Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1924-01-25
MULHOLLAND FACTORY
DESTROYED BY FIRE
Stubborn Blaze Completely Quilted
Main Manufacturing Building
Of Local Concern.
The Loss is ABOUT $4,000
About Fifty Employees Will Be
Thrown Out Of Employment
Until Plant Is Rebuilt.

The main building of the J. H. Null
holland COmpany's plant in South Mil
FORD, was completed destroyed by fire
late Monday afternoon with an esti-
mated loss of approximately $4,000
which is covered by insurance. The
blaze started in the centre of the
structure in the vicinity of the large
drying ovens used in the manufacture
of their product. The Mulholland Com
pany is the exclusive manufacturer of
certain kinds of wooden spoons; no
other plant in the United States be-
ing equipped to manufacture these
spoons, which are patented. All of the
machinery used in the making of
their product was designed by J. II.
Mulholland, head of the concern, and
it will take months to replace these
machines.
The fire started about five o'clock
Monday evening, at which time the
wind was blowing a gale directly from
the west. The Carlisle Fire Company
responded to a call for aid before the
fire alarm was blown. Notwithstanding
their early start and quick action in
laying their primary lines of hose,
they were unable to play much water
on the burning building from the first
lines of hose because of low water
pressure in the mains near the plant. /
1t was not until the firemen had plac- |
ed their pumping truck at the Mis- /
pillion River and ran new lines of /
hose that they were able to compe-
tently fight the flames. When these
streams were turned on the burning
u foIr 1ry
quered. Considering the extreme cold /
weather, with the thermometer reg
istering near zero, and the handicap
which the firemen faced because of
poor pressure in the water mains dur
ing the early minutes of the blaze,
hey did remarkable work.
The firemen by hard work saved the .
arge storage house at the north Of ;
he main building. This house is only
bout five feet from the structure that I
vas burned. The saving of this place /
.ttests the hard work done by them. r
The large building at the south of S
he burned plant was also saved, as +
we're several other smaller buildings. 7
he wind could not have been at +
etter place. Had it been blowing from V
he east, the canning factory of D.
Tirsch & Brother would in all prob
bility have been consumed, as would
he Milford Lumber Company's plant, y
nd possibly the Abbott Shipyards.
About so persons are employed at
le Mulholland plant the year round.
nd the owners have been adding
Ore equipment and building new adj
itions regularly since it was started
few years ago. In addition to those
no work regularly at the place, there
re large number of families who
Urn considerable sums of money each
eek by packing the spoons at their
)mes during the evenings. The wo- il
en- employees will be thrown out of va
nployment until the factory is re- de
tilt. The men were put to work w
lesday morning clearing out the
reckage preparatory to the rebuild BIT
G operations. The burned building co
as constructed Of frame and cor re
gated iron. The iron sides made it 10
xt to impossible for the firemen to w
int the fire; but, on the other hand of
e iron did much toward combining TIL
e flames to the burning building. pa