Watervliet, MI fruit exchange fire, Aug 1945

Watervliet Fruit Exchange Burns

Firemen Unable To Check Blaze; Loss Is $75,000

Building, Contents Destroyed On Eve Of Peach Harvest

WATERVLIET, Aug. 4 - (Special) - The Watervliet by fire early today whith a loss placed in early estimated at between $65,000 and $75,000. The total, however, may exceed that figure.

The fire was discovered at 12:45 a. m. today, when smoke began rolling from the second floor storage space of the building on the western edge of the city, but it was an hour before the blaze itself was located in the rear of the second floor. By that time the flames had gained such headway that the Coloma and Hartford fire departments were called to assist the local firemen. Their combined efforts, however, failed to check the fire that consumed the 80 by 120-foot, two-story building and all its contents.

The loss estimates, given by Raymond Emhoff, manager, covers the building and material. He added that the loss to the community will be much greater and will be difficult to estimate because of the imminent need for packing facilities to handle the huge peach crop which is maturing.

Blow To Community

Included in the supplies lost were 6,000 dozen bushel baskets, all packing equipment and machinery and much retail merchandise. Mr. Emhoff expressed the fear that much of the material will be irreplaceable this season.

The building was only four years old. Only last week a new roof was installed at a cost of $800.

Mr. Emhoff said there was 80 per cent insurance coverage on the building.

Mr. Emhoff has been manager of the Watervliet Fruit Exchange since 1940. For four years previous to 1940, he managed the Coloma Fruit Exchange.

The Watervliet Fruit Exchange, one of the most modern in Michigan, was constructed in 1941 by the Pearson Construction company of Benton Harbor on a site including three and a half acres. The Exchange was organized in 1940 with Lawrence R. Boyer as president, by a group of leading Watervliet, Coloma, Bainbridge and Hartford fruit growers. In its first year, the Exchange handled 17,000 bushels of peaches and 120,000 bushels of apples in addition to other fruits.

The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, MI 4 Aug 1945
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Transcribed by Tim Taugher. Thanks, Tim!