The record-union., 1898-12-14
UNION IRON WORKS BURNED .
FOUNDRY WAS DESTROYED
LAST NIGHT.
Root, Nelson & Co.'s Loss is About
100000, Of Which One-Third
Was Insured.

The Union Iron Works, situated on
Front street, between n and o, were
completely gutted by fire. last night,
and only the walls of the last of Sac
ramento's pioneer foundries are left
standing.
The fire was discovered at IL o'clock.
but had evidently been burning some
time before an alarm was turned in.
When the fire engines arrived por-
tion of the basement of the building
was raging furnace, and the flames
were bursting through the old wooden
sidewalk in front
Before a line of hose could be used
to advantage from the F>ront-street
side, the flames in and under the side
walk had to be quenched, and in the
meantime the fire inside had spread
over the entire basement and had at
floor, where stood the machinery of the
plant, some of which was the most
valuable in the State.
The floors and studding burned like
tinder. and while for a time it seemed
as though the flames might be con-
fined to the first floor, the efforts of the
firemen proved futile, and soon vol
umes of smoke and flames We're seen
issuing from the upper story windows,
and the thousands upon thousands of
patterns, the, accumulation of forty
year, and representing to the firm a
sum equal to or in excess of $40 600.
were licked UP by the flames like that
much chaff
Ten minutes later the flames forced
their way through the roof, and the
firemen turned their attention to the
adjoining buildings, and with the aid
of the strong south wall of the foundry
prevented the flames from attacking
the old building and the Capital Soap
Works, situated on the corner Of Front
and 0 streets.
The machinery floor fell with a crash
after the flames had eaten their way
through the roof. The machinery, much
worth probably $4,000, and the pat
terms, while of no great commercial
value, represented to the firm about
$4,000.
The Union Iron Works were the
property of Root, Nelson & Co., John
Driscoll being the silent partner. The
building destroyed was constructed
about 1860 previous to which time the
foundry was located in an adjoining
and older building.
The building was a landmark on
Front street, and was practically the
last of the foundries in Sacramento.
One other foundry, Gutenberger's is
still in existence, but very little work
is attempted there.
The fire ran up the sidewalk and
across the alley and attacked the office
of the company, which is in a small,
old wooden building, and the firemen
had considerable trouble in saving it.
In the office We're the records of the
company, and these were saved
The building was at one time a val
liable property, but it's value had de-
preciated with other property along
the water front It's walls are stand
ing, seemingly intact, but to the own
ers the building represented several
thousand dollars.
The building and contents were in
sured at probably one-third of their
actual value.
The fire is supposed to have started
in the coal in the engine-rooms. The
engines were running yesterday after
noon, and when first seen the heart of
the fire appeared to be in that quarter.
The flames were under control at 12:30
o'clock this morning.