The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-13

velocity of 90 miles an nOur, Col 10
burning shingles, embers and myrlaos
of sharks to score of wooden build
ings. most of them of cheap construc-
ton.
The fire started almost from the ex-
trerne southwest section OF the CITY anu
cut a path to tho - md of Maverick
street at the extreme southeastern enu
of the city, which borders Chelsea creek
This is about one and half miles
from where the fire began The names
spread through the heart of the retali
| business section, which was about mid
way between the two extreme limits
reached by the fire.
Among the structures destroyed We're
13 churches, two hospitals, the pupnc
library. city hall, five school houses:
20 business blocks, nearly score OF
factories and upwards of 300 tenements
and dwelling houses.
Some of the places burned were;
ST. Rose Roman Catholic church,
man Catholic school, loss. $4,000; state
armory loss, 100000; Sacred Heart
convent, loss, SAC, 900; Y. NJ. c. A. build
ing, loss, $4,000; Boston Elevated rall-
road station and barn, S5O,0Oo; Frost
hospital. Childrens hospital, Fitz Pub
lie library. st. Anislaus Polish Catho-
lie church. Chestnut street; First Bap,
tist church, Central avenue; Central
Unitarian church, Hawthorne street.
ST. Luke's church (old build1ng), Raw
throne street, lTSl W. L.. SAoASAA'
avenue; Elm Street synagogue; WaI-
nut Street synagogue; Chelsea Pres-
byterian church; Peoples AFRO M ~.
church, Fourth street; UniversahsI
church, Fifth street; Congregatlonai
church. Shurtleff street; M. E. church;
second Adventist church; New England
Telephone & Telegraph companys cen
trail office Chaplin and Soden Car
company's shops; Rosenfelt Brothers
three-story rag-picking factory tne
immense
tanks near the easterly end OF Margl-
nal street; County Savings panK;
Chelsea Savings bank; Chelsea Trust
company; Winnisimett National pahk'
Providence Cooperative pank-
The funds of all these banks, with
the exception of the County Savings
bank, are still in the vaults Inc
money and securities in the county
hank were taken to Boston before the
fire reached the building.
Cause Is Uncertain.
The exact cause of the fire is not
known, but it is supposed that spon-
taneous combustion among the rags
was responsible. .
high wind was blowing at As miles
an hour from the northwest and drove
the flames from the rag heaps dlrecty
upon the wooden building OF the Bos-
ton Backing company.
The buildings were soon a mass OF
flames and as the surrounding pro-
perty consisted largely of wooden
buildings used for the storage OF rags
the fire department realized tnat d
serious fire was threatened and gen
eral alarm was sounded. In the gaze,
shingles, burning paper, Oil soaked
rags were flung high into the air and
went roaring over the city.
The first evidence of the fire on the
east side of Everett avenue was wnen
the roof of the Peoples A. M. E.
church on Fourth street was seen to
be ablaze The services were in pro-
gress inside at the time and the con-
gregation was unaware that serious
fire was raging outside. Some one
notified the pastor, Kew. Cnarles +.
Watson He Immediately turned to
the people, told them of the danger
and advised them to file slowly from
the building. Twenty minutes later
there was not a vestige of the ed1hce
left.
Heaps of burning embers and
suffocating cloud of dust hurled down
across Everett avenue by the gale
| coupled with the intense heat drove
the firemen from their posts and
those families nearest the start of the
| confagration had only time to rush
from their homes and save their lives,
losing all their possessions.
Forced down Everett avenue to the
south the f1remen battled with the
flames in an endeavor to save the
| business section and to conf1ne the fire
to that part of the city between the
railroad tracks and Everett avenue.
Within an area of half a square were
several churches and school houses.
One by one they fell before the
| flames.
When the Polish Catholic church
| caught fire the Rev. Father George
s. Jaskolski had just closed service
| and many people were in and about
the edifice. In fifteen minutes the
entire top of the church was in
| flames. All the movable effects and
| furniture were removed. The loss on
| the Polish church is estimated
| at $4,000.
A hundred yards away at the cor
| ner of Chestnut and Fourth streets,
| the First Untversalist church caught
fire and was soon enveloped in flames.
Rev. R. Perry Buch, the pastor, de-
clared that the loss would be fully
| $4,000. A spectacular feature of
the burning of the Universalist
as they burned completely around the
| base of Great Golden cross which
| tipped the spire. For a. few mo-
ments it stood out against the sky,
| flaming golden beacon and then with
| a crash tumbled to the roof breaking
| into the interior of the edifice and
| the other striking the street.
| Attacks Business Section.
| Up to this time the fire had been
| confined to the west of Everett ave-
| nue.. That it could be stopped there
4 was beyond all question an impos-
sibility. however, for already en-
| bers had started fires all the. way
across Broadway. leaping the business
| street of the city and creating a new
| source of danger in the poorest tene-
ment and residential portions of the
| city between Broadway and the water
\ front. Spreading to the northeast
| from Everett avenue the fire seized
| upon the rows of business blocks
| facing on Broadway and enveloped
| them one after another creeping slow
| ly but steadily toward Chase square.
the center of the city
The Fritz library magnificent
structure. was destroyed and on the