Evening star., 1935-12-14
MORE FUNDS HELD
VITAL TO ABOLISH
HAZARDS Of FIRE
Ickes Studies Post Office
Blaze Report-Damage Is
Estimated at $40, 900.
ADDED EQUIPMENT
FOR FIREMEN URGED
Inspection by District Said to Be
Useless Unless Congress
Grants Safety Money.

Federal officials said today Con-
gress eventually must solve the FIRE
hazard problem in Government build
ings, exemplified only yesterday by
the disastrous blaze at the new s11,-
000, 900 Post Office Building.
1t was learned that no Government
agency has authority to force correc-
ton of fire hazards and that District
supervision, as suggested by President
Roosevelt following the Post ONCE
blaze. will help little unless Congress
makes funds available to improve
conditions.
Meanwhile, at least one Repre-
sentative pledged support to a move
to put appropriations through Con-
gress for expansion Of the Districts
fire fighting equipment.
The fact that more than 40 fire.
men were overcome was blamed both
on the FIRE hazard, as represented by
windowless vault packed with in
flammable material, and the lack of
gas masks and other equipment on
the part of the District Fire Depart
ment.
IA Remain in Hospital.
Fourteen of the firemen affected by
the fumes remained for treatment to-
day at Emergency Hospital, although
none was believed seriously affected.
Meanwhile, report to Secretary of
the Interior Ickes by Charles A. Peters,
jr., assistant director of the buildings
branch, Interior Department, placed
the eventual cost of the post office fire
at approximately $4,000. Other esti-
mates were much in advance of this
figure.
Extension of District government
fire inspection to Federal buildings
will not help, it was emphasized. un-
less the agencies at the same time are
given money to buy filing cases or to
make any other changes the inspec-
tors might order.
AS the problem is seen by the Ma
tional Parks Service. in charge of
Federal buildings, it is one that Con-
gress will have to solve if it is to be
solved.
Inspection is favored, but by Fed
eral authority. But it is felt that
along with this must come money to
make it effective.
Record Hall Considered.
Whether the fire-believed to have
been caused by heat from a high
powered light bulb being commu-
nicated to General Accounting ONCE
papers-would result in renewed agi-
tation for a hall of records for stor-
age purposes was not indicated. In
the past, it has been urged that such
a structure-its purpose would be diff
ferent than that Of the Archives
Building-be built, but nothing was
ever done about it.
Some time ago, in an effort to meet
partly the constantly increasing need
Of the Government for filing space,
| Public Works Administrator Ickes
made an allotment for creation Of
such facilities in the center of the
Archives Building. This project, how
ever, has been delayed.
The work of cleaning up the fire
wreckage in the Post Ofice was going
forward today. The partly destroyed
files of the General Accounting Ofice
were being bundled up for removal to
warehouse at 401 South Capitol
street, where they will be gone over
by G. A. o. employees to see what may
be salvaged.
At the same time Office quarters
were being hunted for some II or IS
employees of the Home Owners Loan
Corp. and two or three from the Cen
eral Accounting ONCE whose Offices
on the sixth and seventh floors Of the
Post ONCE were wrecked by fire and
water.
While surface indications were that
the damage had been far greater.
Peters report to Secretary Ickes was
in conformity with the view he had
expressed yesterday. A memorandum
from the Parks Service on Peters
survey follows:
He reports that from present indi-
| cations the damage to the structure
itself, including rebuilding of concrete
floors, replastering, refinishing wood
| floors, repalntlng, reWlrng ana re-
pairing of elevators, will not exceed
$4,000.
This preliminary survey also indi-
Gates that the damage to furniture
and fixtures will probably not exceed
$4,000, although it is still difficult to
determine how badly draperies and
rugs which have become water-soaked
are damaged, and this figure may
be higher.
Record Value Undetermined.
"The moving Of furniture, fixtures,
records, ETC., and the general cleaning
| up of the entire area may result in
additional expenditure of not to ex-
ceed $1,000, although most of this
work will be done with our regular
(See FIRE, Page 81