Two factories burn - Over & Hemingray

MUNCIE FACTORIES BURN.

Destruction of the Hemingray and

Over Glass Houses – Loss, $240,000

The most destructive fire that ever occurred in Muncie was the burning of the C. H. Over window-glass-works and the Hemingray flint-glass factory Saturday, entailing a loss of over $200,000. While a Lake Erie & Western switch-engine was doing some work on the track between the two big factories a spark from the engine ignited a carload of packing straw, and soon after the engine departed the flames burst out. A warehouse near by caught fire, and from there each of the big factories ware fired, and in just forty-five minutes each was a mass of ruins, and over three hundred employes [sic] employees out of work. The buildings were of sheet-iron and wood, and burned with great rapidity, leaving nothing but brick, iron and molten glass.

The Hemingray Glass Company came to Muncie from Covington, Ky., and was listed as the finest factory of the kind in the country. The loss of buildings and machinery is about $90,000; on stock, $20,000; insurance, $31,500.

The Over factory was the first window-glass-house to locate in the gas belt. It came from Bellaire, O., and the concern was one of the largest in the West. The total loss on buildings is estimated at $70,000, stock $60,000; insurance, $42,000, This firm was to have closed down in two weeks for the summer vacation, and every available place was filled with stock.

The furnace at the Hemingray factory was uninjured, and a shed is being built around it for the blowers to work under Monday and until a new factory is built. The rains Saturday evening badly damaged the over-furnaces, but they will be remodeled, and Mr. Over stated that he would at once rebuild. Industry in the southeast part of the city was six mammoth factories has no water for protection, and to-day’s loss is a result. After two years’ dallying the City Council recently ordered the water-works company to extend their mains, and these are now partially constructed, but too late. Five loaded box-cars, two with sand and one with straw, consigned to Hemingray, and two with lumber for Over were burned.