El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-19
GREAT SOAP
WORKS BURNED
LA Esperanza" Warehouses
At Lerdo, Mexico,
Destroyed
THE LOSS is 100000


Works Are the Largest In the Re-
PUBLICAN Account Of the Great
Institution.
Last Monday at noon flames shot out
from the great EsperaDZs soap and oil
factory and warehouses at Lerdo, q
thriving town of 1000 inhabisants in
the state of Durango, Mexico, and be-
fore thew could be extin-
guished four of the ware
houses and one power house wore
entirely consumed and the loss will not
fall under $500, 900. J F. Brittingham,
of Chihuahua, who is manager and
vice president of the great works,
states that the origin of the fire is q
mystery and that details of the fire ara
very meager. The big soap factory
which is located close to the ware
houses was saved by diligent efforts on
the part of the fire laddies, ably assist
ed by the citizens of the place.
Lerdo is located in the eastern part
of the state of Durango, near the Nazas
river along the line of the Mexican
Central railroad, in the midst of q very
fertile region known as the "Lagnna"
country, noted as the finest cotton
producing di, trict in the republic
The cotton produced in this section is
perennial. being replanted about once
in nine years.
The following account of this great
concern is reprinted from the HERALD
of March %, 1897:
The largest and most widely known
manufacturing enterprise in the re-
and oil factory, whose product is known
and in great demand not only in every
town and city in the republic. but also
in parts of the United States. This en-
terprise Was established in 1887 aud it's
has been phenome eosl.
Each year saw it greatly increase it's
trade until today they do the largest
business and their plant is the most ex-
tensive in their particular line west of
Chicago. They are manufacturers and
wholesale dealers in soaps and oil cake
and the plant covers several acres of
ground. The buildings consist
ing of the soap factory,
oil factory, warehouses, ETC., and
have frontage of ], 900 feet by depth
of 700 feet. Each building is fitted up
and equipped with the latest and most
improved machinery known to the dit
ferent industries and are operated by
steam power Corliss engines. The
plant is lighted throughout with elec-
tricity, the building being equipped
with electrical machinery, dynamos
etc. They have also q telegraph Office
and their own operator in their Office
building. enabling them to telegraph
direct to any part OF the world. The
shipping facilities are very convenient,
through the buildings. The company
has their own tank line of oil cars.
is constantly given to !.
force of from $50 to 300 skilled men
and the factories are run
and night. The extensive scale of
operations enables this house to offer
inducements that cannot be duplicat-
ed either in quality or in price by les
ser manufacturers. The capacity of
the soap factory is from two to three
carloads per day and an average of l.
OOO.OOO gallons OF cotton seed oil man
ufactureo by the company is used an
nually In the manufacture of their
the s COMPANY I Shipped PaS' lS,eoe geoo
tons of cotton eeed meal out
of the republic throughout the south
ern part of the United States and also
to England, which is used for fatteninp
stock and also as fertilizer. The phe-
romenal development of this great en-
terprise may be directly traced and at
tributed to the liberal and reliable me-
thods its management adopted at tho
outset and have rigidly adhered TO.
The benefits that have occurred to the
state OF Durango and the republic in
general through the establishing of
this great enterprise cannot easily be
overestimated and its development and
prosperity reflect the highest credit on
the ability of the man who planned and
carried to successful issue this under
taking. That gentleman is Mr.. John
F. Drifting gham, who is at present the
general manager of the business. Mr..
is one of the most public
spirited and enterprisjng business men
in the republic. He established the
Nac1onal Soap Factory in chihuahua
In 1884 and conducted it successfully
until he founded his present enterprise.
Mr.. Brittingham is a very pleasant and
courteous gentleman and splendid
man to do business with He was born
in Tennessee, but has resided in this
republic for the past sixteen years. Ha
g we'll known and highly esteemed
throughout the country.
New XnrL Cfo-L