Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-02
TWO BIG MUNITION PLANTS
ARE DESTROYED BY FIRE
[Continued from First Page.[

dynamos, supplying the power to
about ESQ machines used in apply
| ing the special paint to the cylinders,
all practically new, were completely
| destroyed.
Flames Spread Rapidly
The flames spread so rapidly that
workmen were unable to get any of
the cylinders that were finished out
of the plant. These cylinders are be-
ing manufactured for service in
France, to be used in conveying
highly explosive gases.
The loss in this one plant is eX-
tremely heavy, the entire building
being destroyed, and the machinery
u mass of ice-covered ruins, piled
with debris. and in some cases fall
ing through the floor to the base
ment of the building. The brick
walls of the buildings are partly
standing. but in no case are the ruins
possible of repairs. This building
is 200 by so feet, was the estimate of
the company officials this morning.
The rough turning plant, adjoin-
ing the cylinder finishing depart
ment, is a complete ruin, as is the
cylinder finishing plant. In this build
ing, as in the other, there is an en-
ttrely new equipment of machinery,
hilSlA was COllplGlCll uGSIEOyeu DN
the flames. The principal equipment
in this plant is composed of ESQ
lathe machines recently secured by
the company from Akron, Ohio. In
one portion of this plant q consider
able blaze was still raging at a late
hour this morning. Firemen who
had battled with the flames all night
were still at work here this morning.
1t was in this plant that four-inch
shells were being manufactured for
Uncle Sans navy.
Machines n Loss
Across from the plant is what is
known as the transforming hut"
small brick building containing two
electric transformers of the latest
type, which supplied the entire plant
of the Pipe Bending Works with the
electricity for the dynamos, which
operate the motors and the machines
throughout the plant. These ma
chimes were said by the company
officials this morning to be a total
loss.
There are eight buildings compos-
ing the entire plant of the Harrisburg
Pipe and Pipe Bending Works. With
the exception of the buildings that
were destroyed last night, the plant
is able TO resume operations with the
other buildings unscathed by the
flames. A notwithstanding station IS
supplying electricity to the plant,
and the company will continue full
filing the obligations of it's large
government munitions contracts.
Plants that do the finer part of the
shell making are working to-day.
w. P. Starkey, general superin-
tendent of the Harrisburg Pipe and
Pipe Bending Plant, said this morn
ing that building operations will be
resumed at once, and modern fire
proof buildings will take the place of
those destroyed.
Mr.. Starkey estimated that 1t will
not take longer than three weeks to
put up the three buildings. The new
buildings will be of solid concrete,
with steel roofs, modern and fire
proof in every respect.
The replacement of the machinery
will be the greatest difficulty. but 1t
is understood that the officials are
at work on this problem now.
Old Buildings
The buildings destroyed were old,
built of brick, with wooden roofs. 1t
was owing to the wooden roofs and
beams, coupled with the highly in
flammable manufacturing materials
in the buildings, and the age OF the
buildings, that caused the rapid
spread of the flames, and prevented
the saving of the valuable machinery
and contents of the buildings. Work
men haa barely time enough to es-
cape with their lives, and no effort
could be made to save the equip
ment of the two plants,
The fire alarm was turned in from
Box Al, at the Philadelphia and
Reading station, Market street, by
Samuel Dunlap, a workman in the
paint shop, where the fire started.
The alarm was turned in at 3.47, and
firemen were summoned by the blow
ing of factory whistles and by tele-
phone. Fire companies were on the
scene shortly after the alarm was
turned in, but found the building
mass of flames.
Began in Paint
In the cylinder finishing depart
ment there was stored the entire
supply of paint. for thte cylinders,
in ten-gallon cans and gallon
barrels. According to the generally
accepted theory of the plant Off
cials, q workman, surreptitlously
smoking a cigaret, threw the
lighted match Or cigaret into an open
paint barrel. The special paint used
for this work, known as lyptine, Is
inflnmmable to the point Of ex-
plosiveness, and the match caused
an explosion, insuring an instant
spread of the flames about the en-
tire plant The spread of the fire
was so rapid, that no one could tell