By Beacon Staff
The old ADM grain elevator along the Burlington riverfront, which has been empty since it was torn in half more 33 years ago, is being demolished.
Burlington Community Development and Parks Director Eric Tysland said Burlington River Termincal Inc./Merschman Fertilizer received a demolition permit for removal of the old grain elevator on July 10.
He said the owner has not indicated what the company plans to do with the site, if anything, as of yet. A company spokesman with Merschman Fertilizer confirmed the planned demolition but told The Beacon that no further information would be provided.
An orange fence surrounds the structure, and demolition equipment employed by Keokuk Contractors has been active for the past few days. No timeline was provided as to when the grain silo will be brought down, and Keokuk Contractors did not reply with a comment.
A Short, Traumatic History Of The Historic Grain Elevator
The grain elevator explosion more than three decades ago shattered nearly every window within 25 blocks. Glass rained from the sky, and debris from the wooden elevator still was falling five minutes after the blast. Gaping window holes left by the shock wave had to be filled, starting a mad rush for plywood.
No one was killed when the 127-year-old wooden elevator and the attached concrete silos exploded at 10:43 a.m. April 3, 1987. However, five were injured — one seriously.
The heat could be felt on Main Street, and downtown Burlington was temporarily evacuated.
The fire burned for five days.
The explosion blew the tops out of six, 10-story silos in the 12-silo complex. The 12-story elevator itself was half gone, nearby train cars caught fire, a barge was sunk and a thick cloud of smoke created by the fire and explosion was detected on National Weather Service radar 75 miles northeast in Moline, Ill.
The fire report indicated 2-inch-thick grain dust had caked onto pillars inside the facility. In the unfilled areas of the silos, dust floated in the air. The explosion was triggered by a bearing that overheated and caught fire. Grain dust is one of the most volatile particles once suspended in the air.
The fire traveled along a conveyor belt and up the last silo. When it reached dust in the top half of the southern-most silo, the place blew.
Photos by Anthony Dewitt
The demolition of the old ADM grain elevator has begun along Burlington's riverfront.