Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-20
CONTINUED From First Page)

after the outbreak Of the fire. Other
hospitals in the city cared for other in
jured. Nurses, internes and physicians
were sent to Receiving Hospital to aid
in treating the injured. Many with
slight burns and superficial injuries
we're given first aid and sent home.
Die on Way TO Hospital.
Some of the victims were dead on ar
rival ut the hospitals. Most Of the ia
talities, physicians said. resulted from
suffocatior. Identification of the dead
was dificult because of the badly burn
ed clothing and the Disagreement which
follows suffocation.
State and city fire commissioners in
vestigating the blaze with the police de-
| clared this morning that they could
| hnd no evidence that the fire was OF in
cendiary origin. Draperies and light,
| fimsy decorations, they said, accounted
! for the rapid spread of the flames. Ven
| tilating fans and the architecture Of
the building sped the flames on their
mission of death and devastation.
The bodies of five women lie in the
I
clothing was burned of and the charred
and blackened condition Of their bodies
will make identification difhcult.
| OF the men who were killed seven
have been identified.
The body. OF q woman, at first iden-
tined as that of Bubbles Parker, later
was found to have been enormously
identified when Miss Parker was found
in st. Marys Hospital in o serious con-
oition. Miss Parkers mother. Mrs
Florence Parker, however. lost her life
in the FIRE. Both are from Utica, N Y,
where it Is said that Mrs. Parker's hus.
band, Frank, is an instructor at the
Conservatory of Music.
Some of the patrons OF the establish
ment found their way TO the roof Of the
rear section Of the building and were
carried down by f1remen. or, becoming
panicky, jumped to the ground. Many
suffered broken legs.
The building is three stories high in
the front and two-story addition had
been built on the rear. The main din
ing room occupied most of the second
floor. The kitchen was on the hrst
floor.
Business at It's Height.
, The fire came at the peak of the
nights business. Patrons who had
dropped in for q luncheon after the the
alter had just settled themselves to the
enjoyment of the entertainment which
was offered by the club when the dread
cry of "Fire!" came.
| In the struggle to escape the flames
and smoke clothing was torn from men
and women. preventing immediate iden-
tification Of some of those taken to the
morgue.
| Investigations Under Way.
Three Investigations into the cause OF
the blaze were under way early today
| One was begun by Gabe s. GoldWater,
fire marshal, who expressed the opinion
that the confiagration was accidental
| The other investigations we're under the
direction OF Paxton Mendelssohn of the
Fire Prevention Bureau of the Board of
Commerce and r. J. Morris, deputy
State fire marshal.
Goldwater, after an investiga ton
said:
II can find no violati of the fire
laws and I cannot see that this was q
! set fire. 1t was not caused by q bomb
have gone over the building carefully
and think that the fire was caused by
some careless smoker. whose match or
cigarette was thrown into the light deco
ration on the walls. There are big
fans In the place, designed to blow the
cigarette and cigar smoke out of the
room. These caught the fire and
whiSked 1t about the room like q fash
IF q bomb had started this there
would be broken timbers or cut timbers
somewhere, but cannot hndDany OF
those"
During the early part Of the FIRE in
vestigation of the affair centered on
the possibility that the flames might
have resulted from q gasoline bomb.