The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-13
/. FIRE IN CHUrCH.
United Brethren Edifice Is Bad
ly Damaged.
Blaze Starts From Gas Stove
in Annex.
GOOD WORK OF MEN
Saved the Building When Task
Seemed Hopeless.
Church Had Just Been Refin-
iShed Inside.

With smoke issuing in clouds from
every door, window and crevice of the
First United Brethren church at the
corner Of Twelfth and Quincy streets
and the real bed of the fire unknown,
full detachment of companies from
Stations No. 2 and 8 succeeded in
diving into the church. ferreting out
the blaze and extinguishing it before
a damage not to exceed $4,000 had
been done.
1t was a mighty pretty piece of
fire fighting and to those who saw the
smoke and flames before the fire COM
panies arrived. it looked as though
nothing could possibly have saved the
church and its contents. The building
is one story brick veneer with a
large gabled frame roof.
The fire started in the new addition
on the southwest corner of the church
Just behind the main room. This ad
dition was just completed and had not
been turned over to the church people
by the contractors. When the firemen
under Chief Babcock found the origin
of the blaze it was inside the walls on
the west side of this new addition and
had spread out into the big roof of
the main building. At this point a
gas stove was placed and the builders
of the addition had run an iror pipe
up between the inside and outside
wall, this pipe connecting with the
claims that there has been no fire in
the church since prayer meeting
Thursday night but Chief Babcock
said that the fire undoubtedly started
from this iron fiue.
Rev. o. T. Deever, pastor of the
church, first discovered the fire and
turned in the alarm. 1t was then
eating out through the west roof Of
the addition and the smoke had filled
the church and was pouring out of
every opening. When the fire COM
panies arrived the task of saving the
building looked hopeless. Friends and
feighbors rushed into the building
and carried out everything that was
movable and with nothing in sight but
smoke, the firemen started on hunt
for the origin of the blaze
The whole inside of the roof is a mass
Of tirnberS and dry shingles which
burned fiercely. Three lines of water
and two lines of chemical were played
into the roof from the west end and at
1880 the fire was under control. 1t was
first discovered at L o'clock.
1t is estimated by the pastor that
the loss will reach at least $1,000 and
m ost probably $500. The entire roof
oe the west end was ruined although
not burned through. The water Will
probably do as much damage as the
fire The church had just been refin-
:shed inside with new woodwork and
frescoing and all was ruined. The song
books were more or less destroyed. In
fighting their way to the flames the
fremen could not see their paths
through the aisles on account of
smoke and many seats were turned
ever and broken.
The insurance on the entire church
is about $4,000. This includes the new
| EDITION.
In speaking of the fire Chief Bah
| cock said:
at is against the law to construct
such a fue for gas stoves. All f1ues
should be built up through the roof
with brick AS long as people build
their f1ues in this manner we will al
ways have fires. I feel more than
satisfied with the work of the boys
The FIRE looked bad when we first ar
ived and it was some time to find the
Etarting point of the blaze. It was
mean fire to do anything with