The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-24

most competent and experienced men
and then I started across to the bank.
I grew uneasy about the possibili-
ties Of an explosion of gas from
match or lighted torch and went back
to the opera house and met Raymond
DlsbroW, the plumber who had been
sent over to do the repair work, and
cautioned him to under no circum-
stances light match or use a torch.
Tie went down under the floor Of
the opera house and there was no odor
Of escaping gas and returned to the
parQuet floor where It was very no.
ticeabie. He again went below and
struck 8 match, and that was all that
light the torch he was knocked down
by the explosion.
He crawled to the entrance and
made his way down the front stair and
was assisted to his home, where he is
under the doctors care suffering IroLn
severe burns about the face and hands
and unprotected portions Of his body. "
The aerial truck which has seen but
little service since it was purchased
about the first OF the year and three
lines OF hose were carried to the roof
OF the adjoining building and streams
directed into the center of the build
ing where the fire seemed to be rag
ing the hercest.
n. S. Walters was walking in the d.
rection from which the explosion
seemed to come while a few yards in
front of him the janitors Adam
Games. was sweeping. L heard a
deafening explosion" he said, and
saw the janitor thrown six feet in the
air and fall and crawl towards the
rear of the building.
s-I called to Mr. Armine. who was
rehearsing his company, to turn in the
fire alarm and hesaid, I don't see a
thing that looks like fire. and I rush
ed to the stage just as a sheet of fire
seemed to envelop the entire front OF
the building and pulled the fire alarm.
1t did not seem more than minute
until the fire department was inside of
the building and had stream direct
ed into the flames
1.-The fire seemed to burn all the
more hercely and within fifteen min
utes after the explosion the balcony
fell Assistant Fire Chief Babcock
had been directly under it just mo-
ment befort and had started out OF
the front entrance and If it had fallen
a few seconds before he would have
certainly been under it and probably
killed
Though a number Of streams were
directed into the flames they gradual
/ " increased and short time after
wards the central portion of the first
floor fell and was followed a few mo-
ments later by the second. The main
entrance to the theater was a mass OF
/ flames within a few seconds after the
explosion and it was confined to this
section of the building by the hardest
kind of work for it gradually ate its
way in both directions along the joists
and flooring
The roof of the building did not fall
though the ceiling underneath it was
burned away and &aIl shortly before
the flames broke through the sky lighi
] and sleaped into the air The flames
I reached the air shaft leading to the
skylight at 11:f5 ami as they burst
through the crowd which thronged
the street felt that the building was
doomed. The Crawford Opera house
building was completely gutted and
there is nothing left standing but the
shell Of walls with the exception OF
! the row Of rooms which front Kan