The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1919-01-09
OHIO ZINC COMPANIES
PLANT DAMAGED BY FIRE
TO THE EXTENT OF $25,0O(
Fire Originates in Bag House and the Entire
Contents We're Entirely Destroyed in
Less Than An HOur-Unit Will Be
Rebuilt AS Soon AS Material Can Be
Secured.

Ore of the most destructive fires
of a dozen accidental sources to which
many months took place Friday after
noon when the bag house of the Ohio
Zine Company's pant at Fifteenth and
Railroad streets was gutted by the
flames. temporarily putting the com
pary out of business.
The cause of the fire is not known.
bat may have had It's origin in any one
regarded as probable that one or more
manufacturing establishments are
liable The building itself. which is of
brick, steel and concrete construction.
was not destroyed, but 10 or Is tons of
marketable zinc oxide and all of the
machinery and other equipment were
either consumed or ruined. The
structural steel, used largely in the
truss for the support of The metallic
roof was also badly twisted and dam
aged by the terrific heat to which it
was subjected.
The fire department Was sum
moned at 2:35 ard made quick run
to the scene, but the flames had done
the greater part of their work before
its arrival, and little could be accom-
plished by it beyond preventing the
spread of othe confagration to other
buildings in the vicinity. In less
than an hour after the flames were
discovered the Interior of the bag
house was a smouldering heap of
ruins. Owing to the special equip
ment of the structure there was no
salvage as the fixed and immovable
nature of its furnishings made such a
thing impossible. Bystandeys and
insurance representatives agreed that
the loss was total.
The building contained 400 canvas
bags or containers. each 25 feet long,
into the mouths of which the zinc
oxide is conveyed by fans for precipi-
tation and storage. The loss from
this source alone amounts to several
thousand dollars. A number of men
were working in the ill fated building
when the hre broke out. but all man
aged~fo escape without injury. II Is
regarded as probable thato ne or more
of the bags became igEited in some
way and caused the destruction, but
in what manner is purely matter OF
conjecture.
The company thought the bag
house was so nearly fireproof that il
at first decided that il was not neces
sary TO insure it, but later included
it in the general blanket policy placed
upon the plant for indemnity in the
event OF what seemed to be a very re
mote contingency. The total insur
ance on the plant is 100000. divided
equally between companies repre-
scented here by Henry Hutton and
Hodgin G. Sharman. The loss will be
made good by the underwriters, and
an effort will be made to have an ad
justment made by their representa-
tives at the earliest date possible in
order that the company may rebuild
the destroyed unit and resume its
smelling operations. In the mean
time about so or 60 employees will be
out of work.
Mr. Thomas, manager of the plant
stated this morning that material for
reconstruction had already been or
dered and that il would be assembled
without unnecessary delay. He pre-
( dicted that with favorable weather
the plart would be running again in
the course of the next five or sia
weeks.