The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-20
HOSPITAL BURNED
StOrmont Structure Suffers Sc
verely This Afternoon.
Eight Patients Carried to
Places of Safety.
LOSS WILL BE $4,000
Main Building Is Nearly a To-
tai Loss.
Good Work of Firemen Saved
Hospital From Total Loss.
Fire Supposed to Have Caught
From Defective FIue.


from the furnace caused damage to the
amount of $4,000 at the stornont hos
pital this afternoon about o'clock. The
original building was practically de-
stroyed.
Eight patients were removed without
injury except such as is likely to result
from the shock and excitement They
were placed in the houses of the neigh
bors.
The old hospital building was totally
burned out The addition completed two
years ago remains intact except as to
the damage by smoke and water. There
is insurance
It was just 1890 when two small boys
walking down the street in front of
the hospital saw fire coming from the
roof near the south chimney on the old
part of the hospital. They at once
raised a cry of fire and the people in the
neighborhood who were at their dinner
rushed out to see that the roof of the
hospital was in a blaze.
The flames spread quickly, for there
was strong wind blowing and in an
incredibly short time the entire roof
was in flames. The men who were at
tracted by the cries of the boys at
once turned in an alarm and then be-
gan the work of rescuing the patients
and the furniture.
Rev. A. Wyrnan and J. W. F. Hughes
who live near, were the first to help in
carrying the patients to the houses
near by When they arrived at the hos
p5tal all was confusion and the upper
rooms were filed with smoke. AS fast
as the work could be done the patients
xayta str afr1,e md md
were taken out. 1t was done in a very
careful manner, and none of the pa
tients suffered from their sudden re-
noval-at least they had shown no
signs of injury at 5 o'clock, but the
shock may show its effect later in the
day.
There were eight patients in the hos
pital, three of them cases of a serious
nature. They were all removed later
in the afternoon to the Santa F'e hospital
where they will remain The nurses ac-
companied them in the ambulanceS
from the houses where they had been
taken from Stormont.
Miss Cannum, the matrOn at the hos
pital, said that the first she knew that
anything was wrong was when the men
came running in the hospital crying that
the place was on fire. Her first thought
was of the helpless patients who We're
lying in the beds, and she at once asked
the men to assist in their removal. She
superintended the work of moving the
patients and the men say that she kept
a wonderfully cool mead IN the emerg-
ency.
The entire front wing of the hospital
is a wreck, the wood work having all
been burned out except on the first floor
and that is so badly damaged that it
will have to be taken out. Fortunately
the fire department responded promptly
to the call and they did such good work
that the new addition, which was just
completed, was saved. It is true that
some slight damage was done to the ad-
dition, but it was only in the rooms al
joining the old part where it was con-
nected by doors or windows. The new
part had not been furnished excepting
one room and none of the furniture in
that room was damaged.
The furniture in the old part was all
saved and was taken into the new addi-
ton as soon as the fire was put out. 1t
was late before this was done, probably
4 o'clock.
The old part Of the building was in
sured by f. S. Thomas for SO, 600, Whicn
will cover a good part of the loss. Al
though it is difficult to estimate the ex-
act loss, those who have looked at the
building say that $4,000 should cover it.
shape and the north wall is in in bad
shape and tn enorth wall is in worse
condition. The north arch in the center
of the front viii have be taken down.
It is rumored that the fire started
from defective hue, but there is moth
ing to show this as the fire destroyed all
the upper stories and it is impossible to
make even a good guess as to its origin.
The janitor said that he had ''smelled
smoke some time before the boys gave
the alarm but he had not reported it
to the matron as he could find nothing
about the building which indicated that
the fire was in the house.
The clothing and trunks belonging to
the persons employed in the hospital
were all taken out so the loss will be
only that sustained by the building.
Stormont hospital was established in
1889 by Jane G. Stormont. The old part
Of the building cost $13, 000 After this
been used a
it was found that an addition would
have to be built, and this was started
last year, Mrs. G. G. Gage donating the |
money. The cost of the addition was
81, 500 In addition to the cost of the |
building, the fixtures run the cost of |
the entire hospital up to about $4,000.
Two Brakemen Killed.