Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-05-22
A REFINERY BURNED
The Armour LARD Plant at Chi.
cago Destroyed by Fire.
PEOPLE HURT BY A HOC.RUy FALLING
The Fire Originated by an Explosion Of
Three Lard Tanks AMI Was Very Spec
tacular- The Loss Estimated at Be-
tween $500 and 100000.

ktroyed the lard refinery OF Armour
d Co. in the Union stock yards, %
people were injured, seven of them in
q manner which will probably cause
death in short time. The loss OF
the company is estimated by its Off.
GERS at between S75O,OOO and 100000
with all the chances in favor OF the
latter figure. There were number
of accidents, but by far the largest
number Of those who were hurt met
their injuries by the falling of the
hog runway upon which they were
standing to obtain better view Of
the fire.
The lard refinery had just been
completed and was considered by its
owners the most complete establish
ment of its kind in the United States.
1t stood at the intersection of Forty
third street and Center avenue and
was Ave stories high and $50 by 300
feet. II was filled with new and
costly machinery and during the day
1000 people worked within its walls.
The night shift numbered 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 exceed
ingly 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 filed with
boiling lard, went up with a roar al
most in the same second. There we're
score of workmen in the immediate
vicinity of the tanks and number
of them were burned by the scalding
lard, but none were seriously in
lurcd. 1t was not minute after the
explosion before the entire fifth floor
was a mass of flames.
All the workmen in the building
made frantic rush for safety, and
while all reached 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 efforts of the ire depart
ment the flames spread through the
entire building and within an hour
after the commencement Of the fire
all the walls, with the exception 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
~ cc's IN the STOCK yards and
swarmed by thousands upon the mar
row viaducts which pass through the
yards at a height of 20 feet from the
ground. That portion of the Forty
fourth street viaduct close to the
building was densely packed
and suddenly about 200 feet of hog
extending from the viaduct
north to the plant OF Armour & Co..
gave way, precipitating full 1000 per-
sons to the ground, The firemen in
'tantly abandoned their work on the
and devoted their energies
20 saving the people. All were taken
from the wreckage within few min
ites and placed in an improvised hos
nital in the plant of the German
Provision company, which
VAS itself badly damaged by fire
Turing the early part of the week.
\ call was hastily sent for the police
but the one stationed
nearest to the fire was able to re-
'pond only after great delay,
'aused by the running away of the
lorscs OF the ambulance, just as they
Aere about to be hitched. A team
vas impressed from passing
wagon, but 1t was 30 minutes after
he call before the ambulance arrived
Vt the scene of the accident. It is
said by the police that the number
Vt those injured by the fall of the
'iaduct is greatly in excess of the
number reported, as there were
many who were but slightly hurt
md, being able to go to their homes
without assistance, no knowledge Of
hem was obtained by the authori-
les.
A number of firemen were slightly
burned while at work in the building
md for a time it was reported that
several had been killed. Michael
Naloy, driver of engine Of company
No. ~, sustained injuries which will
'ause his death while driving to
he fire. The streets in the stock
yards proper are not wide and Ma
oy was urging his horses at top
speed when one Of the reins broke.
His horses plunged toward the crowd
u people On tho side Of To street. |
Naloy, seeing that somebody would
De badly injured unless his team was