Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-11
FIVE HUNDRED MEN IDLE.
Seven Buildings o f the Hammond
Packing HOuse Burned.

CHICAGO, August TO- Observation-Disclosures TO
THE BEE. l-Seven of the large buildings con-
nected with George II. Hammond Bros ex.
tensive packing house at Hammond, Ind,
were burned to the ground thls morning, and
the loss will reach $500, 900. The structures
that were consumed are two of the old ice
houses, two of the old slaughter houses, the
glue works, the oleomargarine factory and
the engine house and boiler works. The
blaze started in the basement of the oleo-
margarine factory about 5 o'clock, ard as
the structure was soaked with grease, the
flames soon burned through the flooring to
the first story and rapidly from there TO the
roof. The buildings on the company's
grounds, which cover several acres, are clus-
tered together, and the flames leaped from one
house to another in rapid succession. The
glue works were the first to catch on fire,
then the oleomargarine factory, and the ice
houses were the next that the fire reached.
There is no fire department at Hammond,
and Chicago was notified of the fire. Engine
companies No. l and No. II were sent to the
place, leaving the city on a special train.
Marshal Musham was in charge of the fire
companies, ana when he reached the place
the contagration was raging at the %fiercest.
1t looked as If the blaze would spread to the
new buildings that have just been put up and
that they certainly would be gathered in by
the flames, and the marshal thought that
nothing could save the remainder of the
plant. He stationed his men between the
slaughter house and engine room and the
fire, and they went to work. The factories
are situated on the bank of the Calumet
river aud there was a good water supply.
The wind was also in favor of the tiremen,
and the plant southwest of the burnt
buildings, valued at $3.50, 900, was thus saved.
Nearly all of the buildings contained tallow
and grease, and when the engines COM
menced to pump water into the burning
structures the grease flowed into the river
and a layer of the stuff fully three inches
thick extended over two acres of the water,
reaching across the river and almost to the
Chicago s. Alton railroad bridge, which is
$50 feet away. The tallow and grease was
ignited in several places by large pieces of
burning timber blown from the roof OF the
ice house, which was on the edge of the
stream. and a solid acre of the river was
soon ablaze. The inflammable material
melted and soon floated beneath the railroad
bridge, and the woodwork of the structure
caught fire. Engine No. II turned its attention
to the bridge, While Marshal Musham went
to work to see what could be lone to prevent
the grease from running down the river. He
stretched q number of scows across the
stream, and, while some of the 800 workmen
that were employed at the works kept the
boats soaked with water to prevent them
from catching on fire, the oil and tallow near
the bridge was still burning. They had some
difficulty in keeping the material back with
the scows, but as the tallow became hard.
ened on reaching the water they succeeded.
The 500 men and the two engine companies
worked for hours to extinguish the fire, but
1t was noon before the flames were fully
under control.
The fire throws some five hundred men
out of employment. The loss is $500, 900. 1t
will take some three months to repair the
damage.