Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-01-14
UNION PACIFIC ICEHoUsEs BURN
Biu Structures Destroyed through
workmen's Care1essDess.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb.. Jan. 13.-iSpe-
cial Telegram.) -Workmen on the Two ne"
ice houses of the Union Pacific roilroao'
about 2:3O this afternoon, upset pucke'
of tar between the two buildings ana this
caught fire from the lamp which was peine
used to heat the tar. and Immediately an
enormous confiagation began whlch oe-
stroyed more than one-half of the largest
ice house in the world.
North Platte has for several years poasteo
the largest ice house in the world, wnlcn
is owned by the Union Pacific Railroad
company aud on their main line mere IL
was used for icing fruit and other pro-
visions en- route, and more trains and cars
were iced here in year than at any
other place in the world.
| Immediately upon the starting OF the hre
the alarm was turned in and the fircmen
of both the city and the Union Pacific were
| on the ground in a very few minutes. The
! plant is in the western portion of the city
| and because of not being adequate for the
| enormous business of the road, two new
| additions were being built and were well
nigh completed when the accident occurred.
They were of new lumber and the molten
tar catching ablaze started the fire with
terrific force and it was evident from the
start that none of the buildings connected
could be saved.
The fire burned all the afternoon and
| evening and the hremen continued to work
with might and main. The nine large
| houses, size 31x112 feet each, were
utterly and entirely destroyed. These
nine buildings stood side by side along
the track of the railroad. making a total
length Of nearly 800 feet and width of
liz feet by about forty feet high. and were
s1f a M
to $4,000 Except the two new ones, almost
completed, to the west. the remainder were
about half-full of ice and this to some de-
gree impeded the progress of the ire. al
though not very much.
For more than two hours the firemen
worked with large streams OF water play
ing on the buildings before their work
began to tell so hungry and ferocious were
the flames. particularly in the new build
ings 1t was seen that they were hope
lessly gone and the effort was to save the
other two sections OF the immense ice
houses Immediately to the east of those
burning and separated from them by about
seventy feet. All telegraphic connections
to the west Of here except the Postal lines
were destroyed by the fire. but the force
got out extra wires and surrounded the
burning buildings and so made new con-
nections.
The capacity of the houses burned was
estimated at 5000 tons of ice and their
destruction is complete. although control
| of the fire was gained. The ice houses to
the east, in two separate divisions, were
saved and the fire was prohibited from
their regions.
The wind was mild, but was turned into
a tremendous current near the flames
which were carried out onto the strip Of
, prairie near, which was also set ablaze
J This was checked by citizens before mucl
damage resulted.
The melting ice and the water poured
: onto the fire by the firemen made almos
a small river of water as it coursed dowI
the depression of the earth along the rail
. road tracks.
! Fully 1000 people witnessed the fire.
Word was received here from Union Pa
. cihc headquarters in Omaha that alread!
the heads of the road were making arrange
ments TO ship in new lumber and rebuilt,
the entire lost buildings, as it is impossible
! for the company to get along without then
! at this point. The loss will cripple tn
traffic as TO icing cars until the new one
can be completed. One hundred and fft,
, men are thrown out Of employment