boys Club Razed
Among the buildings ruined was
the BOYS Club Building, one of the |
finest In the East,
With the destruction of the |
Granite Block, twelve stores and |
scores Of lawyers offices were
wiped out.