Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 99, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 April 1916 — REDUCTION PLANT FOR FACTORY BUILDING [ARTICLE]

REDUCTION PLANT FOR FACTORY BUILDING

Drs. E. N. Loy and Emil Besser and J. W. Loy Acquire Building For New Industry. The match factory, which has been going into ruin by the depredations of tramps and loafers, has been turned over to J. W. Loy, of Piqua, Ohio, and his brother, Dr. E. N. Loy, of this city, and Dr. E. Besser, of Remington, who have paid off the mecanics’ liens amounting to about $1,500 and who will at once install a reduction plant, which is the method of using all animal carcasses for tankage and fertilizer. There are plants of this kind in many towns, the nearest to Rensselaer being the one at Lowell. The plan is to gather up the carcasses of the animals, take them to the plant in tightly sealed tanks and there to put them through a process that makes the tankage stock feed and the fertilizer. There are many animals dying each day and the operators gather up these without expense to the owners, who would sooner give them away than to bury them.

It was expected to let the contract .for the plant’s installation today, Tuesday. It will be placed in the smaller of the two great buildings, the one at the side of the track and it will require about 90 days to install it. The larger building, which has been a rendezvous for tramps, loafers and -gamtnecs, will up and an effort made-txr'nnd some factory concern to occupy it and there is a rumor that plans are developing along this line. The great building has been shamefully abused. The reporter of The Republican, in company with J. J. Montgomery, C. Earl Duvall and J. W. Loy, visited the buildings this morning. In a long and narrow room in the northeast comer >f the building were two tramps. They had a roaring hot fire made in an improvised stove, erected oTJsrickr Three or four metal pieces passed through the center of the stove to support the front and provide a draft. The top was a piece of sheet metal, with a wire handle for the purpose of raising it to put in fuel. The pipe was of 12inch dimension and was wired in position and had mud banked up around the place where it entered the stove top. The pipe passed through a wall. and emerged into the large engine room, where it puffed its smoke in abundance. Two tramps, one a young and hearty looking fellow and the other an old reprobate with enough filth and grime about him to make one shun him on the street. The young chap was making himself some coffee, having a dirty looking can on top of the red hot stove. The old greaser was munching some dry bread. On a table was supported by concrete used package of salt, a small plate of lard, a number of fresh egg shells and a litter of paper and dirty pans. A shelf had been constructed at the opposite side of the wall and the large table was supporaed by concr fte blocks and bricks. Hay covered the floor on both sides and at the rear of the stove and there were many hollows to show where the tramps had burrowed themselves into it at night. Another bed of hay was at the opposite end the long room, which was evidently meant. for the coal bins for the factory building. At the side of this bed was an improvised fireplace with a 12-inch chimney which also had its outlet into the engine room. There was no fire in this. Although only two tramps were here when the reporter made his visit, M.. Loy said that he found s ® ve "teen tramps there when he went there Monday. It seems that peripatetics have fallen into the habit of making this their Sunday stopping place owing to the luxurious heat and the unrestricted freedom. The fuel used this morning was coal but wood has generally supplied the heat and onlarge stairway of 2-inch, foot w boards has been entirely torn away and burned up. Some of the door were also tom up. “There was not a window pane ip the building and only a few of the sash, the latter having been broken out for kindling wood. Many of the frarfies of the windows had also been broken out. A large engine which had been installed was also broken up by the marauders. A heavy piece of metal broken from one of the machines had been taken to the roof and dropped and had torn a large hole in the roof and then through the floor and had crashed into teh concrete beneath. Just as if the person who had done this was not satisfied with one experiment the act -diad been done a second time wi i - same result. It is not improbable that within J year or two more the buildings would have been damaged to such an extent that they would have crumbled to the I earth and the action of the Comrner-

cial Club in turning them over to the reduction plant people should meet general approval. It is said that a wrecking company offered $3,000 for the material, which they would have shipped away. ~ An estimate of the cost oi the buildings is $20,000. While it will take several thousand to put the large building into good shape again, it will be well worth expenditure if a company can be found that will occupy it. . * „ The Commercial Club had about 7 they are to deed the buildings and' about 3 acres to the Loys and Dr. Besser. The reduction plant will employ only about two or three men at' the start but it is expected that in time from 6 to 8 will be needed.