A devastating fire on 30 March 1942 destroyed about half of the Thompson Boat branch factory at Cortland, NY. It wiped out the boat building and storage areas along with tools, equipment and forms. About 400 boats were destroyed along with raw materials. After the fire they only had 17 completed boats in stock.
The Peshtigo factory was 100% devoted to war production at the time (World War II) and they were not making recreational boats. But they did have some boats in stock from prior to switching over to war work.
Eventually Cortland began making boats again but on a much smaller basis. The rationing of materials during the war and restrictions on use of building materials, hindered their rebuilding program. It was not until after the war that replacement factory space was constructed.
A few tidbits I gleaned from several letters I recently purchased on a eBay auction.
Andreas
Fire at Cortland, NY factory
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