If it wasn't for bad luck this Hammond firm wouldn't have any luck at all. The McIlroy Belting and Hose Company started off on the wrong foot. The company located here in the city with the help of the Hammond Commercial Club. With capitol stock of $30,000 being held mainly by local interests.

Defying the superstitions of Friday the 13th, the plant was scheduled to open just as a boiler exploded causing extensive damage to the interior of the newly opened structure. Approximately twenty people were inside of the building when the fire broke out. Some were employees and others were carpenters working in finish construction of the plant.

In an eerie twist of fate the photo shown at the left was captured by the W. A. Dunn & Company of Chicago, they were scheduled to take photographs of the new building and the employees for a Hammond souvenir booklet. When they arrived at the scene they saw smoke pouring from the building and immediately took the picture that we see here.

The large one story brick structure is approximately 100 x 140 feet in size and constructed of brick manufactured by the Gary Granite Brick and Stone Company and was the first to be used in Hammond. None of the brickwork was damaged in the fire, however the interior components of the building, mainly the pillars, door frames and window sashes were burned along with the machinery.

All of the damages were covered by insurance and the company rebuilt quickly and reopened in a couple of months. By July new orders were accumulating every day and the company had plenty of work on hand, in fact it had more than it could handle. The capacity of the plant is expected to increase gradually so that the company could build up enough stock to have an ample inventory on hand.

The McIlroy Belting and Hose Company was a manufacturer of high quality fire hose and canvas belting used for motor drive and power transmission. Brands included - Rubber-ite Stitched Canvas - Black Giant Double Stitched - Rubber-ite Solid Woven - "Whalebrand" Krom-Kotton Belting and Chrome Leather Face Cotton Belting. Ten workers are given full time employment with half of them being women.

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Photo courtesy of The Calumet Room of the Hammond Historical Society.
Source information from the microfilms of The Times newspapers at the Hammond Public Library.
Twentieth Century Time Capsule © 1999/2000 HammondIndiana.com

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