Smyrna times., 1930-07-02
BRENFORD CANNERY STRUCK
BY LIGHTNING AND DESTROYED
FACTORY OF e. b. ARNOLD
SWEPT BY FIRE AT BIG LOSS
Destruction Was Almost Total
MIR. Arnold Will Rebuild as Soon
as Insurance is Adjusted

Mr.. Arnold Will Rebuild as Soon
as Insurance is Adjusted
During the electric storm which
swept over this vicinity Thursday
evening accompanied by a deluge
of rain, a bolt of lightning struck
the big canning factory of E. B.
Arnold at Brenford, entailing a
loss, almost total Of from $4,000
to $4,000. AS soon as it was dis
covered, fire alarms were sent in
and Smyrna, Clayton, ChesWold
and Dover fire companies respond
ed. BY the time they arrived the
factory fire was beyond control
and little or nothing was saved.
Fortunately there were no canned
goods in the factory at the time.
Mr.. Arnold lost besides his big
factory the store and Postoffice
building which years ago flourish
ed as Brenford's only store. Since
the postoffice was discontinued
and the mail served by rural route
from Smyrna, Mr. Arnold used
the store room for his factory.
Besides the old store, long a land
mark, he lost all of his machin-
cry and equipment with the pos
sible exception of the boiler and
smoke stack. Included among the
machinery and contents was a
Studebaker automobile, second
hand and a lot Of tools, wheel
barrows and some farming imple-
ments having been stored there.
All but two of the buildings built
to house imported help were de-
stroyed. The canning factory was
186 feet long by 40 feet wide and
with the exception of the middle
portion, two story structure, had
a corrugated metal roof. Besides
the building which was valued at
about $4,000, Mr.. Arnold had ma
chinery and equipment valued at
about 1900. Most of the machin-
cry was new and modern and for
a tomato factory of its kind was
as up-to-date and sanitary as any
to be found on the Del-Mar-Va
Peninsula. In fact Mr.. Anold had
machinery and conveniences rarely
found in factory of this type and
he was equipped TO turn out from
1000 to 1900 cases of tomatoes a
day. During the busy season he
employed from sixty to seventy
five people. When the fire broke
out friends and neighbors gather
ed but were powerless to do any
thing. Brenford is without a wat
er supply and the fire companies
had to depend on their chemical
apparatus which was inadequate.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany sent locomotive down from
the tank of which, water was pour
ed on the chicken houses of Mr..
and Mrs. William S. Mofitt, living
adjoining the burned factory. Had
the outbuildings of the Moffitt's S
gotten beyond control it would
have been almost impossible to
have saved the residence. Visiting
fire companies, seeing that it was
useless to try to stay the conf1a-
grafton at Brenford cannery, they
directed their attention to save
the home and outbuildings of the
Mofitts. AS it was, 25 of Mrs. .Mof-
fits chickens were smothered by
smoke. Firemen remained all
night in an attempt to prevent
further damage. As soon as the
insurance is adjusted, Mr.. Arnold
will begin at once to rebuild, re-
restoring his cannery along about
the same size and dimensions as
the old He has more than 100
acres contracted for in tomatoes
in the Brenford vicinity and only
about six weeks before the can
ming season will be on. His plans
for restoration are all made and
carpenters and cement men ready
to go on the job at once or as
soon as insurance adjusters give
him release. Much sympathy is
expressed for Mr.. Arnold who had
only a partial insurance but he is
being commended for his enter
prise in restoring to Brenford its
one and only industry.