The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-14
TONS OF BAKED HAM.
Cudahy's Warehouses Become
a General Barbecue.
LARD AND BUTTER IN FLAMES.
Torrents OF Burniag Grease Pour Inte
the Harbor-Less s3s, eoo-A Train
Lead OF Fresh Stock.

Tie Cudahy Packing Compsny's ware
houses, Offices and smckehouses On the
water front as the foot of Pine street
caught SIRE yesterday morning at $3.50
O'Clock. and buildings and contents were
totally destroyed. The losses are estimated
az So oo. covered by so. so insurance.
carried with companies represented by
Burns 4 Aikinson. C. d. Forsyth, iocal
manager for the company. says that he will
rebuild Immediately. possibly on the site
Of the burned buildings
The head Office at south Omaha. Seb-,
Was notified By telegraph that the business
had gone mp in smoke, and forthwith
train load Of hams. bacon, lard. butter,
canned meats. etc. was made up and IS
now on the way 20 Seattle. Mr.. Forsyth
has secured temporary warehouse room at
Bakers dock, where the business viii be
conducted for the present
The fire is supposed to have COM
menced in one OF the six
smokehouses which stood close
together. surrounded by three big ware
houses, each 50xl50 feet in size. The
Waterman was in the Office writing when
he heard the cracking of flames. Rush
ing out. he found one OF the warehouses
filed with smoke, while the smoke in the
smokehouses was 50 dense and hot that II
was impossible to locate the fire. In q few
seconds flames shot through the roof and
were seen by the Waterman at Charles
Louch's warehouse, who sent q telephone
alarm to headquarters. The department
was promptly on hand. but the fire was so
fierce and the heat so intense that little
couil be done except to confine the limits
af Ga~x ~ he
were seventy tons of lard in the ware
houses. besides butter. canned meats, etc,
while in the smokehouses were large guam
titles of hams. In one Of the houses alone
were 5000 pounds of bacon backs. The
oil and grease burned fiercely, and for a
time the adjoining warehouses of other
concerns we're threatened with destruction.
Directly in front of the burning build
ings vas train of Northern Pacific coal
cars. A switch engine pulled the cars out
of danger, but row Of Great Northern
box cars and passenger coaches standing
on an adjoining track was allowed to stand
and take its chances with the rest of the
property.
The fireboat as somewhat behindhand
IN getting water on the fire. The hose
wagon, which attends the boat, was driven
up on The hill above the fire and for some
reason did not get back to the boat until
fifteen or twenty minutes after the rest OF
the department was at work. For time
IT looked as if the whole water front would
be set on fire. The burning lard ran down
through the floor of the warehouses into
the water and fioated away, seething
mass OF flames. The cold salt water ex-
tinguished the flames and congeaied the
lard. however. and no damage resulted on
that score. At O'Clock the fire was out
During the fire Seattle. Lake Shore *
Eastern mixed train pulled into the city,
frightening the horses hitched to hose cart
No. ami causing them to run away. A
serious accident was narrowly and almost
miracuiously averted. The horses were
tied to a telegraph pol. near the railroad
track, but they broke their halters.
wheeled and ran at a breakneck speed
down the track TO Pike street, when they
turned up and ran past the London lodg-
ing house. Seeing the bluff ahead of
them, the frightened animals turned to
the left and plunged into trestle. Their
legs went through and down they dropped,
right up to their bellies. The hose cart did
not upset and the horses we're uniniured
except for few painful scratches. A
hackman known as "Big Bob" attempted
to stop the runaway team and was thrown
over the trestie. but was not seriously
hurt. The horses, Jerry and Dave, are
again on duty at the engine house, corner
OF Third and Pine street.
Yesterday afternoon several beach
combers reaped harvest from the floating
lard which had drifted out into the bay.
They gathered several boat loads of the
stuff and will sell it for soap. They say
they will get cents a pound for the find.