Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-01
Space in Washington Build
ing Provided-Bureaus
Move to "Tempo."
MOST IMPORTANT FILES
FOUND TO BE SAVED
Firemen Injured in Saturdays
Blaze Are ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Smoker Believed to Blame.

Plans for housing the Federal Trade
Commission in the Washington Build
ing, Fifteenth street and New York ave-
nue., went forward TO-DAY as officials and
employees began salvaging files from
charred rooms and sidewalk storage
piles following the fire Saturday after
noon in Temporary Building No. 4, at
Twentieth and D streets.
Meantime, the remaining furniture,
files and equipment of the Women's and
Children's Bureaus of the Department
of Labor, which was housed also in the
burned building, were being moved
across the street to Temporary Build
ing No. S, on G street between Twen-
tieth and Twenty-first, where they will
be housed. These two units are even
tually to be located with the Depart
ment of Labor in q new home at the
corner of Fourteenth and B streets,
where the plant of the Potomac Electric
Power Co. now is located.
Many Files Saved.
Files and furniture of the Federal
Trade Commission were damaged by the
fire to large extent, but much of it
was saved and piled on the sidewalk
along Twenty-first street. The SOUTH
west corner Of the building was but
slightly damaged by the fire, and these
niles and furniture were being put back
into the old building today as a tern
porary expedient. Some of them will
be placed temporarily in Temporary
Building No. S.
Plans for subdividing the Washington
Buldlng space were under way today.
according TO Otis johnson, secretary of
the teoeral Trade Commission, who
even found a workable telephone in his
office which was not disconnected by
the fire. These plans will be turned
over as soon as completed, and work
VIII start on subdividing the space in
the washington Building shortly, It
VIII probably be two weeks, however.
before the new quarters will be ready.
meantime all employees will report for
outy tomorrow morning, and it is ex-
pected, Mr.. johnson said, that the COM
mission would continue functioning as
pest 1t can In temporary arrangements
until it gets into its new place.
Important Papers Saved.
Only few persons were on duty to-
DAY salvaglng the remains from the fire.
The commissions loss of files will not
be as serious as was first expected, Mr..
johnson said, the most important files
being saved.
tOfncials of all three of the burned-out
Government units were at the scene of
the fire yesterday, the Department of
Labor people making good progress in
clearing up and checking up their
materials.
big gang of workmen was busy
today, moving the Department of Labor
groups into their new location across
the street.
The cause of the fire, which broke
out Saturday afternoon shortly after
Government workers had left the build
ing at l O'Clock for half holiday, has
not been definitely fixed, but cigarette
or match carelesSly tossed by some de-
parting employee Is suspected. Rules
strictly prohibited smoking in the tenn
porary buildings.
Capt. Ray G. Montgomery, head of
the United States park police, chairman
Of the committee making an inVeStiga-
ton of the cause Of the fire, said that
facts so far uncovered had failed to
point definitely to the cause The cleo
trical wiring had been carefully in
spected, however, he said, and he
thought the blaze could not have start
ed from short circuit in the electrical
system.
All of the injured firemen were i'm
proving and those taken to Emergency
Hospital have left for their homes.
1t has been decided not to attempt
TO repair the old wartime building for
reoccupancy, and 1t will be torn down
when all the Government records and
equipment are removed.