The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-03-16

ing are Sol Grollman, western agent of
the Hoffman company tool manufac-
turers of Columbus, o., and his father
Both had rooms on the fourth floor of
the burning building. Neither has been
seen since the fire broke out and it is
believed that both were among the I'M
fortunates who persisted in the flames
Inc building and contents are total
loss. In less than half hour after the
fire broke out, the structure which was
seven stories high, so feet front by 159
feet deep, was level with the ground.
It was of what is known as mill con-
struction with front of plate glass and
iron column. The occupants were the
Emerson Piano company ConOVer Pi-
anO company, Chicago Cottage Organ
company, Decorators Wall Paper com
pany, National Music company. H.
Hoffman & Co. (piano stools), Presby-
terrain board of publication; Alfred
Beril, sheet music publisher; Sweet Wal
Itch & Co., Photographic supplies; w.
A. Olmstead, school supplies.
The building was owned By Fred K.
Ayers of Lowell, Mass. 1t was worth
about $4,000 and is said to be partially
insured. Insurance men at the fire sta
ted that the loss on contents would be
in the neighbOrhOOd of $3.50, 900.
The elevated railway tracks, which
pass the building were badly damaged
and there will be loss of S19,000 or
| $4,000 from the breaking of plate glass
in the stores on the opposite side Of
| Wabash avenue.
The six story building adjoining on
| the north, Nos. 211-213 was badly dam
aged and its contents soaked with wa
ter and partially burned. The occu F..
pants of this building are the BUtteric!S
Publishing company, Educational Pub
| fishing company. Thomas Charles x Co,
kindergarten supplies, Ideal Music com
pany, sheet music, New Haven Clock
! company, Waterbury Watch company,
| E. H. Butler & Co, publishers. w. c.
ReichbrOdt, Turkish rugs, George B.
| Ward & Co. photograph finishers and
| N. G.. Uhlein, musical instrument re-
| pairer. The los son the building and
| pairer. The loss on the building and
The building adjoined Lyon & Hea1y's
| mammoth piano saleSrOOms and was
| across the street from the Wellington
| hotel. Both buildings were greatly in
| jured.
The flames soon enveloped the station
on the Union loop of the elevated road.
| AS a result all traffic on every elevated
| roalrOad in the city was brought to a
! stand still so far as the business dis
trict was concerned. Ambulances
We're sent for Immediately after the
| explosions occurred.
| Great numbers of people in the burn
! ing building jumped and four were
! Killed outright. Fifteen others were
! injured jumping but the greatest loss
| of life occurred among those who did
| not even have a chance to get to the
| windows, or decide whether to take the
| fearful alternative of a jump to the
| stone sidewalks and street pavements.
| The entire front of the building was
| blown out by a terrific explosion fol-
! lowed by several others in rapid sue
| cessiOn and the entire building was
| quickly covered with flames. 1t seemed
| impossible that anyone in the front
| part of the building who did not jump
| from a window could have escaped. The
! police could scarcely carry the dead and
| injured to places of safety on account
+ of the dense crowd.
The fire was brought under control
| shortly before noon. It seems proba BILE
| that the fatalities according to latest
: estimates will not be more than fifteen.
| Estimates as high as sixty were made,
| but it is believed these figures were
much exaggerated
! Men and women without hats or coats
ran down the stairway of the building
and into the street. The first intima-
/ ton that people on the street had of
! the fire was the appearance of several
! of the fleeing employees. At the same
! time a dense mass of smoke poured out
! of the front windows of the fourth and
! fifth floors. In another moment the up
| per floors were wreathed in flames and
| smoke. Several people made an at
| tempt to run up the narrow stairway
! but turned back at the second floor by
| the downward rush of the smoke. There
/ were apparently not over 80 people who
| escaped by the elevator and stairway.
| The building burned so fiercely that the
| escaping employees began looking for
| each other in the crowd that gathered
| quickly to the scene. A number of the
/ people on the floors made their escape
| from the rear by the fire escape, but
that egress was cut off in a few mo-
| ments, by the flames that blazed the
| f1ercest, famed by the west winds That
there were employees cut off from egress
| became apparent in a moment, when
| the spectators were Mortified to see the
| body of a man Whirling downward
| from the cloud of smoke and flame at
the upper floor. The body struck the
! pavement and life was extinct when
| ready hands ran to pick up the unfort-
| unate who was recognized at once as
| Cashier Binns, of Sweet, Wallach & Co.
| A moment later two other forms were
| seen at the window at the north end of