The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-12-23
From III, 81. Louis Evening News. lsth.
GREAT FIRE.
OVER 500 900 WORTH OF PROPER.
TY DESTROYER!

A message has just arrived from the north
ern part of the city to inform Messrs. Chou
teau, Vale g. Harrison Of the total destruc-
ton OF their extensive Rolling Works and
Iron Mandatory by fire.
The flames were first discovered at about
I O'Clock, in the main warehouse, and quick
ly communicated TO the main building, and
at half past one. when the messenger left,
the roof of that had fallen in.
J 1t is impossible at this writing to tell the
exact amount of loss. In the warehouse
were over 800 tons OF finished work, bar,
sheet, and rod iron. In the machine and
rolling building there were from 1000 to L.
200 tons of various kinds of iron undergoing
the various process of finishing, besides a
large quantity of blooms and metal in differ.
ent stages.
The buildings were of wood, and burnt
with great rapidly. The warehouse was 100
feet square.
I The main building was l34 feet in width,
by 100 in lenght. The entire works are
doubtless heap of ruins at this writing.
/ There is insurance on houses, machinery,
and stock, of s 10 900; the loss may exceed
that sum. 1t is, however, impossible 10 say
what quantity of the stock, and how much of
the machinery, may be saved without mate
rial damage.
J The insurance. we learn, is chiefly in off,
ces and agencies of this city. 1t is not
known how the fire originated.
/ This is great calamity to the manufac-
turing interest OF the city, and by it large
number of workmen and laborers will be
thrown out of employment
The News of the 10Th says:
J The fire caught the composition roof OF
the warehouse from stove pipe in the
clerks office of that building, and i'm less than
an hour from the time OF its first breaking
out, the warehouse the entire buildings COW
erng the machinery were a heap of ruins.
We stated yesterday the stock ofiron, blooms
&c, on hand, which embraced about 500 tons
OF finished work in the warehouse; and from
1000 to 1900 tons of metal in different sta
ges in the manufacturing department. The
machinery consisted of about thirty furnaces
and The necessary works for boiling, rolling,
and anneaing attached, together with bar,
lump and slab mills. The nail and rivet
machinery had been removed. The black
smiths shop, pattern shop, and lathe house,
uprising portion Of the main building,
and large water tank, were all consumed,
and ofthe entire works nothing was lett
standing but the smoke stacke and portions
of the furnaces and machinery in greatly
damaged condition.
EFFECTS OF THE FIRE YEsTERDAY.-The
calamitous effects Of this great fire are des-
tined TO be experienced by Il much larger
class OF our citizens than most persons would
suppose, without due reflection. Owing TO
the long continued low stage Of water in the
Ohio, all the machine shops and boiler fac
tories in the city have been compe He'd to re-
y on the St. Louis Rolling Mill for their
supplies of materials, and as there were large
orders in the city for every class of machin.
cry. requiring more of every sort Ofiron than
the mill could produce, every particle of it
was worked up as fast 1t could be turned
out. Ii will be a considerable time before
the Ohio will admit of heavy freight being
brought from Pittsburgh, and in the meantime
all these establishments mus, stop. In add.
ton 10 the three hundred men who we're en-
Ployed in the Rolling Mill this s,oppage of the
machine shops will throw at last an equal
number out of employment. To mind and
transport the coal required for all these es-
iablishmenis, gave employment to some hum
dreds of hands, and OF course their operations
almost must be suspended. the Rolling
Mill Company had large coal mind at easy
vile, which will also be compelled to stop
operations. More than fifty persons receiv-
ed employment from that source alone. AL.
together, the burning OF this mill may be
looked on pubcc alanity, and its influ-
ence will be felt by almost every class of our
citizens.