The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-22
BIG OIL TANKS ABLAZE.
Such a Sight Caused a Wild
Stampede Among the
Spectators.
WAREHOUSES; ARE CONSUMED.
The Flames Controlled After Loss
of Five Hundred Thousand
Dollars.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa, March 21.-One of
the most serious fires in the history of
Sioux City completely destroyed the ware
house OF the Western Transfer Company
to-day, together with its contents, entail
ing loss of more than 5000, 000 The high
wind which was blowing carried the fire to
the linseed-oil mill across the street and it
was partly destroyed and the greater part
of its contents consumed, making total
loss of $500, 900.
The wind, which had been from the
southeast, now changed and increased in
velocity, blowing for time directly from
the East. This communicated the flames
to the two big tanks owned by the linseed-
oil mills and the platform on which they
rested began to burn. Thousands of peo-
pie had congregated by this time, and
when they saw the tanks on fire there was
wild stampede. The storage building
was an immense structure, 500x60 feet, in
Guiding the brick storage annex
The main part of the elevator was five
stories high and had a capacity of 10000
bushels. In the bins at the time were
stored 10000 bushels of faxseed and on
the lower floor several thousand tons of
Hnseed oil cake was ready for the market.
In the annex the oil was in large tanks,
having an estimated capacity of 10000
gallons. When it was plain that nothing
could be done toward saving the nipple
ment warehouse, the firemen turned their
attention to saving the oilmill storage
house. Mayor Fletcher telegraphed to
Lamars and Missouri Valley for the fire
departments in those towns, and they
Xr-ar0 % -
was found that the fire could be controlled
messages were sent to hold them back
The back end Of the transfer company
was mammoth frame structure six stories
high, covered with corrugated iron. The
iron aided the flames, as it kept water
from reaching the woodwork. The huge
four-story and basement warehouse, LOOK
$50, was filed from top to bottom with
farm implements and machinery, valued
at about 100000. This machinery was
owned by about twenty implement COM
panies in different parts of the United
States.
The list of the companies is as follows:
Rock Island Plow Company, Rock Island,
ILL.,; Nebraska Plow Company, Omaha,
Nebr. Sandwich Manufacturing Com
pany, Sandwich, H.; Walter A Wood
Harvester Company st. Paul; ]. F. Sci
berting 81 Co., Akron, Ohio; Aultman &
Taylor Machinery Company, Mansfield,
Ohio; Advance Thresher Company, Battle
Creek, Mich; Kingman & Cox, Omaha;
Norwegian Plow Company, Dubuque,
Iowa. Chambers, Bering & Quintan Com
pany, Decatur, H.; F. B. Tate & Co., De-
catur; Hurst, Dunn & Co., Peoria; Rock
ford Manufacturing Company, Rockford,
Ill; Sterling Manufacturing Company,
Dayton, Ohio; James Selby & Co., Peoria,
Ill; Selby, Starr q Co., Peoria Acme
Harvester Company, Pekin, Ill.
The contents of the burned warehouse
carried insurance aggregating $31, $50, in
the following companies: Insurance Com
pany of North America $3.50; Liverpool
London and Globe, $1,000; Royal $4,000;
Commercial Union, $3O00 Phoenix, $1,000;
Norwich Union, $4,000; Traders, $4,000;
Franklin, $1,000; Philadelphia Underwrit-
ers, $4,000; Pennsylvania Fire, $1,000
The warehouse itself was protected by
$50, insurance in the Liverpool, London
and Globe Company. Insurance on the oil
mill cannot be ascertained. The Franklin
and Pennsylvania companies each carried
$4,000 and the Commercial Union $4,000 on
seed in the elevator. The value of the con-
tents of the elevator at the market price
would make tn loss $300,00