Evening star., 1940-03-25
Inquiries Open
In Fires Costinq
Two Lives
Three Other Persons
Injured in BIozes in
D. c. and Maryland

Investigations are under way to-
day into fires which took two lives
In the District over the week end.
Joseph M. Hickman, 40, of 5618
Conduit road NV, became the Sec
ond victim Of fire early yesterday
when he perished in his smoke filled
room at that address.
Another person was injured in this
fire. which was discovered about
$3.50 am He is Wayne F. Pope, q,
in Emergency Hospital with a frac-
tured ankle, received. when he
jumped from second floor window.
The men were roomers in the
house, which is owned by William B.
Topping. Both lived on the second
floor, where the fire started. Mr..
Hickman apparently was suffocated
His wife, Mrs. Ruth R. Hickman, was
away at the time, spending the week
end with friends.
Fire Marshal Orders Inquiry.
The fire marshal ordered an in
vestigation of the blaze which caused
damages of several thousand dollars.
Coroner A.. Magruder Macdonald is
sued certificate of accidental death
IN the case.
DR.. Macdonald, however, still was
investigating the other fire death.
He ordered an autopsy on the body
of Henry Breakison, 20, taxi driver,
who was found dead after fire
Saturday afternoon at 1910 Calvert
street NV.
Mr.. Breakisons body was found in
the stairs, but the coroner was not
able to determine Immediately
whether he had died from suffoca-
tion or from heart attack. In this
fire. 3-year-old Johnny Freeman was
rescued by two roomers in the house,
who tossed the child out of
window.
Washington fire fighters spent an
active time again this morning re-
spending to Is fire alarms between
am. and noon.
A fire in the rear of a house in
the 400 block of M street NV.
wrecked part of two-story brick
storehouse and garage containing
truck, old clothes and furniture.
Firemen were not certain how the
fire started.
Two of the alarms this morning
were for fires in automobiles. sew
eral more for brush fires and the
rest for fires in homes
Man in Critical Condition.
PnlnrnH
condition in Gallinger Hospital with
burns received from a fire in his
room at 1920 Seventeenth street
NV. He is Daniel McAuliffe, So.
His bed caught fire from a Gig
arctic yesterday.
F. Byrne Austin, secretary to Rep
resentive Byron of Maryland, was
burned attempting to extinguish
fire in his home at 257 Maple ave-
nue., Takoma Park, Md, one of sew
eral fires in nearby Maryland.
Awakened by smoke, Mr. Aus
tin discovered chair in the living
room downstairs ablaze The fire
apparently started from short cir
cult in electric wiring. Mrs. Austin
escaped through a window with the
two children, Nancy, 6. and Muriel,
aged 6 months. In his efforts to
get the blazing chair through the
front door. Mr.. Austin suffered
painful burns on both hands. The
Takoma Park Fire Department gave
him first aid.
Clephane Home Burns.
A blaze broke out in the upper
part of the home Of Walter C.
Clephane, Washington attorney and
civic leader, at 5000 Connecticut
avenue, Chevy Chase, Md, yester-
day afternoon. A passerby rang the
front doorbell and notified Miss
Beatrice Clephane, former presi-
dent OF the Women's Bar Associ-
alton. Neighbors and members of
the family succeeded in removing
most of large law library from the
house. Apparatus from the District
was summoned to aid firemen from
Chevy Chase and Bethesda.
The fire broke out about 3 pm.
while mcst of the men from the
Chevy Chase department were aid
ing the Kensingtotn and Rockville
departments in fighting a stubborn
brush fire which burned over the
Strait estate, including tract re-
Gently acquired by the Maryland
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission as part of Rock Creek
Park. A high wind prevented more
than score of firemen from con-
trolling the brush fire before it had
run from the Rockville pike to Con-
nectlcut avenue south of Garrett
Park road, an area of between $50
and 200 acres.