Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-03-07
HEAVY FIRE LOSS
Plant of Fremont Butter Tub
Company Damaged
$4,000.
INSURANCE Is ABOUT oNE-FIFTH
Rain Prevents Spread of Flames to
Property i'm Viz
cinity.


Butter Tub company, located in the
old glass factory building at Third
avenue and Sixth street, early this
morning estimated at $4,000.
The entire east end of the plant
was Quilted, about two carloads of
stock and manufactured product de
stroyed and ali ne machinery outside
OF the power plant damaged so that
there viii be not less than a 20 per
cent loss on it. A fortunate coinbina-
ton of circumstances combined to
prevent fheds pread' ofnthe fire to the
remainder of the Building and to sur
rounding property. 0@.r"
Fire Doors Valuable
The fire was first discovered by f.
Hurto, the Waterman who has charge
of the building nights. He states that
he was in the main manufacturing
room at the east end of the plant af-
ter o'clock and on returning at the
time stated he noticed smoke coming
from the floor in the center of the
building, just beneath the machine
used in polishing the tubs after they
are completed He dashed a couple
of buckets of water from barrels
that were kept about the room on the
floor whence the smoke issued, but
suddenly the blaze burst out so furi-
ously that he was compelled to beat a
retreat and telephone for assistance
The fire department was summoned
and reached the scene promptly. Soon
several streams of water were playing
on the fire. T. y. Corcoran. the SUI
70 IL Mt ,,f I,o 4
a few minutes and with assistance
closed the fire doors leading through
the dividing wall to the west portion
of the building in which the greater
part of the stock and manufactured
product is stored and the offices are
located. This was the means of saw
ing this part of the structure and
about $4,000 worth of material
The fire department turned its at
tention from the beginning largely to
keeping the dividing wall wet and to
saving the power plant located north
of the burning part of the building.
One thing that served as a handicap
was pile of lumber that was beneath
the floor under the fire and that be-
came ignited at the very start. The
openings that formerly existed to the
basement through the outside walls
had been closed with masonry when
the building was remodcled and a
number of division walls were put in
to support the floor. This prevented
the tiremen from getting at the
source of the fire and made the fight
n long one.
Rain Timely.
TWAS raining hard at the time the
fire was at its worst and the salvation
of dwellings, to the east is due to this
fact. Large quantities of burning ma
terial were caught up by the draft
created when the roof had been burn
ed through and were carried several
blocks to the south and east. As ev-
erything was saturated no damage re
suited
The firemen kept doggedIy at their
task, and gradually gained the upper
hand. Slowly the flames were beaten
back from the walls and blackened
timbers. Several streams of water
were kept playing till after o'clock
this morning, when every spark had
been eXtinguished.
The walls are still solid. and appar-
emily as good as ever. The roof is
partially supported by the timbers,
which, though blackened and some
what smaller than they were, are to
all appearances strong enough for
their purpose The floor and floor
timbers are in places burned away,
and will have to be replaced. The ma
chinery is badly warped, and. of
course, all the steel working parts are
rendered useless by the heat.
The only theory that is advanced in
regard to the origin of the fire is
spontaneous combustion. There was
little fire in the engine room, and it
was too far away for it to. have been
communicated to the place where the
fire was discovered. 1t was the duty
of the Waterman to clean the ma
chine room every night, and he had
completed the task before midnight.
However. there was more or less dust
and fine Shavings that had accumulat-
ed for weeks in the crevices, and that
could not be reached. 1t is thought
that the oil from the machine con
nectcd with the sanding belt may
have dripped through the floor, and
mingling with the dust and shavings
started the disaster.
The loss on the building is estimat-
ed at $1,000, with no insurance, the
rate for that sort of factory having
been so high that the Rock Island
Stove company, which owns the build
ing, assumed the risk. The loss on
the stock and machinery is placed al
SIS. 900. with $4,000 insurance, carried
| in the Hayes & cleveland agency
There are SIS employees thrown out OF
work by the destruction of the fac
tory.
Intention is TO Resume
| Plans as to what win be done are
of course incomplete as yet, but the
intention is to proceed with the re
pairing of the building and replacing
the machinery SO that work may b'
resumed at the earliest possible date
1t is not unlikely that arrangement
will be made to utilize the building
i just across Third avenue south of thu