The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1902-05-23
LARD REFINERY FIRE..
Twenty-Five Persons Iniursd
Five of Them Fatally.
The Loss of the Company Is Between
s75o,ooo and 100000, With All
Chances in Favor of the
Latter Figure.

Chicago, May 17.-During the pro
gress of a fire which DESTROYED the
lard refinery of Armour & Co. in the
Union stockyards, 29 people were in.
jured. five of them In a manner which
will probably cause death In a short
time. The loss OF the COMPANY is
estimated by its officers at between
s75O.OO0 and 100000. with all the
chances in favor of the latter figure
There was a number of accidents
but 10y far the larger number of those
who were hurt met their Injuries by
the falling of a hog-runway upon
which they were standing to obtain a
better view of the fire.
The lard refinery had Just been com.
pleted an6-was considered by its own.
ers the most complete establishment of
its kind in the United States. Ii stood
at the intersection of 43d street and
Center avenue, and was five stories
high and 250 by 800 feet. 1t was filed
with new and costly machinery. and
during the day 1000 people worked
within its walls. The night shift mum.
bered 700, and all of them we're in the
building when the fire broke out II
is thought that all escaped in safety.
although the time allowed some of
them was exceedingly brief.
The fire originated with an explo-
sion of three lard tanks on the fifth
floor of the building. The cause of
the explosion is unknown, but the
three tanks, which were filled with
boiling lard. went up with a roar al.
most in the same second. There was
a score of workmen in the immediate
vicinity of the tanks and a number OF
them were burned by the scalding
lard, but none was seriously burned.
II was not a minute after the explo-
sion before the entire fifth floor was a
mass of flames.
All the wOrkmen in the building
made a frantic rush for safety and
while all reached the open air with
out trouble some of those on the fifth
floor lost their hats and coats. De
spite the utmost efforts of the fire de-
paItment the flames spread through
the entire building. aud within an
hour after the commencement of the
fire all of ths walls, with the excep-
ton of that on the south, were lying
on the ground.
The fire was one of the most spec
tacular that has been seen in Chicago
in recent years. and the display at
tracted an enormous crowd of peo-
pie, who crowded all the narrow
streets in the stock yards and swarm.
ed by thousands upon the viaducts
which pass through the yards at a
height of 20 feet from the ground.
That portion of 44th street Taduct
close TO the burning building was
densely packed and suddenly about
200 feet of a hog-runway, extending
from the viaduct north to the plant OF
Armour & Co. gave way. precipitat
ing fully 1000 persons to the ground
The firemen instantly abandoned their
work on the building and devoted
their energies to saving the people
All were taken from the wreckage
within a few minutes and placed in
an improvised hospital in the plant
of the German-American Provision
Co.. which, itself. was badly damaged
by fire the early part of the week A
call was hastily sent for the police
ambulance. but the one stationed near
est to the fire was able to respond only
after great delay. caused by the run
ming away of the horses of the ambu-
lance, just as they were about to be
hitched. A team was impressed from
a passing wagon, but ii was 80 minutes
after the call before the ambulance
arrived at the scene of the accident.