The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-11-01


of an incendiary. The fire was dis
covered at about 3:15, by policeman
Birdsall, who, while crossing CONNER
cial street at Sixth avenue, saw jet of
flame shoot out of the Normal school
basement. He ran to the engine house
and rang the bell. The driver got the
machine out promptly, and with sheriff
Lowe and few others who arrived in a
few minutes, started for the fire.
The first parties to reach the fire were
Frank Harris and his brother Harry.
They found the coal all on fire, and the
timbers above catching. Nothing was
at hand to extinguish the fire, and it was
then too late to do anything, or even to
save anything from the building, which
was so full of smoke and gas that those
who attempted to enter the corner remote
from the flames were driven back to
avoid suffocation. Mr.. Harris first act
was to wake up Mr.. POmeroy and family.
The engine arrived in time, it is gen
orally thought, to have saved the old
building had adequate effort been made,
but that caught fire by the passage-way
and on the roof before any firemen ar
rived who seemed to know how to work
the engine. When chief engineer Bra
gunier arrived, the heat prevented ap-
proach to the cisterns near the old build
ing, and he had to send the engine to the
city for water, and as the old building was
then in flames, the engine and hook and
ladder truck were stationed down on
Merchants street, to eXtinguish any fires
made by the cinders, which flew before
the northeast gale all over the western
half of the city, setting grass, sidewalks
and roofs on fire in fifty cases, and going
across the Cottonwood, two miles dis
tant. The burning buildings famed up
magnifcently, Illuminating the country
around and showing a strong light to
parties sixteen miles distant Some fur
niture, doors and windows were saved
out of the old building. The trees in the
front yard were all destroyed by the
mulching around them getting on fire
The heat was intense in the direction OF
the wind, destroying the splendid front
foundation wall, of cut stone, almost en-
tirely. The rear foundation wall, par
of the west foundation, and the stone
walls of the'ol building, might be USED
again. Many thousands of brick could
be used for inside work. Except this
much, everything is destroyed. The
front and rear brick wall of the new
building are mostly down, and the res
of the walls had better be pulled dow
to avoid accidents.
The old building which stood in the
rear cost $4,000. The new building
cost about $67 900, and was the cheapes
one ever built in the state. There wer,
two organs and several hundred dollar
worth of books and apparatus destroyed
DIR. Pomeroy's loss, he having occupied
for some time, portion of the old build
ing for q residence, is fully $1,000. Hi
fine library, and all the private paper
of life's work, are gone. The loss can
not be less than $4,000. Strange to say
there was not dollars worth of insur
ance, the last legislature having refused
an appropriation for this purpose. w,
learn that there is no insurance on an,
of the state buildings or property.
The following are the statements o
give the facts in detail;
PRESIDENT PoMEROY's STATEMENT.
The coal for the Normal was purchased
of Mr.. Hornbarger, and express cOntrac
was made that il should be of best quail
ity and delivered in large pieces. Itwa
not to be stored until during October 81
as to make the storage safe. On foI
mer occasion coal purchased and storeC
in August had heated, but it was though
that this was the result of the hot wealth
er. During and after the delivery o
this coal, directions were given to tn
Fireman to watch it carefully and to re
port any indications of heating. Abou
the middle of the month he reported som,
heat in certain fine portions, and order
were given for removing it at once. Thi
was done, and all reported safe. Repor
was again made on Wednesday of las
week of indications of heating, and sucl
portions were promptly removed. Oh
Friday, to make sure work, an addition
al hand was employed, and all heateC
portions, so far as known, were thrown
out upon the surface, and the fireman re
ported at night that there was no dan
ger. The gas, from coal thrown out, haC
passed up into the building, and feeling
anxious about the matter, made per
sonal inspection and found everything
apparently safe. Upon leaving the build
ing at night, the last positive directions
given to the fireman were not to leav,
the room until certain that all was safe
He responded that he would not, and
have no doubt he fulfilled his pledge t.
the best Of his knowledge. At seven and
at nine in the evening / revisited thu
room and inspected it, but could detec
no evidences of heat by sight or odor
The fireman, at later hour eleven-al
so gave the room a very careful investi
cation and found no evidences of danger
At about three the fire broke out, and
can give no satisfactory explanation o
il further than the surmise that in sons
portion of the room, where it had escap
ed notice, the spontaneous combustion
must have originated.
JANIroR EDWARDS STATEMENT.
He has been janitor fog nearly thre
years. Four OF five years ago he wa
called on and had helped scatter the coal
when there were signs of fire. The fir
engine went up anu tnfeW wafer on g1S
coal. Mr.. Pomeroy was then, as now. ii
lcharge OF the school. In the present in
j stance could see no fire but felt the heat
i 1t was kind Of slow combustion. Som
of the coal delivered about three week
ago. and some later. Noticed some hea
in the coal sbout the 18th of October
showed a chunk that was warm to Nj
Pomeroy; told him coal ought to b
scattered; P. thought there was no dan
ger, as weather was cool. When / ha,
time scattered the coal, as did no
think the weather had much to do Wit
L.; fire seemed to be all in one place
fire originated in fine coal; coal celia
in northeast corner, and boiler room mex
TO il on north side of building; saw fey
sRaFks Thursday in shoveling the coal
had seen smoke; for several days ate