The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-01
HELPLESS Firemen Work Fran
ticalIy To Get Water.
Some Say That the Water Plugs
Were Frozen.
STREET CAR CUT BIG HOSE
High School Boys Help Mrs.
KOuns Save VaIuableS.
ROOmerS in the House Lost
Everything They Had.

y
Hundreds stood by helplessly this
afternoon and watched the beautiful
home of Mrs. c. w. Kouns. 9O9 To-
peka avenue, as it was completely
gutted by fire while firemen waited
on an inadequate pressure to throw
water on the flames. Estimates OF
the precious time consumed in wait
ing for pressure varies from fifteen
minutes to half an hour. The loss
could not be estimated accurately. but
it will run into thousands of dollars.
Firemen admitted that between the
poor water pressure and action taken
BY street car motormen in running
over and splitting their line of hose,
thousands of dollars in property was
destroyed. Even after water began
to play on the flames. the pressure
would weaken at times until the
stream would not reach tn house.
Mrs. C. w. Kouns, former actress
and wife of the late general manager
of the Santa Fe. stood in the near
zero weather this afternoon with not
a stitch of clothes in her possession
except that she was wearing. Silver
ware running into the hundreds or
dollars expensive clothing and other
precious keepsakes and furniture are
totally destroyed. A dozer roomers
living in the big house on the second
floor and in the attic have lost every
article of clothing and furniture in
their possession.
Boys saved Furniture.
Heroic work of high school boys
just out of school. directed by Mrs
Kouns, saved hundreds of dollars
worth of furniture After discovering
th- flames and notifying the fire de-
partment Mrs. Kouns, in the house
alore. except for colored man. ser
want rushed to the attic for her silver
ware.
1t was in the attic that the fire ap-
parently had its origin, as the result
of a defective flue. it is believed.
Smoke and flames made the saving of
the silverware impossible and drove
Mrs. Kouns downstairs.
Her next effort was to save a beau
tiful portrait of her dead husband.
She succeeded in rescuing this price
less article. Next, she insisted that
an effort be made to save the baby
grand piano of her stepdaughters,
Nellie and Sara Kouns. inimitable
tune on the Orpheum circuit in the
last two years. Almost as precious
as her husbands picture was the
baby grand piano on which the
girls had Prayed for years and around
which were memories of the years of
pra ctice and entertainments in the
Houns home by the two girls.
To rescue the piaG seemed an al
most impossible task. Water from
half a dozen lines was streaming into
the house and pouring down on the
bareheaded woman and high school
youths. The legs of the piano made
it impossible to carry it thru the door
way and the cold weather instantly
froze the water and made the floor
slippery an6 dangerous
hn
Kouns ~ .
This they did. Slipping. some fall
ing. danger every minute that they
would re,lnquisi. their holds on the
piano the boys stun bled from the
house and down the treacherous stems
OF the porch with the baby Grand
plan Mrs X Kouns, her hair filled
witE 1c1cles. continued her work of
re cue as did the high school bows.
FRA Gtlcaily every article of furniture
the ms floor was re9cued Among
ose aiding in the rescue work were
Gale Short. 1919 Clay stree; Lee Sam
uels, Clarence Simpson. 71e Lake
street: wi. liam Swanson. 3O4 Clay
street; willard Taylor, $50 Clay street
NeighbOrs Indignant
Neighbors who saw the flames. wit
messed the arrival of the firemen and
looked on while the men stood help
lessiy waiting for pressure. They
were indignant at the loss occasioned
the widow and roomers. Mrs. Robert
Stewart. daughter of ex-Gov w. r,
Stnbbs, lives next door to Mrs. Kouns
o; the north.
II was easily twenty or thirty min
utes after the men arrived before a
drop of water was played on the fire. -
said Mrs Stewart. Il ran over to the
kouns house, helped carry out a few
articles, went back to my home, wrap-
ped up my baby, took her across the
street and returned to OI1r house E,xa,,
IN that time the pressure had not
arrived.
Just look at that stream now, she
continued and pointed to the firemeu
standing with hose in their hand
The stream had weakened. The little
water running from the hose did not
reach the house.
c. A Forter, former superintendent
OF the city crematory, said that he
heard of the fire while at the city hall
Il decided to come over and look
on" said Forter. 'T didn't walk fast
L just moseyed over, and when 1 ar
rived the streams were not playing or
the fire. 1t was several minutes af.
ter my arrival before the water bega
to play on the fire"
w. A. Sherman, another eve wit.
ness. was equally as vehement in de.
crying the poor water pressure
HRnIOn Too Busy to Talk.
Fire Chief Joseph Hanlon entered
the house Immediately upon his ar
rival From there he directed a los
ing fight against the rapidly devour.
ing flames. Hanlon was too busy di.
recting the fight to talk about the
poor water pressure.
THE poor water pressure isn't a bi
more to blame than the street cal
company" said firemen. When we
did get working connection they cu