The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-22
IN A DEATH TRAP.

must be caught. Although nearly ali
| of my men and myself were more or
! less hurt, it flashed upon US that Koran
was among those trapped and we benI
every effort to save them
sit was beyond human power to do
anything for the moment, as tons OF
bricks had come down. When the
bodies are found they will be beneath
/ this pile of brick and mortar.
Saw Them Go Down.
| Hope of the firemen and the hun
dreds of admirers of Fire Marshal
Koran that the fire fighter and his
men had not persisted was practically
! lost when Battalion Chief Lacey, who
| is in charge of the stoclyards dlvl-
sion, told oe seeing the marshal ana
| Burroughs, together with Is or ~
men, go down beneath the falling wall.
"Chief Koran was in front of the pipe
men," said Lacey, land Burroughs
! short distance behind him directing
the work of the pipe men when the
crash came. [ know just where they
were and am sure they had no chance
| of escape Dozens of the firemen saw
| the same situation and many OF the
men ran to the pile almost frantic ana
| began throwing bricks away with their
hands They were like SO many Goals
| of fire and any work of that sort was
useless.
st ordered them back to fighting the
flames with their lines of hose in the
hope that the fire might be stopped IN
POOA
fellows we had all heard go down to
what seemed certain death.
81 was determined to make every e1-
fort within human power TO save the
men, but the condition of the building
made it suicidal for the rest to try to
enter
81 was in charge of the firemen fight
ing the flames from the railroad tracks.
I saw one man fall near where the men
who were caught fell and 1 ran and
q RI hnI of hi OGPd
onto the railroad track and saved him.
Then my men and 1 made rush to
save others but our way had been block
ed by the falling ruins and clouds OF
dust and debris"
Whole Crews Dead. 8.
The first body was taken from the
ruins shortly after o'clock. 1t was
that of George Murawski, pipeman OF
engine company 40. 1t was estimated
at the general fire alarm office that %
or 80 firemen were dead after two hours
fighting to recover the buried men.
1t was said to be certain that Mar
shall Koran and Battalion Chief Bur
roughS were among the number.
The entire crews of engine compan-
les 81 and SO are said to be among the
dead In addition six members of an
other company 20. and a few of No. As
were killed
Pipeman John P. Kassenbock, "a years
old, was knocked down beneath a show |
LOOMS street. He is internally injured
and was taken to the Englewood hos |
pital Pipeman Edward Ochter, struck
on top of the head by falling bricks,
was taken unconscious to Englewood
hospital.
Captain McGrath, Pipeman Anthony
Hall and John Miller, Thomas Carney
and Anthony A. GLAND. all of engine
company 4S. were taken more or less
injured to st. Demands hospital.
The building IN which the fire started
was a four story brick structure and
covered an area bounded on the east
by Loomis street and the west by Shop
street and on the north and south by
Forty-third and Forty-fourth streets.
At 8 o'clock the fire was not under
control. Assistant Fire Marshal
Charles Seyferlich. who assumed the
leadership, said that great portion
of the yards district was threatened
but it was believed the fire would be
soon under control.
Fire Hard to Stop.
All available fire fighting apparatus
was hurried to the scene.
There was general apprehension
that still more damage would be done
and stocSmen arriving for the days
work Joined with the firemen in fight
irg the spread of the flames.
The fire alarm Office was notified att
8 o'clock that the bodies of Captain
E. Collins of engine company SO and
Captain Dennis Doyle of engine COM
pany 80 had been taken from the
ruins. At this hour Chief Seyferlich
was said to be alarmed over the situa
ton of the fire spreading. He de-
adequate and that there was danger
that the loss would run into millions
of dollars if the flames were not soon
quenched.
that Marshal Koran was dead, togeth-
er with Burroughs and perhaps thirty
men.
Patrol wagons and ambulances from
all south side police stations were
rushed to the scene and while the fire.
men battled with the flames the police
took up the work of searching the ruins
for the dead.
to be little hope of checking the flames.
Assistant Chief Seyferlich wept as he
called to his men to do their best.
Nothing can stop the fire from
spreading the way things shape up
now he said. IF we could only get
something. We can not get to the men
imprisoned in the building
Another Building Attacked.
Alarm was spread late in the morning
when the fire spread to a three story
building 300 feet square in which were
a large number of ammonia pipes.
Drenched with water and almost
worn out Assistant Chief Seyferlich,
who was by this time sure that he was
first in command. ran from place To
place. directing his men and endeavor-
ing to check the destruction of the
building in which We're the deadly am
monia pipes.
Three members of engine company
SO, all who remained of the entire
crew which went to the fire early this
morning, were ordered back to their
quarters at $50 o'clock as unfit for
duty All had been burned or other
wise injured in trying to rescue their
comrades.
Marshal Koran was married about
six years ago and was the father of
two years old. Word of the death of
the chief Kent from, Mrs Il