The Red Cloud chief., 1902-11-21
loss S$I,00O,00O
Packing liant at Sioux City De.
stDryed by Fire
THE FIRE FIGHTERS FAIL
couldn't Check the Planes and They
Spread to All Buildings. Causing .
Total Loss-Si1 Hundred Men
Will BE Idle All winter

A Sioux City. Ia, Nov. 16. dispatch
tays: The packing plant Of Armour
4 Co. which occupied three and one
half acres Of ground at the extreme
south end of the stock yards district.
was totally destroyed by n fire which
started at 1880 o'clock this morning on
the second floor of the fertilizer build
ing.
The loss. estimated by Charles w.
Lennon. manager OF the company, was
total, or $500. 900. The cause of the fire
was said by Mr.. Lennon to have been
either Spontaneous combustion or an
imperfect dryer.
There Is 1921, 200 Of insurance on the
Armour property. Six hundred men
will be thrown out of employment all
winter.
The fire was discovered by a watch
man Of the building. who only a few
minutes before had pulled a messenger
box on the floor where the flames
started.
Quickly the plants private fire de-
partment of six men was called out,
and the city department was notified.
Every fireman in the city was called
out. BY 1:20 o'clock six streams OF
water were being thrown upon the fire.
which was cutting the fertilizer build
Ing, but the pressure was inadequate.
The fertilizer building. which was of
brick, 100 by GO feet. four stories high.
was located between the beef-killing
house and the Chicago. st. Paul, Min
neapolis & Omaha railroad. on the east.
The floors and contents of the build
ing went like char. At 1:25 o'clock
the roof fell in, and a second later the
fire burst through into the beef-killing
house. lnstantaneously with the catch
ing OF the fire in the ~beef-killing house
the cattle chute ignited and lasted
about five minutes, when It fell with
a great crash.
Once in the beef-killing house. the
flames began to dance madly. From
this house to the oleo building was
only a step. and when the lard started
to burn the fire presented a most
spectacular appearance. The big beef
house. where 500 dressed
were hanging. caught at 2 o'clock. BY
this time the whole plant. excepting the
hog house, was a lake of fire. The
roar was terrible. The country for
miles around was lighted up. Sudden
ly there was a terrific explosion, fol-
lowed quickly by another, and then
another.
"Those are the ammonia drums!"
shouted Mr.. Lennon to Fire Chief KEEL
logg. Tell your men to be careful.
There is danger Of suffocation." TWEEN
ty-four drums of 100 pounds OF am
monia each exploded before the re-
serve supply in the ammonia cistern
was reached. That explosion almost
raised the entire plant from its founda-
ton.
At 2:30 o'clock the fire burst
through the heavy fire wall which 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 Office building.
which from the first had been envel-
oped in flames. Not a scrap of paper
of any kind was saved out of the Office.
About this time. when the last Of
the ammonia drums was going OFF. and
the engines were blowing their whistles
the hardest, a burning roof of a chute
fell upon a bunch OF live hogs, and
their squeals were added to the appal-
ling chorus.
When the hog house caught all the
streams were turned in that direction,
but the water seemed like oil. In the
building were $500 dressed hogs and
$500, 600 pounds OF pork product.
After the fire got a good Roadway in
the hog house all hope OF saving any
part Of the plant was abandoned. The
shops, chicken packing plant. ice
houses and ice runways and smaller
department houses were consumed in
quick succession.