The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-05
SWEPT BY FIRE.
Part of Block on Tenth Avenue
Burns.
Big Water Main Breaks at a
Critical Time.
BUCKETS ARE USED.
Eiremen Put Up Gallant Battle
Against Odds.
Prevent the Flames From
Reaching Topeka Avenue.
Stamey's Barn and Four Resi-.
dences Destroyed.

A fire which started this morning
at O'Clock in a little shed back of
the nat at 1912 Tyler street, occupied
by M. d. Kahr and family, destroyed
the E. ]. Covell grocery at SIS West
Ienth avenue, the five room house
Dack OF the grocery occupied by Carl
Smith, the George Stalney livery barn
at 519 West Tenth, the six room house
at the corner of Tenth and Tyler oc-
cupied by E. w. Ellis and family, and
Quilted the north end of the fiat on
Tyler street occupied by Miss Matte
Kahr.
The fire companies did all that men
could do. but were powerIess to check
the fire sooner, for the reason that the
water supply failed them at the very
beginning of the blaze. The water
main in the west part of the city at
Auburndale broke under the pressure
and the entire city was left without
water
The firemen were compelled to use
chemicals and water from wells and
cisterns in the neighborhood until they
had connected $500 feet of hose with
the cistern at Tenth and Kansas ave-
nue. and put the engine in commission.
This gave them one stream of water
Fortunately there was only a 10
mile wind during the fire. Had there
been a high wind early this morning,
the entire block between Tyler and
Topeka avenue and Tenth and Elev-
enth streets would have been con-
sumed, and probably all that section
of the city devastated by fire. Chemi-
Gals and bucket brigade are of little
avail in lighting a big fire.
Only after the hardest kind of a
light by the brave and active firemen
was the fire checked in time to save
the block
buckets the firernen saved Packard's
frame milk depot next to the Cove.l
store. The buildings were less than
three feet apart and the side of the
depot was charred to a cinder. The
nremen clung to their posts, and
though the fire blistered their faces,
they saved the depot. and as a result
the row of frame buildings to the east
of 1t. The main efforts of the firemen
were directed toward saving the depot
for had it burned the fire would have
Yged unchecked clear to Topeka ave-
nue.. Chief Wilmarth realized that the
fiat on Tyler street, south of the fire.
was the more valuable piece of prop
erty, but he knew, too that it was Of
brick. and the fire would spread more
slowly in that direction than 1t would
by way of the frame buildings toward
Topeka avenue. Chief Wilmarth was
failure of the water supply and or
dered the engine in at Tenth and Kan
sas avenue.
What little wind there was at the
time of the fire was blowing from the
southeast.
The loss will reach well into the
thousands of dollars
The Covell grocery store was entirely
destroyed and all of it's contents; about
half covered by insurance.
har
stroyed and all its contents including
lot of handsome new furniture in the
rooms occupied by the Stamey family
upstairs. No insurance on the furni-
ture. Mr.. Stamey got his horses out of
the barn and three of his cabs. All
the harness and fixtures and some bug
gies upstairs were lost He carried par
tial insurance on his livery fixtures.
Carl Smith and family escaped with
only their clothes. No insurance on
household goods.
G. H. Langdon and family escaped
in the clothes they wore, and carried
no insurance on their goods.
Ed Ellis saved all his household
goods except the carpets. His goods
were insured.
In the fiat occupied by Miss Kahr,
the goods were gotten out but the
north end of the fiat is badly burned
and the loss will be about $1,000. The
Kahr household goods were insured
w. F. Chapman, living in the south
side of the fiat. got all his goods out.
They were insured. The fire did not
penetrate to the south side of tn fiat.
but the rooms are soaked with water
Mr.. Covell. the grocer, got the key
TO his gasoline shed in front of his gro
Gerry and removed the large can of
gasoline from the shed to a safe dis
lance in time to avoid an explosion
When the Water Gave Out
chief Wilmarth stated that the fire
companies responded to the fire alarm
about 5 40 a. m. and found the blaze
in a little shed back of the Kahr fiat
They played stream of water on the
shed and soon extinguished the fire
but the blaze had extended across the
alley to a two-story barn filed with
bay Two streams of water were
quickly thrown on the barn and in a
few minutes the fire would have been
extinguished. when-presto! the water
supplv was pinched off. The firemen
dropped the useless nozzles and turn
ed to the use of chemicals and buck
cts. getting the water from a well in
the alley.
These efforts were unavailing in the
face of the hot fire from the barn
allied with hay and the blaze leaned
across the alley to the Stamey livery
harm The heat was intense and there
vas not enough power in the chem
fcaIs to throw a stream any distance.
mt the firemen rallied around their
chief in the alley near the milk depot
and braved the heat in a supreme eff
fort to check the flames TO the east.
several Of the boys were badly burned
about the face and hands.
Use Engine and Cisterns
In the meantime as the companies
arrived at the sce-'e of the fire they
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