Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-08-18
PEANUT INDUSTRY
OF SNIITHFIELD is
WIPED OUT BY FIRE
tContinued From First pnrel

'Sohtlhued From First Page0
houses; the Farmers Union factory
ana number of tenant houses in
the rear OF the main peanut factory
Oh the Gwaltncy- Bunlsley Company
were all completely destroyed by IRE
winch extended To the jail Forum
a,eiy no one was in Jail and the trou-
"ie OF removing prisoners was
avertcG.
Move stock From stores
All along the river front were piles
oi merchandise which had been re-
moved when II looked as IL tho
pretty town was doomed, and after
the arrival of the Suffolk cnrin.
they were taken back into the stores.
winch the coming OF the Nauscmon,i
crew had saved.
In the burned peanut factories and
storage warehouses were more than
''coo bags OF shellcd Jumbos. tho
one warehouse. in addition. were
'."ooo bags of Shcllcd Jumbos the
most valuable of all peanuts.
Saved by the arrival OF the fire.
nshtcrs was the old Todd Smithtlcld
nam house. built in $500, and the
nom" oil the famous SmithfcId ham.
hack OF the peanut factory were
'he great warehouses fun of GwaIt-
'tiiy lot market which
escaped the connagration Tho fire
was checked as it reached the town
electric lighting plant on the north
west and the l.. ID. Gwaltncv store
on the town side.
Poles and burned wires fiji tho
streets. and heroic efforts wrrc m,1c
tonight to string wires along rho
DICK OF the fire area. so that the
town VIII not he In darkness.
- EariN this morning as the Home
Telephone Company spread tho nows
Of the fire hundreds of automohi,is,s
from suffolk and the nearby SOC
lions crowded into the town carcr
10 h" on hand to help and TO soc tho
fire.
Ec"n Gratitude Expressed.
telephone messages from smith
teid at noon asked that the ncws-
paperS express tho deep gratitude OF
INC Smithfc!d people to the Suffolk
fire department
Commemorative Attornov c,o-,o
+ Whitley said: Tell cvcrvhodv
mat Smithfield owes the fact that /,
IS sun standing today to tho work
OF the suffolk rrc department. No
one mere ever saw hcttcr quicker
inner work. nor more effective. Thcv
came At the crucial moment. and
Knew NSactly what To do .
W men names DESTROYED tho unip
factory of the Gwaltnov- HunItIo,-
PEANUT Company. tho oldest pcauut
factory in the United States was no
more.
This factory was the second ever
started in this country. perhaps i'm tho
world. and was begun by J. u
Gwaiiney. Sr.. near nfty years ago.
w hen Mr.. Gwaitncy. ono of the two
great pioneer peanut men OF tho
country started this then little plant.
the peanuts We're all graded by hand.
md into pans and buckets. machinery
OF the most primitive kind being in
use.
Since that day tho plants begun
in Smithacld has been improved and
the industry had grown until tho
manufacture and cleaning Of peanuts
has come to he ono OF the great
world industries.
The loss today is about covered by
insurance was the statement given
out today by the insurance mon who
Went In numbers from Suffolk To
the scene OF the fire.
Ono 90 the features OF tho fire was
the record made by the Suffolk crew.
who stopped for nathing, making tho
run from Suffolk :" Smithhcld in less
than nm hour. tciophon!nc ahead to
have tho bridges rc-cnforccd by lay
ing down heavy timbcrs. Smithfcld
ladies' were out on the scene with
baskets of ham and chicken sand
witches, hot coffee and other good
things 20 refresh the fire fighters
Whether tho American Peanut Cor
poraiion will rebuild at Smithiicid is
~ matter already being di ScusSpi