Rocky Ford enterprise., 1906-02-02
ROCKY FoRo's SUGAR FIRE.
An Insurance Journal Reviews the Cir.
sumstaness and Discusses New
peoblsms prooeNtod.

ouMotaneeo ono Otoouoooo Now
Preblsms Presented.
The November and December issuss
Of the Insurance Reporter OF Denver
contained long articles on the 0re IN
the Sugar Co. warehouse here. From
these articles we make the following
extracts:
The loss was settled on November
a. ten days after the IRE. on . com.
promise basis. In the anal analysis
the IRE cost the interested insurance
companies covering sugar. 3ita.soe or
carried. This result was reached By
means OF satisfactory salvage arrange.
menta made with the Cans Salvage
wrecking Company. whereby that con.
ccrn took over all the damaged sugar
for the sum OF $4,000. The com.
pahies succeeded In securing reduce
tion. Of $1,000 form the total Insurance
and settled on the basis OF S1ss.soo.
guaranteeing the payment by Cans OF
his share. $4,000. to tho sugar com.
pany. According to the valuation
placed on the sugar by the sugar COM
pnny. the sound value involved In the
hre was S3os.s7s. leaving . shorsase
on insurance OF si:;i's.
The sacks from which tho IRE nrst
spranE had been piled the night before.
One Of the sdjustcrs rnakes the decia.
ration that the foreman OF the ware:
house gang stated that the sacks piled
IN IN. nisht Of November 18th wcre
considerably warmer than usual. AZ
M time. however. II the sugar packed
warm enough to burn the hand. The
t~mpcrature 10 said to BE-. about 10
degrees.
In sackins this sugar At the Rocky
Ford factory. Gr.at care II taken 20
sample every hundredsh bag TO test for
various defects.
The theory In advanced that some
workman might have dropped . match
which was exploded By the next truck
load Of sugar rolling over u. There 10
some talk Of there having been an ex-
jcrisv Of those who 'nvcstteat~d the
matter. No smoking vas permitted IN
or around the warehouse.
Tn. theory rcsardine spontaneous
cos-hussion hns many adhesents- Ac:
cos'sinR to this theory. the sugar ptled
-, thu 18th must have become heated
from some cause. and that when the
warehouse WINS cpen-d on the morning
~ sN~ nth. tho araft famed this heat
cd pile and nre broke out.
We arc advised that the amount Of
wi-1.r us-d In an entire season OF
aaRur II strongly carbon. and the
theorists WIN Nav- doc~d this mr. IN
sions hypothetical lines Of chemistry
~n-'-ns that there might have existed
a combination Of 9nscs generated that
.--',.'-~-.i combustion from the action
~ nm excessive amount Of sulphur. a..
sisted. perhaps. by some unknown. or
--srtsin a~ti~~ Of lime. salts. toScther
with the solution of SUGAR carbon nee.
~.s-yv to form this very nice and exact
rsHoriaiiy the Journal has some
pointed criticisms.
The IRE comrany II censurcd for us.
s.-~ 'c~ mV~h water. and the adjustefs
for doing their work In . very careless
--.-~ner. The journal says that they
should have mad. some little effort to
SrS ont whether or not there does not
exist In beet suRar stored q hidden
hpssrd not heretofore suspected. The
Insurance com,snies are criticised for
syinR tho nep sure Of 1oes at the mar.
tss value NJ tho sugar. claiming that
'he cost Of manufacturing should be
the basis Of adjustment.
u IL rrobahic that the Rocky Ford
nrc. bringing heavy losses to the insur.
nn~c companies. will cause some re.
vision OF policies on stored beet sugar.