Milford chronicle., 1928-02-24
Milton Letter

Milford, when he was putting his
car in the garage. He saw the glare
of fire on his windshield and dis
covered the canning factory to be
on fire. He gave the alarm by
sounding the siren. Within five
minutes after the alarm was sound
ed the local company was on the
way to the scene. But it was soon
seen that the buildings were DOOM
ed. as the interior of the main build
ing was a seething mass of flames
and the warehouse was on fire in
many places. A line of hose was
soon attached to a water plug and
the fire engine was put to pumping
water from the river, upon whose
shores the factory was situated. The
fremen prevented the spread of the
FLAMES to the office and garage
buildings nearby. The fire was dis
covered about one o'clock and by
dawn the plant was entirely con-
sumed. The buildings were of wood
frame and sheet iron siding and
roofs. The buildings were origin
Aally built in 1907 by Captain George
A. Goodwin, now deceased, and later
sold by him to Winters & Prophet,
who in turn sold to Birdsong Bros,
who are yet heavily interested in
the present owners, the Milton
Canning Company. Since the latter
concern bought the plant it has
been greatly enlarged and contained
latest improved machinery for pack
ing lima beans and peas 1t was
one of the largest plants of its kind
in the East, and annually paid to
Broadkill hundred growers thous-
, ands of dollars for these vegetables.
Contracts for hundreds of acres of
peas and beans have just been let
to growers by the firm and prepara-
tons were underway to get the
plant in readiness for the pea pack
ing season, which crop would soon
be planted. Mr.. E. P. Nicholson,
manager of the plant, states that
action as to whether the plant will
be rebuilt or not will not be known
until a meeting of the owners is !
held, during the next few days. |
The cause of the fire is unknown, |
but it started in the main or pack |
ing room, apparently in the top |
floor of the elevator stack. A high |
wind prevailed at the time and |
sparks from the burning buildings |
were blown for a great distance in
the country, the wind being from
the west, blowing them away from
the town proper. Had the wind
been from the opposite direction
the central part of the town would
doubtless have been consumed, the
plant being only a short distance
from this section. The glare of the
flames were seen many miles away
and soon a large crowd from all
sections were present. The burning
of this plant is a heavy blow not
only to Milton but to the farming
districts, the growers being fur
nished an outlet for these paying
crops and hundreds of laborers be-
ing employed during the long pack
ing season. On Sunday morning the
intense heat caused the cans of
beans and peas to explode, the de-
donations could be heard all over
town. Paul Pfeiffer, the Waterman,
could give no explanation of the
blaze and was almost overcome by
the shock of the disaster. The group :
of houses adjoining the plant, :
known as "Sculltown", were saved !
from destruction only because the =
wind blew the flames away from =
them !
Captain L. c. Darby has returned '
to his work on Delaware River 7
tugboat at Philadelphia, after l
spending two weeks with his family c
here. t
Mrs. Olivia McMichael, who has c
been visiting her parents, Mr.. and
Mrs. John D. Wright, has returned b
to her home in Philadelphia. o
Ira S. Hazard has found among IL
the effects of his late father, John /
Cord Hazard, who died in 1916, at e
Ne age of 80 years, a number of old
books and papers that date back as "
far as 1912. Among the lot is a book n
the title and author being Obliter- r
ated because several leaves from fl
he front of the book have been fl
.orn out. 1t seems to be treatise e.
IN the Bible by various preachers, I
compiled by some one. One sub g
ect is 1.-THE Origin of the Negro ri
Race" on pages 217 and 21S. Mr. a
Hazard is anxious to know the NJ
title and compiler of the book. He in
las complete files of old papers and
magazines back as far as 1862. The II
Christian Advocate is among them. 81
There are Delaware law books back in
o 1923; Pennsylvania law books, T.
including Burns Justice-of-the- M
'eace" volumes; several books by m
arious authors as far back as 1872. II
he elder Mr.. Hazard was a sur be
eyor and conveyancer in Milton for m
many years and kept in orderly ar m
ay all records, magazines and ri
ewspapers of his day. They are Fl
cry interesting and of historical tb
alue. Mr.. Ira S. Hazard is pre-
CRYING the old volumes and show m,
lg them to many of his friends in G.
is rooms at the Hotel Jester. ~
Death claimed Mrs. Robert CAL o.
GUN, aged rs years, on Wednesday -
fternoon of last week, after a short -
lness, at her residence on Broad re
rect. Funeral services were held Dill
the M P. Church, of which she rel
as a member, on Saturday after ne
Don at 200 o'clock, Revs. Green On
III I1uuS6A lulu OuuC41b4uSs 1ulSI~ -
ent was made in Odd Fellows hoi
emetery by S. ]. Wilson G Son. be
be leaves a husband and host of Out
,latives and friends. "Aunt EN-, we
she was called, was ministering Biz
lgel to her neighbors during their ant
mess and she will be sadly missed Mr.
Athem. We;
Miss Elizabeth Littleton, who has mil
ZEN ill for several weeks with apl
phoid, is convalescing at the age