Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1911-03-18
PAINT FACTORY BURNS.
Loss Of Machinery and Building Full
S13,0 ,0O0--No Insurance.

|
The Paint Factory, situated just south
of and contiguous to the Burlington rail-
road, at Second and Washington streets,
was destroyed by fire about ll:40 o'clock
Tuesday night. Near neighbors gave
the first alarm-then the city fire-bell
and the church bells brought forth our
citizens who soon bad both hose-carts
on the ground. AS the nearest hydrant
was almost two blocks away there was
some little delay in laying a pipeline
that distance. By the time stream of
water began to play on the flames it was
seen the building was doomed. 1t was
but short time till the walls began to
crumble. The engine-house was saved
and the engine and boilers only slightly
damaged by water. The balance of the
machinery and building is total loss.
The fire was discovered on the north
side and did not get in the building until
the flames reached the roof. 1t 10 as
serted that when first discovered the
flames could have been put out with
couple of chemical hand extinguishers; I;
but the city did not have them and by
the time the hose was laid the fire was
beyond control. Its origin will proba-
bly, always remain a mystery.
The building was owned by the Akron
Mining, Milling & Manufacturing Com.
pany, with headquarters at Aurora, Illi-
nois. The plant was projected and built
for the purpose of manufacturing mica
axle-grease and other lubricants. Harry
Francis was the originator of the
project.
The city of Custer contributed $4,000
to the enterprise; issuing bonds to that
amount, which were termed Public I'm.
provement Bonds. These bonds were
issued May |, 1894. Within few days
T. W. Delicate would have made the
last payment on these bonds. or late
years they have been referred to as the
grease bonds"
After running a few months as an
axle-grease factory it was demonstrated
they could not meet eastern competition
so the factory closed down. Then the
plant remained idle several years, a
monument of blasted hopes.
When the mineral paint was discov-
cred near Rockford, some changes were
made in the machinery, two roasting
kilns built adjacent to the main building
and the crude ore shipped here for treat
ment. For several years, at certain sea-
sons of the year it has been in operation
each year in manufacture of mineral
paint, used almost exclusively for paint
ing railroad stations and freight cars.
Thus it became known as the paint fac
tory. George Phillips, now residing in
Akron, Ohio, was superintendent of the
plant while manufacturing paint.
Last fall the Forest Service rented the
building as a storage-room for pine
cones and it was filled "chock-full" with
our latest native commercial commodity.
For the past few months they have been
hauling the cones to the seed-house as
needed for threshing, so there was only
about 1000 bushels in the building when
destroyed. However, that was enough
to make very hot fire.
1t is estimated the loss will be on ma
chinery $4,000; on building $4,000. No
insurance either on machinery or build,
ing. t. w. Delicate tried to place insur-
ance thereon last fall, but was turned
down because the plant was idle the
major portion of the year.