Washington, DC Heurich Brewery Fire, Jul 1892

Destructive Fire at Henrich's Brewery---

FIRE AT BEURICH'S BREWERY.

The immense Heurich brewery, on Twentieth near N street, was damaged by fire about [ineligible] in the ninety minutes which intervened between 2:30 and 4 o'clock yesterday morning. An explosion attracted the attention of the engineer at about 2:30 A. M. He was going away from the building where he had just left everything safe. The piled grain in the upper story had evolved gasses and generated heat, and the explosion which followed scattered fire like rain through all the upper portions of the brewery. Many tons of hops, rice and malt were stored there, and with these piles glowing like furnaces, at a height difficult to be reached, the gathering firemen, summoned by a general alarm, found that they had need of all their skill, daring and nimbleness to hem in the spreading flames and drown out the fire. To this work they went with a will. The ladders carried the hose to the neighboring roofs, and from such loft perches the brewery roof was deluged and entry made to the third floor, and as the floods of the Potomac were poured in above the rooms below became shower baths for all who ventured into them. The work, however, was thoroughly done. The flames were kept in the upper rooms and within the walls which first encompassed them.

The upper portion of the brewery shows the wreck of fire, the lower part the ruin of water. The grain, over $30,000 in value, was not fully insured, but all the other injury done to building and stock is covered by insurance. The work of restoration has been begun and the business proceeds as usual, the wagons making their accustomed rounds.

The Sun, Baltimore, MD 25 Jul 1892
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!