Evening star., 1945-01-12

Soldiers Rescue Effort
Foils at SuitIond;;
FumiIies Homeless
-Four fires In the Metropolitan
Area In less than a hours resulted
In the death Of a 4-year-old boy, left
several families homeless and caused
extensive property damage.
The child was burned to death
late yesterday when q $4,000 fire
swept four-unit apartment build
Ing IN the Governments Carry
Houses development at Suitland.
Md. Three families were left with
out homes by the blaze, which was
started by small children playing
with matches.
In another fire this morning, nine
women and children were driven to
the street and a quantity Of cloth
Ing was burned when a building at
40 II street NE, housing q branch
ONCE OF the Howard Cleaners and
Launderers, was destroyed.
Ten Escape Injury.
A family Of 10 escaped injury at
Silver Hill, Md, this morning when
the combination frame storehouse
and dwelling in which they lived on
the property Of the District Sand Il
Gravel Co. was leyeled by flames.
An overheated furnace in an
ONCE building at 901 G street NV.
last night caused a fire In the
Jewelry store owned by Moses
Wurtzburger. Smoke swept through
the rest Of the building, but the
flames were confined to the store.
The boy killed in the Suitland
fire was Milton Adison "Teedie"
Barham, jr., son of Seaman (first
class and Mrs. Milton A. Barham.
1926 Spring street. The child and
. sister, Sandra, 2, had been left in
care of neighbof, Pvt. Lawrence E.
Glorius. 4316 Spring street, while
Mrs. Barham accompanied Mrs.
Glorius to the Camp Springs (MdO
Army Air Base Hospital.
Pvt. Glorius, home on a seyen-
day furlough, suffered a shoulder
burn and cuts in q vain attempt
TO rescue the child. He said his own
children, Walter, S, and Lawrence.
3. had gone to the Barham apart
ment to play. Both Glorius bows
said the children had been playing
WIN matches and that a living
room chair had ignited.
Heard NeiEhbor Scream.
When he heard neighbor scream.
Fire" Pvt. Glorius rushed out of
his own home and saw the adjoin-
ing building in flames. He found
the front door locked. He rushed
around to the kitchen door and
Tried to enter, but was driven back
Dy the smoke and heat. He cut
his shoulder when he broke a bed
room window in an attempt to
enter the house.
Three of the children ran safely
out of the blazing building. The
body OF the Barham boy was found
later in the bathroom. The Prince
Georges County Chapter of the Red
Gross today sent q message to the
father Of the child, who is some-
where in the Pacific.
More than dozen fire engine
companies fought the blaze, and $50
enlisted men Of the Navy's Hydro
graphic Office nearby were sent to
the scene to assist In saving life in
case the fire spread to other build
lngS In the development.
Left homeless by the fire were
Mrs. Barham and her three other
children, Barbara, 10, and Harry, 8.
VINO were at school when the fire
broke out, and Sandra, and Mrs.
Barham's sister, Doris Erwin, IA.
who was at the Surrattsville High
School in Clinton.
Also Mr.. and Mrs. John G. Gates
1928 Spring street, and their four
children, Robert, Is; James, 6: Iris.
4, and William, 2. Visiting the Gates
was Mrs. Evelyn Bryan, Buis Greek,
N. G. Mr.. and Mrs. Samuel Gam
nett, 1921 Spring street, and their
three children, Albert, s; Diane, 4,
and Paul, 2. The fourth unit In the
apartment was vacant.
No one was injured in the two
alarm fire at 40 H street NE. but
the three-story building was vir-
tually destroyed.
Mrs. Daisy Cooke occupied the
rear part of the first floor with her
three children, Ronald, 10; joyce
Jean, 8, and Thurlie Dan, IT,. 10
months. Her sister-in-law, Mrs.
Dorothy Cooke, ~, also lived with
the family.
Driven Into Street,
-Four women in the building next
door, at 4l8 n street NE, were
driven to the street by smoke. They
were Miss Betty Hams, IS; Mrs.
Dorothy Jarvis, 23; Mrs. Blanche
Thompson, "A, and Mrs. Helen
Helms.
Mrs. Julia Lind, %, Of s24 I street
NE, manager of the cleaning es-
tablishment, said four or five racks
OF finished clothes and several bum
dies Of clothes that had not yet
been cleaned were destroyed.
In the Silver Hill fire, John South
ard, an employe of the sand and
gravel company, his wife and eight
children lost their home in the blaze.
Other employees Of the company
helped the Southards save their
children.
Company officials estimated DAM
age ut $4,000. Five volunteer fire de-
partments were summoned to fight
the fire.
Lack Of Help Curbs