Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-07-10
A BIG BREWERY BURNED.

The Immense Establishment of the Falk,
Jung Il Berchert Company at Milwau-
kee, Wis, Entirely Destroyed-The Loss
Will Reach Nearly R1,OOO,OO0, and In.
cludes the Consumption by the Fire
Fiend Of $4,000 Barrels OF Beer.
MILWAUKEE, July 5.-The entire brewery
plant OF the Faulk, Jung & Borchert Brew
ing Company burned to the ground Thurs
day afternoon. The loss is $500, 600, and the
insurance less than $4OU, Zoo. In the matter
OF area and financial loss the fire is the big
gest in the history of Milwaukee. The
plant covered an area of about three acres
on the Muskwango road in the Menominee
valley, just outside the city limits. It was
the original plant Of the Falk Brewing Com
pany. Less than year ago the Jung Il
Borchert Company abandoned their plant
and consolidated with the Falk Company, the
capital stock OF the consolidated company
being 81 OK, O0O Since the consoltda-
ton extensive improvements of the
old Falk plant were made, including
an addition to the main brewery OF
a brick building l46x257 feet, an elevator
40xlOO feet, ~ feet high, with ca
pacity Of 125, 600 bushels of malt, and a large
engtne-hOuse. In the latter were six new
boilers and new $50, 600 ice machine with q
capacity for making 100 tons Of ice daily.
Additions and improvements cost $lOO, 600
and increased the capacity to 6OO, 900 bar
rels OF beer year. Three hundred men
were employed
The brewery had been shut down, and
few men were about the establishment
when the fire was discovered in the interior
OF the new malt-house at l O'clock in the
afternoon. The brewing company main
tanned fire company of it's own, and as soon
as possible they were at work Being out
side the city limits, the brewery depended
on an artesian well for it's water supply.
but when the fire company attempted to
work they found that the water supply
was for some reason shut off from the
hydrants, iand they were left help
less. On receipt of telephone mes
sage Chief Foley dispatched four en-
gines from the city, but, as they were
obliged to set on the river bank, it was half
ON hour before the first stream of water
was thrown on the flames. In the mean
time the fire had spread to all of the adj
joining buildings, all of which were in
flames before the fremen from the city got
to work.
A series Of explosions followed each
, Qtber as one after the other the six new
boilers burst, and then followed one after
Of ammonia, used in the manufacture OF
ice. 1t was most remarkable that
not single person was injured
through the explosions Heavy pieces
of iron fell in the immediate VI
entity, but the intense heat had kept the
thousands of spectators at safe distance
When the fire had burned itself out every
one OF the buildings was in ruins excepting
the storehouse, where the fremen concen-
trated their efforts Here was stored 50 900
barrels of beer, but, as the building was
Quilted, the beer stored there is probably
all spoiled by the heat In the immense
bottling house, which was totally de-
stroyed, were 600 barrels of beer in
bottles ready for shipment to the South
The buildings destroyed were the
malt-house, elevator, brew-house, the
engine house with its new $4,000 Toe
machine, 4 storehouse and bottling worka
Falk's residence and the stables with their
many horses and wagons alone were saved
Where the Office was the vault now stands
alone.
Mr.. Falk, president of the company,
thinks the loss will reach s., COX, 600, but
Mr.. Borchert, the secretary, says it will
be between 100000 and $500, OOO with
an insurance Of between $500, 600 and
s40O, 600. He was not able to give the
exact amount until the books in the vault
could be reached. 1t is not known as
yet that the company will rebuild, as
the fire seriously cripples them Before
the fire had burned itself out every othe,
brewing company in the city had offered
assistance, and arrangements were made
with two of the breweries to supply the
company's customers as long as it will be
necessary. The origin of the fire, which
was first discovered in the malt-house, is
unknown