The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-12-22
TwoThrds Of the Plant Destroyed and the Loss Will Run
High up in the Thousands
MOST DESTRUCTIVE FIRE THE COUNTY EVER EXPERIENCED
The Plant Was Covered Partly by Insurance and There
Seems Little Doubt that it Will be Rebuilt.

this can be Ieaved, but it is a small
Item. There were some twenty cars
of jack in the yard at the time, but
the switch engine got them all safely
out.
The buildings which remained
standing are the pottery, blacksmith
shop, mixing room, coke crusher,.
roasted ore bins, stables, dobe kilns,
metal scale house, engine room for
mixers, and five furnaces or ten
blocks. 1t lie estimated that about
sixty per cent of the value
of the plant went up in smoke. The
loss is any where between $4,000 to
500, 900, but the owners who were on
heground declined to make any state
ments. There was insurance on
everything, carried in seven different
companies and the amount which
will be collected will be about
$4,000.
WORKS WILL PROBABLY BE REBUILT
OF course one of the first questions
which the dismayed people of La
Harpe and Lanyonville asked was:
Will the factory be rebuilt? Mr.. J. :.
Rogers, president OF the Lanyon Zinc
CO. left yesterday for Joplin, Mo-, and
will go from There to st. Louis. He
wasAinformed by message of the dis.
aster, but what action the company
| will talra 10 lrnnur,, IN ha NJ
alone. OF course nothing can be done
until the insurance is adjusted and
blocks 3, 4, o and 10 will be shut down
for repairs, 8 and 6 running as long as
the supply of roasted ore lasts.
The factory destroyed is the largest
zinc smelter in the world and the one
best adapted to its work. The mach
inery was of the latest pattern and
the two towns which the factory cal
led into life, Lanyonville and LaHarpe
depended very largely on it for their
existence. 1t is undoubtedly the most
destructive fire that ever visited the
county and will cause more hardship.
a hundred men will be out of employ
ment for six months and will have to
look for work elsewhere until the
kilns can be rebuilt.
The REGISTER believes there is lit
tie doubt that the plant will be re-
built. The company has large area
of gas territory around the neighbor-
hood, owns fifty houses i'm Lanyon-
willie and has the remnants of plant
standing worth thousands of dollars.
1t would be "a calamity to the entire
county should the works be closed.
WORD FROM MIR. RODGERS.
The good news comes from j. s.
Rodgers at st. Louis that the works
will be rebuilt, this time with an iron
building. The local representatives
have been communicating with him
all morning and he wired here at =
O'Clock that the work would be COM
menced at once, the furnaces being
operated right along. The company
estimates the loss at $4,000 which is
far below the estimates put on it by
the workmen and this is probably
much nearer the exact figures.
NOTES OF THE FIRE.
The first report that came to lola
was that the whole plant was gone
and five men killed and thirty-fve
wounded.
The suburban train made special
trip to the scene, carrying DR., Cox,
reporters and relatives Of workmen.
The engineer started the pump to
working and kept the two huge boil
ers full of water and when the balls
on the safety valves fell Off, the steam
escaped in a stream and squirted
against the pottery building which
was only few feet from the fire.
The steam prevented the fire
spreading to this building and thus
saved the rest of the plant.
A. The workmen did heroic service in
fighting the flames but were handi-
capped by the rapidly with which
the flames spread. Half an hour
changed the immense plant into an
acre of twisted iron and smoking
ruins.
Ira Kelley went out on the train,
stealing ride beside the water tanks.
AS the train bumped along he was
thoroughly soaked by the water
which splashed from the tanks and
he sought the stove In the coach.
Rex Dyspepsia Tablets are guaran
teed to cure Indigestion ana Heart