The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-12
Is HORSES BURN.
Twelfth Street Livery Stable
Completely Destroyed by Fire.
Many Valuable Animals Perish
ed in the Flames.
THE TOTAL LOSS $1,000
Serious Delay in Sending Alarm
to Headquarters.
Judge Green, F. ID. Coburn and
Joab MuIvane Among Losers.
Fire Started from Electric
Wires In Loft.

At 4:S0 this morning. the Twelfth
street boarding and livery stable, of
which G. NJ. Pierce is proprietor, was
totally destroyed by fire, and sixteen
valuable horses and thirty-one We
hicles, owned by some of the wealthy
people of Topeka, were burned. The
total loss will be between $4,000 and
$4,000. About half of the horses
burned were insured. G.. NJ. Pierce
had $500 insurance. The building
itself is owned by j. o. Cowee of Bur-
Nngame, and it is not known whether
he carried insurance.
The fire is supposed to have origin
ated in the loft from electric wires.
It was discovered by Mr.. Pierce, who
| tried to telephone in the alarm from
the Office of the burning stable. He
| was unable to make central answer
his ring for some time, and when he
| did finally secure a response, had
great difficulty in making her under
stand the location of the fire. He
estimates that there was five minutes
| delay in getting in the alarm after the
| IRE was discovered.
Three colored men. Ben Clark,
| Henry Mcdowell and John Martin,
who work in the stable. were sleeping
| in the Office and in the bedroom ad-
| Joining. They did not know the stable
| was afire until Mr.. Pierce woke them
When discovered by Mr. Pierce,
| who got up at o'clock and had just
finished milking a COW in the lot ad-
joining the stable. the fire was under
terrific headway in the loft BY the
time he had finished giving the alarms
| a neighbor named Clark had entered
the burning stable from the rear and
was cutting the horses loose. Mr.
Pierce himself and his men assisted
in this work. All the horses were cut
| loose but they were so frightened by
the fire, which by this time was
swirling down through the floor of the
horses succeeded in making their
owing to the fact that the. ten horses
which escaped have not all been found
| and returned to the stable, it is impos-
| sible to tell for certain at this time
| Just which horses were lost Most OF
the dead horses in the ruins are puriie1 1slI 90
| beyond recognition. complete Ist OF
| the owners of horses and other proper
| ty in the building, taken from the rec
ords of the stable, is as follows;
| S. NJ. Wood, horse Dandy, two pug
gies surry and harness, all burned
| Harry Wells, horse Cricket buggy ana
harness, burned. Insured
| o. ]. Wood horse Belle, surry, pussy'
sleigh and harnesses, all destroyed ex-
cept surry. This was the last rig re-
turred to the barn Thursday eveninS-
The surry was left standing near thS
front entrance. Insured
| Geo. W. Sharitt, horse Hannah, saw
| ed: runabout destroyed, phaeton saved
| harness destroyed.
| j. M. Hollenshade, horse fTahk' uh-
certain; phaeton burned -
| FRANK Bonebrake horse Harry, saved
| surry runabout and harness burned.
| w W. Mills, horse Prince, uncertain.
| probably burned; carriage, surry ana
harness burned. -.
h M. washburn, horse Prince surry
and harness. all destroyed
r. p Jordan horse Mack saved, was
in the lot adjoining stable; wagon, bug
gy and harness burned
A Zahner horse Duster, uncertalns
} nhaeton. surry and harness burned
r. L. Sayre, horse Mollie, uncertaln'
surrey saved. harness burned.
J. Taupert, horse May burned; de-
livery wagon and harness saved.
Joab Mulvane, horse Pet, uncertaln'
Justice A. L. Greene, horse Sue de-
stroyed no insurance; surry ana run
; about damaged. -, -.
: J. C. Harmon, horse Colonel, saved
: buggy, runabout and harness destroyed
! Ed Lange, horse Lady saved, sufry
: and harness destroyed.
Ed Johnson, horse Bonnie, surry ana
harness burned.
Brown, horse Katie, phaeton ana
: harness lost. -
3 certain; phaeton saved.
Morris Packing company, horse
Charley lost; wagon saved
r d COburn, horse Prince Henry
nhaeton and harness all destroyed. In
e sured.
: q. M. Pierce. owner of the stable,
d horses Little Deck and Topsy burned;
horses Nancy and Daisy saved; two
: runabouts, buggy, phaeton, harnesses
0 hay and feed destroyed. Loss $500; IN
l surance $500.
e Ten Horses.
a The above list shows that of the ten
. horses which escaped from the burned
:, | stable seven are known to belong 10
: the following persons: Geo. Sharftt,
e Frank Bonebrake, E. P. Jordan, J. T.
n Harmon, Ed Lange, and two to .; NJ
. Pierce There are therefore only three
IS horses still at large. They belong 70
= three of the following owners; }. Hol-
~ lenshade w. w. Mills, A. Zahner, X l.
= Sayre, Joab Mulvane and Charles Wolff-
- When the fire department reached the
scene of the fire, the big stable was
roaring furnace. 1t was too far gone
=, to save, and the fire department devoted
- its first attention to saving ne1ghDor-
n ing dwellings. The fire was not allowed
le to spread. .,.,-
7 Nearly all the horses in the building
- were very valuable animals. Mr.. Pierce
Is, saws that there was not horse in the
= BILE worth less than $3.50.
IN Little Deck, one of the horses owned
by Mr. Pierce, mad been purchased by
him from Chas. Erickson less than o
week ago. This horse was burned
F. d. Coburns horse, Prince Henry
Il rae one of the most valuable horses in