Evening star., 1941-02-04
Fire DESTROYS
St. Elizabeth
Recreation Hall
Another Night
Blaze Damages
Bowling Alleys

Firemen battled two serious blazes
early today as a fouralarm fire
completely destroyed frame recre-
alton building at st. EliZabeth's
Hospital, spreading to an adjacent
building before it was eXtinguiShed,
and a two-alarm fire damaged
bowling alley and storage company
at 4618 Fourteenth street NV.
No one was reported injured at
either of the fires, but damage
caused by the razing of the hos
pitfalls Red Cross Recreation Build
ing was estimated at more than
$4,000. The burning structure at
tracted hundreds of spectators.
Cause of the fire was not deter
mined.
Called to the hospital grounds
empty Red Cross Recreation Build
ing af1ame, with the strong wind
blowing sparks TO adjacent buildings.
200 Patients Moved.
Hospital attaches quickly moved
about 200 men patients from their
quarters in the Home Building near
the burning structure to the Relief
Building. AS sparks and smoke
blew about, 90 woman patients in
IL" Building, downWind from the
fire, were required TO dress, but
later were permitted to go back to
bed without being transferred. DR..
Winfred Overholser, superintend~
ent, said the hospitals more than
$500 patients became restless dur
ing the fire, but maintained perfect
order
The fire in the Red Cross Building
was discovered almost simultane-
ously, DR.. OverholSer said, by DR..
Addison M Duvan, senior medical
officer at the hospital, who was
just going off duty, and by a mes
senger boy entering the grounds. An
alarm was turned in, and within
few minutes three more alarms
brought more than 80 pieces of fire
fighting equipment to the scene.
Flames shooting up from the two
story frame building spread to the
wooden doors and the caves OF
adjacent Hitchcock Hall, another
recreation building housing large
auditorium. Firemen poured heavy
streams of water on the latter
structure, however, and extinguished
the flames Damage to the hall was
estimated at more than $1,000.
Spectators Tangle Traffic.
Miss Margaret Hagan, director of
the Red Cross recreation hall, SAID
the building was closed about 6
pm. No one was in it, or Hitchcock
Hall after that time, hospital at
taches said. Miss Hagan said the
Red Cross Building was built dur
ing the World War and was the
recreation center for the hospitals
patients In the structure was equip
ment and many files, she said.
The glow from the burning build
ing attracted hundreds of motorists
| and spectators on foot, causing a
serious traffic tangle on Nichols
avenue Sc. before police cleared
the street. AS precautionary
measure, spectators we're prohibited
from entering the hospital grounds.
The District Fire Board reported
its switchboard jammed with calls
from people inquiring about the fire,
considerably hindering the opera
ton of the board as a clearing unit
for alarms, Fire Department Off
cials said.
Bowling Alleys Damaged.
For nearly three hours firemen
fought a stubborn blaze at 4618
Fourteenth street NV, which con-
siderably damaged the Rendezvous
Bowling Alleys located in the sec
ond-f1oor front of a two-story
building which also houses the
Acme Moving & Storage Co.
Fire damage was confined to the
bowling alleys, firemen said, where
the pin pits were burned out, the
wooden alleys damaged by water
and walls and equipment SCARED by
the flames Storage company Off
cials said their part of the building,
which includes the first floor, and
the rear of the second floor, was not
burned, but was damaged to some
extent by water.
The alarm was turned in shortly
after am. Cause of the fire wGS
not Immediately determined, and no
estimate of the amount of damage
was available.
E. H. Altemus, fireman ATTACHED
to No. % Engine Company, was C,
by glass yesterday while fighting
fire in a bedroom at 1ll4 Twen
third street NV. He was treat
at Emergency Hospital. Esther NJ
ties, only occupant of the house
the time of the fire, was not injurc
police reported.
A 29-year-old colored man w
treated for first and second degr
burns at Gallinger Hospital ear
today after an oil stove caught #.
on the second floor of his home {.
1908 Third street S.W. The hospital
said the man, William Boyd, later
returned to his home where his
condition was described as not Sc
riouS.