Evening star., 1943-04-05
I Die in Fires
At3Honles in
Capital Area
Victims Include ;
Children, Woman
And ; Men

Seven persons. all colored, were
dead this afternoon as result of
fires in three homes here and IN
nearby Maryland in IL hours.
Thomas Herbert, 66, colored, died
this afternoon at Emergency Hos
pital of burns received early today
in a rooming house fire which re-
suited in the death of a 60-year-old
man and his son, 81.
Isom de Graffeniedt and his son
Carl burned to death when fire
swept the three-story brick building
at 1888 Nineteenth street NV.
Trapped on the third floor. they
were found in their rooms by the
fire rescue squad. They we're pro-
nounced dead by Deputy Coroner
Richard Rosenberg.
Woman, 80, Dies in Hospital.
In second fatal fire here today.
Mary Nelson, 80, of TIA Eleventh
street NE. died at Casualty Hos
pital. Police said she received burns
when she poured kerosene on a
wood fire in her home.
The death in Freedmen's Hos
pital late today of Evelyn Gray. 13,
brought to three the death toll in
fire in a tWo-story dwelling at
Pisgah. Md, yesterday afternoon.
The girls two sisters. Mary Anne
and Dolores. both 4, were burned to
death following an explosion.
Charles County police said the older
child poured kerosene on an open
fire in the Gray home.
Several other colored tenants Of
the Nineteenth street building were
injured when they leaped to safety
from the blazing structure.
Twenty persons were living in
the building. Chief Stephen Porter
of the Fire Department reported
after an investigation
There we're no fire escapes. al
though four persons were quartered
on the second floor and eight on the
third Chief Porter said. He pointed
out this was in violation of the
District law that requires all ROOM
ing houses where nine persons live
above the first floor to be equipped
with fire escapes or stairways with
special escape doors.
Rejection Of Application Reported.
The fire chief said an application
to operate the building as rooming
house. made in February, was re-
jected on recommendation of his
office because of the lack of proper
fire exits He said he did not know
on whose authority the rooming
house was being operated"
Chairman McCarran of the Senate
District Committee charged failure
! of authorities to take action on the
fire escape situation here is "one
of the old buck-passing problems.
II have continually brought the
safety matter to the attention of the
authorities and yet there Is no &C
ton taken at all. am afraid these
, disasters-and they are serious dis
asters-will one of these days be
capped by a major disaster Sem
ator McCarran said.
Conference Called.
The Senator will confer tomor-
row with officials of the War Pro-
duction Board to see if steel can be
| made available for installation of
fire escapes in buildings not now
! complying with the law. This con-
ference was arranged last week. fol-
lowing hearing by the Senate Dis
trict Committee on the question Of
fire safeguards.
Meanwhile, the Commissioners
today called on various inspection
services of the District government
for reports on conditions at the
Nineteenth street address.
Others injured were Robert Noun
tain. 33. who received sprained
ankle when he jumped from a sec
ond-story window John Powell, 60,
who sprained his ankle in a leap
from the third floor to the roof of
an adjoining building. and Russell
Clipper, %, who cut his hand
smashing window to escape. The
two with sprained ankles were treat
ed at Emergency Hospital, but later
released.
Defective Stove Blamed.
The fire. believed to have been
caused by defective oil stove in a
f1rst-floor front room. resulted in
heavy property damage.
In another fire early today. two
families were driven from their
apartments at 1850 P street NV.
The blaze started in a first-f1oor
storeroom, according to firemen,
who said damage was slight.
A waste paper storehouse at 1914
lexington place NE, belonging to
the Penn Paper & Stock Co., caught
fire early today for the second time
in month. The blaze. of undeter-
mined origin, kept firemen busy for
nearly three hours. A fire on
March II destroyed a large guam
tity of paper stock.
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