The Monticellonian., 1895-03-29
WAS MAGNIFICENT,

From n Spectacular Standpoint. but Very
 Costly-A Million-Dolla Confsgration
 Destroys tho Greater Portion of Reed
 Brothers Packing House In ArmourdaIe,
 In the Suburbs of Kansas City, Mo.
 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 S700, 000 At this hour, l0:3O, the flames are still raging and the loss may reach Sl ,000,O From a spec tacular standpoint the fire was mag niticent 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 D feet, at 6:30 o'clock. It 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 7:10 the first wall fell, and then the fire spread to the ice houses, five in number, and 150 by POO feet in size. AZ were destroyed. Next the flames attacked the storage building. This is an immense structure, four stories high and 250 by 200 feet. It was packed from top to bottom with pork.
 One of the Reed brothers stated to- night that the firm never before had so heavy 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. It was only by concentrating the strength of the fire department and Armour's water tower that the beef building was saved. Reed Broth CTS carried about S750, 900 worth of in- surance on buildings and stock. Of this amount $500, GOO 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 x Co.,, limited, the Indian apelis and Belfast, Ireland, packers, as branch under the management of William r. Reed. The name was changed to Reed Brothers in July, 1893.
 It 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, and later did m 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 800 cattle, 250 sheep and 5000 hogs. The average number of hands employed had been ,l00 and s350, GOO 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- trol and the beef building, the office building and the smokehouse re- mained standing. The entire value of the plant and stock is estimated at S2, 900, 900. Careful estimates of the losses place it little over S1, ,000, 1000.