The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-25
Three Firemen Lose Their Lives
and Others Injured.
300 HORSES PERISH.
Adams Express Co. Barns and
Eight Houses Destroyed
Worst Event of the Kind Since
Patent Office Fire.

roaring flames, rushing engines, crash
ing walls. agonizing shrieks of horses
that were perishing in the fiery furnace
such was the scene that was presented
to eye and ear as Knox's stables at @B''
and Second streets and the other build
ings in that block fell a prey to the de-
structive element today.
Not since the big fire in the patent
Office many years ago, has the IRE de-
partment of the district had to cope with
so fierce a confagration- All its APP
pliances were brought into action, but
all efforts were unavailing to save the
property from destruction Five brave
hremen were crushed under the falling
walls. Four men were injured by fall
ing walls and timbers, and these were
promptly removed to the Emergency hos
pital for treatment Three of the fire
men lost their lives.
Over 300 heavy draft horses, nearly all
of the company's express wagons and
the contents of the large storage build
ing were burned. The Adams Express
company's stable, adjoining the Knox
building to the north were also most en-
tirely consumed. About $50 horses were
in the Adams Express company's stables
but all were taken out by the hardest
kind of work on the part of citizens and
policemen
Eight two-story houses on the alley
north of the Knox building and two
small frame houses back of the Adams
stable were destroyed Six or eight 9TH
er residence houses were more or less
damaged. AIitchelrs blacksmith shop
on Second street was crushed by falling
walls.
The warehouse and stables occupied
over a block. The fire was discovered
about 2:3O o'clock.
A mum ber of men were sleeping in the
Knox building and were awakened by
smoke. They found the entire rear of
the second floor OF the building in flames
aud had hardly time to escape with their
lives Before they had left the building
the flames had communicated to the
three story rear part Of the Adams sta
bles, and was dartiHg out of the windows
of the second and first floors of both
buildings in the rear.
A policeman sent in an alarm through
a patrol box. It was still alarm and
brought out two companies and truck.
Five minutes later general alarm was
turned in and in five minutes more the
entire fire department of the city was on
hand. Every company and every fire
man was needed. hotter fire never
/ from the doors and windows of the great
stables. All this was IN a very few mo-
ments.
Cut the Horses Loose.
A hundred men ran into the Adams
stables and cut loose the $50 horses they
contained. The animals were cut loose
and turned into the street. The horses
of the Knox company could not be
reached There were twenty-five of
them, and they were on the second story
of the building, which was a mass of
flames from the very start.
The Knox building was a four story
/ structure of brick. On the first floor
were the heavy wagons of the concern.
on the second floor the horses; on the
third and fourth floors hay in large uuan-
] M .h<an nf al Z Il fr.H
! had been stored with the company.
Another four story building of the
| Knox company, facing on Second street.
| and connected with the stables, separated
only by thin brick wall, was used en-
tirely for storage purposes It was
packed from the basement to the roof
with furniture and merchandise. 1t is
this building that the greatest loss occur
red. The heat intense that the
firemen were obliged to throw water on
each other repeatedly in order that they
| might continue at their posts
The men who had to hold lines Of hose
on the b street front of the Knox build
ing were obliged 10 lie fiat and hold
their faces 70 the ground so awful was
| the heat. A portion Of the wall of the
rear Of the Adams building fell into the
alley and across the back exit The
members of hose company No. 1 and
several men of other companies were
caught inside of the building.
ElI6 Oulc4 L EQ6uSQ 10 LQe rescue.
Half a dozen leads of hose were turned
| upon the burning mass which had fallen
| in front of the exit AS the bricks cooled
slightly twenty tremen and as many
policemen rushed into the building It
was an awful risk. The walls Of the
| Knox building were tottering. At any
moment they might fall and crush the
smaller Adams building under them.
In moment the rescuers emerged
from what was thought to be a death
pit In their arms they dragged the
bodies of three fremen who had been
hurt by falling bricks. While they were
| inside the heat had been so intense that
they we're almost baked alive. Their
comrades were also scOrched and sinQed.
All were dragged back to the opposite
sidewalk.
Two minutes after the party came out
the upper floors of the Knox building
fell. Only the semi-tower which made
the Office corner OF the building was left
standing. With the fall Of the walls the
fire was practically under control, but
the flames were hotter than ever It was
now so hot that firemen and policemen
| began TO succumb to the terrific heat Il
was necessary to keep the hose playing
on the residence houses all about and the
firemen, now completely exhausted, had
to be relieved every four or i've minutes