The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-22
WILD RIDE To
PACKING HOUSE
Dash Through the Storm to
Scene of Disastrous
Fire.
MANY DANGERS IN WAY
EXCITING EXPERIENCE OF j. c..
LEARY AND HERALD MAr!.

While Salt Lake residents lay awake in
fear at the awfulness of the storm Of Sat
urday night, listened to the noises of the
terrible gale, heard the wind howl out of
doors and trembed lest the entire city
! be swept away by the hurricane two
men were driving like mad in the very
! teeth of the wind. over fallen trees, tcle-
phone poles, into bitches, across fields.
and against a veritable blizzard OF sand
and gravel. to the fire which destroyed
the plant of the Utah Packing company
one of these was James c.. Leary the
promoter Of the enterprise which had es-
| tabhshed the plant, hurrying to ascertain
| the exact extent of the disastrous fire:
| the other was a Herald reporter anxious
to get the story for the paper before press
| time.
| The lurid reflection OF the flames in the
! SKY 10 the north was first seen shortly
| AFTER midnight and started many specu-
/ latlons as TO its cause. Rumors were
! aIIoat that Ogden was being DESTROYED by
/ IRE, and other reports regarding the orr
! gin or the blaze mirrored in the heavens
gained credence about town. AT 30 The
deraid learned that the plant of the Utah
Packing company was burning.
Start of the Race.
team of bays was secured AT NIcCov's
livery stable-the best travellers thereto
make the trip. Mr.. Leary was communi
Gated with and arrangements were made
Ior ann to accompany The Herald re-
porter on the wild ride in the storm
Inc drive from the livery barn 10 tho
residence OF Mr. Leary at IA Grace flats
save the reporter faint inkling of what
ne was To expect when he got out into the
open country where the wind could blow
with unimpeded fury
The team danced about as thew were
driven out in the street from the harm
/
| the warmth of their stalls to the cold
cutting wind that was playing havoc
| along the street. The political banners
that were strung across Second South
| street flew about, causing the horses TO
rear ana plunge before the wild drive
| had really started sign fell on one
| break into run, while the terrific crash
OF plate glass window on the opposite
side OF the street created fresh alarm
HatleSs. belated pedestrians were passed
as the team sped onward. and darkened
street cars, filled with shivering passen-
gers waiting for the cars to regain tho
power that would take them home. were
on every corner. The red lights, the dan
ger signals that gave warning of the bad
places on the road, had been blown from
their mornings and many of them extn-
guished. Several of these places were
passed with scarcely an inch TO spare
foreboding disaster to the buggy and its
occupants
The residence of Mr.. I.eary, however.
stood in the road warmly dressed, wait
ing for the rig. From this point the haz-
ardous trip was begun in earnest
Race Towards the North.
The horses felt the master hand Of
Leary, who is an expert horseman, on
the rein, and seemed to understand what
was expected of them. Their heads were
turned northward in the very teeth of
the terrific gale. 1t was pitch dark and
this. together with the terrible storm OF
glv-fn~f
faces of the men in the rig. prevented
them from seeing scarcely a foot in front
OF them. At times the team was not dis
cernable
When the residence district was reached
trees lay across the streets every few
yards AT first the horses SHE'D at the
distractions, but soon learned that they
must go on regardless of any hindrance.
The horses leaped over the fallen trees
and telephone poles and the rig over them
threatening every moment TO overturn
and hurl the occupants to the street.
The lights in st. Marks hospital were
scarcely visible through the binding
storm of dirt as the team swung onto the
main road TO the stockyards and the !
burning packing plant The only other (
illumination of the way was the reflec- !
ton OF the big fire and an occasional live |
as il lay sizzling in the road. These fall |
len wires were the most serious obstruc- |
tioDs on the way and were carefully /
avoided by the skillful driver.
After the city limits We're passed the !
terrific wind that was met showed that the /
wind in the city was mere zephyr COM I
pared to the mighty gale that swept Owes /
the level country beyond the sheitering /
hills.
The burning packing plant was now
plainly visible Most Of the walls had /
fallen, but the ruins were blazing fierce |
w. showing the work Of the flames that |
wrecked in few hours the result of |
years of careful planning.
Debris in the Way
The road to the right of the plant was I
impossible because of the fallen debris |
from the ruined packing house. The re-
porter held the team while the driver
sought the road to the left on foot, 1t /
was finally discovered and the rig was
driven across the tracks in front Of sew
eral trains which were tied up because of
the fire.
After crossing the railroad tracks the
way of the team and its passengers lay
across fields over bitches and through
fences. Several fences had to be torn
down in order that the drive might be
completed To pass the fire and go to
the stockyards to the north of the pack
ing house the men had to pass through
a veritable storm OF embers and flying
firebrands. Burning boards from the
fire were blown over mile away.
When the house at the stoclyards was
reached it was found abandoned by the
crew 1t was almost completely wrecked |
by the wind. all the windows werJ blown
in and the entire north wall had fallen
In While the men were using the teIP-
phone talking to Salt Lake, more tele-
phone poles were blown down. shutting
off further communication
Mr. Leary stayed all night at the stock
wards doing what he could to ascertain
how complete the loss was to the packing
plant. Dick Bishop one of Leary's sheep
men, drove the newspaper man back to
Salt Lake The road taken coming back
Law between an open sewer ditch on one
side and a barb-wire fence on the othe-,
with but a few inches on either side Of
the wheels Several times the strong
wind blowing against the lines almost
forced the horses into the wire fence. but
the plucky animals fought the gale and
kent i'm the narrow roadway.
Once the main road was again reached
the return trip was less hazardous. but
evidence OF the destructive storm was on
all sides Trees crashed across the road
all the way back. but through good for
tune the end of the memorable drive was
ocosd ont N,