Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-05-22
LARD TANKS GO UP
EXPLOSION CAUSES A DISASTROUS
FIRE IN ARMOUR'S LARD
REFINERY.
TWtNTY-NINE PEOPLE ARE INJURED
LOSS TO THE COMPANY WILL
REACH BETWEEN T75O,OOO
AND 100000.
PEOPLE ARE INJURED
THOUSAND PEOPLE TAKE A FALL
HOG RUNWAY COLLAPSES. THROW
ING SPECTATORS TO THE
GROUND.

Chicago, May IS. - During the pro-
gress of a fire which last night de-
stroyed the lard refinery of Armour &
Co. in the Union stock yards, twenty
zine people were injured, five of them
in manner which probably will cause
death in short time. The loss to the
company is estimated by its officers at
between $15o.0o9 and 100000. With all
the chances in favor of the latter figure.
There was a number Of accidents, but
by far the largest number of those
who were hurt net their injuries by the
falling of the hog runway upon which
they were stan ling to obtain a better
view Of the fire.
The lard refinery had just been COM
pleted and was considered by its own
ers the most complete establishment OF
its kind in the United States. 1t was
| filled With new ana costly machinery.
and during tn, day 1000 people worked
| within its walls. The night shift num-
| bered 700, and all of them were in the
| building when the fire broke out. 1t is
thought all escaped in safety. although
the time allowed some of them was eN-
ceedingly brief.
Caused by an Explosion.
The fire originated with an explosion
of three lard tanks on the fifth floor OF
the building. The cause of the eX-
plosion is unknown, but the three tanks
| which were filled with boiling LARA,
went up with a roar almost in the same
second. There was a score of work.
men in the immediate vicinity of the
tanks and a number of them were
burned by the scalding lard, but none
was seriously burned. 1t was not
minute after the explosion before the
| entire fifth floor was q mass Of flames.
All the workmen in the building made
a frantic rush for safety, and while all
reached the open air without trouble,
some of those on the fifth floor lost
their hats and coats, there not being an
instant of time allowed in which to
pick them up. Despite the utmost ef-
forts of the fire department the flames
spread through the entire building, and
within an hour after the commence
ment of the fire, all the walls, with the
exception of that on the south side.
| were lying on the ground. The fire was
one of the most spectacular that has
been seen in Chicago in recent years
and the display attracted an
| Enormous Crowd of People
! who crowded all the arrow streets IN
the stock yards and swarmed by thou
sands upon the viaducts which pass
through the yards at a height OF
twenty feet from he ground. That por-
ton of the Forty-fcurth street viaduct
close to the burning building was
densely packed, and suddenly about 2oo
feet of hog runway extending from
the viaduct north to the plant OF Ar
mour & Co., gave way, precipitating
fully one thousand persons to the
! ground The firemen instantly aban-
doned their work on the building and
devoted their energies to saving the
people. All were taken from the
wheckage within a few minutes ana
r?aced in an improvised hospital in the
plant of the GarElan-American ProVls-
ion company, which was itself badly
damaged Ey fire during the early part
of the week. 1t is said by the police
that the number Of those injured by the
fall of the viaduct IS greatly in excess
of the number reported, as there were
many who were but slightly hurt, and
being able to go to their homes without
assistance, no knowledge of them was
obtained by the authorities.