Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-03-08
a Very Heavy Loss.

TOPEKA, KAN, February 25.-The Keith
block, 50x135 feet, four stories and base
ment was destroyed by fire on the morning
of February %, 1883. The side walls to the
height Of two stories were of native linn e.
stone and the upper walls of brick. The
front was of Bedford, Ind, stone, one Ofthe
finest stones in the country an the work
was of the most modern style of ornament
al architecture. The building complete
cost Mr.. Keith $40, 600. There was 1000
insurance on this building, distributed
among nine companies. On smaller 2I-
joining buildings there was other insurance
to the amount of few thousand dollars.
4he buildings were occupied, except q
portion of the south half of the large build
ing, by George w. Crane % Co.'S printing
and book making establishment, the largest
in the west, His inventory on April 1, 1888,
was 1925, 600; the estim ated salvage on prop
erty IN the several vaults, which may come
out IN safety, Is S6O,CUO. This consists OF
stereotype plates, matrices and some finished
work. The insurance carried by the G. W.
Crane Printing company IS $53,OOO dis
trIOuted among nearly thirty insurance
This is the largest fire in the history of To-
! peka as regards value and insurance IN
| Yolved, and coupled with the DignOn loss,
| which occurred a short time since, shows an
| aggregate loss TO insurance companies in
| the city of Topeka during the present month
! of $4,000.
| There was but little property carried out
Il
/ writers, ETC., in the counting room were
| saved. Most of them we're drenched with
| water and when taken to other storage were
/ incased in ices
| The fire was caused by the practice of
! burning the daily accommodations of waste
| paper IN the alley. The night Waterman had,
| as usual, taken out the waste and flied it.
| he then went up the elevator IN the rear
/ part of the building to make his round of
| inspection and by the time he returned the
fire had reached and was rushing up the
/ elevator. Sparks from the burning heap in
| che alley had ignited other waste in the
| basement area, and, breaking the glass had
| caught other cOmbustlbles in the basement,
from which draft from the broken win
/ dows took the fire up the elevator shaft
This is, at least, the prevailing theory of the
cause of the fire.
| The Kansas Newspaper Union at once
| prOfered Mr. Crane room IN its counting
rooms IN which to place desks aud the work
| OF attending to the days correspondence
| was not delayed. Mr.. Keith will at once re-
| build and Mr.. Crane already has his orders
| placed for new machinery, etc., with which
! to make q new beginning.
There were several offices in the south half
! of the first floor of the building, and the
basement directly beneath, the only por-
! tIOn5 OF the building not occupied by the
/ Crane Publishing company. Keith d Titus,
real estate and rental agents, lose all their
| Office furniture, books, etc. Captain Titus
was the custodian Of the decorations of the
committee OF thlrty-e1ghG used n the last
reunion, the paraphernRlia and decorations
| of the Union league. All these things were
In CAPTAIN Iitus' private Office and were
consumed, together with a box Of valuable
| books belonging to Colonel Joe Don, and
! the magnificent 300 silk flag presented
! Shawnee county by Governor Osborn as the
| banner republican county OF the state.
The Davies Lumber company lose their
Office furniture, the loss probably not eZ-
| ceeding $500.
A. J. Van Zandt, coal dealers, suffer a
similar loss.
B. +. Miller, real estate agent, loses his
/ desk and Office furniture.
The basement was occupied by William
1 TWeeddRle. civil engineer and surveyor. He
/ lost all his unfinished plats and profles,
! Office furniture, etc. but managed TO save
/ his surveying instruments.
Among the material lost by the Crane
/ com any was the forms Of e job Of illus
! trated catalogues for the Weyeth Hardware
company, of st. Joseph. The last proof
/ had been read On the job and it would have
| been completed IN a d y or two. The loss
on this job alone Is $4,000. TIE catalogue
WIS about the size Of Wsbster's dictionary
/ The Saturday Lance the Kansas Farmer
and the Western School ournaI were printed
/ by Crane. The first named escaped with
/ but one form entire, though the second was
| slightly damaged. The Kansas Farmer was
1 printed Thursday, and a loss Of portion
/ OF its forms does not seriously embarrass
/ that paper. The Western School journal
was printed about the middle of the month
and mailed promptly. Il suffers no loss at
all.