The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-20
Leaking Mains Cause S15,OOO
Fire in Capper Building.
Two Men Burned About th'
Head and Hands.
THROUGH CONDUITS
Gas Came Into Building by Bell
Telephone Route.
TOday's Capital Printed on State
journal Press.

Following a terrific gas explosion
that broke windows, and shook the
street for blocks fire broke out in
the basement of the Cappcr building,
corner Eighth avenue and Jackson
street, at 11:15 Sunday morning, and
damaged the stock of paper and
presses to an amount of about S1o,-
900. Two men, an employe and
visitor, Foreman Charles Lungene
and Fred Ash were burned about the
face and hands.
Gas leaking through the conduits
of the Bell Telephone company into
the building and becoming ignited in
some unknown manner caused the
explosion of the gas.
The fire was confined to the base
ment and under the sidewalk on the
west of the building. Under this side
walk there were several car loads of
paper stored and it is here that the
fire secured the first hold. 1t burned
f1ercely until the firemen could work
their way down into the smoke filled
basement and play the water directly
on the paper. Holes were torn
through the sidewalk and water
forced through in this manner.
The presses in the basement of the
building were damaged. The lead,
rubber composition and felt parts of
these machines were ruined on ac
count of the heat of the flames and
the water. The felt parts were
swelled and made useless. The rub
Der rollers were a total loss and the
lead parts melted. 1t is estimated
that the loss to the presses will
amount to $4,000. This includes the
cost of repairs to the motors. The
paper is valued at $1,000 and the
stock and material in the job print
ing department, $1,000.
Charles Lungene, a press foreman.
was standing on the press when the
explosion took place. He was blown
from the press to the floor and was
seriously burned about the head and
hands. He was making a sheet when
the accident happened and the press
was not running. He could not ex-
$Plain the cause.
Fred Ash, former employe of the
Capper publications, was standing
near Lungene and was visiting the
men when the explosion took place
He was burned about the head and
face, but not seriously.
Explosion ut 1880.
People in the vicinity of the To-
peka railway transfer station were frs
attracted about II o'clock By a ter
rifle explosion, just west of the sta
tfon- Glass was thrown out into the
street and in a few seconds two men
with faces and hands scorched ran
out Of the building facing Eighth ave-
nue..
A few seconds after the explosion
smoke and flames issued from the
basement windows and it looked like
serious conflagration. The fire COM
panies from headquarters station and
from every station in the CITY CEN
tered around the fire and in a very
few minutes a line of hose was play
ing in every window and under the
sidewalk.
The intense heat and smoke in the
basement made if inn nnSsih1a for tho
firemen to enter the building from be-
low until the smoke was cleared and
they could make their way safely
a peculiar incident happened during
the fire that caused considerable
worry on the part of the employees of
the printing plant. The press that
prints the Mail & Breeze ran during
the whole fire and was not stoned
until the lead wires in the rear of
the building were disconnected by
Robert Maxwell, head pressmar
While the fire and smoke was at it's
fiercest the press could be heard run
ming and many attempts were made by
the ffremen and employees to get into
the basement and shut off the motor.
The basement of the building was
flooded with a foot of water and all
the stock and paper standing en- the
floor was water soaked. The sewer
connections could not take the water
away in time and Chief WiImarth of
the fire department ordered the
steamer to the building. where the
water was pumped from the floor.
Workmen commenced at once on the
repairs of the presses and motors.
Used State Journal Press.
During the progress of the fire Mr..
MacLennan offered Mr.. Capper the
use of the State Journals big press
for printing his next issue This
printed at the State Journal office.
When the Capital purchased its new
press about a year ago it very for
tunately made the sizes of it's pages
and plates conform to the standard
of the State Journal, purchasing the
same kind and type of press made by
the Goss Printing Press company of
Chicago. The State Journals press is
n 2S-page machine. and the Capitals
32-page; the plates of one paper ex-
actly corresponding with those of the
other. so that either paper can be
readily printed in either office in case
of just such an emergency. as the
present one. E. ]. Early, the press
man of the state Journal. and his as
sistants did the work.
Charles Lungene. foreman of the
press room, who was badly burned
said:
Il cannot account for the accident. ]
was making a draw at the time. The
press was not running. Nc one was
smoking as far as 1 know. 1 was
thrown down from my stool by the ex-
rlosion.''
Harry Jurd, a pressman who was in
the building, said:
81 was in the east side of the build
ing when the explosion occurred. The
first thing I remember about the acct
dent is that a big glass window was
blown out over my head and the glass
rained down around me. 1 ran tn the
other side of the press room and saw
Mr.. Lungene coming around ths press
with his clothes and hair on fife AS
had no coat to smother the flames
had to put out the fire on him the best