Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-15


fire, this time on the morning of March 3, 1888.
At first, the fire was believed to have been
accidental but later Richard S. White was
arrested and charged with burning the build
ing, the cause assigned being the purpose to
destroy fraudulent pension papers Four years
after the crime was committed, and during the
second trial of Richard S. White, the statute Of
limitations was pleaded, under which the
prisoner was found mot guilty"
Other disastrous Government fires included
the Congressional Library fire of 1851, and SUBJ
sequently the Patent Office fire, which took
place on September "a, 1877, and which is still
fresh in the minds of many This gave the
Baltimore firemen an opportunity to recipro-
cate for the assistance given them seven years
before during the Clay street fire, under Martin
Cronin who had succeeded William E. Ellw0od
as chief engineer in 1869. Under the paid
system, inaugurated by act of the City Council, !
approved May 10, 1864 John H. sessford be-
came the first chief engineer, his place later
being taken by Ellwood.
In the early days, in the volunteer COM
panies, many men of prominence and diStinc-
ton were active members and helped to MAIN
tain the esprit de corps of their particular or
CARNATIONS. Particularly notable along this
line may be mentioned the name of George
Washington, an active member of Friendship
Fire Company of Alexandria, Va. He is re-
corded as having presented to that organiza-
ton its first engine. -
This company was formed in 1776, and from
the fact that General Washington was busily
engaged with the British from that time on
for several years, 1t is quite probable that he
never turned out with the Friendship company.
The fire bucket of Philip Barton Key dated
1927 at time when he was living in George
town, is one of the principal relics Of the
Association of Oldest Inhabitants. AT the time
of his death, this bucket is said to have be-
longed to Philip Barton Key-no doubt de-
scendant of the original owner-who was killed
by Daniel E. SickleS
A MONG the early volunteer companies in
Washington were the, Columbia, organised
in 1904 and the Anacostia Fire Company, also
established the same year; the Alert Engine
Company, 1914; the Franklin, originally the
Star, reorganized in 1927. This company had
its quarters for years at Fourteenth and Penn
slyvania avenue in the space in front of the
District Building, and in 1857 moved to its
present quarters on D street, between Twelfth
and Thirteenth streets. The date of the erecs
ton of this building Is given by Sessford as
1856 in which year, he says in his chronicles:
"The cid Franklin engine house has been ne.
moved, and the angle inclosed by neat cast
iron railing
1885, the Northern Liberties in 1910, the West
ern Hose in 1853, the Metropolitan Hook and
Ladder in 1855 and the American Hook and
Ladder in 1855. Over in Georgetown were the
Potomac Fire Company, organized in 1913, and
the Vigilant organized in 1917 with John Kurtz
as president Arnold Boone as vice president
and James Moore secretary. The Vigilant was
first housed on the east side of Thirty-second
street. until December 12 1929, when it was
70 f11o cir If he
fare, now wisconsin avenue, just below M
street.
After the paid department came into being,
and the modern equipment was procured, the
Vigilant remained in its old home until re-
moved, in 1888, to the present No. Engine
House on M street.
Other Georgetown companies included the
Mechanical Fire Company, 1919; Eagle Fire
Company, 1927; Columbia Fire and Hose COM
pany, 1927; Western Star Fire Company, 1881,
and the Potomac Hose Company, 1864.
TN the olden days, such things as stone battles
between rival fire companies were of more
or less frequent occurrence, and before the
present system was inaugurated, things as
sumed such violent proportions that something
had to be done to bring order out of chaos.
Indeed matters became so bad that it was not
unusual for one company deliberately to start
bonfire in some particular section of the city
in order to bait some other company and then
have the diabolical pleasure Of "trotting" it
home. An incident of this kind is related hy
an old-timer as follows:
"The volunteer companies not only had ther
pitched battles at almost every fire they at
tended, but played jokes upon each other wlleA
times were dull and fires few and far between.
About the year 1840 some members of Vigilane
and Western Star C0mnaniqS h,lilt ho,,f7ra
on Brick Yard Hill and sent messenger to
the Union Company Elm the city, to inform
them that the business portion of the town
was in danger of Destruction The II,,ior,