Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
1889 - A BIG BREWERY BURNED. THE IMMENSE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FAUK, JUNG & BORCHERT COMPANY AT MILWAUKEE, WIS., ENTIRELY DESTROYED

THE LOSS WILL REACH NEARLY $1,000,000 AND INCLUDES THE CONSUMPTION BY THE FIRE FIEND OF 52,000 BARRELS OF BEER.
Milwaukee, July 5 - The entire brewery plant of the Fauk, Jung & Borchert Brewing Company burned to the ground Thursday afternoon. The loss is $800,000, and the insurance less than $400,000. In the matter of area and financial loss the fire is the biggest in the history of Milwaukee. The plant covered an area of about three acres on the Muskwango Road in the Menominee valley, just outside the city limits. It was the original plant of the Falk Brewing Company. Less than a year ago the Jung & Borchert Company abandoned their plant and consolidated with the Falk Company, the capital stock of the consolidated company being $1,000,000. Since the consolidation extensive improvements of the old Falk plant were made, including an addition to the main brewery of a brick building, 148 x 257 feet, an elevator 40 x 100 feet, 70 feet high, with a capacity of 125,000 bushels of malt, and a large engine house. In the latter were six new boilers and a new $30,000 ice machine with a capacity for making 100 tons of ice daily. Additions and improvements cost $100,000 and increased the capacity to 400,000 barrels of beer a year. Three hundred men were employed.

The brewery had been shut down, and few men were about the establishment when the fire was discovered in the interior of the new malt-house at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The brewing company maintained a fire company of its own, and as soon as possible they were at work. Being outside the city limits, the brewery depended on an artesian well for its water supply, but when the fire company attempted to work they found that the water supply was for some reason shut off from the hydrants, and they were left helpless. On receipt of a telephone message Chief Foley dispatched four engines from the city, but, as they were obliged to act on the river bank, it was half an hour before the first stream of water was thrown on the flames. In the meantime the fire had spread to all of the adjoining buildings, all of which were in flames before the firemen from the city got to work.
A series of explosions followed each other as one after the other the six new boilers burst, and then followed one after another the explosions of seven large tanks of ammonia used in the manufacture of ice. It was most remarkable that not a single person was injured through the explosions. Heavy pieces of iron fell in the immediate vicinity, but the intense heat had kept the thousands of spectators at a safe distance. When the fire had burned itself out every one of the buildings was in ruins excepting the storehouse, where the firemen concentrated their efforts. Here was stored 52,000 barrels of beer, but, as the building was gutted, the beer stored there is probably all spoiled by the heat. In the immense bottling house, which was totally destroyed, were 600 barrels of beer in bottles ready for shipment to the South. The buildings destroyed were the malt house, elevator, brew house, the engine house with its new $50,000 ice machine, storehouses and the stables with their many horses and wagons were saved. Where the office was the vault now stands alone.

Mr. Falk, president of the company, thinks the lose will reach $1,000,000, but Mr. Borchert, the secretary, says it will be between, $700,000 and $800,000, with an insurance of between $300,000 and $400,000. He was not able to give the exact amount until the books in the vault could be reached. It is not known as yet that the company will rebuild, as the fire seriously cripples them. Before the fire had burned itself out every other brewing company in the city had offered assistance, and arrangements were made with two of the breweries to supply the company's customers as long as it will be necessary. The origin of the fire, which was first discovered in the malt house, is unknown.

Jackson Sentinel
Maquoketa, Iowa
July 11, 1889

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