The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-03-03
.SWIFT'S PLANT BURNS
The Mammoth Poultry Plant Totally
Destroyed by Fire-Loss $25, 900
Will Rebuild the Plant.


The mammoth poultry plant of Swift
q Company located at the foot Of Main
street, the largest exclusive poultry
plant owned by this company, was total
" destroyed by fire last Thursday
morning, entailing loss of between
100000 and $25,000.
The fire was discovered few minutes
after 5 o'clock in the morning by ]. G..
Atz, the assistant agent at the depot
who was going to the depot to meet the
early passenger train. He did not
notice the fire until he reached the foot
OF the hill, when he saw the flames roll
ing on the inside of the building, the
fire being located in the upstairs of the
west wing of the building, occupied as
a feeding station. He at once gave the
alarm and the fire department and hun
dreds of citizens were soon on the scene
but from the start it was seen that
nothing could be done toward saving
the big structure which was built of
pine, and very infiamable. The fire had
not reached the office and all of the
books from the office were saved. but
beyond this nothing was saved from the
building. The entire force had worked
until almost midnight the night before
killing and packing poultry so car of
dressed poultry could be shipped the
next morning, and over $4,000 pounds of
dressed poultry and something like
1000 pounds Of live poultry was burned.
The fire started in the feeding room
which was upstairs in the west wing of
the building and is supposed to have
caught from small boiler used in
scalding geese and ducks, although
James Kinds who was in charge of this
department says he looked after the
fire in the boiler just before leaving
late the night before.
The building was highly inflamable
and burned very rapidly, the fire de-
partment having hard work to save the
residence just south of it owned by G.
W. Moore, ST., and occupied by Henry
Pitman, the building being on fire a
number of times, but was saved intact.
the principal damage being the, paint
being burned off and the damage from
the house being Hooded by water.
The burned plant was a source Of,
considerable pride to the citizens Of
Leon, being one of the largest plants Of
this kind in the world. 1t was finished
year ago last July, costing in the
neighborhood of $4,000 and several
thousand had been added to the plant
in the way of equipment since it was
built. The building was two stories
and basement, the main building being
48x92 feet, with an j. extending to the
west 32x132a feet. The plant had
always done large business doing the
greatest volume of business of any plant
owned by Swift & Co. 1t gave employ
ment to large number of men, women
and children, in the busy season as high
as 125 people being employed. During
the month of December alone they paid
out over 100000 for poultry and labor,
and the business created by the plant
was felt in all lines of business. When
the company contemplated building a
plant in this city they asked for a bonus
from the town, and the sum of $1,000
was paid to them by the business men
of Leon, Swift & Company contracting
to buildsa plant costing not less than
$4,000 and to maintain and operate it
for asperiod of five years. The plant
was opened in July, 1902 1t is said that
the company carries full insurance on
all their property, but as the policies
are cared for at the Chicago office the
amount of insurance could not be learn
ed.
Mr. ]. r. Campbell, Of Omaha, the
new manager who was appointed to
succeed J. R. Nugent who had been in
charge of the plant since it was built
until couple of weeks ago when he was
transferred at his own request to the
Ottumwa house, arrived in Leon Friday,
!. not learning of the destruction until he
reached Charlton. He has rented as
temporary quarters the frame building
owned by VIM. Biggs just north of Biggs
& Co.'S store.
There has been considerable specula-
tien indulged in by our citizens as to
whether the plant would be rebuilt, and
while we cannot state authoratively
that it will be, yet everything indicates
that the plant will be rebuilt at once,
Manager Campbell having received
word to keep most of the men on the
pay roll. Temporary quarters were
ordered secured at once, SO as to handle
their trade, the Chicago house writing
that plans were being prepared for a
new building.
The location Of this plant in Leon has
been a great thing for both the town
and the surrounding country, giving as
it did employment to so many people,