The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-15
.FIREBUC IS ABROAD
Two Ineendiary BlazeS DiSeOv-
cred in Topeka Last Night.
Schick Mattress Factory and
the Inter-Oeean Mills.
CHIEF HANLOH is PUZZLED
Has No Doubt That Human
Agency Was Employed.
Night Natchmen VIII Be Sta
TONED About the Buildings.

TWO fncendiary fires were started IN
Topeka last night and had the plans OF
the pyronaniac worked out in either
case there would have been a heavy
fire loss in Topeka Fire was set in
the Inter-Ocean mills in North Topeka
and in the Schick Mattress factory
The damage in neither instance
amounts 10 more than few dollars
but that is due only to good fortune
Because of these discoveries ar
rauzements were made today with
Mayor J. E House and H G. Far
sons. chief of police, TO provide watch
men and give them police power TO
look after the big mills and other
property of that character in Topeka
Give them police power, SAID
Chief HanIoh then when they dis
cover a night prowler around one OF
the mills they can order him 10 haIl
and if he refuses TO do so the Watcn-
men can offer something IN the ma
ture of a peFSuader-
tory was discovered by a man passing
by last night and was put out easily
The fact that it was OF 1ncendIary
origin was too plain 70 pc oVerIooheu;
Near the factory a freight car STOOD
and a big bunch Of oily waste nad
been pulled out of one Of the journals
This had been placed on WINDOW
sill and A match had been applied to
il When the passer-by saw the flame
II cO11Td not have been under head
way more than d few minutes as All
the waste was not consumed ne
window sill and the woodwork at the
side Of the window were charred;
Tba+ is the extent of the material
damage done but the factory people
are badly worried about It.
The work of the fire-bug was even
more deliberate at the Inter-Ocean
mills The fire was not discovered IN
til early this morning when some OF
The employees climbed up into the
st1Derstructu of the mill me pl4ze
was discovered and was easily extln-
g1ished with a bucket Of water But
il is evident that the fire had been
burning for hours
Had Human Aid.
There was no way this fire could
have started without human assist
ance." said Chief Joseph Hanlon to-
dav There were no electric wires
in that vicinity. there was no accumu-
-Iation of waste material and no ma
Chfuerv which could have started the
fire To me it appears 10 be clear
case of fncen diarism- The IRE burned
well into big heavy timber whIch
had a smooth surface It must have
been burning for hours before II was
discovered"
The FIRE at the Schick Mattress fac
tory is known to have started through
some human agency The evidence
was so plain in that case tha- Cn1e+
HanIon doesn't harbor the slightest
doubt.
4 don't like the looks of these mat
ters at ALL said Chief Haniou- 4
don't know what Is behind them Mr.
Schick and the mill people are con-
siderabIy worried and I don't blame
them for that I have suggested that
they employ night watchmen on the
outside OF the building and take all
other precautions possible Il is a,
serious matter when there Is series
of fires Of this character
The fire at the mill is particularly
puzzIiug- IN order 70 reach the point
where the fire was discovered il
would be necessary to go through the
building and climb j long distance in
4 roundabout way. II would take
great deal of hardihood to do that
and would indicate that the person
who started the fire is desperate
sort Of cha aCter-
Fires have been started in numerous
mills over the country since the Eu-
ropean war began and in many N
stances it has been charged to war
contracts Much of the flour made in
the mills here and elsewhere in Kan
Sas will eventually reach armies en-
gagged in the war. However, Chief
HanIou has found nothing TO indicate
directly that the fire in the Inter
ocean r7fu IS traceabie to the Euro
pean var