Evening Star Newspaper, September 11, 1921, Page 1

WEATHER. Unietted today, follgwed by show- ers tonight and Monday; somewhat lower temperatiire tamorrow. Temperature for twenty-two hours ending at 10 o'clock last night—High- est, 82; lowest, 70. x Full report on Page 5. No. 859.—No. 28259, Entered as second-class matter post office Washington, D. G FLOOD DEATH TOLL, 250; 136 BODIES TAKEN FROM | 'DEBRIS IN SAN ANTONIO Work of Hunting for Killed in San Antonio Made Difficult By Continued Swollen Streams. Many Victims Believed Under Debris. HOUSES PILED ON EACH OTHER BY WATER; DEAD ANIMALS LINE BANKS OF STREAMS Stories of Thrilling Rescues Told With Tales of Tragedies—Or- ganized Relief Committee Caring for Sufferers. Thousands of Mexicans Homeless. Ty the Associated Press. SAN ANTONIO, Tex., September 10—With the known list of dead standing at thirty-six this afternoon, police officials still believe an esti- mate of two hundred and fifty lives lost as a result of the disastrous flood which struck this city early Saturday merning to be a conservative one. No attempt has been made to estimate the property damage, but it is certain to run into millions of dollars. Because of the continued swollen'condition of the three streams which caused the flood, the work of recovering bodies is progressing slowly. Great piles of driftwood which have lodged in trees and against bridges, when rémoved, it is feared, will reveal additional dead. Many bodies also are believed to have floated down stream and may never be accounted for. Relief work and sanitary precautions are well under way. A thoroughly organized relief committee has begun caring for flood vic- tims and health officers are engaged in a rigid clean-up of the city. HOUSES PILED ONE UPON ANOTHER. Reports coming from outlying sections confirm the fear .that the flood is the worst in the city's history. Streets in some instances have Been swept clean—almost their entire length. Houses in the southern portion of the city were lifted from their foundations and piled one upon another, or in some cases driven entirely through adjoining buildings. Dead animals line the banks of the streams. E The flood waters from the San Antonio river and from Alazan creek 1 and small tributaries inundated an area approximately two milés long by one-half mile wide, including the heart of the businesg section and a portion of the residence section along River avenue and adjacent streets, as well as the thickly populated west side, where today thousands of Mexicans are homeless and the dead not yet counted. % Such structures as the Brady building, Wolff and Marx department stores, Stowers. St. Mary's Church and school buildings, the St. Antbpnf Hotel, the Elks Club, formerly the Travis Club; several hospitafs, the central telephone exchange, the city hall, and police and fire heddquarters and countless other-strictures along the low-lying rive€lvalley were in the pathway of the flood. o . Th::.haeie the things visihie €0 the eye whin day dawned &lowdy, gloomy and threatening. But what T incoerentls. weeping and shet _When the waters reached the business occurred in the blackness oY’ night when scores of men, women and children met death In_the oil- coated waters of the flood, a8 houses collapsed, bridges were swept out, trees and electric light and telephone poles crashed, is-something that will never be known in detail. Count- , less acts of heroism are current, as civillans and soldiers’ braved the current and floating debris to carry women and children to places of safety.. Thousands Are Rescued. Thousands of families along the river were rescued before daybreak by men who worked the long hours, often neck-deep in water, risking their lives almost every minute of that time to save others. And in keeping with such heroic acts were the tragedies. Babies were swept from mother-arms and lost, mothers were carried away and children rescued. Fathers were lost saving little ones, amd today there are widows and orphans in San Anfonio who shudder at the thought of last night. San Antonio was caught without warning. The rain which caused the flood fell after 3 o'clock Friday evening in the hills along the Almos Creek. The electric display accompanying thé storm was the-most vivid ever seen here, as lightning flashed almost continuously and the thunder boomed and reverber- ated through the heavens. While. tor- rents of rain were still falling in the streets of San Antonio and the residents, unable to get out because of tha down- pour, went early to bed, a-foar was heard, subdued but omirious, as the flood waters broke upen the town. Water Strikes With Rush. “It was impossible to stand on your feet against the swift current,” said one man, who escaped from his home before the force of the flood struck. “I got away early as the first waters rose and even then I was compelled to cling to ‘buildings, trees, fences and wreckage to get out. I could not stand upright against the water. When the crest came a few minutes later, I do not be- leve any human being could have with- stood it."” In some parts of the city a wall of water, variously described as ten to thirty feet high, struck with a rush that carried houses from their foundations, swept motor cars away, destroyed con- crete bridges, tore down trees and poles and ripped up the paving In the streets like so many pebbles. “I seized hold of a picket fence,” sald - one youth, “just as the flood struck. The ‘|ning over sidewalks into basements lon they chme ‘with the same raplid swirl . with_which they swept the resi- dence portions. Retreat Before Flood. After the first rush of water when the river and Alasan creek left their banks, it was possible for rescuersto work at the edge of the flood, re- treating steadily backward Iike a bat- tle line ylelding inch by inch before the charge of the enemy. The waters quickly swept up dnd down Houston and Commerce streets for blocks, run- and rising steadily even higher and higher. They quickly made their way from street to street, up alleys, miniature waves slapping against the side of the buildings angrily. Now and then a plece of wreckage was tossed here and there through the streets until it collided with a show window. Then, under a shower of glass, mrolundllt! was seized by the waters and carried out and away while a thick film of crude oil, muddy ooze and gravel spread through the store. Refugees Flee Before Water, . | In the western part of San-Astonio, where flows thé Alazan creek through the thickly populated. Mexican dis- trict, refugees fied before the flood waters. S . ‘The watef, it IS said, rose eight feet | in approximately twenty minutes. It! was not long before the first of the | houses near the creek bed floated from their foundations, and it was a barfage of these that hurled them- selves against the international and Great Northern rallway trestle. By midnight between forty and fifty bouses, from which & few minutes be- fore, men, women and children had {to the Garrison School and the two fled, were being churned fnto a shape- less mass, where they lodged against the railroad bridge. Their tremen- |dous weight soon cracked that struc- ture and a few minutes Jater a sec~ ond trestle broke under the strain. It was between 12 and 1 Saturday morning that the first body, that of tan unidentified woman between forty- five and fifty years, was found lodged in the debris. A rope was placed around the woman’s body and it was hauled upward. * Refugees Huddled Together. The finding of this body led to many rumors of whole families being sWept. away.’ Others told of miraculou capes. Two or three halls'oh El street, where the Mexican colony stages its entertainments, were turned fnto houses of retuge. . The flood vic- tims who lost their-all with the ex- 3 i FALL REPAIRS COST | SCHOOLS $130000 General Program Arranged in District for Balance of Calendar Year. - $225,000 APPROPRIATED .+—_. Remaindet Will Be Uséd During ~ First Half of 1022, if Necessary. ; A general repair program for the Dis- trict public schools for the remainder of calendar year “has _bean| mapped out by District government of- fictals, entailing an bxpenditure ot $130,~ 000. It ineludes the-renovation of heat- ing plants and plumbing fixtures, paint-. ing and caléimiping. 4 A portion of the $130,000 has been spent during the summer in putting the #chool buildings in good condition for the opening on September 19. Booms in & number of buildings have been calci- mined, while some of the schools have received fresh coats of paint on the in- terior and exterior. Repair Appropriation. The appropriation bill for the current fiscal year carried $225,000 for general repair work in the schools. The $130,000 is & part of this. The remaindef will be used, if necessary, it is sald, during the first six months of 1922. Some of the $130,000 already ex- pended has been uséd to pay for the[ removal of the one-room portable | structures from varlous schools. | There were Bix of these portables at the new .John Burroughs' School, at 18th apnd Monroe streets, which was recently completed and which will be opened at the inception of the new term. Four of theseshave been sent others to the Garnet-Patterson group School. - One portable building has been placed at Mott School and an- other at the Monroe. The portables at the Buchanan and John Eaton schools also have been moved to a new location in the vicinity of these buildings in order to make way for the additions to théem, appropriations for which were included in the emer- geney school building program. 78 Portables te Be Used. School officials made it clear last #ight that they will be forced to use again this year the seventy-eight portables which last year took care of the excess pupils in the regular school buildings. They do not plan, however, to have any additional port- ahles built, pointing out they hope to discontinue the use .of these emer- Gency struct: res within the rext sev- eral years. —_— POSTAL CLERKS HELD UP. Fiv® Bandits Rob Office of Two Pouches of Registered Mail. - -LOS ANGELES, September 10.— Four men held up five mail clerks in =) WASHINGTON, D. O, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 11, 1921 n M:Nv%mo ¥ MORE 1ZARDOUS Pirates’ Buried Gold Reported Discovered On Louisiana Coasg | By the Associated Press. NEW ORLEANS, La. ber 10.—Part of the aupposed buried treasure of Jeam Lafitte, the pirate, Bas beem found in the vielnity of Jeferson Island, the honte of the late Joneph Jef- férson, and excitement im that melghborkood is at fever pitch, | mccording to reports from the h Louisiana coast. vidence of the tremsure is furnished by xeveral gold coins of anclent date, which have re- d thelr way into eir- the faland, two of them bearing the date 1754 Ae- cording to the reports, two pots of buried gold were found, but such & furore was caused when the gold appeared that the treastire finders Rave beem siiend on; the disguvers. % - According -t _generally be- M4vel legends and stories hand- {#d Gown from gemeration teo Séneration, large =ums were buried fn this acighborbood by . o preyed wpom guit and river shipping in the sev- | enteenth century. | ’] BAVARIA MENACES GERMAN REPUBLIC Grave Disorders Include Open Refusal to Obey Berlin Mandates. By Cable to The Star and New York Tri Copyright 1001, e TTme: GENEVA, September 10.—Grave disorders are menacing Bavaria and may be the beginning of a movement that will overthrow the German re- public, according to word received here by certain delegates to the league of nations assembly. Bavaria is openly refising to obey the mandates of the Berlin authori- ties. The information available here stows that the Munich leaders are trying to force a crisis in the ne- Botiations now in progress with. Ber- lin and attempt the overthrow.of the republic at the earliest possible mo- ment. 3 Defiance Causes Worry. This deflance to the centrdl gov- ernment is viewed with apprehension in connection with the growth of the monarchist movement that is dev. (Continued on Page 2, Column 6.) BLACK KITTEN HALTS PRESIDENTIAL AUTOS Party Waits for Tiny Pussy to Cross Road—Clear Skies oa - Bun to Atlantic City. By the Associated Press. & PHILADELPHIA, September 10.— President Harding and party, motor- ing from Washington to Atlantic City, N. J., for a few days’ outing, stopped SN “EATRY TOBEHELD INDEATH MYSTERY Virginia Rappe Dies After Be- ing Entertained in Movie _ Actor’s Hotel Room. NO CHARGES ARE MADE Arbuckle Will Be “In Custody” Pending Grand Jury Investigation. By the Ausociated Prees. 1‘.—-113{”6 uuiyg “Arbuckle, motion picture’ actor, is to be “held In cus- i 9L the. po- “the death of following a lics Invelt ni Mis¥ Virginia Rappe, party in Arbuckle’s fooms. at.the St. Francia Hotel herg, Acting Cspt. ;of Detcctives Michael Griith announced today. : “Arbncklé will .net ‘be arrested,” Griffith said, “but-he will be detaine: by us 8ntil the investigation has been concluded I Rave put four detectives 6n the case. I understand that he is doming up here,voluntarily, but he will beé compelléd to remain until the bolice- have finished with him. At present we are not contemplating any charge against him.” Grand Jury to' Imvestigate. The county grand jury is to start an Inyestigdtion at its regular meet- ing on Monday night infc Miss Rappe's death and Arbuckle's interest in ft, Harry Kelly, secretary of the Jury, said today— . “So many women's clubs and pri- interested in the moral welfare of the city have de- manded an investigation that 1 will present their demands to the jury,” Kelly said. “It is our duty to in- vestigate such things, and we will certainly do so. The district attorney, Who is at present out of the city, will be advised of the circumstances~when he returns, and he will handle the matter before the grand-jury.” Dr. M. E. Rumwell, who ‘attended Miss Rappe in the hotel foHowing the party, and Dr. Willigm’ Ophuls, who performed “kn autopsy on her, were called to ‘the coroner's office today to be questioned ‘concerning their knowledge of the case. Umaware of Serious Ilimess. . Arbuckle, In Los Angeles said Miss Rappe came to his apartments to meet a_ friend of his who wished to model some gowns for her. She had “one or two drinks,” he said, after which she became hysterical. Two other women, who were callers at the apartments, he declared, looked after Miss Rappe, after which she was taken to .another. room and placed in the care of a physician. Arbuckle said he had no intimation her illness was serious until informed last night that she was dead. - According to women ‘members ot the -party, Miss Rappe when found ‘was partially consclous. She was placed in a cold bath in an endeavor to reveive her, but.this had no effect and she was taken into an- a substation of the Los Angeles|in Philadelphia tonight for dinher/|other room and put to bed. The house post office early today and escaped with two locked pouches of regis- tred mail. As the bandits were leaving the building a mail truck drove up; the The party arrived at 7:15 after a five- hour ride from Washington and took dinner at a prominent hotel. ‘The. run,from Washington was made under “pleasant skies and was fence was torn away and whei I got out I still had one of the pickets in my hand. I do not know how 1 got out.” Bodies Crushed And Bruised. Large houses were swept about on the flood’s crest as though they were paper boxes. y Some of the bodies taken from the flooded waters and awaiting identifica- tion in the morgues were crushed and bruised as though beaten with a mighty flail. ‘Throughout the darkiness of the night the terrified screamns of women and chil- dren echoed now and then across the flood waters. Men and women sank to their kneés in the mud and water and prayed. Others ran about in a distracted mapner, seeking relatives aud friends, ception of the scanty raiment worn by them-and possibly a blanket or so, were--huddled -together in groups, speechless almost from the shock and fright that came with the might of terror. : - A little girl got out of the flood with a puppy dog and a huge tom- cat. Even these deadly rivals of the animal kingdom forgot their hatred and soon, with their mistress, were snugly wrapped in a blanket some more fortunate soul had contributed. Automobiles Trapped tn Swirl. In the northeastern part of the city the river left its bnaks about 10:30 o'clock. The water struck across the (Continued on Page'3, Column &) ™ engine backfiring. The men, mistak- | without particular. incident. Occa- ing, the police believe, the back-|slonally the party was recognized by firing for a sun shot, fired several | persons in the road and the President revolver shots at the driver. The bullets went wild, one striking a passer-by. . The bandits esqaped In an zutomo- bile. Postal authorities are checking up to ascertain the value of the stolen mail. i FIVE HURT IN AUTO SMASH. . MIAMI, Fla, September 10.—Five persons were injured, two. probably Tatally, when the automobile of Fire Chief Coleman, speeding-to a small blase: early ' tonight, crashed inth a ‘car containing three oouunty Both cordially acknowledged the greetings. At Bel Air, Md., the motor cars were balted to let a tiny jet-black kitten that was In the middle of the roadway cross. . The arrival .of the presidential party was une: ed"at. the Bellevues Stratford Hotel here. The President and his party left at 9730 p.m., “and crossed the Dela- ware river on a ferry for the .last Ieg of the journey to, tie City. ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., September 11.—President Harding and party ar- rived here at 12:30 o’clock this morn- ‘ing ‘for & stay of several days, | physician was called and’ later she was taken to the sanitorium: where she died. vl + Arbuckle” arrived in Ban’ Francisco |- tonight and went to the hall of justice, where he was closeted with detectivas. FINDS HIMSELF GUILTY. | TAMPA, Fla., Sepiember 10.—Julian L. Hasard, county: judge.of Hillsbor- ough county, arrested. by a. motor cycle policeman, who charged -that he had operated an automobile. with- out. proper license, as bound himselt over to the criminal court for trial - Judge Hasard held-a peremptory hearing, found ‘himself guilty . es chargéd, bound himself over to the criminal court then ordered that he.- be released from custody on his own HUGE PARADES FOR REDUCING OF ARMS| Nation-Wide Demonstration to Take Place as Confer- ence Convenes Here. PURPOSE TO BACK STEPS 1 BY U. S. GOVERNMENT A. F. of L. Authorizes Preparations for Show of Sentiment of Wogk<™ ers on Armistice Dny.” z -~ - Plans for a nation,pfde demonstra- tion Armistice day-iinder the leader- ship of organized labor “In support of the purpose~“underlying the inter- national p6fiterence on the limitation of ;z::fienu" were annouriced today at quarters of the American Fed- pration of Labor. Central unigns in every community have been asked to orgénize parades and mass meetings on that day—when the international conference begins its deliberations. “It Is planned,” the announcement said, “to unite all civic bodies, trade union auxiliaries, women's trade union leagues, educational organiza- tions, women's clubs and, in fact, all organizations interested in civic af- fairs and of a progressive character, in the great effort.” A The purpose of the demonstration, as expressed in the communications sent by President Gompers to the cen- tral unions, fs “backing up our gov- ernment in its leadership toward dis- armament and giving courage and determination to the American rep- resentatives in the international com- mission.” Censidered for Seme Time. The plan to signalize Armistice day and the opening of the arms limita- tion conference with a series of dem- onstrations in which it is hoped by federation officials that every city, town and community in the country Fountain Bathing Furnishes Sport For Children Here Fountain bathing in the public parks is the latest outdoor spert of Washington chiliren. When the superintendent of public buildings and grounds turned water into the park fountains recently for the first time in several summers, boys and girls of Bloomingdale wee- tion hit upon the bright idea of taking a dip without jourmey- ing all the way/ te’ Petomac Park. ; Yesteridny aftersoon a’ score or more of chiiren i bathing Pt lashing in the fou North Capitol atreet and Figfida avenue. In the ofiee of public byfliings and gromnds devel- ASped the fact that me steps would be taken to prevemt the kiddies from wading in the fountains. G 124 DROWN IN RIVER ASFOOTWAY FALLS; 15 OTHERS MISSING Neighborhood Folk, Watching i $230,000 FIRE LOSS; IALEXANDRIA WATER FRONT THREATENED Virginia Shipbuilding Corpo- ration Swept by Flames. Ice Company Damaged. BELIEVED INCENDIARY; THREE SEPARATE BLAZES Houseboat Burns—Sky Illuminated for Hours—Washington’s Fire- fighter Gives Valuable Aid. Three fires, believed by officials of | the fire department to have been the work of incendiaries, threatened the | entire water front of Alexandria for more than two hours last night and caused damage estimated at approx- imately $250,000. The most serious blaze started at 7:49 o’clock in the large storage ware- house of the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation. Damage at this plant was estimated at approximately $200.- 000. The second blaze was at the frame warehouse of the Mutual Ice Company, in which was stored several thousand dollars’ worth of cotton, the Search for Drowned Lad, Die at Chester, Pa. By the Associated Press. CHESTER, Ps September 10. ‘Twenty-four persons are known to be dead, nearly as many injured, and a number of bodies are belleved to be at the bottom of Chester river here property of the United States gov- {ernment. This fire started exactly one {hour after the first. Damage here | was estimated at about $50,000. During the progress of the ice jcompany warehouse fire, a third less |serious blaze started on a houseboa: lanchored off the river front above the plant of the Old Dominicn Cempany. Damage probably < fixed at iess thzn $1,000. as the result of the collapse of part of a footway on the 3d street bridge over that stream tonight. No one knows the number of unrecovered dead, and estimates run as high as fifteen. Work of searching the river bottom procpeded tonight under the glare of powerful searchlights requi- sitioned from nearby shipyards. Thé drowring of s-small boy, Gus He will be represented, has been under | APOStelos, led to the disster. {consideration at headquarters for | N2d been playiug on the bank of the {three weeks or more. Authority for | FiVer With a little girl playmate and itaking the initiative was granted by | 21iPPed into the watér and sank be- the federation's executive council ang | °7¢ Belp could reach him. While Stgestions s to-waysand mesvs for Ppromoting successful demonstrations | have beén forwarded to the central) unien, as As data 83 to the cost of a¢mam War and thd division of thxes bejw: armament ind edu- cational deyelpmetit. ™ The plan #Ven :goes ‘beyond the Armistice ddy. demonstration, the an- nouncement sald, and looks to_con-|swimmers were unable fo break the tinuing thé movement in such fash- | grasp of those who could mot remain ion “as to bring to the support of the |afloat and were dragged to the bot- Ginternatiopal) conference a con- |tom of the river. Others were crush- stant expreasion’ of American public |ed in the collapsing of the section of opinion” during the deliberations in|the footpath and went down without Washington. A-memiorial to- the in- |& struggle. The scene of the acci- police grappled for the body a crowd Bathitred “'on thé Tobtway. Dart’ of which collapsed. Without a moment’s notice nearly a hundred men, women and childrén, Mg bi ‘thie helghibor- hood, were thrown into the water, twenty feet below. . Terrible Strugsle in Water. There was a terrible struggle. Good ternational ‘gathering, urging reduc- |dent is in the business section of the ! tion of armament and the settlement | city and rescuers were prompt in of ‘International disputes without re- sort to arms, will be forwarded by the federation for adoption by each Armistice day mass meeting. Disarmament Is Slogan. ““The time has come to disarm’ is the alogan,” said President Gompers' letter to the central unions. “The hour has struck to make good our | faith in democracy, to bring success to the great constructive movement in which labor has ever been the leader. “Let this be America’s greatest demonstration, America’s greatest mandate, America's greatest pledge of faith for the peace of the world.” Attention was called to an article by Mr: Gompers, in the current is- sué of the federation journal, say- ing that disarmament now was pos- sible for “practical reasons,” while sentimenital reasons had existed al- ways. But the necessity of “protect- ing democracy against the constant threatened menace of autocracy and militarism,” Mr. Gompers added, “al- ways had stood in the way.” “The great militarist autocracies have perished,” he-added. “Self-gov- ernment has been gained for practi- cally the whole civilized world. That fact, more than any other, makes Qis- armament possible today.” Plazs to Assemble Committee. In connection with ‘the disarma- ment demonstrations, it was stated, Mr. Gompers plans assembling an advisory committee of life,” the personnel of which will be announced soon. The object of the committeo, as stated in the an- nouncement, will b8 to aid in obtain- ing “full expression of the disarma- ment sentiment of the country.” and | (Continued on Page 2, Column 2.) “composed of leading men and women in all walks saving many of those who fell into the water. The bridge was of steel construc- tion of an old-fashioned type. The footpath was built along its side, and, according to residents of Chester, it had been condemned three times. The footpath was supported by a steel girder, which buckled and opemed a large hole in the wooden path, through which the unfortunate peo- ple fell. There were frantic screams at the morgue, where the recovered bodies were taken. The place was stormed by persons seeking relatives and friends. The scene recalled that of April, 1917, when more than 125 per- Sons lost their lives in an explosion at a ammunition plant, at Eddystone, near here. Twenty Bedies Recovered. An hour and a half after the col- lapse more than twenty bodies had been removed to the morgue. At that time there were seven seriously in- jured persons in the Chester Hos- pital. EN. White, the coroner, was on the scene shortly after - the collapse of the bridge. The accident happened just as the tide was at ebb. Rescuers realized that it soon would flow out and pos- sibly carry bodies into the Delaware river, so fire department ladders were stuck Into the water to form a streen and prevent any bodies in the river from going out with the tide. Fishing nets also were used for this purpose. James Emerbe. of Chéster was standing near the bridge when the accident occurred. He dragged-twen- ty-three men, women and children from the water. Nine of them upon examination were found to be dead. The child that. was drowned had {Continued on Page 2, Column 3.) TRAINING SCHOOL FOR SLEUTHS WILL BE OPENED BY GOVERNMENT {Establishment of a training school for government sleuths in New York .was announced last night by Attorney General Dgugh- erty as o part of the reorganiza- tion of the-bureau of investigation . of the Department of Justice, now being effested. © . . All’ Justice Department agents now il the service and all to be appointed, Mr. ' Daugherty said, will be sent to the school for in- structions. “It is hoped,” he add- ed, “that through this school per- sonnel of in tors may be.ob- recognisance, declaring.he felt rea-| tained which will:rank favorably, sonably certain he would be present| 1if zpass, agencies of & simi- in court .when:his case-was called. Wmmmn\-vwfld and will perform a signal service to the public at large in the en- forcement of law and order.” ‘The course will include various phases of investigation work, to- gether with presentation of the rights of American citizens and residents of the "United States. ‘Thé Jaw of arrést, the rudiments of evidence and the proper meth- ods to be followed in preparing cases for progecution will also “be subjects of study. “The agents will be impressed,” Mr. Da stated, “with the necessity of ‘extending to the pub- lic a courteous ‘and considerate attitude In the performarics of their " duties a8 offioprs:of the law.” Fire Departmeat Taxed. Every piece of apparatus of th: {Alexandria fire department was |rushed to the shipyara and put the | blaze under control after an hour of !oupc.-nu fire fighting. The ware- house, which was seduced to a | smoldering mass of twisted steel, trick and debris, housed wvalvable equipment for use on the 9,400-ton £teel freighter, Georgie M. Morse, which wax anchored less than a hun- dred yarés from the burning build- |ing. The flames did not reach the ship. uplly every item of general out- fitting for a steel freighter, together with numerous tools; was housed in the shipyard warehouse, and practi- cally the etitire contents of 'the build- ing was demolished. The building was @ one-story brick and steel structure 125 feet in length by 100 feet in width and 25 feet in height. It was flanked on one side by a fabricat- ing plant now used by & coal-substi- tute factory, which was not damaged. 'On another side was the tool shop. copper shop and paint shop of the shipyard, none of which suffered ma- terial damage. Thousands Attracted. The fire blazed up suddeniy. Within ten minutes after the first alarm had sounded, the sky was red from the flames and thousands of Alexandrians were -hurrying through the streets to the scene. Approximately five thoysand persons witnessed the blaze. Three streams from the Alexandpia fire department were thrown on the fire after it had gained considerable headway and six streams from the shipbuilding company’s water system were shortly afterward sprayed on the blaze, pumped from artesian wells. g The electric plant of the shipyard was put into operation as soon as possible and arc lights illuminating through the grounds aided the fire- men considerably. The Firefighter from the Washington fire depar ment's dock, arrived at about 8 The stream from its water-cannon, however, failed to reach the burning building, but did effectual work in preventing the spread of the fire tp adjolning structures. o Shortly after the shipyard blaze was placed under control, word came that the Mutual Ice Company’s ware- house, approximately 2 mile north on the river front, was in flames. Fire Chief ‘E. J. McDermott of Alexan- dria, requested fire officers of the ‘Washington tug to proceed there. The Firefighter arrived at 9:15, at which time the warehouse had been reduced to a red-hot ash heap, but in this case also the tug aided in preventing the spread of flames. Surzounding Stryctures Saved. The second fire had started as sud- denly ‘as did the first. Before appara- tus had arrived, tongues of flames were licking their way through the roof and efforts of the firemen were centered upon savink surrounding structures. The lumber warehouse, offices and yard of W. A. Smoot & Co. were situated within fifty 'ds of the blaze, directly adjoining e burning warehouse. Fortunately perverse wind currents did not ham- per the firemen or allow the blaze to spread. On’ the south of the ware- bouse was the large brick plant of the ice company. Across the street from , the ice plant is located the $3,000,000 Alexandria Naval Torpedo Station. Directly across the street from the fire was the wholesale gro- cery firm of Charles King & Som, Inc., the stables of which establish- ment were threatened. ‘The warehouse was approximately 100 feét in length by 50 feet in width and was 80 feet high. The forward part was used as a government warehouse for the storage of a large quantity of cotton and other highly inflammable material In the rear portion of the structure a . quantity of straw was atored, belonging . o the Mutual Ice Company. Virtuaily all_of_the ‘contents of the bullding wers. ued E 1)