This blog will show information on Jim Pearson's project on the vanishing grain elevators of the Canadian Prairie Provinces.
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Friday, July 28, 2006
Magrath Elevator Burned Down July 26, 2006
The old 1918 Parrish and Heimbecker elevator, which was to be torn down in July 2006.
This photo and article forwarded to me by Hawley Golobic from the Raymond Museum:
Ben Walter's crew had been dismantling one of his elevators (second from the west) intending to burn the debris. They had dug a pit south of the building and had placed some of the wreckage in it to be burned. What wind there was, was blowing from the east, so it was felt that there was no danger of anything else catching fire, and they went ahead with lighting the material in the pit. However, shortly after the fire was lit the wind switched from the East to the South, which resulted in super heated air being blown towards the elvator. It caught fire and was almost immediately out of control.
Luckily, they managed to get it back under control. Two elevators are to the left and right of the elevator, and managed to escape being destroyed.
Thanks very much to Hawley for forwarding this to me.