The Topeka state journal., 1902-01-31
FIRE BROKE OUT.
Midwinter Exposition Had a
Narrow Escape.
Was Quickly Extinguished by
Tearing Down Bunting.
FIRE CHIEF TALKS.
Tells of Precautions Adopted to
Prevent Fire.
Could Have Flooded the Build
en-
IRE CHIEF TALKS.

| Only a few people in town know that
a fire broke out few days ago in one
/ of the booths during the AIidwinter ex-
| position, blazed fercely up through a
| mass of pink bunting, and was eXtln-
/ guished by one of the people in the
| booth, who tore down the bunting and
| SmOthered the flames before it had time
to communicate with the tinder- like ma
terial with which the building was fill
ed. The fire caught from match care
! lessly held.
The incident happened when the build
! ing was filled with people. No one saw
! the flame No one screamed, and no one
yelled Fire" 1t was all over in few
! seconds. What might have been a great
disaster was averted.
Now that it's all over, and the expo
| sition ended,'' said Fire Marshal G. o.
| Wilmarth today, Il feel more like talk
| ing about the extraordinary precautions
/ which were taken both to avoid fire
and stop one in case it should start
! While the exposition was in session, the
| less said on the subject the better, be-
| prehension.'
| Everybody who attended the exposition
| noticed that a fireman or two was to
be seen on the stage all the time, closely
| watching what was going on in every
/ part of the hall From early morning
4 till late at night these sentinels were on
/ duty. The best and most trusted men
/ in the Topeka department were assign
ed to this duty.
i There We're other things which the
public could not see and did not know
| about which would have been import
I ant if anything had happened.
/ There was a line of dry hose stretched
/ from fire plug at Seventh and Quincy
around to a back window of the Audi
| torium. 1t was carefully laid so that
crowd rushing from the building would
not interfere with it. A twist at the
/ hydrant, and the whole interior of the
Auditorium could have been soaked in
| go seconds.
But the water would have been
/ turned on only in a dine extremity.
We would have used winter only in
j case the fire got a start" says Chief
Wilmarth. Our first effort would be
! to extinguish the fire with chemicals.
I This would avoid wetting the building,
| the exhibits and the people,"
Suppose fire had broken out, what
would the two firemen in the building
have done?" was asked by a State
Journal reporter.
AT the first flash of fire, or sign of
| consternation,' said Chief Wilmarth,
my orders were that each fireman
should seize one of the chemical fire
| extinguishers which were placed on the
| stage, and push through the crowd to
the fire, telling people as he went to
| keep cool and not get excited. At the
| same time word would be sent to the
! department.. The chemical engine
| would go to the rear of the building
| and bring it's line in through the back
| door. The two firemen with the port
| back the flames till help arrived. The
| two firemen. besides directing their
| efforts at the seat of the fire, would
| have done their best to keep it from
| catching anything above then, such
as the balcony draperies.
| Meantime, the exposition guards,
most of whom were experienced police
men, accustomed to handling crowds.
would have opened the doors on every
side of the building Each guard was
| stationed near an exit, and had a key
4 hi oil 1Fx fl1o
| locked The guard tested his key every
day to see that it worked Orders were
strict that no door should be opened
except in case of the utmost need. The
back doors of the building would have
| been kept closed, to prevent a draft.
No keys to the back doors were in the
hands of the guards. If the chemicals
had failed, we would have used water,
| of course"
Chief Wilmarth's arrangements would
have made it exceedingly difficult for a
| fire to make mucn headway even if it
started, but his precautions to prevent
| a start were even more elaborate than
| the preparations to stop it after 1t
| started
The way to avoid fires" said the
| chief this morning, lis to take especial
| precautions where the danger is great -
That is what Chief Wilmarth did.
He personally supervised the placing
i of extra electric light wires in the
| building, and saw to it that amid all
the profusion of bunting and smilax.
"
| with the sockets or globes of the electric
light fixtures. Chief Wilmarth says
| that the electric wiring which was done
| in the building was very satisfactory.
Not a bit of gasoline. kerosene or
| acetylene was allowed in the building.
| The lighting was done by electricity
| and the cooking by gas.
1t was required that all the gas stoves
| be placed on a double layer of asbestos
and zinc. Shields of asbestos were re-
| quired to be placed around all gas
| stoves. Parlor matches-the red headed
! kind that snap-were barred from the
| building. The exposition manag cement
| matches. and with tin boxes to keep
| both the burned and unDurned matches
| in. No smoking was the most
| stringent rule of all.
''It was discovered that somebody
| put parlor matches on the floor several
days during the exposition" said Chief
| Wilmarth. Il suppose it was done by
| mischeivous or thoughtless boys, SIM
| ply TO hear the matches pop when any
| one stepped on them. They were con-
| slant source of danger"
/ Chief Wilmarth required that the
| hooks by which the ropes were held
| around the reserved seats be made of a
| crowd pushed against the ropes hard
/ enough the ropes would come down.
| This was to prevent a crowd being
| caught by the ropes in case of a stam-
! pede.
| Altogether, the precautions taken
| against fire by Chief Wilmarth and his
| men during the exposition We're most
! elaborate and much gratitude is due
to the chief and the department for un-
| speaka BILE horrors which their care and
foresight may have prevented.
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