The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-15
A $4,000 FIRE
Merchants Transfer Co. Build
ing on Quincy Burned.
Owners Will Rebuild FireprOOf
Structure on the Site.

| While their employees are cleaning
out the debris and hauling away burn
| ed materials, G. D. Skinner and Cay
hart, proprietors of the Merchants
Transfer & Storage company today are
| planning on a new f1re-proof building
| to take the place of the structure par
| TALLY destroyed by fire early this morn
| irg. The Skinner building. a two story
stone and brick, so feet wide and $50
| feet deep, at 611-3-5 Quincy street, was
| DANA ged IS 600 and the &C ntents $500
! by a blaze of unknown origin beginning
at 1890 this morning.
The entire second floor Of the building
was Quilted. The roof was ruined.
| Household goods stored in the first floor
and basement were damaged by
water. A barber shop and restaurant in
| the first floor were damaged slightly by
water. The barber shop. owned by T.
| G. Waller opened this afternoon. The
/ restaurant owned by Dick Johnson VIII
| open in Z few days. The MerchantS'
Transfer q Storage company has moved
its c47ice to the Thompson building next
door and is carrying on its business.
c. D. Skinner, owner Of the building
estimated today that the damage by
fire probably would amount to $1,000
The insurance is $500. The household
goods are owned by several hundred
persons Their loss will be about 81 900
with rroba bly, $1,000 in insurance. The
loss to the barber shop will be 5000 and
the restaurant about 5000. Paper stored
il. the basement owned by the Capper
Publishing company is valued at 5000.
It was partially ruined.
Fifteen thousand dollars will cover
the entire damage by fire and water.
The building will be rebuilt immed-
lately It will be made ffreproof-the
walls and floors to be constructed of re-
enforced concrete.
An alarm was turned III at 1910
O'Clock by K. K. Pinkston, patrolman
on his beat, who heard the cries or
DR.. William c. Bower, who together
with his wife were the sole occupants
of the building at the time the fire
broke out.
Owing to a misunderstanding in the
Transmission of the ALARM. the com
Kansas avenue the delay giving the
fire a Roadway that was not easily
come.
DR.. and BIrs. Bower occupied rooms
near the front. He shoure7 the alarm
from a window. His wife made her
escape Immediately. but he delayed in
an attempt to save erSonal property,
anG it became inpossib1s for him to
FIND his way through smoke and fame
to the entrance. RE was finally res
cued ty f1remen through window.
According to DR.. Bower. the fire
started behind his rooms on the sec
ond floor
Seven fire companies were called to
the scene. They were nose com
panies Nos. l. 2, 8 and 4, and truck
companies Nos. 2 and 8, and chemical
company No. 2. A dez.-1 streams of
water played upon the burning build
ing from all sides.
The danger was that the flames
would spread to the Commerce build
ing adjoining the Skinner block at the
rear, and the Thompson block to the
south.
So soIidIy was the Skinner building
packed with furniture and other goods i'm
storage, that it was impossible for the
streams of water to penetrate into this
mass. Then the fact that the furniture
/ was protected by paper and saclSing made
/ the effort to combat the flames more diff
/ ficult When the flames belched forth
! through the roof and ignited with the tsr
roofing which was in fresh condition,
they shot upwards in a threatening man
ner. The heat was intense and the fire
men exerted themselves to the utmost 10
prevent the adjoining buildings from ig-
hitting.
3 The firemen worked with cool decision
/ under the direction of the veteran Chief
1 Wflmarth.
Two streams of water on the west side
| of the warehouse in the alley protected
] the Commerce building. Three streams
/ were played from the alley on the MOI tn
/ side of the building. protecting the D. o.
| ings Two streams were shot from tile
| top of the Thompson building on the
south From the Quincy street side OF
| the building four streams were thrown.
According to c. D. Skinner of the Mer-