The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-03
Chief WiImarth's Statement.


1.-The tar roof and the gas made ii
hard to fight the fire" said Chief Will
marth after his men had gotten the
fire under control. We had six lines
of hose at work and all of them were
doing some telling work. We had the
best pressure We have had in some
time l think that we were fortunate
in saving the old power plant build
ing which was threatened for a time
as the wind was blowing the sparks
down upon the building and were also
fortunate in keeping the fire from
spreading to the residences as the
glowing embers fell down on houses
all over the vicinity of the building"
A number of live wires in the build
ing and on the outside as we'll made it
very dangerous for the firemen for
and cut the wires. The firemen were
also handicapped for a time in the rear
of the building by a number of young
toughs, both white and colored, VINO
live in that section of the town.
Work of Lifetime.
Mr.. Bromich has made no definite
statement yet in regard to rebuilding,
but it is generally understood that he
will
Mr. Bromich to a friend as he looked
at the ruins of the building last night
after the fire had been eXtinguished.
1T has taken me thirty-five years to
build the plant up and now it is almost
a total ruin
But Mr. Bromich had not counted in
the reputation which his boilers have
made over the entire state and central
west. This was not destroyed in the
fire. and when he re-builds Mr.. Bro
mich will find it a comparatively easy
for there will always be
demand for his boilers as long as he
makes them.
Has Grown With the City.
Mr. Bromich came to Topeka 80 years
i-f 1Oy1c
time he worked for r. L. Cofran in
the Western foundry. Then he went to
work for himself, having rented cou- |
pie of rooms from Mr.. Cofran, and
He confined his work to making boil |
ers and by making every one that he |
turned out a good one, he soon had a /
good trade started.
started a plant in a building of his own, |
which grew from a small one to the |
one which was estimated as worth up |
wards of s150,O00 before it was destroy |
I'd by the flames last night.
In addition to the plant which Mr.. |
8romich owned, he owns considerable |
ZEAL estate. He owns the site on which |
his plant was located as well as the |
OTIS which he has built his residence. |
He also owns considerable land back of |
his plant which extends clear through |
% Monroe street. In all he pays taxes
IN $4,000 square feet of land in the one
ract.
This was probably the largest boiler
making establishment in the state. The
plant also did considerable work in /
plumbing and pipe fitting, on a large
scale. The Bromich boilers were known
n every section of the state, and even
found a ready sale in Colorado, Nebras-
Ia, Oklahoma, New Mexico and south /
nto Texas. The plant always had plen- /
y of work to do having orders piled |
Ip for delivery months ahead of time. |
Before the Santa F'e built its boiler
'hops in Topeka, Mr.. Bromich had all
he Santa Fe work to do that he cared
ior.
This is the third big fire which To-
oeka has witnessed thus far this year
rhe Copeland hotel was totally destroy
ID January II. The Parkhurst-Davis
ire occurred February IL.
As result of the destruction of the
9romich plant about % men are thrown
'ut of work. A large part of the work
which was done by this plant was done
through machinery. 1t was one of the
inest equipped plants in the west.