Bellows Falls Times
Oct. 1, 1931
WESTMINSTER CANNING FACTORY DESTROYED BY FIRE ON MONDAY
Loss Estimated at $140,000 – Baxter Brothers Had Not Shipped Any of the Season’s Canned Corn – Origin of Fire Not Known
Fire of undetermined origin destroyed the Westminster plant of the Baxter Brothers company on Monday morning. The fire was discovered at a little after 8 o’clock in the morning and by 10 o’clock there was little left but smoking ruins.
Working under terrific handicaps, members of the Bellows Falls, Walpole and Westminster fire departments managed to fight back the flames from the storage building at the north end of the plant but little was left but the shell of this part of the building.
The loss was estimated at upwards of $140,000. The company’s property was listed as a value of $160,000 in the town grand list for 1931, the buildings on the property being listed at $5,500. The value of the stock is large, as at no other time during the year would there be stored such an enormous supply of canned corn. No shipments of the season’s goods had been made from the factory.
C. M. Mills, superintendent, was first informed of the fire by a worker while at the seed house, about 100 yards north of the plant. The blaze seemed to center around the office and had progressed so rapidly that Mr. Mills was slightly burned in a futile attempt to save [unreadable line] from the building. He had difficulty in escaping from the burning office.
The bulk of the season’s work, having been completed, only about 15 persons were at work at the factory, labeling and packing the last of the cans of corn and they, with townspeople, fought the blaze until the Walpole fire department arrived. The Bellows Falls department sent a heavy duty pump and laid 1,200 feet of hose from the river.
Save Some Corn
A large number of townspeople formed a line from the interior of the storage building to a field near by and passed cases filled with canned corn to a place of safety. About 6000 cases were removed before the fire became too hot to remain in the building. At the time the fire broke out there were about 35,000 cases of corn ready to be shipped to market in storage. This represents about 850,000 cans.
From the office the fire spread south to the long sheds, which are used for corn husking, and then worked north to the factory proper, which was the center of the plant. At one time the blaze was carried by a stiff wind to within a short distance of the Community Feed Store, Inc., about 200 feet from the plant. The Walpole department laid about 500 feet of small hose in two lines and for a while kept the blaze away from the storehouse.
Holes Chopped in Wall
In an effort to save this part of the building, holes were chopped through the side wall and streams of water played through the hole. With a stream on both sides of the shed, even though the hose was very small, the fire was partially checked and the walls of a part of the shed were left standing.
The building was leveled in a remarkably short time. Flames seemed to literally devour the wooden walls and their contents [unreadable line] in the central part of the structure, the remains of the machinery came into view. Twisted and piled in with other debris, the machinery, said to be new this year presented little resemblance to its former state.
The fire was spectacular and covered a large area. For several hundred feet along the railroad tracks the heat was terrific. A barn directly across from the corn storage building started to smolder and several residents gathered pails of water and extinguishers to be ready in case sparks or the heat started the barn burning. The danger to the building was mostly[?] over, however.
Canned Corn Explodes
The frequent explosions of cans of corn heated to a boiling point was a spectacular aspect of the fire. The removal from the storehouse of drums of gasoline which were rolled down the bank away from the blaze, prevented a possible catastrophe.
After the main building had been reduced to ruins, spectators were given a real thrill when a barrel of roofing paint in the middle of the debris suddenly exploded. Flames rolled several hundred feet into the air and seemed to spread over a wide area. After a few seconds however, only a dense cloud of black smoke remained.
Freight Cars Catch
Several freight cars of the Boston & Maine railroad, on a siding nearby, were badly damaged by the fire, and a northbound freight train with a carload of turpentine and a carload of cattle, was held up several hours.
During the height of the canning season, about 100 workers are employed at the factory, which is owned by the following partners, Hartley C. Baxter and John L. Baxter of Brunswick, Me., John. P. Baxter, jr. of Portland, Me., Bruce H. M. White of Topsham, Me., and F. Webster Brown.
Tuesday, 15 or 20 men were employed to start cleaning up the debris. While no statement has been given out from the Baxter Brothers, general opinion seems to be that the plant will not be rebuilt for some time at least.
Fire Truck Pulled Out
Bellows Falls firemen fought the blaze for over four hours, but put in two more hours of work in getting Combination Truck No. 2 out of the sand. The truck became imbedded in the roadway and remained for some time. [unreadable]‘s wrecker finally succeeded in pulling it to firmer ground.
The call to the fire department came at 8:45 a. m. and they were back at the station at 3:30 p. m. The firemen at work were Chief Joseph Grignon, Ernest C. Blanchard, Francis and John Blake, Charles Eno, W. Davis, John Angell, Ralph Halladay, Peter Mayer, L. W. Raymond, John Patterson, Orrin Mathers. On duty at the stationers were Jim Blake and Al King.
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Also in the Oct. 1, 1931 edition, on page 7:
WESTMINSTER STA.
Will Canning Factory Be Rebuilt?
This community feels that the burning of the H. C. Baxter canning factory is a loss that will be felt throughout the whole community and reach to surrounding towns. The origin of the fire which destroyed the plant Monday morning is still a mystery. The fire was first discovered by Andrew Griffin who at once dispatched a boy to call Mr. Mills, foreman of the plant, who was at the seed house overseeing the hanging of corn there. The story of the fire has been told. The work of caring for what corn was saved went on Tuesday. Four cars were loaded and sent to the factory in Windsor, also several truck loads were taken there. Material for boxes was brought from Essex Junction and the labor of making cases in which to pack the corn has been going on rapidly. A number of women were engaged to dry the cans before packing into the new cases.
A representative of the company was asked if Mr. Baxter was likely to rebuild, and replied that it was not possible to answer that question at once. The location is unquestionably a good one for the business and time may see the plant re-established and doing a good business. Mr. Baxter has endeared himself to the people hereabout. A genial, whole-souled man, the community feels that his loss is their own.
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Tags: 1930s, canning factory, fires