The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-03-30
WAS MAGNIFICENT,

from u Spectacular standpoint. but very
Costly-A AiIiion-DoIiar Confagrstiou
Destroys the Greater Portion of Reed
Brothers Packing House In ArmoGrdaie,
I'm the Suburbs of Kansas City, Mo.
KANSAS CITY, No., March 24.-Fire
which started from unexplained causes
destroyed the greater portion of Reed
Brothers packing house in Armour
dale this evening, involving a loss of
fully $4,000 At this hour, 1890, the
flames are still raging and the loss
may reach ST. 600, 900. From a spec
tacular standpoint the fire was a mag
nificent thing. The packing house
plant is located in the west bottoms,
and thousands of people gathered on
the west bluff of this city overlooking
it to view it.
The fire started in the third story of
the hog building, a structure of three
stories, probably 100 by 70 feet, at 6:3O
o'clock. 1t spread with remarkable
rapidity and quickly communicated to
the engine room on the south. The
entire strength of the fire department
of Kansas City responded to the call,
but the water pressure was totally in
effective. The best that could be done
was to save the peel building.
At 7:10 the first wall fell, and then
the fire spread to the ice houses, five in
number, and $50 by 200 feet in size.
All were destroyed. Next the flames
attacked the storage building. This
is an immense structure. four stories
high and $50 by 200 feet. 1t was
packed from top to bottom with pork.
One of the Reed brothers stated to-
night that the firm never before had
SO heavy a stock in the building.
Desperate efforts were made to
save this building, but they were
futile. The floors and walls were
soaked with grease and burned like
finder. 1t was only by concentrating
the strength of the fire department
and Armour's water tower hat the
beef building was saved. Reed Broth
ers carried about $40, 900 worth of in
surance on buildings and stock. OF
this amount $500, 600 was in the In
demnity Exchange, an organization
formed by local packers and merchants
for protection and cooperative insur-
ance two or three years ago.
The house was established in 1887 by
kingan & Co., limited, the Indian
apolis and Belfast, Ireland, packers, as
a branch under the management of
changed to Reed Brothers in July,
1893.
1t is one of the oldest and wealthiest
houses in the country, Kingan & Reed,
the founders of the house, having been
well known packers in Brooklyn, n.
Y, as early as 1850, andlater did an ex-
tensive business in Cincinnati, moving
from there to indianapolis, the present
home of the parent house. The Reed
Brothers succeeded to their fathers in
terest and were raised in the business
from their youth up.
The plant was located on sixteen
acres of ground just across the bridge
in Armourdale. The daily capacity of
the house was 500 cattle, $50 sheep
and 5000 hogs. The average number
of hands employed had been /, 100, and
$3.50, 600 was paid out in wages.
The Reed Bros. Packing Co. has sup
ply depots at all the principal cities of
the United States.
At IL o'clock the fire was under con
troll and the beef building, the office
building and the smokehouse re-
manned standing. The entire value of
the plant and stock is estimated at
81, 900, 900. Careful estimates of the
losses place it a little over 81, 900. 900.