The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-25
Burning of the Big Plant mt Kansas
City, Kan, I'm which the kingan
Company Is Interested.
PROTECTED BY INSURANCE
THE LARGE BEEF HOUSE SAVED
AFTER A HARD FIGHT.
Fire Started I'm the Fertilizer De-
partment and the Flames Famed
by n High Wind.

plant at Kansas and Railroad avenues
Kansas City, Kan, and almost the entire
group of buildings were completely de-
stroyed, causing a loss of over a million
dollars. 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 threc-story hog
building, the storage building four stories
high; five ice houses and the engine houses.
When the fire was discovered watch
man telephoned FOR the Kansas City CKan.)
fire department and a general alarm was
sounded The flames spread rapidly over the
top floor of the hog building, the fire feeding
on the meats and oils. Before the firemen
had lain 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 COM
pany's fire apparatus. A disastrous explo-
sion was narrowly averted by the firemen
who, at the risk of life and limb. rolled
twenty barrels Of gasoline from the
building From the engine build
ing the fire spread to five one
story frame ice houses, each 200 by 125
feet. These were rapidly devoured and then
the four-story storage building, which was
right in line, was soon in flames. There
was said to be 100000 worth of meats in tha
basement of this building. The first floor
was used as warehouse, the second was
filed with dry-salt meats, on the third
floor were big hogsheads full of meat ready
for shipment, while the fourth floor
packed with dressed meats. The fire eaped
from room to room and roared and crackled
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 the
r0 "A a fRH
At TO o'clock the west Wall of the hog
building fell with a crash The flames
age house with the beef house and the
bridge burned fiercely The firemen turned
house and dozen streams were turned on
to the burning bridge. Notwithstanding the
efforts of the fire department, section after
When it was seen that the entire plant
struction, more aid was called for and
the entire force on the ground was turned
to saving, the beef warehouse: In short
time the building and contents were saved
and then the flremen concettrated their
burning fiercely. A heavy wind coming up
caused the flames to burn with renewed
fury and within twenty minutes the roof
fell in and soon thereafter the south and
west walls toppled over But little time
elapsed before the building was a complete
wreck.
A three-story smoke house is separated
from the storage building by thirty feet,
tween them and this was soon blazing. The
wind yeered to the east before much dam
ts %as psaved AZ Se FIRE w
brought under control, but as a heavy wind
was blowing the iiremen We're kept on
duty to avoid any possibility of the fire
The entire plant is valued at 100000, while
from ne tp The Ioss on the
buildings destroyed will probably reach $780,
900 or S5oo,oo and that on the meats oil, OIL;
bring the total to over million and q
quarter dollars. The insurance is ample to
cover all losses. Four men were slightly
it is impossible to btain the detailed in
surance tonight, officers of the company de-
clining to give it out at present
Mr.. Samuel Reid, who was connected with
the Reid Brothers establishment for five
years is now with the other packing house
belonging to the same firm, Kingan Il Co..
located here He was seen last night
at IL o'clock at the Columbia Club and said:
sI have just received a telegram from my
brother saying that the fire started in the
down. and then communicated to the
slaughter house, the warehouse -and the
" gutted The smokehouse, the office and
the beef house saved. The loss, which
win amount to 100000 or seoo i,ish, y ruiry
was built seven or eight years ago. and was
modern in every detail: 1t was CONSIDERED
a first-class insurance risk, none better, but
sunnose that one Of those heavy Kansas
winds was blowing and that it swept tho
establishment belongs to Kingan, & Co.
/ have no doubt 1t will be rebuilt at
once, or as soon as the insurance can DC su-
ilstad-"
Four Ffremen Lose Their Lives.
DENVER, Col March 24.--The ST. James
Hotel. one of the finest in the city. took
fire in the basement shortly before last
midnight The floor of the rotunda coll
lapsed. letting the flames and smoke into
the corridors. The firemeD went down with
the floor and four lost their lives. They
were:
HAROLD HARTWELLs captain.
S. BRAWLEY, lieutenant
RICHARD DANDEYRDE. fireman.
STEVE MARTIN, fireman.
All were members of hose company No.
soiored ore ar men. nh they Went Went down with the
floor Of the rotunda and were horribly
mangled and burned
There were l65 guests I'm the hotel. all
of whom escaped uninjured. The damage
by the fire amounted to $4,000 about haif
on the building and half on the furniture
chicago Empire Fired.
CHICAGO, March 24.-Fire tonight nearly
destroyed the Empire Theater. The loss
viii be about $4,000, with insurance OF
$50 600 The fire was caused by an exrlo-
sion, supposed to be from gas. AS the the
ater has not been in use for sevsrI weeks
Manager Davis thinks it was -acendiary.
The front part of the buiuing was occupied
by A number of offices and the Madison Hail.
but they were only slightly damaged. The
theater building Is owned by the Union
Amusement Company. This is the third frs
the Empire has had
Craxed by a Fire I'm His shop.
OMAHA, Neb, March H--Cornelius Nc
Glire a we-known Omaha metal smith,
was locked in his shop to-day and burned
TO death He slept late and was awakened
by the flames. Rushing TO the door. no
found il barred on III outside. When his
suffering made him delirious he rushed
through the flames into the street and died.
The doors and windows had been nailed up
by an enemy.
Mail Carrier Murdered.
NILES, Mich, March 2a.-rThe body OF
George Timony. the Bertrand mail carrier.
who mysteriousiy disappeared over a week
ago. was found in the mill race here to-
day There were several bruises on his per-
son. He IL supposed TO have been murdered
and robbed Of his pension money, which he
n1d drawn the day before he disappsarse-