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New York Leather Company Tannery Fires
Destroys Dry Loft and Hide House Tuesday Morning— Good Work by the Fire Man.
Not even two weeks after this meeting was held, fire broke out in the tannery. The fire started in the south end of the dry loft and was caused by an over-heated box on the dynamic engine. The volunteer fire department quickly responded and utilized their newly organized system. The light rainfall the previous night also helped in preventing the spread of the fire. Two streams were used, when entering the building became impossible due to strong winds, fire, and sparks. The loss was estimated at $75,000 however; the company carried its own insurance, and decided it would be best to rebuild the tannery (Prentice Calumet, February 22, 1906).
Efforts to rebuild the tannery began shortly after the intense fire. Only five months passed when tragedy struck the tannery once again. Two men, Louis Sebour and Issac Samuelson, were working in the scrub house when they noticed the fire. The two men did their best to fight the fire, but were eventually forced out of the building and sustained burns on their hands. The fire began in the hair that was sitting on the dryer. The whistles blew and with in four minutes the firefighters had responded with two lines of hose connected and ready for water. On the west end of the tannery hoses were run and connected to the tannery pump. The pump failed and would run sporadically providing little to no help for the firefighters. Soon, the majority of the tannery was destroyed. There was an estimated $400,000 in damage. The exact cause of the fire, still remains somewhat of a mystery. The night watchman had passed the drying house ten minutes prior to the fire and everything was in good condition. There were no electric wires in the building and there was a new motor that was not yet in use. The fire could not have been a result of faulty electrical wiring. Sadly, the tannery was not re-built for a third time (Prentice Calumet, July 26th 1906).