Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1903-07-16
PAckINo pLANr DESTROYED.
1T. Joseph Branch Swept by FLAMES,
Resulting IN Total Destruction.


1T. Joseph Branch Swept by FLAMES,
Resulting in Total Destruction.
st. Joseph, Mo-: The main building
OF the Hammond packing plant was
destroyed by fire Sunday evening. The
loss is estimated as high as 81 500, 900
entirely covered by insurance.
For a time the entire stock yards
district was threatened. BY hard work
the Nelson Morris plant, 300 feet north
of the Hammond plant. was saved. and
this saved the Swift plant, which is to
the north OF the Nelson Morris build
ing.
The FIRE started a little after 2
O'Clock. By O'Clock most Of the build
Ing was gone. The greater danger was
at C o'clock, when part Of the north
wall fell and the fierce flames were
shot toward the Nelson Morris build
ing. Though the dense smoke was
blown against the big buildings, the
work of the firemen saved the build
ing.
The carcasses OF $500 hogs. 1900
cattle and 500 sheep were burned.
Nearly 100,00 pounds Of oleo were de-
stroyed. The contents of the smoke
house were consumed. The entire
north building. measuring 100 by 400
feet. and ranging in height from i've
TO seven stories. was Quilted. The orr
gin Of the fire is a mystery. There
was no fire in the casing department,
where the fire started.
The fire had penetrated the oleo de-
partment, which is at the northeast
corner of the building. by 3 O'Clock.
The fire then began to burn iiercely.
The beef beds, egg department and
other departments in the eastern end
of the building. as the beefhouse. were
soon ablaZe, and by $3.50 o'clock the
walls were beginning to fall apart.
Within a very few minutes the flames
were in the hog department, ana the
-carcasses Of $500 animals, largely fat,
we're added to the flames.
From the hog house. ii was but a
matter of a short time before the
smoke house was ablaze, thus making
fiery furnace 400 feet long and $40
about o'clock. Long iron strands
could be seen to curl up and to fall
from the building. Soon the center
of interest was directed to the north
east corner of the building, where
nearly 1000 pounds of oleo in tierces
of 4S0 pounds each were adding fuel
20 the fire. AS the eastern wall crum-
bled away the tanks of oleo would fall
to the ground into water, which had
accumulated. Flames would shoot
into the air a hundred feet or more,
making a spectacle which was terri
flying in its fierceness. Soon another
tank would fall and the performance
would be repeated while the dense
black smoke would roll in angry
swirling clouds, chased skyward by
the red glazing flames below.
The building and machinery were
covered by insurance to the amount of
S550,O0O. and the stock was insured for
about 100000. The insurance on the
Building and machinery probably rep
Tesents the full amount desired by the
Hammond company on this part of its
plant, but the 100000 on the stock
represents not the entire amount de-
sired, but all that could be obtained on
the stock. Every company represented
here has all it can carry. and in add
tion all the outside companies were
filed up and mutual and similar organ
izations were given whatever they
cared to carry. Considerable was
written by foreign companies in
France and Germany and even Japan.
Loss Is Two Million Dollars.
St Joseph, Mo-: General Manager
Phipps of the Hammond Packing Com
pany, whose plant was almost totally
destroyed by fire Sunday, said Mon
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