The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-11-20
A MILLION-D0LLAR BLAZE
Destruction Of Great Plant Of Armour &
Co., at Sioux City.
BUILDINGS RAzED FROM FOUNDATIONS.
Iwenty-fcur Drums, Each Containing One
Hundred Pounds Of Ammonia, Explode,
Followed by the Explosion OF The Big
Storage cistern-Thfee Thousand Dressed
Hogs Burned.

Sioux City, Iowa (Special) The big
plant of Armour & Co., which occupied
three and half acres of ground at the
extreme south end of the stock yards dis
trict, was destroyed by fire which start
ed soon after midnight on the second
floor OF the fertilizer building. Six hun
dred men are thrown out OF employment
The loss, as estimated by Charles W..
Lennon, manager Of the company, is
100000; the insurance. S721,soo
The cause of the FIRE was said by Mr.
Lennon to have been either spontaneous
combustion or an imperfect dryer. The
fire was discovered by watchman of
the building, who, only few minutes
before, had pulled a messenger box on
the floor where the flames started.
Quickly the Armour private FIRE de-
partment OF six men was called out. and
the entire city department followed BY
40 a. m. six streams Of water were be-
ing thrown upon the fire which was de-
stroying the fertilizer building, but the
pressure was inadequate. This building,
which was OF brick, I2o by Go feet, four
stories high, was located between the
beef-killing house and the Chicago, St.
Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha railroad
tracks on the cast.
The floors and contents of the build
ing burned like chaff At Las a. m. the
roof fell in, and a moment later the fire
burst through into the beef-killing house.
%, i.s h.. el,s cd
and lasted only about FIVE minutes, when
IT fell with great crash
From the beef-killing house to the
oleomargarine building was only step,
and when the lard was ignited the fire
presented a most spectacular appearance.
The big beeihouse. where so carcasses
were hanging caught at o'clock BY
tins time the entire plant. except the hog
house, was a lake OF FIRE. The roar was
terrible. The country for miles around
was lighted up. Suddenly come a terri
fic explosion. followed quickly by an
other. and then another Twenty-four
drums, of 100 pounds of ammonia each,
exploded before the reserve supply in
the ammonia cistern was reached That
ignition almost razed the entire plant
from its foundation.
NJ %..tO d. III tIlt names UuISt lHTOuRH
the heavy fire wall that separated the
big hoghouse from the other buildings
This was the last building to the north
and the largest OF all. Steadily the fire
crept against the wind and through
the office building, which from the first
had been enveloped in flames. Not
scrap OF paper was saved from the Of
fee
The burning roof OF a chute fell upon
a bunch OF live hogs and their squeals
were added to the chorus.
When the hoghouse caught fire all
streams were turned in that direction,
but the water seemed like oil In the
building were $500 dressed hogs and
100000 pounds OF pork product After
the fire got good headway there all
hope OF saving any part OF tn plant
was abandoned The shops, chicken
packing plant. icehouses and ice run
ways and smaller department houses
were consumed in quick succession.