Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-31
Upton 5 NE At BURNED
Over a Quarter of a Million
Dollars Worth Of Meats
Destroyed.
Fire in Upton Packing Plant at
Chicago...Loss Covered by
Insurance.
Crazy Snake Indians. Who We're
on a Rampage. Put in
Jail.

Chicago, July 31-Almost n quarter
Of a million dollars worth OF cured
meats We're destroyed in less than an
hour last night by a fire which swept
thru one of the big Upton Packing
Company warehouses at the stock
yards shortly after o'clock. Great
buildings. stocked with products val
Ted at millions of dollars, We're threat
ened by the sudden rush of flames thru
the heart of the monster plant of the
packing company, but the speedy work
accomplished by the volunteer fire de-
rartment, made up of employees of the
company, saved all of the adjoining
structures from damage.
The building destroyed, a four-story
brick, known as Warehouse b. and eN-
tending hundred feet in either direc-
ton along E'crty-fourth street and
Packers avenue, was stored from roos
to basement with hams, sausages and
bacon.
The last daily statement taken of the
contents of the big establishment indi-
Gated that $24S,000 worth of meats We're
held there awaiting shipping orders. To
the north, separated by fire wall from
the seat of the fire. stood second
warehouse With q stock of even greater
value within it's walls.
The warehouse had just been de-
serted by the working crews when a
Waterman crossing a bridge leading to
the packing houses of the plant saw a
tiny line of red creeping along the Win
COWS on the third floor of the ware
house. He instantly gave the alarm. but
by the time he looked a second time the
flames, fed by the grease-soaked floor
ing and walls. had mounted to the top
floor and We're bursting thru the roof.
Every section of the Upton plant is
provided with ample leads of regula-
ton fire hose. and these are fed by wa
ter from a special engine pump in the
basement of the main buildings. AS
soon as the cry of fire was raised r. NJ.
Engle, superintendent of the plant.
summoned all the employees on the
ground to his aid and the fire MOBILES
We're manned in n trice. The packing
house employees clambered up on the
roofs of adjacent buildings and di-
rected streams into the burning ware
house. Two of the workmen, more
caring than the rest. risked their lives
in a perilous descent froGl the roof of
the adjoining structure, thru the smoke
and heat. into the doomed building to
make certain that the fire doors We're
ciosed between the two storehouses
Then they clambered to their posts and
held a stream of water upon the hottest
portion of the blaze until they We're
driven back. exhausted.
After the fire had burst thru the roof
il; seemed as If the wind, carrying as it
did the embers to the roofs of the sur
rounding buildings, must drive the fire
to every portion of the establishment.
The first detachment of engines arriv-
ing on the scene took the hardest part
&C the struggle out of the hands of the
volunteer forces and the men relieved
withdrew to the neighboring roofs to
hold the flames away from them. a
call was sent for additional engines, and
Chief Musham responded with twenty
odd companies.