The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-06

and were fastened to the wooden cell
ing boards of the basement.
There was a furnace in the mid
die of the building, and a bin for waste
paper near it. Had this been full of
paper. and caught fire, it might have
blaZed up to the ceiling and produced
the effect of a ceiling fire.
1t is rather a peculiar coincident.
however, that Chief Wilmarth made
slight examination of the basement
Friday morning. Some dry goods
boxes piled in the area way back of
the Greenwald store took fire Friday
morning, and the fire was extinguished
by men who work at Halls Autograph
establishment. Chief Wilmarth was
the area way be removed, and neatly
piled up, and this was done. He
passed through the basement in going
to the area way. He says:
II did not see any paper piled up
in the basement at the time, and Mr..
Greenwald tells me that he is sure
there was no paper there. There was
no gasoline in the basement, and prob
ably no escaping gas. Neither was
there any known source of fire.
Discovered by Clerks.
The clerks in the store were stand
ing near the front of the store, and
had not been back to the rear part
for some time before the fire occurred.
At about $40 Al Hulett, the head
clerk, suggested that it was time to
lock up. He went to the back part
of the store and as he passed the stair
way leading down to the basement,
saw puffs of smoke coming up from
below. He rushed down, and says:
Il discovered that the whole central
part of the basement was afire. 1
ran up, sent in an alarm, and Cliff
Carl and I went down and tried to
throw some water on the fire from
buckets. 1t was going too fast for
us, and when we came up the base
ment stairs. the flames were on both
sides of u.s.
One of the clerks threw the safe
door shut, and turned the combination.
By the time the fire department ar
rived, the store was so full of smoke
that no fire could be seen, even in the
basement.
A few moments later, the first of the
terrific explosions occurred. The fire.
men say that it burst out the windows
at both ends of the building and car
ried with it great rush of smoke
and fire.
The instant after the explosion, it
seemed that the whole interior of the
a roaring furnace. Two other expIo-
sions in the basement followed the first
at intervals of a few minutes.
Sent in General Alarm.
The first alarm was received at 6:22.
For a few minutes Chief Wilmarth
hoped to hold the fire without calling
for help, but when the explosions
caused the fire to apparently burst out
in all parts of the big store room at
once, he gave it up, and at $40 sent in
a general alarm, and called out the new
fire steamer. 1t is the first time the
steamer has been in service. 1t was
stationed at the fire cistern on Seventh
street In addition to the two streams
from the steamer, Chief Wilmarth had
five direct pressure streams on the fire
Tin a few minutes. All did good work.
Chief Wilmarth, with Lieutenant
Hanlon were working on the roof, As
sistant Chief Babcock directed the work
at the front of the building, and Capt.
Robinson was in the rear. Ezra Rob-
inson was in charge of the steamer.
Capt. Gilman of North Topeka handled
one of the steamer streams.
AT just o'clock the fire was entirely
out.
Fire Marshal Wilmarth said this
morning: THE water pressure was very
good. 1t was ample for this fire. 1t
might not have been sufficient for
seven story building, but in simple jus
tice to the water company, it must be
admitted that we had all the pressure
necessary for this fire. I think that
anyone who examines the conditions
will have to admit that we made a
very effective fight. Had those explo-
SionS not occurred, we would certainly
have held the fire within the basement
AS it was, we practically confined it to
the first floor. The work done by the
steamer was all that could be asked. It