Washington News j Hflg WtiZYLWX f&f
"_^ V > WITH SUNDAY HORNING EDITION
_WASHINGTON, U. C., MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1937. **** PAGE B_1
ONE DEAD, 20 HURT
IN TRAFFIC USED
Second Snow in Two Days
Increases Hazards of
Driving.
GEORGE W. GIBBONS, 21,
DIES IN SKIDDING CRASH
Four Injured in Collision of Autos
at Branchville, Md.—Ber
wyn Man’s Leg Broken.
Winter returned to the Washington
area over the week end with a blanket
of snow and ice that contributed to a
large number of traffic accidents In
G. W. Gibbons.
which one per
son was killed
and a score were
injured, three se
riously.
The snow turn
ed into slush and
then ice as the
mercury dropped
below freezing.
A minimum tem
p e r a ture of 28
degrees between 2
and 4 am. today
was followed by
another snowfall
that made driv
ing still more
hazardous.
The only traffic fatality reported
yesterday was George Warner Gib
bons, 21, of 501 Twelfth street north
east. He was killed when his auto
mobile skidded from Crystal Springs
avenue into Central avenue in Capitol
Heights, Md., and crashed into a tele
phone pole. He died en route to Casu
alty Hospital.
Charles Larsen, 22, of 1445 East
Capitol street, his companion, was in
jured seriously, suffering a possible
fractured skull and internal injuries.
He was taken to Casualty.
Four persons were hurt, one seri
ously, when two automobiles collided
„at Branchvllle, Md., at 2:30 a.m. to
day. The injured were Miss Cecelia
Modalski, 23, of 1351 Taylor street,
who was taken to Emergency Hospital
with a possible fractured skull, con
cussion of the brain and other injuries,
described as serious; Orrin Cox, 32,
of 4919 Kansas avenue. Justice De
partment agent, with whom she was
riding; the driver of the other car,
Leroy A. Porter, 6503 Connecticut
avenue, and R. E. Godwin, 1223 Twelfth
street.
Man’s Leg Fractured,
' Struck by an automobile as he
walked on the Baltimore boulevard,
Theodore Armiger, 32, of Berwyn, Md.,
suffered a compound fracture of the
right leg and internal injuries. He
was taken to Freedmen’s Hospital.
Several passengers were given a se
vere shaking up yesterday when a
Capital Transit bus skidded at Ana
costia road and Twenty-seventh street
southeast and broke a telephone pole.
Others injured yesterday and last
night were Robert L. Nezbed, 19, of
Baltimore, University of Maryland stu
dent, who was riding with Rudolph
L. May, 223 Douglas street northeast,
on the Baltimore boulevard near Belts
ville, Md.; Nellie Beyers, 67, of 4621
Connecticut avenue; Maude Callahan,
37, of 2709 Twelfth street northeast
and Milton E Davis, 29, of 803 North
Capitol street, a cab driver, hurt in
a collision at Eleventh and H streets
northeast; Francis Hall, 16, of Bethes
da, Md., knocked down ,y a car in
the 1300 block of H street; Pearl
Carter, 26, colored, 225 Fourth street
southwest, hit by a car near her
home; George W. St. John, 54, of
810 Fifth street, struck by a ma
chine at Ninth street and Mount Ver
non place, and John W. Durham, 45,
colored, 1135 Ninth street, hit by a
car at Ninth street and Rhode Island
avenue.
Driver Under Charge.
Preston E. Collins, 26, of 3224 Wis
consin avenue, operator of the car
that struck St. John, was released
under $500 bond on charges of driving
While Intoxicated.
Police in Washington and vicinity
Were kept busy for 24 hours answer
ing accident calls. Many minor ac
cidents caused by blinding snow and
skidding were reported.
Washington police said the snow
apparently had driven the criminal
element off the streets during the
night. There were only 23 radio
calls between midnight and 8 a.m.
today, and only one page of teletype
messages were reported. Most of
the calls were on account of acci
dents.
The honorary pallbearers at the bur
ial in Arlington National Cemetery are
to be Gen. Prank B. Watson, retired;
Comdr. W. B. Rogers, U. S. N., retired;
Cols. Lewis L. Morey, J. P. Hains, re
tired; A. C. Olmstead, Roy H. Coles
and Charles de F. Chandler, retired,
and Maj. A. N. Lanier, retired.
BAND CONCERTS.
By the Marine Band in the audi
torium at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Capt.
Taylor Branson, leader; William F.
Santelmann, second leader;
Program.
Marines’ Hymn.
6t. Patrick’s day medley.
“Irish Rhapsody”-Herbert
Comet solo, "Killarney”-Balfe
Winfred Kemp.
"Londonderry Air”_Grainger
Euphonium solo, “I’ll Take You
Home Again, Kathleen” Westendorf
Donald Kimball.
(a) "The Mulligan Guard”_Braham
(b) "Harrigan” _Cohan
“The Bells of St. Marys”_Adams
Chimes obbligato by Oliver Zinsmeister.
Fantasy, “Let Erin Remember”. Brase
Trio for vibraphone, harp and
celeste, “Last Rose of Summer.”
Charles Owen, Joshua Tyler and
Luis Guzman.
Humoreske, "Bedella”_Bellstedt
Saxophone quartet, “Crystal Suite,”
Johnston
Aenneth Douse, Frank Wiblitzhouser,
Ted Roth and Felix Eau Claire.
Two songs—
(a) “Mother Machree”__ Ball
(b) “Too-Ra-Loo-La Loo” Shannon
* "The Star Spangled Banner.”
102, He’s Here for Reunion
Civil War Veteran Recalls College Days
in Vermont—Before 1854.
Aaward B. Wilcox (right), 102-year-old Middlehury College
alumnus, shown with his 65-year-old son, Judge E. B. Wilcox of
Puerto Rico. —Star Staff Photo.
BACK to his first alumni re
union 83 years after gradua
tion from Middlebury Col
lege, Vermont, in 1854, Ed
ward W. Wilcox, 102-year-old teacher
and soldier, was looking forward to
the Middlebury dinner at the La Fay
ette Hotel tonight.
Still mentally alert despite his ad
vanced age, Wilcox recalled the "good
old days” at Middlebury, where the
weather was so cold that classes had
to be suspended for a time each Win
ter and the students taught school
around the country side during the
enforced vacation.
The 100 or so students were kept
pretty much in hand by the profes
sors, he said, and they had to put in
a good six hours of work each day in
the "classics” and history. There was
no such thing as a current events
class or present-day extra curricular
activities.
They Froze the Chapel Bell.
“Still we had our fun," the old
Civil War veteran declared. “I still
get a kick thinking of the times we
used to turn the chapel bell upside
down and fill it with water so it would
freeze and then couldn't wake us up in
the morning. We also used to have
a lot of fun taking down and mixing
up the signs from the various enter
prises in the town.”
The only athletic games the aged
alumnus recalled were base ball games.
A youth of 20 when he was grad
uated, Wilcox went South to get
“where it was warm,” and taught
school until the Civil War, when he
joined a North Carolina artillery reg
THEFT SUSPECTS
10 FACE VIC1IMS
20 Prisoners Will Be Lined
Up at Police Head
quarters.
A colored bandit who shot the wife
of a cab driver when she attempted
to call police was reported to have
been Identified today while his com
panion was sought. At the same time
20 other suspected criminals were
rounded up for a mass line-up.
Approximately 150 recent robbery
victims will be summoned to police
headquarters at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
in an effort to identify the suspects.
Prisoners Held.
Among those held are Vincent H.
Samuels, 20, colored, whom, police
say, has confessed 25 robberies total
ing $10,000 In the past year, and two
white men, Charles G. Williamson,
43, of 626 L street southwest, and
Edward Grlner, 36, of 1108 L street,
identified by managers of four Sani
tary grocery stores as the men who
robbed them recently.
Lieut. John H. Fowler, robbery squad
head, announced that James Henry
Collins, 25, of 340 F street southwest
had been identified by the cab driver,
Sylvester Laurell, 17 T street, as one
of two bandits who held him up Tues
day night and made him drive into
Anacostia.
Collins was arrested yesterday and
Laurell was called to headquarters,
where the identification was made,
Fowler said.
Mrs. Laurell, 39, who is recovering
in Sibley Hospital from a wound in
the hip, was shot after the bandits
robbed Laurell of $5.60 and then
forced him to drive to his home.
$600 Taken From Safe.
Using a sledge hammer and several
chisels Yeggmen yesterday broke open
a small safe in Nunnally’s Candy
Shop, 1208 F street and escaped with
$600. The strong box had keen car
ried from the first floor into the base
ment.
Hugh Moses, 330 Fifth street south
east, soda clerk at the store, dis
covered the robbery when he reported
for work at 8:30 a.m. He told police
he found a window broken on the
third floor. The safe was found in
the basement with the tools nearby.
Police said the robbers, apparently
amateurs, must have worked on the
safe for several hours.
Burnt red match sticks, left in two
homes entered yesterday, indicated
another “match” burglar was operat
ing in the city.
Charles D. Coulter, 3424 Thirteenth
street, reported a wrist watch and
a small amount of money missing
after he found his residence ran
sacked. He found several of the
match sticks on the floor.
A heavy-set colored man was fright
ened away from the home of Thomas
C. Leak, 1434 Harvard street, after
having entered through a rear win
dow. Leak said he found several
hatch stems near the open window.
iment. Although he participated in
the artillery bombardment of Ceme
tery Ridge in preparation for Pickett’s
famous charge at Gettysburg, he came
through the conflict unscathed and
was never on the sick list. He was
an eye-witness to the historic fight
between the Monitor and the Mer
rimac and was with Lee at the sur
render at Appomattox.
Family Is Long-Lived.
Still an ardent walker when weather
permits, the old veteran said he has
“no recipe for longevity,” and attrib
uted his long life to “nothing in par
ticular.” He comes from a long-lived
family.
"My father lived into his nineties,”
he said, “and my brother Julius, who
fought for the North while I was with
the South, came also very close to 100.
My wife lived to be 93.”
Wilcox has always enjoyed fine
health and declared he can eat any
thing. He has been ill only twice,
cnce when he had the flu, and another
occasion when ne over-indulged at an
oyster roast with some of the boys.
The day after he suffered his indi
gestion, however, he was up and
dressed and met the doctor at the door.
Cane Presented Him.
On his last birthday the alumni of
the college presented him with a re
production of Gamaliel Painter’s cane.
Painter was a founder of the college
and willed the institution, among other
things, a cane. The tradition is that
if the college wins its major foot ball
game, the president of the school can
use the cane. If it loses, the cane
cannot be used.
After the death of Wilcox's father,
the college took over the old Wilcox
home and made it into a dormitory.
Despite his years and retirement,
the old graduate is much interested
in current events. He hopes the New
Deal will be a success as long as
it’s here, but doesn’t think the Su
preme Court ought to be meddled with.
With him to attend the dinner are his
65-year-old son and daughter-in-law.
Judge and Mrs. E. B. Wilcox of Puerto
Rico.
Limited Divorce
Without Asking
Won by Husband
U. S. Court of Appeals
Rules in Mrs. Pauline
Helvestine Case.
The United States Court of Appeals
held today that a husband was en
titled to a limited divorce even though
he did not ask for it.
This ruling was made In a suit by
Mrs. Pauline Helvestine against Roy
T. Helvestine. Mrs. Helvestine had
asked for a limited divorce, charging
cruelty, drunkenness and desertion.
The husband denied the accusations
and filed a cross bill for an absolute
divorce on grounds of cruelty and In
fidelity.
The trial court held the wife’s
charges were not proved, and that
Helvestine had failed to offer con
vincing evidence that his wife was un
faithful. The court said, however, he
had proved sufficient cruelty to Justify
him In leaving his wife, but because
he asked for an absolute divorce and
“general relief,” he was not entitled
to a limited decree.
In an opinion written by Associate
Justice Charles H. Robb, the appellate
court said Helvestine should have been
granted a limited divorce under his
prayer for general relief.
Under the old divorce law, he would
have been entitled to such a decree,
and the new law was Intended to
liberalize the old statute, the court
stated.
PARROT IS AWAITING
SHIPMENT TO TEXAS
Lorita, Lost and Pound, Is Talk
ing Little, but Eating
Much.
Lorita, the lost and found Spanish
speaking parrot, was talking little
and eating plenty today in the man
ager’s office at the Lee House, while
she awaited shipment to her owner,
Mrs. Alene Niemann, at Dallas, Tex.
Left by Mrs. Nieman in a taxicab at
Union Station last Wednesday, Lorita
was missing -mtil Saturday, when an
unidentified woma^ walked into the
first precinct aad placed the parrot
and her cage on the desk. Mrs. Nie
mann, meanwhile, has gone to Dallas,
Tex.
Instructions for shipping the bird,
in case it was found, were left with
E. J. Gardella, 513 Peabody street.
His return from a trip was awaited
today.
/
s
11
Methods of Dealing With
Labor “Antiquated,” He
Declares.
NEED OF NATIONAL
POLICY HELD OBVIOUS
Industrial Development Council
Told Vast Sums Spent for
Spy System.
Assailing what he termed the “dom
ineering methods” of some American
industrialists, Assistant Secretary of
Labor Edward P. McGrady today caUed
on the leaders of organized labor and
organized industry to "get together”
with the Government and formulate
a national labor policy.
Speaking before the American In
dustrial Development Council, at the
opening session of a two-day confer
ence at the United States Chamber of
Commerce, McGrady declared the old
methods of dealing with labor dis
putes are “antiquated and ineffective.”
“Nothing is more obvious than that
in this modern age, with all of its
modem industrial problems, we must
create a national labor policy,” he
said. “To prevent workers from join
ing organizations of labor of their
own choosing, unsatisfactory sub
stitutes were offered in the form of
company unions. Some industrialists,
feeling that this would not fully meet
the situation, spent vast stuns of
money, as the recent congressional
hearings clearly show, in building
up industrial and plant spy systems,
providing tear and nauseating gas!
revolvers, machine guns, gas masks
and bullet-proof vests.
Way “Nol Civilized.”
“These facts speak for themselves.
This Is not a civilized way of finding
a solution for differences between men
and management. These domineering
methods have not stopped the organi
zation of labor and neither have they
prevented strikes and lockouts. They
have proved their futility. Now that
we have had the proof, the time is
ripe—right now—for the leaders of
organized industry and the leaders of
organized labor, with the assistance of
the Government, to get together and
work out some fair, sane and sensible
program, either by legislation or by in
dustrial agreements.
Asserting that “thi$ country has no
labor policy," McGrady said that as
matters now stand, the decisions of
the Supreme Court “make the formu
lation of an effective national policy
almost impossible.”
He said the condition of the coun
try today is better than it has been
at any time in six years, pointing out
that the total increases in the pay
roll of the industries over the year
is estimated to have been *4,500,
000,000. Most of the increase was due
to increased employment and longer
hours, but a substantial part was due
to increases in wages, he said.
“Doesn’t it seem tragic," he said,
“that a Nation that boasts of having
the world's smartest business men and
the world’s most producing workers
has been unwilling or unable to adopt
policies to settle its labor differences
in an intelligent and honorable man
ner without having to resort from time
to time to industrial warfare with all
the bitterness that follows and the
tremendous financial loss to all con
cerned?”
Saying that all industries now are
striving for increased production and
greater markets and that labor is
endeavoring to get back the wages
and standards they lost during the
depression, McGrady said the present
situation is not new "except for the
fact that a new technique known as
the ‘sit-down’ strike is being used in
some of the disputes and by workers
who were never organized before and
are not now organized.”
Rescued in Spectacular Fires
^^— mmur «——wkj
Trapped after an oil heater exploded in the hallway of their home at 3300 Prospect avenue
these three youngsters (left to right), Matthew Trotten, 8; Donald Pitts, 11, and Esther Wil
liams, 8, warmed themselves in the basement following their rescue. Ten other persons escaved
several by leaping from windows. y ’
.’ ■ 7 r—■ ■■■ -—- • - a— -—
Driven to the roof after flames cut off their escape from
their fourth-floor rooms, these men had to be rescued by firemen t
when another fire broke out in a rooming house at 1426 K street t
They are (left to right) D. D. Brim, Patsy Pisano and Philip t
M or ones._—Star Staff Photos. ,
Secrecy Marks Negotiations
With Association—Meet
This Afternoon.
A final agreement between the Ho
tel Men's Association and the Hotel
and Restaurant Employes' Alliance ap
peared near today as representatives
of the managements of Washington
hotels prepared to consider the plan
drawn up by negotiators Saturday.
Although both groups said they were
pledged to secrecy, it was indicated
an agreement might be reached to
morrow at a second conference be
tween representatives of the organiza
tions.
Meeting This Afternoon.
L. Gardiner Moore, manager of the
Shoreham Hotel and chairman of the
Hotel Men’s Negotiating Committee,
said his group was meeting this after
noon to discuss the proposed terms
and expressed hope for a quick settle
ment.
Negotiators for Local 781 of the
alliance expressed belief the proposed
plan would be acceptable to both sides.
Meanwhile the two National Pants
Co. pickets who were charged with
assaulting two other women who at
tempted to enter the factory at 408
First street southeast Saturday were
to be arraigned in Police Court today.
20 More Pickets Appear.
Officials at the plant reported about
20 more pickets appeared at the fac
tory today, but did not remain there
long. Only about half of the 20 were
former employes of the firm who were
fired last week after they left their
work to attend a meeting called by
union organizers, it was said.
The two pickets who were charged
with assault are Effle Arledge, 32, of
1119 K street, and Edna Stetler, 25, of
Benning.
Last Day Tax Payers
J J
Rushing at the last minute to get under the wire before the
deadline at midnight tonight, these procrastinating income-tax
payers were shown as they lined up today at the Internal Rev
enue Bureau. ^ —Star Stdf Photo.
LAST-MINUTE RUSH|
ON INCOME TAXES
Between 4,000 and 5,000
Washingtonians Expected
to File Today.
Between 4,000 and 5,000 Washing
tonians were expected to file their
income tax returns before the deadline
at midnight tonight at the local office
of the deputy collector in the Internal
Revenue Building, Twelfth street and
Constitution avenue.
At the opening hour this morning
there was a surprisingly small crowd
on hand, considerin gthe week end
opportunity for making out belated
returns. But the door of room 1002
was opened about 8:40 and this helped
to whittle down the numbers still
faster.
The long corridors presented an en
tirely different picture from the one
Saturday, when the line ran for more
than a block and turned the corner
of the middle corridor eastward. Dur
ing the first hour only about 500
taxpayers filed.
Meantime, Secretary of the Treas
ury Morgenthau expected March In
come tax throughout the Nation to
total about $840,000,000. From these
collections, the Secretary intends to
retire $300,000,000 of maturing dis
count bills and pay about $160,000,000
interest on the public debt. New bills
are being Issued to replace those to
be retired, however, and the Treasury
thus will have about $680,000,000 ad
ditional money in March for general
spending purposes.
If predictions on March income are
borne out, tax income may balance
with expenditures for the rest of this
fiscal year, ending June 30.
Besides the income tax receipts, col
lections under taxing provisions of
the social security act will put sub
stantial sums into the Federal till.
In addition to the Washington filing
at the local tax office, a flood of re
turns was pouring into the office of the
collertor of internal revenue at Bal
timore. headquarters for this collec
tion district. While a few of the
larger corporations and wealthy indi
viduals here file at the local office,
mcst of the largest returns go direct
by mail to the Baltimore office. Most
of the big returns are delayed until the
last day, so the taxpayer may have the
use of his funds up to the last.
Most taxpayers fill out their own
returns, according to Charles T. Rus
sell, head of the income tax unit.
Sometimes they make simple arithmet
ical errors, but on the whole their
mistakes are honest ones.
Confusion on Debts.
The greatest confusion, he said,
arises in deducting bad debts or stock
losses. These are allowable as deduc
tions only in the year during which
they occur, but many taxpayei at
tempt to deduct losses which occurred
in previous years. Often, Russell ex
plained, they are not aware of the
losses until some time after they have
occurred.
The local office here will remain
open up until the deadline at midnight,
with some experts on hand even
through the luncheon and dinner
hours.
Returns placed in the mails are
supposed to be mailed in time to reach
the collector at Baltimore, before the
hour of midnight.
DRILL IS POSTPONED
High School Cadets 'Will Compete
on Thursday.
The band competition and battalion
drill contest between the cadet units
of the six high schools in divisions
1 to 9, originally scheduled for today,
has been postponed to Thursday in the
Central High School Stadium, it was
announced today.
Thursday was set aside for the drill
in case inclement weather made it
impossible today.
Grange Invited to Winchester.
WINCHESTER, Va., March 15
(Special).—The Frederick County
Pomona Grange, meeting at Middle
town, voted unanimously to invite the
State Grange to hold its annual con
vention in WlnchestO this year.
PUBLIC AID ASKED
IN RELIEF APPEAL
Clergymen in Pulpit Pleas
for Drive of Social
Agencies Council.
A number of Washington clergymen
made pleas from their pulpits yes
terday for active public support for
the drive of the Council of Social
Agencies to obtain public funds for
3.000 employables who are unable
to get work or relief.
Registration Office Opened.
In an effort to emphasize to Con
gress the need for caring for these
employables, the District Workers'
Alliance today opened a temporary
office at room 49, 810 F street, for the
registration of jobless persons in
Washington. The office will be open
all week, daily from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Among those clergymen who brought
the drive to the attention of their
congregations were Rev. F. w.
Perkins, pastor of the National Me
morial Universalist Church, and Rev.
O. J. Hart of St. John’s Episcopal
Church. Rev. Mr. Hart read a state
ment outlining the relief situation
and asked the support of the congre
gation in the campaign for funds.
Rev. Mr. Perkins made the follow
ing statement:
“I want to call your attention to a
situation in Washington that is a
challenge to every instinct of our
common humanity. At least 3,000
people, able and willing to work, or
10.000 people, including their de
pendents, can obtain neither work nor
relief, public or private. W. P. A.
jobs, which are supposed to provide
for the employable people, are not
eneugh to go around and are likely
to be diminished in number. The
relief funds of the Boaid of Public
Welfare are for unemployable people
only. Private agencies have more
than they can care for now. Only a
public appropriation for relief to the
Board of Public Welfare, large enough
to care for the employable people
who have not been absorbed into pri
vate industry, can meet the need.
$1,009,000 Additional Needed.
‘It will be necessary to add $1,000,
000 to the recommended appropria
tion of $1,405,000 for the fiscal year
beginning July 1, 1937. We are not
asking for a Federal grant as a favor
to Washington, we are simply asking
that Washington be equipped to do
what the Federal Government is
expecting every city and State to
do. The national administration is
expecting cities and States to as
sume as a local responsibility, in ad
dition to the relief of unemployable
people, relief to men and women
able to work for whom no work is
available. We cannot appropriate
money for that ourselves. We can,
and do, ask Congress, which is our
City Council, to appropiate it for
us.
"It is nothing short of a national
disgrace that under the shadow of
the Capitol and the White House,
helpless men, women and children
are slowly facing starvation, evictions,
disease-breeding and crime-breeding
conditions. That is the sober truth
known to all who know the facts.
Every public-spirited citizen, every
lover of the good name of Washing
ton, and of his fellowman, should
unite in demanding of the Appropria
tions Committees of the House and
Senate that money be provided to
end this tragic situation. Let it not
be said of the Nation’s Capital that
it is the one city in the United States
that will penalize the employable
man for being able to work when work
cannot be found.”
MAN FOUND WOUNDED
IN BED IN HIS HOME
C. F. Newman, 46, Is Taken to
Hospital—Revolver Discov
ered Beside Him.
With a .32-caliber revolver laying
beside him, Charles F. Newman, 46,
was found critically wounded today in
bed in his home in the 400 block of
Sixth street southwest.
Newman, who has been confined to
bed due to ill health for some time,
was removed to Casualty Hospital from
his house, which bore a warning that
Newman’s baby daughter was suffer
ing from scarlet fever.
MANGANESECOMPANY
LAND SOLD IN VIRGINIA
—*
Special Dispatch to Tha Star.
LURAY, Va., March 15.—Manga
nese rights in 258 acres of land near
Shenandoah belonging to the South
ern Manganese Co. have been sold at
public auction to Martha Beery of
Harrisonburg and Russell Sebrell of
Washington and Richmond. The pur
chase price was $3,000.
The land was sold by J. M. Swet
nam, formerly of Fairfax, receiver for
the Southern Manganese Co. in a
chancery cause.
TWO FIRES FATAL"
AS 6 ARE HURT
W. P. a. worker Dies of .
Burns Received in K
Street House.
13 ROUTED FROM HOME
ON PROSPECT AVENUE
Frank Laughran, 55, Death Vic
tim, Found on Burning Divan.
3 Taken From Roof.
• --—
A W. P. A. worker was dead and
half a dozen persons were confined
to hospitals with burns and injuries
today as the aftermath of two spec
tacular fires in the Northwest section,
which routed more than 40 men,
women and children in their night
clothes early yesterday.
Thrilling rescues by firemen and
the sight of persons clinging to win
dow ledges and leaping to the snow
covered ground lent a note of hysteria
to the fires, one of which was started
by an exploding oil heater and the
other by a smoldering cigarette.
Fatality on K Street.
The fatality occurred at a four
story rooming house at 1426 K street,
where Frank Laughran, 55, received
bums that resulted in his death sev
eral hours later in Emergency Hos
pital. Thirty-two persons were
driven out in the K street blaze.
The other fire was at 3300 Prospect
avenue, a two-story residence, from
which 13 persons were routed.
With his hair burned off and his
pajamas reduced by flames to collar
and cuffs, Laughran staggered down
three flights of stairs after fighting
! off firemen and remoined conscious
! until stretcher-bearers arrived.
Divan Found Burning:,
Laughran was smoking a cigarette
and the divan on which he was sitting
| in & fourth-floor reception room was
I burning when he was seen by another
| roomer about two hours before the
■ fire was discovered. The roomer had
! put out the first fire and told
Laughran to go to bed, according to
I police. >
Extension ladders were thrown up
■ to the roof of the K street house and
| three other trapped fourth-floor
! roomers were assisted through the
j skylight of an adjoining house to
! safety.
Oil Heater Explodes.
About 4 a.m., nearly four hours be
fore the K street fire, an oil heater
blew up in the hallway of the Prospect
avenue house, trapping Charles Wil
liams, 50, his wife. Mary, 50, and their
9-year-old daughter, Esther, in their
room, and cutting off the escape of
other persons on the second floor.
Barefooted and scantly clad, Mr. and
Mrs. Williams and Esther were injured
as they fell to a back porch after
clinging to a window ledge. They
were taken to Emergency Hospital.
Unable to leave their room, Joseph
Branzell, 23, and his wife, Thelma, 20,
hung to a wire-slung flower pot out
side their second-floor room at the
Prospect avenue address until rescued.
Branzell was taken to Emergency with
burns about the face and arms, while
his wife was treated at Georgetown for
back injuries.
Three Children Escape.
The quacks of four pet ducklings,
kept in a box in the hallway, guided
three youngsters to a window from
which they escaped after they became
lost in the smoke at the Prospect
avenue fire. The children were Mat
thew Trotten, 8; Donald Pitts, 11, and
Charles Williams, jr., 15. Firemen
saved Charles and Matthew and the
ducks, but Donald ran into complica
tions when he escaped by himself.
Climbing from a window Donald
broke another window and entered
the adjacent home of Mrs. Rodman
Miller. The crash caused Mrs. Miller's
invalid sister, in bed with two broken
legs, to faint.
Three Others Rescued.
Others saved in the Prospect avenue
fire were Mrs. Jean Pitts, 43; Emilie
McEntee, 34, and Francis Branzell, 20,
cousin of Joseph Branzell.
The three men who were trapped
on the roof of the K street house were
Patsy Pisano, 24; Philip Morone, 26,
and Darby Brim, 38. Pisano was hang
ing to the edge of the roof when
Morone caught his arm and pulled him
back. Firemen scrambled up 80-foot
extension ladders to assist the three
to safety.
Mrs. Sarah H. Davis, landlady of
the K street rooming house, met
Laughran after he resisted the efforts
of firemen to help him and walked
down from the fourth to the first floor,
the remnants of his pajamas still blaz
ing.
Leading him into her living room,
Mrs. Davis said she beat out the flames
on the collar of his pajamas.
“He never said a word,’’ Mrs. Davis
said, "but Just sat down on my sofa.
When a stretcher was brought in, he
got up and sat on it and then col
lapsed.”
Water Thrown on Fire.
Laughran was smoking in the re
ception room near his own fourth-floor
quarters when John Hite awoke at 6
am. and started out of the house to
go to work. Hite said he threw sev
eral glasses of water on the cushion
of a divan, which was smoldering and
advised Laughran to go to his room.
David Free, 42, another roomer, was
awakened two hours later by smoke
and saw Laughran on Are. Free said
he showered Laughran with water from
a pitcher and then sounded the room
ing house fire alarm. Mrs. Davis tele
phoned the fire department.
Two-Alarm Blaze.
Another fire, in which no one was
Injured, occurred early yesterday in a
cleaning and pressing shop at 213
Pennsylvania avenue southeast and
an upholstery firm at 211 Pennsyl
vania avenue. Two alarms were
turned in before the blaze was brought
under control.
Meanwhile, another Are fatality
was reported, the victim being Agnes
Raymond, 62, colored, of 346 K street
southwest. She died in Gallinger
Hospital yesterday of burns received
February 16 when her clothing caught
fire when she brushed against a stove
in the parlor o^her home.