Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1902-11-17
Big Sioux City Plant of Armour
&Co. Totally Destroyed By
Fire---Loss 100000.
FLAMES COULD NOT Be SUBDUED
Six Hundred Men Will Be Thrown
Out of Employment All Winter.
Spectators Endangered by ExpIo-
sions of Ammonia.

Sioux City, Ia, Nov. 1.-THE big
plan. of Armour & Co., which occu-
pied three and a half acres Of ground
at the extreme south end Of the stock
yards district, was totally destroyed
by q fire which started al 1880
O'Clock yesterday morning on tee Sec
ond floor of the fertilizer building.
The loss. estimated by Charles w.
Lennon, manager of the company, is
total. or 100000. The insurance is
$721, 500.
The cause Of the fire was said by
Mr.. Lennon to have been either spol-
taneous combustion Or an imperfect
dryer.
Six hundred men will be thrown
out Of employment all winter by the
fire. The fire was discovered by
watchman Of the building. Quickly
the Armour private fire department
OF six men was called out and the en-
tire city department followed.
By 1:20 o'clock six streams Of wa
ter were being thrown upon the fire,
which was destroying the fertilizer
building, but the pressure was made
Cuate. The floors and contents Of the
/ building burned like chaff. At 1:25
O'Clock lhe roof fell in, and a moment
later the fire burst through into the
! beef killing house. simultaneously
/ the cattle chute ignited and lasted
about FIVE minutes, when it fell with
a great crash.
! From the beer killing house to the
oleo building was only a step, and
when the lard was ignited the fire
| presented a most spectacular appear
ance The big beef house, where 500
carcasses were hanging, caught at :
O'Clock. By this time the entire
plant, except the hog house, was
I lake Of fire. The roar was terrible.
The country for miles around was
lighted up. Suddenly came terrific
explosion. followed quickly by al
other. Twenty-four drums Of 100
pounds of ammonia each exploded be-
fore the reserve supply in the am
monia cistern was reached. That ig-
milton almost razed the entire plant
from its foundation.
! At 2:30 o'clock the flames burst
through the heavy fire wall that sep
arated the big hog house from the
other buildings. The hog house was
the last building to the north, and the
largest of all. Steadily the fire crept
against the wind and through the Of
flee building, which from the first had
| been e2velcped in flames. Not 4
scrap Of paper was saved from the
Office.
About this time a burning roo: Of
a chute fell upon a bunch Of live hogs
and their squeals were added to the
appalling chorus. When the hog
house caught fire all streams were
turned in that direction. but the wa
ter seemed like oil. In the building
were $500 dressed hogs and 100000
pounds CT pork products.
After the nre got a good headway
in the hog house all hope Of saving
| any part Of the plant was abandoned.
TIE shops. chicken plant. packing ice
houses ami ice rUaways and smaller
department houses were consumed in
quick succession. At 3 o'cloTk the
fire continued with unchecked fury.
The efforts Ct the fremen seemed
withou: result
At 3:25 o'clock the fire department
lad given up the fight. 1t was appar
ent that all its efforts we're useless
and the entire plant would be Ga-
stroyed The FIRE continued TO burn
all day AID yesterday afternoon there
was another terrific explosion, which
threw bricks and pieces of iron for
hundreds Of yards, endangering thou
sands Of spectators, but no one was
seriously hurt
Kansas City, No. Nov. 17.-C. W
Armour, Of the Armour Packing COM
pany, stated yesterday that the Sioux
City plant, destroyed by fire, will be
rebuilt at once. The new plant will
be much larger and finer than the one
burned The company, in the mean
time. will remain in the market, the
cattle purchased to be distributed
between Omaha, Kansas CITY and
Chicago.