The Ordway new era., 1909-06-11
TRINIDAD POWER
PLANT BURNED
STREET CARS, MINES, MILLS AND
FACTORIES ARE LEFT
IDLE.
LOSS IS OVER 100000
BLOWING OUT OF TRANSFORMER
CAUSES EXPLOSION THAT
scATTERs BURNING OIL.

ucuvcr-A news special from Trinl.
dad SaturIa, u!rhl says.
Practically every branch OF industry
In this city and ur.shborlur towns Is
AT d suuIsuu a7 lHr result Of tn" de-
strucuuu OF ,hr new power house OF
The southern Colorado Power Com
pauy today.
Th. city electric railway and inter
urban I.ue are "a, Il s.luIs'lI and Il"
nigh, Trinidad is Ighl.I uulN with kcr-
os,uc lamps and r.udles The loss ON
ul, plant HIun, NH. .Nrr,I $an1,uoo.
ami the loss tu 'l. w-.urss Interests
OF %, county can uuIE hv measured 10y
tho length OF tine taal This city and
adjoining camps Na. ms without "lvy-
lrjcal power ul amy SORT
Not a cent OF Insurance was carried
on the big plant. /, has been In the
course OF construction for lh" last
eighteen months.
The fire started few minutes be
fore O'Clock ami Was cuuhrd by the
the blowing ont ur "a huge transformer
which was Used 20 reduce the voltage
from the main generator into the gen.
orator which supplies the current for
city lights. F. 4 WarN"ld. electrical
engineer FOR the company. aud a force
Of men were working near the traus
former when they heard something
give way
An instant later the steel cap blow
Off and It Is supposed that flying oil
which was contained in the transfer
mcr. became ignIlcd from an electric
spark The force OF the explosion was
sufficient to throw several barrels Of
burning oil to the TafrTs OF the struc
turc and in an instant N" whole inter
ior OF the big plant was in flames.
At the risk Of their lives. Wariicld
and his assistants stayed In tho burn.
ing building until they had shut off all
power and had taken tho water and
steam from the big boilers TO prevent
explosions
One of the worst features Of the
fire is tn" blow dealt the coal and coke
Industry OF the Colorado Fuel and Iron
Company, the Victor Fuel Company
and a dozen smaller companies that
have just closed contracts with the
power companies to furnish them with
electric power.
The Sopris washer has Just been
completed and was preparing to start
with n full force in the next few davs.
The Victor Fuel Company had just
turned on the current at Grey creek
and operated their washer for the first
time during the week.
The company has just completed the
construction Of over 100 miles Of pow
er transmission lines to various camps
in this section of the state, which must
of necessity be useless for ut least
three months until new plant can be
erected. Most of the coal companies
had disposed Of their individual power
plants and tOdays fire will mean the
probable delay of at least six weeks in
the opening of the coal and coke in.
dustry for this year.
In an Interview tonight D. w. Rupp
assistant treasurer and local manager
stated that he was in no position tn
say what would be done by his com
pany, nor when the plant would again
be in operation.
The city and adjoining camps have
tonight scarcely awakened to the full
import of todays fire upon the indus
tries of this section. The Trinidad
foundry, one of the largest concerns
Of the sort in the southwest employ
Ing 100 men, is out of business and
there Is no power in sight for thei,
plant. A dozen smaller factories and
foundries will be closed for an indefin
ite period.
All sorts of plans are on foot to SO
cure power from other sources. bu
nothing can be learned as to the time
when it may be secured. The newspa
pers OF this city missed publication
this afternoon with the exception of ;
bulletin gotten out by the Chronicle
News on hand press.
The Southern Colorado Power Com
pany Is incorporated for 81 ,500,O 900. |
Is headed by J. J. Henry of Denver
VINO, with his associates, a year an,
half ago purchased the Trinida,
Electric Railway Company and tn,
Trinidad Light, Gas and Electric Pow
er Company, merged the two concern
and organized the present corporation
The concern has been financed b,
the Union Trust Company of St. Louis
and during the past year nearly a mil
lion dollars has been spent in thi
county in taking over all of the powe
concerns and making improvements.
. | ------
Denver Labor Leader Dies,
nanNar -hInu.