The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1895-03-29
LOSS S1,OOO,OOO.
Reid Brothers Packing Houses. Kan
sas City. Destroyed.
Tho Entire Eve Department Was There
Hut the Water Pressure Was Totally In
enectlve-Inhurnnee Seven Hundred
aud Fifty Thousand Dollars.

KANSAS CRY, March pa fire,
which started from unexplained causes,
destroyed the greater portion OF Reid
Brothers packing house, in Armour
dale, Sunday evening, involving loss
OF 500, ,OO0. The loss may reach one
million dollars.
From spectacular standpoint the fire
was magnificent thing, The packing
house plant is located in the west bot
toms, and thousands OF people gather
ed on the west bluff Of this city to
view it.
The fire started in the third story Of
the hog building, structure OF three
stories, 200 by rs feet, at $40 o'clock.
II spread with remarkable rapidity and
quickly communicated to the engine
room on the south. The entire strength
of the fire department OF the two Kan
sas Citys responded TO the call, but the
water pressure was totally Ineffective.
The best that could be done was to
save the beef building.
At 9:10 the first wall fell, and then
the fire spread to the icehouses, five In
number and l5O by 200 feet in size.
All were destroyed. Next the
flames attacked the storage build
ng. This is an immense .:"'c'rrA
four stories high and 25o by soO
feet. 1t was packed from top to bot
tom with pork. One Of the Reid broth
ers stated Sunday night that the firm
never before had so heavy a stock in
the building,
A big effort was made to save this
building, but unavailing. The floors
and walls were soaked with grease and
burned like tinder. 1t was only by
concentrating the strength Of the de-
partment and Armour's water tower
that the beef building was saved.
Reid Bros. carried about s75o,0OO
worth Of insurance on buildings and
stock. OF this amount $500, 900 was in
demnity exchange, an organization
formed by local packers and merchants
for self-protection and cooperative in
surance two or three years ago.
The house was established in 1857 BY
Kingan & Co. Limited, the Indianap
oils and Belfast, Ireland, packers, as
branch, under the management o.
VIM. p. Reid. The name was changed
to Reid Bros. in July, 1892.
II is one Of the Oldest and wealthies
houses in the country, Kingan & Reid
the founders of the house, having beel
well-known packers in Brooklyn a
early as 1850, and later doing an exten
sive business in Cincinnati, movinI
! from there to Indianapolis, the pres
. ent home of the parent house.
! The Reid Bros. succeeded to thei
2 fathers interest, and was raised to tn
u business from their youth up.
l. The plant was located on sixtee
acres of ground just across the bridge
: Armourdale. The daily capacity OF Il
house was 500 cattle, $50 sheep and 80
u hogs. The average number of hanC
y has been l,10O, and $3.50, 600 was pa
. out in wages. The Reid Brothers Pac
ing Co, has supply depots at all u
principal cities of the country.
At II o'clock the fire was under co
y troll and the beef building, the Off
70 building and the smokehouse remain'
= standing. The entire value Of Il
plant and stock is estimated at So ,o0'
" 600. Careful estimates of the loss
N place il at little over 81, 100000.