The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-13
Magnificent Establishment OF
Parkhurst- Davis Destroyed.
New Wholesale House Is a Conn
plete Wreck.
LOSS IS VERY HEAVY.
Stock Was Valued at a Quarter
ola Million.
Only About Half Covered by
Insurance.
MUCH OTHER DAMAGE.
Mccormick Harvester Co. Build
ing Is Also Burned.
Others in Vicinity Are Scorched
and Cracked.
LOW WATER PRESSURE.
Was Totally Inadequate to
Needs of Service.
Worst Fire in the History of
Topeka.
Worst Fire in the History of
Topeka.
SUMMARY OF TINS MORNINGS FIRE.

This morning at 2:26 o'clock the worst
fire in the history of Topeka COM
pletely destroyed the Parkhurst-Davis
wholesale mercantile establishment,
the Mccormick harvester wholesale
warehouse, the Schick mattress factory
furniture stock in the Mccormick
building, damaged the Topeka Ice COM
pany plant, the Rock Island passenger
depot and other property, and caused
total loss of $4,000, which is about
half covered by insurance
Policeman Asher discovered the fire.
It seems to have originated in the
packing room of the Parkhurst- Davis
building. in the northeast(corner of the
second floor. It was burning at a tre-
mendous rate when discovered. Two
night Watchmen at the building, Fred
Wilcox and man named Scott, were
1oaHng down in the office and did not
know there was a fire in the building
until the policeman pounded on the
doors and notified them.
Water pressure was totally made
Quate. There seems to have been an
almost criminal neglect somewhere in
the management of the water plant.
Instead of having 100 pounds pressure,
the fire department was most of the
time unable to throw water more than
10 feet. The pressure went down to as
low as 5 pounds, and stayed there for
fifteen minutes just at the critical
point in the fire.
Chief Wilmarth and his ffremen act
ually saved the Topeka ice plant from
total destruction by carrying water in
their fire helmets and pouring it on the
roof where the fire was taking hold
Attorneys for the fire companies and
for the losers in the fire are now at
work investigating the case, and will
probably endeavOr to hold the Topeka
Water company liable for the loss.
Chief Wilmarth says that had the wa
ter pressure been good he could have
stopped the fire inside of the Park
hurst-Davis building and saved loss
of $1,000
WILL REBUILD AND RESUME.
Parkhurst-Davis have already re-
sumed business. Stock is coming in on
every train, and it being stored in the
Freeman building at 230 Kansas avenue.
Other stock is being stored at Whitaker
Bros, across the street, and the Ralston
Yeast building will also be used for
stock.
I'VE will be filing orders as usual
within two days" said Mr. Davis this
morning. Our 100 employees in the
store will be taken back to work as fast
as we can make places for them.''
The Mccormick Harvester agency. un-
der charge of B. l. Rees, has opened a
temporary office at rooms 6 and Cen
trail National bank building. A repre-
sentative of the company from Chicago
will be here tomorrow. and a new lOca-
ton for the warehouse will be found a f
once.
The Parkhurst-Davis building is own
ed by Joab Mulvane It was cornpleted
IN 1901, and will be rebuilt at once and
reoccupied by Parkhurst-Davis.
The Sells building is owned bv little
Wine Sells, the l0-year-0ld grandson
of Mrs. Allan Sells -Greenspan. Frank
Bonebrake is trustee of the estate. and
says that the building will probably be
rebuilt at once.
The third floor of the Sells building
was used by the Schick Mattress fac
tory as furniture warehouse. There
was d $4,000 stock of couches beds
and chairs on this floor. It was totally
DESTROYED, with everything else in the
building.
HOW THE FIRE WAS FOUGHT.
After Policeman Frank Asher tiscox-
cred the fire shooting from several win
dows OF the building, he notified rhe
Watchmen OF what was going on and tn.
alarm was turned in. The department
arrived at 2:31, and Assistant C,binf
Babcock at once sent in genera ii
alarm. BY this time the fire ba1
spread with incredibly rapidity and all
three floors above the first were in
flames The firemen went To tEa vof
of the Sells building. and tried tn fiop+
the fire back, but it had too much sferf
Tor them, and the water pressure was
entire inadequate. A few minutes Ia
ter water pressure failed altogether
and the firemen were driven from fhe
roof. The water would not even follow,
the hose to the top of the Sells bnild-
ing. The fire department was THEREFOR
powerless.
Within a short time lines of hose
We're laid, but the pressure was so low
that nothing could be done to save the
burning buildings. All the department
could do was to try to save the neigh
boring structures
Chief Wilnarth sent men up into ths
Rock Island depot. where they man