Gallow Hill Works Leicester Rd Market Harborough

Gallow Hill Works Leicester Rd Market Harborough

A terrible fire of April 1898 precipitated a major rebuild of the works. This article was difficult to read because the page had a tear right down through the column so I transcribed it.The journalist reporting was on site a fortnight before to view a new acetylene gas system and reports part of the production processes for the glue to explain to his readers.There is a detailed explanation of the construction of the evaporating sheds or passages with fans at the end drawing air through.

Electricity did not reach Harborough until 1922 so how were fans powered? steam and belt drive?

Another interest locally is that the local MP JW Logan in East Langton Grange, directly visible across the valley, had a steam driven fire engine far better than the manual engine of the local council Brigade.He sent his engine to assist in tackling the blaze.

Some words were lost but the sense comes through.

The words in italics are recovered words.

GALLOW HILL WORKS

BURNT DOWN

A BIG BLAZE

In early hours of Sunday morning the extensive

works belonging to the Gallow Hill Glue and

Chemical Company, Ltd, were almost entirely

destroyed by fire, only the bone-crushing and

sheds remaining intact.

A fortnight ago, the managing director (Mr

Headkindly showed us over the place, the special

purpose forour visit being, as stated at the time, to

viewthe new installation of acetylene gas for

dry-ing purposes. We were able, therefore, to

make anexact description of the works. When first

hearing ofconflagration, the thought some-

-whatnaturally occurred, “Had the new gas any-

-thingdo with it?” The same idea also struck

that we may say at once that so far as is

knownthe acetylene was in no way responsible for

the outbreak, and the installation is practically un-

-damagedThe little corrugated iron “gas-house”

housing the automatic generators being

absolutely unharmed. Some of the piping has, of

course, been damaged, but that is a minor matter.

The works cover several acres of ground on the

northeast slope of Gallow Hill,just below the

Grand Junction Canal, and looking towards Kib-

-worth and the Langtons. Half way down the hill

on the road to Leicester is the entrance gate. To

north and right is garden ground, and a little way

to theside of the company premises stands a cottage

occupied by the foreman, and beyond that is the

Managing Director’s residence and the offices

Then in an intervening of forty or fifty yards

is the workshop and stables, a row of cleansing

shedsand the bone stores and crushing sheds; next to

the engine-shed, which contained a lot of

machinery, much of it new; the tank

where glue is manufactured; and the grease

houseall of these running parallel to the canal.

At right angles to the above-named buildings were

the drying departments and the stock room.

It was noticed that the company’s operations

have a multiple character, three different branches

are carried on and we believe with great success

especially since the reconstruction of the com-

-pany three years ago; and not only a valu-

-able set of new machinery, but also additional accomo-

-dation has been recently provided. “We had just

finishedthree months extension work,” said Mr

Head in our conversation yesterday, “and were going to

re-start on Monday. – but now the whole

premises needs to be rebuilt.

Process of glue making, the liquid, when

ready poured onto sheets of thick glass with

wooden sides, which are piled one on top of the

otherrunning on rails into the

evaporatinghouse. Once the glue hardens it is cut and

placed on carriers, these being piled up as

before. Theypass by stages into air tight

chambersthrough the different departments.

The evaporating sheds are, or were, narrow wooden

passages, constructed of double match boarding and

rendered airtight by being packed with saw dust.

At the end of each was a large circular fan, circulating fan,

revolving at a rate of some hundreds of revolutions per

minute, the air becoming thus extremely rarified and

the temperature would be raised almost to that of

the tropics, but for the fact that cold air is constantly

drawn in through large syphons. There were

several of these evaporators on different floors

a lift communicating with the two. In an adjoining

part of the factory were stored in tubs some two

or three tons of grease extracted from the bones in

course of cleansing. This, we understand, is a

commercial article of no little value but whether

used for making margarine we cannot say. From

all this it will be seen that by the nature of its

construction the works lend themselves to the

spread of fire and although the fans were

stopped at once, by Mr Head’s directions, yet the

place became an easy prey to the flames.

The Night Watchman, Laban Cleaver first

discovered the outbreak about 2.am. When going

his rounds he noticed smoke & sparks rising from

the top of the evaporating house. He at once

aroused the managing director and others, and

messengers were despatched for help. Mr Head

found that the fire was located in the valley of the

pent-roof, and was spreading rapidly, the wind,

which set towards the drying sheds, helping the

fire to spread. Pending the arrival of the town

engine, Mr Peter Smith, who lives in the cottage,

got out the works manual, and he and his wife and

daughter set to work pumping from the canal, which

it was very fortunate was so handy. James Smith,

son of Peter, meanwhile rode post-haste on his

bicycle to Harborough, Mr Geo Payne and his

sons and a lodger were awakened at 2.20. They

went round and alarmed the other Brigade men and

the post boy at the Angel Hotel, and within a short

time two horses were obtained and they started.

Mr J H Douglass, the captain, being incapacitated

owing to his accident, was unable to go, and the

deputy captain Mr John Flint, took command.

Mr F Trasler (secretary), Engineer G Payne, Firemen

Nicholls, Harley, Mapley, Ridley, Perkins, H

Payne, G Payne jnr., and W A Martin (Great

Bowden) being the others who turned out, and also

a number of voluntary helpers, but two or three

firemen did not put in an appearance.

Within three-quarters of an hour from receiving

notice the Brigade had the engine at its destination

and were sending a good stream of water from the

hose onto the fire, their smart work in this respect

being highly creditable to them. By this time,

however the building were blazing away furiously

and the roof of the evaporating sheds had fallen in.

The firemen, therefore devoted their attention to

saving the rest of the works.

In a short while Mr Logan’s steam fire-engine

(one of Messrs Merryweather’s) also arrived from

East Langton Grange, in charge of Mr Truss and

eight men- Messrs Read, J T Smith, Blackwell, G

Lott, Cheney, Moore and Guildford, snr and jun.

The steamer was a valuable reinforcement and

throughout the morning it did excellent work.

With two or three good jets now at play, the salvors

were able to stay the spread of the fire, but the

inflammable material burnt like matchwood and the

mischief had already been done.

Throughout the night till daylight began to

appear, the scene was an extremely weird one, the

flames shooting up into the sky and illuming the

whole country side, while Mr Flint and the firemen,

and Mr Truss and his helpers, with the

cooperation of a number of townspeople and

others did everything in their power to reduce the

destruction to a minimum. They save part of the

buildings, but only the skeleton of most of them

remain, and the engines and machinery are a sad

wreck. When we saw the place a fortnight ago, we

were struck by the excellence and complicated

nature of the various mechanical appliances in use.

To look at the bent pipes and twisted iron work

which now lie there in a confused heap, one would

scarcely value it as old metal.

Mr Logan, MP., was among the early visitors,

and all yesterday a stream of pedestrians and

cyclists flocked to Gallow Hill to inspect the

damage. When we went up shortly after nine we

met some of the Brigade men just coming away, a

portion being left to watch the embers, which were

smouldering and breaking out now and again into

flames. The hose from the steam fire engine was

kept well at work, however, with good effect.

Mr Head took the philosophical view- “Its no

use crying over spilt milk” and inn answer to

enquiries, kindly gave us all the information at

his disposal. Mr Samuel Symington, who is

interested in the concern, was with him and others

of the proprietors have since visited the ruins and

considered as to future operations. The works

were partially insured, the damage done being

estimated at several thousands of pounds. An

effort will, we understand, be made to get the

place restored as quickly as possible

Amongst a number of willing helpers – the best

the Brigade have yet had- were Messrs W W

Faulkner, F Ridley, J Thompson, Askew, W

Tebbutt, J Farmer, R Lee, A J Smith, A

Barnes, R Herson, A Townsend, &c. These

remained pumping from 3 o’clock until after 9.

Supt Burton and Sgt Barrs were also early on

the scene

Transcription ends.

A picture with the names of the Brigade is

in the Heritage Collection at the Library

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