The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-25
A PACKING HOUSE ABLAzE.
Kansas city Treated 20 a Grand Spec
tacIe at n Heavy Cost.


Kansas City, Mo, March 2l-Fire. which
started from unexplained causes. de-
stroyed the greater portion of Reed Bros.
packing house. IN Armourdale. tonight,
involving a loss OF fully 100000. At this
hour-lO:sl-th flames are still raging
and the loss may reach $1,000 600. From a
spectacular standpoint the fire was a mag
nifcent thing. The packing house plant
IS located in the west bottoms and thou
sands OF people gathered on the west
blum of the city to view h.
The fire started in the third story of the
hog building, structure Of three stories,
probably 40 by Is feet, at $50 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 Kansas Cities
responded TO the call but the water pres
sure was totally Ineffective. The best that
could be done was to save the beef build
ing.
At 7:lO o'clock the first wall fell and
the fire spread to the ice houses. five in
number, and 10 by 200 feet in size. All
were destroyed. Next the flames attacked
the storage building. This was an im-
mense structure. four stories high and 200
by 250 feet. II was packed from top to
bottom with pork One of the Reed BROTH
before had so heavy stock in the build
ing. Desperate efforts were made to save
this structure, but they were futile. The
floor and walls were soaked with grease
and burned like tinder.
II was only by concentrating the strength
OF the fire department and the Armours
water tower that the beef building was
saved.
Reid Bros. carried $780, worth of insur-
ance on their buildings and stock OF
this amount 100000 was In the Indemnity
Exchange, an organizat tion formed by To-
cal packers and merchants for self protec-
tion and cooperative insurance two or
three years ago.
The house was established in 1857 by
Kingan & Co., limited, the indianapolis
and Belfast, Ireland, packers, as a branch,
under the management of William p.
Reid. The name was changed to the
Reid Brothers Packing Company in July,
1894. 1t Is one of the oldest and wealthiest
houses in the country. Klngan & Reid,
the founders of the house, having been
well known packers in Brooklyn, n. Y,
as early as 1850 and later did an extensive
business in Cincinnati, moving to In
dianapolis, the present home of the parent
house. The Reid brothers succeeded
their fathers interest and were raised in
the business from their youth up.
The plant was located on sixteen acres of
ground just across the bridge I'm Armour
dale. The daily capacity of the house was
700 cattle, 250 sheep and 5000 hogs. The
average number of hands employed had
been LOO
The Reid Bros. Packing Company has
supply depots at Chicago st. Louis, New
York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Trenton
n. j., in the east. and also at San Fran
crisco Denver, Peublo, Joplin, Oklahoma
City, Memphis, Tenn, Dallas. Tex, Peoria
Sedalia, Topeka, St. Joseph Leavens-
worth, Athison and Wichita.
Kansas City, March %. 2 a. mat II
o'clock the fire was under control and
the beef building, the Office building and
the smoke house remained standing The
entire value Of the plant and stock is
estimated at 100000 Careful estimates
Of the loss place it at a little over 81 900,
OOO