PEAT WORKS BURNED

Works Near Marshville Totally Destroyed

HEAVY LOSS

Active Operations Were to Commence on Day of Fire

[People’s Press. 18 September 1900]

The works of the Central Peat Fuel Company, located in the marsh historically known as the “Great Cranberry Marsh,” 2 ½ miles northeast of Marshville and seven miles from Welland, were totally destroyed by fire early last Friday morning. The buildings are nothing but a heap of ashes. Nothing escaped the flames. Most of the machinery is lying in the ashes. All that can now be seen is the big engine, which is warped and cracked by the heat, so that is why it is a total loss. The brick drier and stack, the three presses and the boiler are all so badly burned as to be almost a total loss.

The Works

The buildings burned consisted of the pressing room, 60×80 feet in size; engine room, 30×40 feet; blacksmith shop, 25×25 feet, with an upstairs over part of it.

The Contents

The buildings contained a large amount of new and expensive machinery. The main items are: Three large and ponderous presses, four processing the peat into blocks; a new 200 horse power engine; a complete set of machine shop tools, including steam drills, lathes, etc., etc.; a new 15 horse power engine; two large boilers; and all the other tools, etc., besides shafting, belts and all small machinery.

A Hot Fire

The fire was first noticed about 3.20 a.m. by a young son of Superintendent Simpson, and the alarm was given immediately. It could not have been burning long, as Mr. Simpson had been out on the verandah only a few minutes before, when everything was all right. There was also a night watchman.

When first discovered the flames were confined wholly to the pressing room and had gained little head way, but before the fire-fighting apparatus could be got into working order the entire building was burning fiercely. Mr. Campbell and his men fought the flames heroically but without avail. The tin roof on the building kept the flames confined and the heat soon became unbearable. The fire spread rapidly. The hungry flames lapped up more and more of the buildings, and soon the entire group was a mass of flames and a heavy column of smoke stretched over the country. The fire had now reached a stage when nothing whatever could be done to check it. No one could go near the buildings. The entire country was lighted by the fire, which could be seen for miles. The flames died out entirely about 6 o’clock for lack of more fuel, and nothing was left but ashes.

The fire protection was good but the flames had gained too much headway to make it of any use. Over 200 hundred feet of hose was attached to both of the big engines, with a good water supply; a big tank full of water was on the roof of the main building and water barrels were scattered through the place. But the buildings were dry as tinder, there having been very little rain lately.

Central Peat Fuel Company

The company now operating the peat works is called the Central Peat Fuel Co., and has had possession for about six months. T.F. Simpson is superintendent of the works. Previous to his engagement with the present company he was with the Massey-Harris Co. of Brantford for many years. Mr. Simpson has had considerable experience in the peat business, and since has had the management of the works has largely remodelled them. The present company were determined to make a success of the peat fuel, and their anticipations would seem to have been in the way of being on the eve of realization when this untoward event occurred. Although their plant had not really been running yet, they had pressed and shipped between two and three hundred tons of the fuel. For the past six months Mr. Simpson has been putting gin new machinery and making changes in the plant which he considered necessary and the result is stated to have been that it has been fully demonstrated that the manufacture of peat fuel here would prove a success.  A large sum of money has been invested in the works in accomplishing the above results, and this has now gone wholly up in smoke.

A Big Loss

When asked by the press reporter what the loss would be Mr. Simpson said: “The loss to the company will be very heavy. I could give figures which would startle you.” There is some insurance, the amount could not be learned at the works.

Peat was to be Manufactured that Day

Owing to the many changes which the present company has made in the works the past six months in which they have had possession have been used mainly in getting the works in thorough running order. Active operations were to have been started the same day as the fire. The three presses would have a total capacity of thirty tons per day, and it was the intention of the company to install five more presses in the near future, which would have increased the capacity of the works to eighty tons per day. Previous to the fire fifteen men has been employed, and when the proposed increase was made in the plant fully two hundred men would have been employed.

It was very unfortunate that the fire happened when it did-on the first day that he works were to be started running to their full capacity.

The plant had now been put in a most complete condition. The bog owned by the company comprises 5,000 acres, with a layer of peat from three to twenty feet deep. An electric peat digger had been delivered to the company a few weeks ago. This machine is propelled and operated by electrical power generated at the works, and as it travels over the marsh, scoops up the peat from the marsh to the works. An 80 horse power engine runs a dynamo to supply the electricity.

Will They Re-build?

Mr. Simpson says he does not yet know whether the company will rebuild or not, but the possibility is that the work will be started again as soon as possible, but the re-building cannot possibly be completed before next spring.

The fire has given a severe check to the manufacture of peat fuel in this country, but everything is so well adapted at this spot for the manufacturing of the article that the work will undoubtedly be resumed sooner or later.