Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-25
Rooms Were Small and Hallwa
Narrow and Dark.
CAUSED BY CROSSED WIRE
Fire Spreads Rapidly and Victims
Are Unable to Escape.
GUESTS sMoTHERED BY SMOKE
One of the Victims q TELEGRAPH LIns-
man Evidently on way TO
Omaha 20 Take Job with
Union Pacific.

TOPEKA, Kan, April A.-Four persons
lost their lives and several others were
seriously injured In fire that destroyed
the Central hotel here early today. The
hotel, which was a two-story brick struo-
ture. was situated. on Kansas avenue. be-
tween Fifth and Sixth streets, in the busi-
ness district.
The dead
JOHN W. ERICKSON, Clay Center.
Kan. county clerk
L. r. sTRATToN, Polk county. Missouri,
dish washer In hotel.
WALTER sIPPY. Topeka, chemist. Santa
Fe.
BENJAMIN sIPPY. student state uni
versity
TIE injured:
r. L. Campbell, proprietor Of the hotel,
burned and overcome by smoke, serious.
A woman guest, name unknown; serious.
George Goodrich. fire lieutenant.
severely burned.
c. W. Brown, Kansas City, travelling
salesman; hurt by jumping from window.
Miss Nina Rost, Topeka; hands burned,
suffering from inhaling smoke.
The hotel. which is one Of the finest in
the city. was only partially destroyed.
brothers. Walter was employed in Topeka
by the Santa Fe Railway company as q
chemist. Benjamin, who was . student st
the State university, had come to Topeka
Friday afternoon to visit his brother. Wal
ter Sippy had no room to accommodate
his visitor at his boarding house and they
went to the hotel. Walter died IN his room,
from suffocation and Benjamin was burned
to death while trying to es,ape through the
hallway
Strstton is believed to have bee nem-
ployed by a electrical company in ChlcaSo.
where he is thought to have rAsided-
J.. y. Erickson formerly vas county ,cleyk
OF Clay county. KspsnA he vas In Topeka
attending Christian EndeRvor convention.
The fire started At O'Clock. evidently
from crossed electric light wires. on a
small balcony In the dining room on the
first floor. The flames spread rapidly and
the rooms ON the second floor were soon
fined with smoke. when the firemen ar
rived 1t was impossible to save the build
ing and they paid their attention prin-
cipally to protecting surrounding property
The rooms on the second floor were small
and those on one side OF the buildins
where the four men lost their lives had no
windows, while the hallway was narrow
and dark. Cheadlel and stratton occupied
the same room. Three Of those who Loaf
thsir lives were smothefed to death in theiu
rooms. apparently having made no attempt
to reach the hallway. A fourth had 60.
capped from his room and made his way
down the hallway, but was unable to gel
farther than the stair landing, where his
charred body was found.
Today's fire was the second serious hote
fire In Topeka within three months Or
January II the Copeland a famous stop
ping place for politicians, was destroyed
The Copeland at the time was filled with
prominent persons from all parts OF IN,
state attendant upon the legislature
Isaac Lambert Of Emporia. a we'll knowr
railway attorney and politician. lost hi,
life. and twenty persons were injured
There were many sensational escapes, sew
erai Of the guests jumping from the uppei
windows.