Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-08-24

surgeon brought ana my WOuIluS
dressed Immediately After a few
minutes conversation, the general
informed me latter paying me a
handsome compliment) that was
paroled."
Sewell Home Destroyed.
One of the homes destroyed was
that of Robert Sewell, then near
the northwest corner of Maryland
avenue and Second street NE. This
was done in retaliation for the
killing of two British soldiers and
the horse on which Gen. Ross was
riding as he entered the city by
some persons concealed in this
dwelling.
The office of the National Intel
ligencer and Daniel CAROLS hotel,
two houses erected by Gen. George
Washington on North Capitol street
between B and C streets NV,
were other properties destroyed.
The total value of property de-
stroyed was then estimated at ST.
100000, which today, no doubt,
would amount to 10 times as
much. This, of course, has no
reference to the Capitol nc. to the
Congressional Library, for there is
always something here which can
not be replaced: and added to this
the many public documents de-
stroyed, the actual loss was a STU
pendous one.
OF this, President Madison later
said in his message: They wan
tonly destroyed the public edifices,
having no relation in their struc-
ture to operation of war. nor used
at the time for military annoyance.
Some of these edifices were also
costly monuments of taste and Of
the arts, and others repositories of
the public archives, not only pre-
cious to the Nation as the me-
MORALS of its origin and its early
transactions. but interesting to all
nations as contributions to the gen.
eral stock of historical instruction
and political science"
The only public building to escape
the torch, by Gen. Ross order, was
the Blodgett Hotel building, located
on the north side of E street be-
tween Seventh and Eighth streets,
and this was spared through the
earnest plea of DR.. william Thorn
ton who explained that the destruc-
ton of the contents of the building,
which included patent models,
would be a world loss. The present
building on this site was built for
the Post ONCE Department.
A peculiar coincidence in connec-
ton with this, the greatest of all
Washington confagrations, occur
red when the British were on their
way to destroy the powder maya
zine down near where the Army
War College now stands. When
they arrived there they found the
magazine empty, the powder having
been taken out the day before and
thrown into a dry we'll. One of the
British soldiers, naturally unaware
of this fact, threw a lighted match
into the well and most terrific
explosion was the result. The Of
ficers present and about 80 men
were killed outright, while some At
others were horribly wounded.
In April, 1918, a little more than
one year prior to this incident,
when Brig. Gen. Pike of the Ameri-
can Army was engaged in burning
Toronto, Canada, a quite similar
accident occurred.
In our own case, except for the
bare walls, the Capitol and the
White House were a total loss. At
the latter Mrs. Madison, being adj
vised by messenger of the Presi-
dent, made preparation for a hasty
departure. She gathered together
what articles of value she could
conveniently carry along. These
included the original Declaration of
Independence, later to be saved
from the Patent Office fire, and the
full length portrait of George
Washington.