St. Paul daily globe., 1895-03-25
THE BLAZE VERY STUBBORN
A Great Group Of Buildings
Moved Down by the
Flames.
MANY BARRELSOF GASOLINE
Rolled Away Just in Time to
Prevent a Great Explo-
sion.

AT $50 tonight fire broke out in
the hog building of the Reid Pack
ing company's plant at Kansas. and
Railroad avenues, Kansas City,
Kan, and almost the entire group
of buildings were entirely destroyed,
causing a loss of over a million dol
lars. At 1890 o'clock the following
buildings had been destroyed, and
the fire was not yet under control,
owing to want of water pressure:
The three-story hog building, the
storage building, four stories high;
five ice houses, the engine house and
the beef house When the fire was
discovered a watchman telephoned
for the Kansas City, Kan, fire de-
partment, and a general alarm was
sounded. The flames spread over
the top! floor of the hog building with
increditable rapidity, the flames
feeding on the meats and oils. Be
fore the firemen had laid a line of
hose the roof had fallen in. The
flames from the hog building COM
municated with the engine house on
the south, and soon
- WRECKED THE BOILERS
and destroyed the effectiveness of
the company's fire apparatus. A
disastrous explosion was narrowly
ayerted by the firemen, who, at the
risk of life and limb, rolled twenty
barrels of gasoline from the build
mgs. From the engine building the
ire spread to the five one-story ice
houses, each 200X125 feet. These were
rapidly devoured by the flames. and
the four-story storage, building.
which was right in line, fell a prey
to the element of destruction. There
was 100000 worth of meats in the
basement of this building. The first
Hoor was used as a warehouses. the
second was filed with dry salt meats.
f-sR the third were big f1ogsheads
IIle,l with meat ready for shipment.
while the fourth floor was packed
Wltn dressed meats. The fire leaped
from room to room AMI
ROARED AND CRACKED
until the roof fell in and the flames
shot fifty feet in the air. At this point
the Kansas City, Mo-, fire department.
was appealed to for assistance. and
SIX hose companies and two engines
responded. The water tower from Tho
Armour Packing company also assist-
ed. AT 7:20 o'clock the south wall of
the, hog building fell with a, crash
frames burst over the bridge connect
ing the storehouse with the beef house
ana the bridge burned fierceIy. The
Ur6men ad
70 saving the beef house, and a dozen
S'.eahis Were turned on the burning
nriage. notwithstanding the strenu-
Jus eiiorts OF the hremen, section after
secueh OF the bridge were partially
cestroyed, and finally fell to the
slouho Whlle the work of destruction
was eompleted. Finally the beef house
caugnt ihre, and the firemen were
powerless- to. stay the greedy flames
as they ate their way into the build
ing through the bridge.
FIREMEN REINFORCED
~hen 1t was seen that the entire
piant was in imminent danger of cono
P4eee destruction, more aid was called
lpf' and the. fire force on the ground
was turned to saving the" beef ware
mousse. In short time the building
ana contents were saved, and then tbe
Hremen concentrated their efforts on
me storage house, which was burning
nercefy. A heavy wind coming nm
caused the flames to burn with re-
neWed fury, and within twenty min
utes the roof fell, and soon therea fter
the south and west walls toppled over
put a little time elapsed before the
nultdlng was a complete wreck.
tnree-story smoke house is separa ted
Irom the storage building by thirty
Ieet, small three-story buiIdine
standing between them, and this wa
soon blazing. The wind weered to the
east before much damage was ac
eomplished here, however, and the
guiding was saved. At 10:45 the fire
was brought under control, but. as a.
1eavy wind was blowing, the fremen
We're kept on duty to avoid any pos
slo1lity of the fire spreading. The en-
qre plant is valued at $500, 600. while
the estimate placed on the stock
ranged from $S00,0O0 to $1,0OO, ,OOO The
| loss on the buildings DESTROYED will
probably reach 100000 to $500, 200, and
on the meats, oil, lard and other pro-
ducts consumed, will bring the total
to over million and a quarter dollars.
/ fhe insurance is ample to cover all
losses. Four men were slightly in
jured.
THEY WILL REBUILD.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, arch 24.-In
an interview with an Associated Press
reporter tonight, Samuel Reid, one of
the firm Of Reid Bros, and Kingan &
Company, owners of the burned Kan
sas City plant, said the loss is fully
covered by insurance. AS to re-
building, he said the directors would
+ decide it, but there was little question
but that the plant would be replaced
at once.
COLORADO QUAKEs.