The Topeka state journal., 1913-07-14
TWO MEN BURNED
Fireman and Water Service
Employee Badly Injured.
While Fighting a Fire Near
First and Clay.
SEVERAL BARNS DESTROYED
Team of Horses Killed and
Hose Cart Burned Up.
Fire Department Sustains q
Loss of $500.
SEVERAL BARNS DESTROYED
The injured:

The injured:
water department, badly but probably
not fatally burned about his face, both
arms. left leg and back.
Paul Little, driver of No. 4 hose cart,
burned about the face and armS-not
dangerous.
Two men were badly burned, a team
of horses from the fire departm ent
and the hose cart to which they were
hitched was burned almost to a Gin
der, and several barns were destroyed
IN a fire that occurred in the alley
between Buchanan and Clay streets,
near First street, about IL o'clock this
morning When first discovered sew
eral barns seemed to be on fire The
blaze gained SO much headway before
the high wind that all of the out
buildings in the vicinity were destroy
ed before the fire could be brought
under control.
Aside from the injuries to the two
men and the loss of the hose cart and
contents and a valuable team of
horses, the fire did not assume disas-
trous proportions. All of the buildings
were small, and nothing of any great
value was stored in them. The loss to
the buildings and contents is estimated
at about $1,000.
Paul Little, driver of hose cart from
No. 4, was driving rapidly through the
alley between two burning barns, pay
ing out hose In the center of the al
ley, where the fire was hottest, a live
electric wire. burned in two by the
heat, fell across the back of one OF
his horses, knocking the animal down.
Little sprang from his seat, seized a
blindfold and helped the horse back
to his feet. He had barely applied the
the blindfold, hoping thereby to induce
the horse to go on through the alley,
when the other horse, overcome by the
heat, fell in his tracks and rolled over
under the tongue of the cart Little
then gave up and ran for his life, al
ready badly burned.
Roy Root the other victim, was in
the vicinity when the fire horse went
down, and seeing Little leave the driv-
ers seat to go to the assistance or
the horse, sprang into the place to be
ready to drive on out. When the sec
ond horse fell he, also, was compelled
to run for his life away from the
flames.
Departments Loss Heavy.
After the fire the bodies of the two
horses. the flesh in many places burned
entirely from the bones. and the wreck
of the hose cart, of which nothing was
left but the metal parts, gave mute evil
dence of the intensity of the heat The
loss to the department is estimated at
from $1,000 to $500.
Root was taken to the hospital after
DR. G. E Joss had been called and had
While his burns are severe and ex-
ceedingly painful it is not thought they
will prove fatal He lives at Fourth
and Lafayette streets, and has been in
the employ of the water department
for some time. Little was given medi-
cal attention, but refused to go to
hosital
The fire, as well as the one that
threatened an entire block in the vi
cfnity of the Central Sash and Door
factory last Saturday, was the work,
Chief Wilmarth believes, of small
boys
THE fire was set by mischievous
youngsters" the chief said, "and
such work has got to stop. We have
a mighty good idea who the offend
ers are and we expect to make it
uncomfortable for them. Chief
Hughes and 1 are working together on
the matter and we are gathering evil
dence- There is no excuse for such
conduct
The fire Saturday came near
burning an entire block 1t was only
by the fastest kind of work that the
flames were checked. 1 know it was
set on fire by boys, who lighted
pile of shingles l am sure this
fire also was set by mischievous boys.
We must stop it, and we are going to.
We cannot afford to risk any more
such fires
Neighbors say that the fire was
started by woman burning trash in
the alley. They also say that the
fire pressure was weak.
The owners of the barns destroyed
and the estimated damage in each
case is as follows:
The loss of property at the fire was
Mrs. w. NJ. Mcfarland, 10 Buchanan
street, $50; L. B. Clark, ia Buchanan
street, $500; c. Okerman. I16 Buchanan
street, $50; r. l. Smith. 1O8 Clay, $50:
c. L Lutz. $500, and a vacant house
100 CJav S150