Evening star., 1931-12-13
Victims Trapped in Rooms.
Firemen and Others Are
Injured.
VETERAN RISKS LIFE
TO RESCUE WOMAN
Scales Fire Escape and Carries Un-
identified Female to Street.
$4,000 Damage.

Two men lost their lives and seven
other persons, including four firemen,
were burned, injured or overcome by
smoke in q spectacular S25 900 fire
which yesterday afternoon wrecked the
old Franklin Hotel 623 Pennsylvania
avenue, and attracted thousands of
Christmas shoppers and bound
Government employees.
While traffic in the vicinity of
Seventh street and Pennsylvania ave-
nue. was badly snarled firemen fought
the blaze for almost an hour before
bringing it under control. When the
first fire trucks reached the scene
flames were shooting 20 to 80 feet
above the roof of the ancient five-story
structure. Two alarms brought out
virtually all downtown apparatus.
The trafnc jam was unraveled only
after hose carriers were erected across
street car tracks to permit firemen to
play a dozen streams into the burning
building
Two Roomers Killed.
The dead men, both roomers, are
walter Irving Conley IS, an inmate of
the Soldiers Home, and L. Murphy"
Young, a candy vendor, about 80 years
old, who had lived at the hotel for
about three years.
Thomas Piner, So, night manager of
the hotel, was severely burned about
the head, arms and shoulders, and last
night was in the most serious condition
of those injured in the blaze Emer-
gency Hospital attaches said his condi-
tion was not critical, however and ex-
pressed the belief he would recover
Others injured or overcome are:
Capt. Charles Galpin of No. II Engine |
Company, overcome by smoke.
Pvt. Edward B. Smith, %, 234 Tenth |
street southeast, OF No. Truck Com |
psny cut by glass.
Pvt. Morris Hollis, 80, 427 Seventeenth |
street southeast of No. l Truck Com |
pany, also cut by glass
Firemen is Injured.
Pvt. Michael II. Kane, SO. 1923 ID |
street southeast, Of No. Engine Com |
pany, bruised and shaken up when hit |
by fire truck while laying out hose.
Virginia Green, cut by flying glass
NABhAAo ~, WHOSE II6I.Q 1
was cut when she turned in the first /
alarm
The men who lost their lives were
trapped by the flames which originated
on the third floor Both occupied
fourth-hoor rooms and were asleep
when the fire broke out.
Young was found burned almost be-
yond recognition in a bathtub, while
Conley was taken from under a wash
basin, where he had sought cover from
the raging flames.
Veteran Saves Woman.
The life Of an unidentified woman was
saved by c. A Bouk a Seattle World
War veteran, who is here with ST other
ex-service men from the Pacific North
west leading fight for the balance of
the soldiers bonus Bouk scaled a fire
escape in the rear Of the hotel entered
an upper story window and carried the
scantily clad woman to safety. He then
re-climbed the fire escape and shouted
warnings TO other roomers.
Capt. Galpin was leading the fight
against the flames on the third floor
when he was overcome by inhaling
smoke. He lost consciousness and top
pied TO the floor. Lieut.. l. w Lusky of
no. 2 Engine Company saw him fall
and carried the husky captain outside
where he was revived by the Fire Res
cue Squad. He insisted on resuming the
fight. but was persuaded to go to Emer-
sency Hospital for an examination.
Ambulances from Emergency. Cas-
ualty and the Fire Rescue SQUAD were
pressed into service TO care for the casu-
slties.
Damage Set at $4,000.
Fire Marshal Calvin LAUDER set the
damage at s25 900. He said the fire
started on a third-fioor stairway. but
declined to state what caused it. E @.
Hopkins, branch manager of the Huss-
man Refrigerating Co.. next door to the
hotel, reported to police the flames and
water did $4,000 worth of damage to
his show rooms. He said eight huge re-
frigerator display cases were ruined and
would have to be sent back to the fac
tory for repair.
The blaze broke out shortly after !
o'clock, and was discovered almost
simultaneously by Virginia Shahpazian
and George Avadikian, owner of the
hotel. Virginia ran to the nearest fire.
alarm box on the corner of Seventh
street and rang for fire engines
Avadikian's wife. Mrs. Lucy Avadi-
kan, meanwhile also had detected the
odor OF smoke and ran from the build
ing, carrying her 18-month-old son, Ru-
pan. Two other roomers, James Mil
burn and Milburn Reese, also fed to
safety.
For q time the fire threatened the
Metropolitan Hotel. famous hostelry of
bygone days, which adjoins the Frank
lin TO the east, and the Atlantic Hotel.
on the other side. Streams Of water
were played on the walls Of both these
buildings, however, ayerting a spread of
the flames.