The Munitions Building houses the office of the Secretary of War, Colonel Henry Stimson, most of his staff, and the Navy Department, which was ved.
The fire started at 4 am. and spread so rapidly that by the time Gen. Marshal arrived, three wings had been burned and a fourth was licked by flames.
The fire was believed to have started in the vicinity of the code room, but the code room was not damaged.
Hundreds lined the streets and watched eight Maryland and Virginia fire brigade companies battle the furious flames.
Almost 30 fire engines were on the scene as the fire-fighters did their utmost to bring the flame: under con trol, They managed to payment the flames from reaching the section housing the Navy Department. y When Gen. Marshal arrived at $50 am., he immediately called out 500 soldiers who aided fire-fighters and members of the War Department in removing archives.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.