Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-03-28
WAS MAGNiFiCENT,,

| From = Spectacular Standpoint. but Very
| Costly-A Million-DOllar Confiagratton
Destroys the Greater Portion of Reed
| Brothers Packing House in Armourdale,
| In tho Suburbs of Kansas City, Me.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, March 24.-Fire
which started from unexplained causes
destroyed the greater portion of Reed
Brothers packing house in Armour
dale this evening. involving loss OF
fully 100000. At this hour, 1880, the
flames are still raging and the loss
may reach 81 100000. From spec
tacular standpoint the fire was mag
nifcent 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, structure of three,
stories, proba bly, 100 by rs feet, at $50
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 beef building.
At 7:1O the first wall fell, and then
the fire spread to the ice houses, five in
| number, and $50 by 200 feet in size.
AL 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-
-; ho< hafo hoa
so heavy a stock in the building.
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 that the
beef building was saved. Reed Broth
ers carried about S75O,OOO 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 esta blished in 1887 by
Kingan & Co., limited, the Indian
apolis and Belfast, Ireland, packers, as
branch under the management of
William p Reed. The name was
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.
V, as early as 1850, and later did an eX-
tensive business in Cincinnati, moving
from there to Indian apolis, 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 LOO, and
$3.50, 900 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 smolzehouse re-
manned standing. The entire value of
the plant and stock is estimated at
S2,O0O,OO Careful estimates of the.
losses place it little over 81, 900. ZOO.