Omaha daily bee., 1915-09-27
BIG CUDAHY ICE
PLANT In RUINS
Burns to the Ground Early Sunday,
with Loss of Over Hun
dred Thousand.
TO BE REBUILT AT ONCE

Fire of unknown origin starting
about 2:46 o'clock Sunday morning,
completely destroyed the new
Cudahy ice house In Ralston, sus-
tanning a loss of 100000 to the
Cudahy Packing company. The loss
was PARTLY covered by insurance.
A desperate fight was made by
members Q the South Side battalion
OF, the Omaha fire department un-
der Battalion Chief Coyfe to check
the flames, but poor water pressure
coupled with the fact that the fire
had gained such headway when the
department men arrived shortly after
8 o'clock, that II was impossible to
approach within 100 feet of the blaz-
ing building, the heat being SO in
tense, made rescue impossible.
The building was burned to the ground
and all that was saved was a small tower
house in which the machinery for the
ice plant was mounted, and the work
mems bunkhouse. 200 feet to the west.
The building eight stores high was a
vertible furnace from 3 o'clock yester-
day morning until o'clock. Eight box
cars sidetracked near the building were
burned to ashes. The fee stored In the
houses, amounting TO 10000 tons was rem
dered totally useless. The heat was so
intense that paint on residences within
radius OF thre blocks around the build
ing peeled off. In many cases widow
pains wer also broken.
First discovery Of the fire was made
by Sheriff Hutter OF sarpy county, who
was passing by and noticed the blaze in
the north end where It mad originated.
Immediately notifying Art Moran, keeper
of the buildings for the Cudahy company,
the alarm was spread to Omaha and the
South Side fire department apparatus
ordered out. The blaze had gained too
much headway and could not be checked.
All efforts OF the firemen was directed
to saving nearby buildings.
Superintendent Patrick Sheehy OF the
Omaha Cudahy packing plant was on the
scene at o'clock few minutes after
the first report had been circulated. Ac.
companied by his son he drove by auto
mobile through the misty rain at ths
fiFst call.
burns Three Times.
The destruction Of the ice house was ths
third OF its kind that has occurred within
the last fifteen years. In 1901. fourteen
years ago. the old ice house was strucl
by tightening and completely burned
Two years ago when the Omaha tornado
swept Ralston and Omaha. q new ic'
house. then only recently erected. wal
totally demolished, the company sustain
ing a heavy loss.
Immediately after the destruction o
1918 In the tornado the Cudahy firm
erected the most modern ice house in thu
west equipped with the latest OF ma
chinery and equipment The building haS
eight partitions and was valued at 81. 900
The ice that was rendered useless wal
valued at $4,000. q total loss. The tota
loss will approximate more than $4,000
according to the estimate given out b,
Superintendent sheehy yesterday.
But last week the lease now held bs
tn Cudahy Packing company TO the ic'
OF Seymour lake was renewed. The new
lease will not expire until 1926. Besides
this the firm holds an option on thu
ground which will not expire before thre'
years.
Il IL expected that building operations
will commence at once.