The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-18
Nearly 120 Alarms in Topeka
Since First of June.
damage to Property Amounted
TO Less Than $4,000.
EFFICIENCY OF DEPARTMENT
Enforcement of Ordinances Re.
duced Fire Hazards.
Heaviest Single Loss Aggregat-
ed Only $4,O25.

In 116 fire alarms since June l
there has been total loss to property
OF S11,61s.oS, according to the rec
ords in the office of Fire Chief George
y Wlimarth This sum is divided into
a loss to buildings of s7,692.35 and a
loss TO contents of $9,925.73.
Perhaps the most remarkable part
OF the summers fire record is the
number of small fires. or alarms that
Were answered where the damage
amounted to nothing. or was so
trl1Ilng that no estimate was placed
upon 1t. As a matter of fact there
mas been only one really bad fire all
summer, that being the blaze over the
David ]. August store at $50 Kansas
avenue that occurred August 6, the
damage from which aggregated s4,
va The damage to the building was
placed at S1.035, while the damage to
the contents was fixed al S2.990.
OF the total alarms since June 1 in
only 81 have there been damages of
81 or more In the other 50 alarms
the damage has been very slight or
none at all 1t is interesting to note
that during the entire summer there
were SIX false alarms. a alarms where
age, six alarms where merely grass
was burning, and "a from various
causes where no damage was done
me damage in the other 81 fires ran
from few dollars up to the figure
mentioned in the August fire.
In August 81 Calls.
The number of calls increased
rapidly during the summer, there
having been total of "a in August
alone, almost half of the total num-
Der from June / to date OF the
number in August 90 resulted in losses
while in 2S there was no loss. The
month included the heaviest single
IRE, and also the greatest aggregate
Loss both to buildings and contents. |
Damage to buildings burned during
the month is given al s4.S4l-15, while /,
the damage to contents is given at
s3,543.73. The aggregate loss for the |
month was $7,SS4.SS.
In June only s alarms were turned |
in. In ten of them there were losses !
During the month there were two !
"a lse alarms, two where rubbish was |
burning, one where a trash burner |
had occasioned uneasiness and three |
where no damage was done. The ag-
sl.649.50.
In July there were 80 calls. in Is |
OF which there was certain amount
of damage. Only one false alarm
was turned in during the month but |
rubbish fires where no damage was
done occasioned a call for the de-
partment nine times, and burning
grass called out the department three !
times In II other fires there was no !
damage to report. In the other ! |
fires there was an aggregate damage |
of S6,123.70, of which $1,956.70 was !
TO buildings and $4.167 to contents. |
II was during july lndI anu !
matches caused fire at the ]. |
Thomas Lumber ccmpanys yards in |
North Topeka, causing damage of |
nearly $4,000. This occurred July -. |
Two days later a bad fire at Second |
and Buchanan streets, where several |
barns were burned and the team and
hose cart from station No. 4 were lost.
occurred.
August 5 a fire in an unsafe trash
burner occasioned losses at nine diff
ferent properties near Fourth and
Taylor streets with an aggregate loss
of more than $4,000. During the
month also there occurred bad fire
at Fifteenth and Kansas avenue that
destroyed several barns, and stands
charged to boys and matches on the
records of the fire chief.
Rest in September. /
September to date has had few
calls There have been six fires so
far in which the aggregate loss has
amounted to S1.930.10-more than
the total loss for June but far be-
hind the record for July and August.
The loss in September so far has
been divided between buildings.
s6257O, and contents, $1,SO5- The
greater part of the loss to contents,
and much of that charged to build