Evening star., 1936-01-06

building. They had TO chop the bars
from the window frame before res
cuing E. w. Breese, 27, of Jacksonville,
occupied a front bed room.
Breese was pulled from the oven
like room as the flames broke through
the door going into the corridor
near the burning staircase. The fact
that Breese had the presence of
mind not to open the door probably
saved his life, firemen said
Meanwhile, firemen worked their
way UP the burning staircase behind
streams of water which swept the
flames from the woodwork The rear
bed room occupied by the Bernards
was still q furnace when firemen
stood in the open door and swung
a hoze nozzle in a circle to knock
down the flames before entering.
Bernard lay with one arm on the
charred bed, almost over the body
of his wife on the floor. He appar-
emily had persisted while trying to
shield her from the flames. Both
bodies were badly burned.
Flames Swept In by Door.
Firemen said the couple had either
gone to sleep. with the door open or
had opened it on being aroused by the
heat. The open door permitted the
flames to penetrate the room from the
burning staircase.
The fire parallels in many respects
the fatal blaze at l0l7 M street last
Thursday, in which three persons
were burned to death. A burning
staircase in both instances trapped
the occupants.
mo one can be held accountable
by law for either of these fires" Lau-
ber said following an investigation.
They might have happened in hun
dreds Of homes in Washington.
such tragedies usually occur dur
ing cold waves, when furnaces are
fired heavily. Furnaces often become
overheated if they are not watched
carefully and kept in the best Of con-
dition."
The fire marshal said it is hard to
legislate against open, wooden stair
cases, and in homes where rooms open
on a central stairway, it would take
an outside ladder for every room to
insure safety. He pointed out. how
ever. that precautions such as trash
removal and furnace inspection lessen,
if not eliminate, the hazard.
Jackson Staley said he was awak-
ened by wrong number" telephone
call, which also aroused his mother.
Mrs. Staley asked for glass of water
He said he got the water and was
doing off again when he smelled
smoke.
Young Staley opened door and the
flames burst into his face. He slammed
the door shut again, called his
mother and assisted her out the win
dow and across a narrow ledge to the
adjoining house
Miss Giass. an occupant of the same
floor, was awakened by Staley's cries.
She found her escape cut of by the
blazing staircase and when the flames
invaded here room she leaped from
;he window onto a roof Just below.
She fell from this roof into an area
way SINE feet below the street level.
The injured woman was taken to
Emergency Hospital. where she was
expected to recover.
Piano Studio on Second Floor.
The building was occupied by lodg-
ers only on the third and fourth
floors. The first floor consists of q
large reception hall. wash room and
furnace room, and the second is given
over TO a piano studio used by Frances
Gutelian of Country Club Grove,
Arlington County. Va, vino had leased
the building from F. L. Sandoz, real
estate agent.
The Bernards had been married for
about a year. The husband, a grad
uate of Davidson College, Davidson,
N. c., where he won athletic and scho-
lastic honors, was the son Of Prof.
D. Meade Bernard, ST., principal of .
Jacksonville, Fla, school and part
owner of a large boys camp, Camp
Carolina, near Brevard, N. c.
Until recently young Bernard spent
most of his Summers at his fathers
camp. In addition to his father, he
Is survived by two brothers and
sister.
Mrs. Bernard, the daughter Of
Thomas L. Mulheirn, retired oil COM
par1y executive, of Norman, Okla,
was q ling,list of considerable note
and widely travelled.
Funeral arrangements have not been
completed. Coroner Macdonald said
he expected to issue certificates Of
accidental death.
Miss Glass, the daughter of the
former William Glass Of Winchester,
Va, is employed N the ONCE Of Robert
Fechner, director Of the Emergency
Conservation Corps.
Friends reported her injury to the
office of Senator Harry F. Byrd Of
Virginia, who knew the girl and her
family. Her mother came here from
Winchester to be with her at Emer-
gency Hospital.