The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-08-23

The Creamery Package Mfg. Co.'s
plant in this city had a narraw escape
from total destruction by lire last
night, and the fact that it was saved
is due entirely to the prompt and in
telligent efforts made by the tiremen
and employees to extinguish the flames.
A high south gale was blowing that
would have played havoc with adjoin-
ing property had it bourne the myriad
sparks from the blazing factory. 1t
was one of the worst nights possible
for fire.
At about 1O:45 p. m. Night Watch
man J. O. Smith, of the factory, dis
covered fire in one of the fuel boxes,
which are filled with tons of shavings
and sawdust dumped in from above
through an opening into one of the
two compartments. The latter are
separated by a brick wall, with a hole
connecting near the top. The lire
was in the room which did not have
an opening to the floor above, and the
night Waterman took some Of the fac
tory hose and succeeded in practically
eXtinguishing the fire there. Then
he opened the door of the other room
and found it full of smoke and flames.
The draft took sheet of flame up
through the opening into the main
factory above near the pail lathe, and
the accumulated dust all along the
ceiling went off in second, sending
burst of flame along the whole extent
of the room. The room was filled full
of Kindred basewood and hardwood
slabs, ready to be made up into pals
and other articles. Some of these
piles caught fire, and good deal of
leather betting burned off.
The opening from the fuel pit into
the factory is closed by an iron door,
which is tied up by string, at the
suggestion of the insurance men.
When the flames pouring through the
hole burned off the string, the door
fell down and closed the opening of
itself, and shut off the draft and
checked the rapid progress of the fire.
Meanwhile, John Hughes, one Of
the office employees, was passing by
and saw the flame and turned in an
alarm, which brought the fire depart
ment to the scene in a remarkably
short space of time. Foreman RObb
knew about where the fire was likely
to be the worst, and with P. W.
Pitcher mounted freight car in front
of one Of the upper windows and sent
a stream of water to the right spot.
The doors were then opened and three
or four streams turned on, and in
three-Quarters of an hour the fire was
eXtinguished. @. P. Cooper started
for the factory hose near the scene of
the fire, and when water was turned
on it developed that the hose was so
badly burned as to be very nearly use
less, and he received an involuntary
bath. .l..s
Several firemen and shop men
were left at the factory all night, as a
precaution in case the flames should
break out again. About 4 100 o'clock
this morning they did break out, and
. burned a portion of the ceiling of the
second floor of the factory.
The actual loss will be covered by a
few hundred dollars, and the building
and contents were fully insured.
Owing to the disarrangement of the
belts and machinery, the factory was
closed down today, but will start up
tomorrow morning.
Manager Higgs is still in the east,
but is expected home Monday.
The fire is supposed to have been
started by sparks from the furnace
under the boilers getting into one of
the fuel rooms, which is only a few
feet in font Of the boilers. The fur
naces are fed with the shavings and
sawdust which is stored in these two
pits or fuel rooms.
The damage to the building is
slight, except that the new ceiling is
badly charred, and large frame at
tached to one OF the pail machines is
nearly destroyed. The stock suffered
mostly, as some of it was rendered
useless, while others will have to be
recut. The betting must be replaced.
1t is not the actual damage done,
but what might have resulted that is
the most noteworthy. The firemen
never worked harder or to better adj
vantage, and great credit is due them,
as no one can say where the fire would
have ceased mad it gotten five or ten
minutes more Roadway. The water
system worked admirably.