Western Glass Manufacturing Company, Denver, Colorado

WESTERN GLASS COMPANY'S PLANT

IS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE

Loss $150,000 and 200 People Are Thrown Out of Employment - Merritt

W. Gano Says Work of Rebuilding Will Begin at Once.

Fanned by a fierce wind, a fire which broke out in the gas producing plant in the sand smelter of the Western Glass Manufacturing company, at South Eighth and West Bayaud streets, yesterday afternoon developed into a vertable holocaust and destroyed the entire property, covering a block of ground. Two hundred employes of the company, men and girls, barely escaped with their lives, and 25 of the men were more or less injured as a result of the flames, which spread with marvelous rapidity.

The girls were employed in the packing room, far removed from the source of the fire, and escaped easily. Henry Y. Johnson, a glass blower, was rescued from the flames by Assistant Fire Chief Moses and the firemen of engine company No. 11 after he had been overcome with the heat and had been burned about the head and shoulders. None of the injured suffered more than slight wounds.

The fire was one of the fiercest with which the local department has had to cope in years and entailed a loss to the Western Glass Manufacturing company of $150,000, two thirds of which is covered by insurance. Merritt W. Gano, who is at the head of the company, states that the plant will be rebuilt and expects that it will arise on its ashes within a few months. The new plant will be larger, more substantial and better equipped that ever before, despite the fact that a net loss of $50,000 has been sustained by its owners.

The fire was spectacular in the extreme, there being several large explosions of oil used in the manufacturing of the various products of the glass works. Buoyed by the high winds, flaming brands were carried for a long distance, and for a time the flames threatened the immense plant of the Western Chemical company, situated a block away. In this plant were stored large quantities of chemicals which, had they been reached by the flames, would have proved a terrible menace to the lives of the firemen employed in fighting the flames by reason of the noxious gases escaping from the heated acids and other chemicals.

Throughout the fire the firemen showed the greatest courage in battling with the conflagration, and it was only by dint of the most heroic work that the flames were confined in the glass works.

The Western Glass Manufacturing company has been in operation for about 10 years and was commonly known as the Valverde Glass works. During the first few years it had a checkered career and was not entirely successful, but under the influence of able management it grew, being enlarged from time to time until it covered the large acreage in West Denver which was swept clean by yesterday's fire. The company was headed by Merritt W. Gano, general superintendent, and the following Denver men: Gerald Hughes, F. R. Ashley, George W. Wood and Harry C. James. It has always been distinctively a Denver enterprise and was regarded as one of the foremost of the city's industries. It engaged in a general glass manufacturing business. It was backed by ample capital and at the time of the fire was at the acme of its success since its organization. The insurance carried on the big plant was placed years ago by Mr. Gano in companies represented in Denver by Benedict and Gill and by Paul Gaylord.

Operations at the plant were at their height at 2:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon when the fire broke out. The gas producing plant is situated at one end of the large building, which was built of frame and corrugated iron. In this department the great heat necessary to produce glass from sand is generated, and it was from the apparatus in this department that the fire originated. The gas producer is said to have exploded from some unknown cause at 2:30 o'clock and the flames from the plant spread to the woodwork of the building. Within a few seconds a large tank of oil some distance removed from the gas producer exploded and scattered burning oil throughout the building.

The workmen fled at the first explosion and all managed to get out of the flame swept building with their lives. Many who were working near the gas producer had their eyebrows and hair singed and some were blistered slightly about the hands and face from burning oil. There were 25 men who suffered from slight injuries in this way.

Immediately an alarm of fire was telephoned in to headquarters and within a few minutes fire companies situated nearest to the burning building arrived. The apparatus from engine company No. 11, Third avenue and Evans street, with Assistant Fire Chief Moses were the first to arrive. Just as the apparatus arrived, Henry Y. Johnson, who is said to be a single man, and who boards near the glass works bethought himself that his watch was in his coat pocket. He believed that he would be able to enter the burning building and save his coat, his watch and his dinner pail. He entered and friends who saw him disappear in the doorway, through which smoke was pouring in great volumes, failed to see him emerge and so informed Chief Moses and his men.

Moses, seeing that the flames were mastering the situation, ordered one of his men to telephone a second alarm and the, personally accompanied by several volunteers from engine company No. 11, rushed into the door of the burning structure where death welcomed, and, groping in the murky darkness, lighted up only occasionally by tongues of flame, searched for Johnson. He had been overcome by the heat and smoke and when the firemen reached him had already been threatened by the flames which had reached out close enough to burn all the hair from his head and face and blister his scalp. They were able to carry Johnson to the outer air, which soon restored him.

It was while the hose was being laid that the thrilling rescue was consummated. Soon several streams of hose were playing on the stubborn fire. These were of little account and it was not until additional apparatus arrived from stations in the Highlands and the down town sections that the fire fighters were in a position to cope with the flames.

From the Highlands came the apparatus installed in engine companies Nos. 7 and 12, and these reinforced engine company No. 2 from Colfax and Santa Fe avenues, which was the first to arrive after engine company No. 11. Chief Terrance Owens and Assistant Chief Dulmage came with the second alarm, and, with Chief Moses, began the work of directing the firemen.

It was seen that the big plant was doomed and the firemen were forced to watch the course of fire brands borne on the wind and save adjoining property. Several times it seemed inevitable that the plant of the Western Chemical works with its death dealing contents would be reached by the flames, but heroic work by the firemen saved this building.

Mr. Gano, who was in charge of the plant, informed Chief Moses that some of the most valuable property of the company, in the shape of $8,000 worth of finished product, consisting mostly of fine glass bottles, was stored in a shed near the main building. This shed was already in flames and at the request of Mr. Gano the assistant chief directed the attention of several of his men and several streams in that quarter.

Between the main building and the shed is a small space through which runs a car track which traverses the main building. Into this space, which was a veritable furnace, Chief Moses directed his men. The men crawled into the space with the hose on their hands and knees, and directed the hose above them, in an effort to save the shed. The heat was so intense that it was impossible for the men to stay long in the place and one man took turns with the other in the work at this point. Several of the men had their hair and mustaches singed in this work.

It was impossible to save the entire contents of the adjoining stock building, but stock to the value of $4,000 was saved and when it is stated that the heat was so intense as to warp and twist the rails of the car track between the two buildings, the difficulties under which the firemen worked can be understood.

Near the plant was sidetracked a tank car fitted with oil which added much to the fury of the flames.

Darkness had descended before the fire was entirely extinguished.

The effect of the fire will be to throw many of the residents of Valverde out of work. Mr. Gano stated that he spent most of the evening yesterday on plans to rebuild and improve the plant and that no time will be lost in again placing the manufacturing concern in a position to continue business. For this reason, but little hardship it is said, will be experienced by those who depended upon the industry for a livelihood.