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The Evolution & Demise of the Homelite ⇒ Bearcat

The development of the Homelite 4-cycle outboard motor was a long journey that involved several visionaries starting with Lloyd Taylor of Taylor Engines in Oakland, California, followed by Powel Crosley Jr. of Crosley Motors and ending with Richard Fisher of Boston Whaler fame.

Taylor ⇒ Crosley ⇒ Aerojet ⇒ Fageol  ⇒ Crofton ⇒ Homelite ⇒ Bearcat

One byproduct of Crosley’s World War Two effort was the production of a lightweight four cylinder, 4-Stroke Cycle, Over-Head Valve, Over-Head Cam, integral head-in-block gasoline engine for auxiliary power for field equipment, aboard PT boats and B-17 bombers. The unique little mill was fabricated from sheet metal rather than cast iron. It had its beginning at Taylor Engines, Inc., Oakland, California. Taylor Engines was a 3 man company, consisting of a machinist named Jess, a draftsman named Joe Smith and Lloyd M. Taylor, the man with a dream. Taylor was a self-taught mechanical genius. Taylor knew the trouble with high compression engines had to do with thermal efficiency. At the high compression ratios needed to get lots of horse power out of a small displacement engine you could get violent detonation at unwanted times, sending shock waves through the block, canceling any gains in efficiency, and possibly destroying the engine. Taylor’s obsession was to figure out why that happened, so he could make it stop. As he came to see it, the stumbling lay in the inherent properties of cast iron, the standard material for engine blocks. Technology of the time did not allow castings thinner than 1/4 inch, thicker in most places. Taylor calculated that temperatures could rise to over 600 degrees on one side of an engine block wall in spite of the coolant flowing past the other side. Hot spots around the combustion chamber acts as a spark plug, causing the pre-ignition. A thin, uniform wall thickness would dissipate heat rapidly, allowing higher compression.

More from CrosleyAutoClub,com – Crosley Engine Family Tree

It was during the summer of 1943 that Powel Crosley Jr first heard of an all steel stamped, copper hydrogen brazed engine. Paul Klotsch, chief engineer of Crosley Motors Inc, soon was visiting Lloyd M. Taylor of Taylor Engines Inc, California, the inventor of the engine. The horsepower, fuel consumption and other performance data was so outstanding Crosley took an exclusive license under all patents.

Before the end of the war the Navy became interested in the lightweight high output of the engine and six engine generator sets were built, which ran at 5000 RPM developing 35HP. Crosley and the Navy performed exhaustive tests including running one engine continuously for 1200 hours.

The Crosley engine easily won the contract, meeting or exceeding all specifications. The Armed Services used the tin block engine for air drop-able self contained generators, generators for PT Boats, amphibs and many other places, that lightweight power plants were needed.

The COBRA (from COpper BRAzed Tin Block) engine is undoubtedly the most unique concept used in any of the Crosley cars and trucks.

More from COpper BRAzed (CoBra) Years 1945 to 1949 – Page 1

Some civilian uses, other than the Crosley Automobile from 1946 to early 1949, were truck refrigeration, boats and the Mooney Mite airplane.

The COpper BRAzed engine had a bore of 2.5 by 2.25 stroke to keep piston speed down at high RPM, this gave a displacement of 44 cu in. Military version ran compression ratios as high as 9 to 1 on 100 octane fuel for maximum of 36HP at 5600 RPM (.8HP per cubic inch displacement). The 1946 car engine had a lower compression ratio of 7.5 to 1 and horsepower was reduced to 26.5 at 5200 RPM.

A vertical shaft with bevel gears was used to drive the overhead camshaft instead of a more conventional chain drive so that the lubricating oil could be fed up through it to pressure feed the cam bearings.

The crankcase was made out of cast aluminum alloy and held the crankshaft in 5 main bearings giving a very strong lower unit for the COBRA. The 4 cylinder block was constructed out of about 125 steel stampings. The pieces were held together by press fit, spot welds or crimping before brazing. The block is then copper brazed in a specially constructed 60 foot long furnace at 2060 degree F in a neutral atmosphere. The hardness of the alloy steel was controlled by the speed of cooling. The finished block weighs an extremely light 14 pounds. Inside, the water jacket was first plastic coated, later blocks had a zinc coating on the inner liners.

Comparing the pre-war 2 cylinder engine and the copper brazed engine shows the weight was reduced from 188 to 133 pounds and horse power was increased from 12.5 to 26.5.

Crosley showed the durability of his new engine by filling a block with water and freezing it solid without cracking the block.

Dependability was poor on the early engines that Crosley put in his cars. The engines were essentially the military version with slightly improved valve trains. Used on the road at variable speeds put different demands on the engine than the constant speed that they were used at in generator sets.

By 1947 the COBRA was reasonably dependable. If serviced properly the engine was good for 60,000 miles or so. Low water was probably the COBRA’s worst enemy, causing burnout, warping and water leaks. The other problem plaguing the engine was rust out in the water jacket caused by electrolytic action when the plastic or zinc inner liner broke down, this was further aggravated by salt based antifreezes that were in wide use at the time.

Early in 1949, after numerous problems and a loss of public acceptance, Crosley changed to the CIBA (cast iron block assembly) having the same horsepower and displacement at an increase of about 30 pounds in weight. COBRA owners could retrofit CIBA units for $89 with exchange.

More from The Mighty Tin

More from Cast Iron Block Years 1949 to 1952 – Page 2

When Crosley sold to General Tire in 1952, they sold the rights and tooling for the 4-cylinder engine, who were primarily interested in producing engines for government use. The engine was renamed AeroJet which was cast in the block where the Crosley name had formally been. Their marine division produced the “VIP” version of the engine (Vertical Inline Power.) The entire assembly rotated to achieve steering.

 

Lou Fageol of Twin Coach bus and automobile company of Kent, Ohio picked up the motor from General Tire in the mid-1950’s, probably 1955 and built it as the Fageol 44 boat motor. The first motors shipped as Fageol were just left over AeroJet engines with a Fageol decal and possibly a Fageol intake manifold. This early 4-stroke outboard did not achieve enduring success or wide distribution. The Fageol 44 was sold in 3 performance forms, single carb, dual and supercharged. Mirror image blocks were cast to be used in the 8−cylinder, opposing, pancake design, to put the intake and exhaust ports on top of the engine. The Lou Fageol Story.

 

W.B. Crofton bought out Fageol’s Crosley engine business and inventory around 1959 including the Fageol Marine name. They sold to the military, made boat motors and used the engine in their Crofton mini jeep, an updated version of the Crosley FarmOroad.

Crofton used both regular and mirrored blocks in their engine production. The Mirror engines were put together from the left over blocks from the flat 8 production run.

More from Post Crosley Production – 1952 to 1961 Page 3

Homelite 55 hp “4-Cycle” Outboard Motor

Homelite, a division of Textron Inc. in Port Chester NY, in 1961 took over the ownership of the Crosley family tree and developed a successful derivative. They increased the displacement to 59 CI, enabling a rated 55-HP at 5500 RPM. The 59 CI was obtained by increasing the 53 CI Fageol/Crofton’s 2.25 inch stroke to 2.5 keeping the 2.75 inch bore. This engine became quite popular in spite of its hefty weight which exceeded comparable 2−stroke cycle engines by more then a hundred pounds. A peculiar problem encountered by low time engines involved intake and exhaust valves sticking open when the engine was first cranked after storage due to oxidation of the tight fit of the valve stems and guides if the engine was not pickled with oil before being put away during the off-season, especially if it was used around saltwater. The lower unit was based on a Scott-Atwater design.

More from Big Block Production – 1961 to 1972 Page 4

Bearcat 55 hp “4-Cycle” Outboard Motor

In 1966 Homelite sold the rights to Richard Fisher, the founder of Boston Whaler Boats. Since the Homelite performed so well on the Boston Whaler fishing boats, it was no surprise Richard made the investment. Richard produced the engine under the Fisher-Pierce Bearcat 55 label until all production stopped in 1972, the year prior to the major oil embargo that resulted in gasoline rationing. It was no secret if he could have hung on a few more months, things may have been different for his Bearcat 55. The engine has an excellent durability track record and seldom wore out from use.

More from Scott Stewart’s Homelite Page.

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Bearcat 85 hp 4-Cycle Outboard Motor

As the sixties neared the seventies, Richard Fisher realized the boating public wanted more horsepower than his Bearcat 55. He developed a 4-stroke cycle 85hp model. It was introduced in 1970. The powerhead was a marinized version of an aluminum English built engine. This was an aluminum block, three main bearing, 4 cylinder Coventry Climax engine that was used in some automobiles and as a pump engine on some firetrucks.

In theory, it was a great upgrade to the Bearcat 55. In reality, the public just wasn’t ready for a larger 4-stroke cycle outboard. The 85hp model wasn’t on the market long enough to develop any sort of track record.

More from Scott Stewart’s Bearcat Website <- LINK N/G! SEE ARCHIVE (Also supplies Parts & Service for these engines)

Bearcat/Homelite-55 Comeback

Now 35+ years since it first appeared on the market, the Homelite/Bearcat-55 outboard is making a bit of a comeback. In northern California the engine was always popular for use on houseboats operating on the many large lakes in the area. Ed Ewing, 80-year-old longtime owner of Economy 4 Cycle Marine of Redding, California, has quite an inventory of restored Bearcats. For years Ed ran an outboard dealership and repair shop, but now he limits his business to 4-stroke outboards, and he specializes in renovating old Homelite/Bearcat-55 engines. For about $1,800 he will sell you a completely rebuilt and refurbished Bearcat with an improved electronic ignition system and back it with a one-year powerhead warranty. He has had as many as 300 in stock at various times. “I like to keep them going,” he told me, “they’re good engines.”

If you are looking for classic power for your Classic Whaler, you might want to get in touch with Ed Ewing of Economy 4-Cycle Marine. A rebuilt Bearcat sounds like a great match with a 16/17 foot hull, and the price is excellent compared to a new four-cycle outboard of similar power.
Economy 4-Cycle Marine
4305 Caterpillar Rd # C5
Redding, CA 96003
(530) 241-7990

Parts for Bearcat engines are also available from www.bearcat55.com

More from ContinuousWave.com.
More from CrosleyAutoClub.com.
More From Facebook.

“4-Cycle” and “4-Stroke Cycle” Clarification

Homelite and Bearcat motors were marketed as “4-cycle” engines even though they were technically “4-stroke cycle” engines as four piston strokes (Intake, Compression, Power & Exhaust) accomplished one complete engine cycle. The four events required two revolutions of the crankshaft to complete the entire cycle which was also called the Otto-cycle for the first person to build a working four-stroke cycle engine (a stationary engine using a coal gas-air mixture for fuel i.e. a gas engine), the German engineer Nicolaus Otto.

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Contact Information

Fisher-Pierce Bearcat ⇒ Production Ceased after a catastrophic plant explosion in 1972.

Fisher-Pierce Co. ⇒ Out of Business in 1972
1147∼1163 Hingham St (Now the site of a Home Depot store)
Rockland, MA 02370

Bearcat Plant
U.S. Air Force Base in Manchester, NH
Manchester-Boston Regional Airport^?
1 Garside Way
Manchester, NH 03103

NOTE: The Boston Whaler boat operation of Fisher-Pierce was sold to CML Group in 1969, then sold to Reebok Corporation in 1989, then sold to Meridian Sports in 1994, and then in 1996, it was purchased by Brunswick Corporation, the parent company of Mercury Marine.

From Wikipedia

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Specifications For Homelite, Bearcat, etc.
4-Stroke Cycle Gasoline Marine Engines

TABLE KEY:
^ DATA: ⊗ = Data Not Available from Data Source. ? = …? = ¿…? = Data Unconfirmed.
BASE ENGINE: Manufacturer & Model of Base Engine.
DS = Data Source: B = Bearcat. BD = BoatDiesel.com = …B. Wik = Wikipedia.
^ …d = Directory. …w = Webpage. …y = Years Mfr’d History. …c = Catalog. …b = Brochure. …s = SpecSheet.
^ …o = Owner’s/Operator’s Manual. …m = Service/Repair/Technical/Workshop/Shop Manual.
^ …p = Parts List/Manual. …h = History. …f = Forum. …1,2,3,A,B,C,etc = Source #, Version, Revision.
CYL: Crankshaft Orientation-Cylinder Orientation & Configuration-Number−Type:
^ Crankshaft Orientation: v = Vertical (⇑). Horizontal (⇐):
^ ^ Cylinder Orientation: u… = Upright (Vertical). s… = Slanted (Inclined). h… = Horizontal (Flat).
^ Cylinder Configuration: …I = In-Line. …o = Outward Facing Opposed Piston (Boxer).
^ Cylinder Type: P = Parent/Native Bore (Borable Oversize).
BORE & STROKE: …mm = Millimeters. …in = Inches = …”.
DISPLACEMENT: …cc = Cubic Centimeters (cm³). …L = Litres/Liters. …ci = Cubic Inches (in³).
⇑ = Base Engine Manufacturer. ⇒ = Engine Marinizer/Mariniser).
MODEL: Full Engine Model Number w/Codes
ASP: Aspiration-Fueling: N = Naturally Aspirated.
^ Fuel: Gasoline (Petrol): C = Carbureted.
POWER: kW = Kilowatts. HP = Horsepower. MHP = Metric Horsepower.
@RPM = Power Ratings @ Revolutions Per Minute.
YEARS MFR’d: Beginning-Ending.

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NOTES:

NOTES:

NOTES:

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BEARCAT 55 SPECIFICATIONS
(as stated in the advertisement brochures)

Type:
4-stroke cycle, 4-clyinder, electric starting with built in alternator. Cast alloy block with integral head eliminates the head gasket and its problems. Full floating pistons.

Brake HP:
55hp at 5500rpm. Max. safe rpm, 6000

Piston Displacement:
59.4 cubic inches.

Bore and Stroke:
Bore 2 3/4″; Stroke 2 1/2″.

Crankshaft:
Heat-treated chrome-moly alloy steel, integral counterweights for perfect balance, five main bearings.

Valve System:
Racing-type Overhead Camshaft. The camshaft was driven by a tower shaft, eliminating slop (slack) that was often present with belts and chains. High lift Polydyne cams give controlled rate of valve acceleration for longest possible life of cams, cam followers, and valves.

NOTE: In low hour engines where the valve stems were still fairly tight in the guides, the valves stems and guides would oxidize during dormancy, often causing the valves to stick open when the engine was cranked with the starter motor after winter storage, especially if the engine was not thoroughly fogged to prevent rust, and especially if the motor was used in salt water. Since this engine’s head was integral with the cylinder block (a one-piece design as shown in the ad below), the engine had to be completely disassembled, including removing the pistons through the crankcase with the crankshaft in order to remove and clean the oxide off the valve stems and guides. Adjusting the valves is very time consuming and labor intensive as it requires removing the camshaft in order to install spacers of various thicknesses inside the lifter cups.

Carburetors:
Dual carburetors with fixed highspeed jets. Accelerating pumps for quick take-off.

Drive:
Gearshift (forward, neutral, reverse). 15:28 gear ratio. SAE EP 90 gear oil. Lifetime clutch dog and gears, precisely shaped and heat treated for less wear.

Cooling:
Water cooled. Corrosion proof water pump is located in the lower drive housing for optimum operation under all conditions. Thermostatically controlled to maintain proper operating temperature.

Fuel:
Automotive style fuel pump is mounted on the valve cover and driven directly by the overhead camshaft. Any regular gasoline, 91 octane or higher. No mixing of oil required.

Lubrication:
High-pressure, force-feed, automotive type system with spin-on oil filter. Use any good grade SAE 30. 2 1/4 quarts with filter.

Gas Tanks:
Thrifty-Mate 6 gallon capacity furnished as standard equipment. Since no oil is mixed with gasoline, built in fuel tanks may be used.

Electric Power Supply:
15-Ampere capacity alternator built in (under flywheel) as standard equipment. Voltage regulator optional, rectifier included. Automotive style distributor mounts directly on top of the overhead camshaft for exact timing.

Automatic Reverse Lock:
Locks the engine in the down position for shifting into reverse. Spring loaded to kick-up in the event of striking an underwater obstruction.

Weight:
227 pounds short shaft for 15″ transom
239 pounds long shaft for 20″ transom

CHANGES OVER THE 11 PRODUCTION YEARS:
Over the 11 years of this engine being produced, many changes were made. Some of the most important changes and differences are listed on the following website.

More from www.Bearcat55.com & www.Homelite55.com

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Years produced & Serial Numbers

More from www.Bearcat55.com & www.Homelite55.com

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08 – BOAT TRANSPORT: By Sea (Piggyback, Delivery Skippers & Crews, & Towing), Over-Land,+.
09 – BOAT HAULING & LAUNCHING: Drydocks, Ways, Lifts, Cranes & Hoists, Launch Ramps,+.
10 – BOAT MOORAGE & STORAGE: Builders, Anchorages, Marinas, Yards, Racks & Stacks,+.
11 – BOATING ORGANIZATIONS: Yacht Clubs & Sailing Clubs, Paddling Clubs, Boat Owners,+.
12 – BOATING & TRAVEL: Events, Destinations, Boat Rentals & Charters, Cruises, Voyages,+.
13 – BOATING & MARITIME EDUCATION: Recreational Seamanship, Ship's Master & Crew,+.
14 – MARINE LAWS & REGULATIONS: International & National Laws‚ Lawyers‚ Investigators‚+.
15 – DO-IT-YOURSELF: DIY Boat Building & Repair, DIY Boat Sales, DIY Boat Surveys, DIY Classes,+.
16 – MEDIA w/Creator Directory + Academy eLibrary: pDocs, Books, Magazines, Videos, Websites,+.

The above MAIN TOPICS and a more detailed listing of Subtopics
can be found on the Website Contents page and on the Right Sidebar.
An Alphabetical Index of the website can be accessed at Website Index.

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What we have accomplished so far.
Anchors Aweigh Academy and its EverythingAboutBoats.org website.

• Published over 50,000 website pages about boats and boating, bringing us closer to reaching our goal of becoming "The ultimate reference resource about boats and ships for everyone from the beginning recreational boater to the seasoned professional mariner!"
• Published over 300 website main topic webpages, many with full articles on the topic. See our Website Contents or the Right Sidebar for the listing of the main topic pages.
• Published over 9,000 marine vendor webpages, all with their contact information, most with a description of their products and services, many with product documentation, specifications and independent reviews. (incl.: Boat designers, boat building tools, material and equipment manufacturers and suppliers, boat builders and dealers, yacht brokers, marine surveyors, boat insurers, boat transporters, skippers and crews, boatyards and marinas, yacht clubs, boat rentals and yacht charters, boating, seamanship and maritime schools, marine law attorneys and expert witnesses, boat refitters and repairers, book authors, magazine publishers, video producers, and website creators)
• Acquired over 120,000 pages of product documentation including Catalogs, Brochures, SpecSheets, Pictures, Serial Number Guides, Installation Manuals, OpManuals, Parts Catalogs, Parts Bulletins, Shop Manuals, Wiring Diagrams, Service Bulletins, and Recalls. And have made all viewable to Academy Members through our EAB website eLibrary.
• Acquired over 1,200 books and magazine back issues in our academy library and so far have made over 700 viewable to Academy Members through our EAB website eLibrary.
• Published over 500 DIY How-To articles about boat design, construction, inspection, operation, maintenance, troubleshooting and repair. We are working hard to do more.

We are currently formatting and polishing the Anchors Aweigh Academy online and hands-on courses. Our Marine Surveying course has proven to be excellent for both the beginner and the seasoned surveyor, and especially helpful to the Do-It-Yourselfer.

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Current Academy Members must SIGN IN to gain FULL access to this
website including expanded pages and valuable Academy programs
like our Academy eLibrary and our Ask-An-Expert Program!
If your membership has expired, CLICK HERE to Renew.

IF YOU ARE NOT YET AN ANCHORS AWEIGH ACADEMY MEMBER,
CLICK HERE to discover how you can become a Member and gain FULL access to
thousands of expanded pages and articles, and dozens of excellent programs
WITH JUST A SMALL DONATION!

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Comments for Public Viewing

Submit any comments for public viewing via email To: Comments♥EverthingAboutBoats.org (Replace "♥" with "@")
Please remember to put this webpage's title in the subject line of your email.
All comments are moderated before they appear on this page. See Comment Rules.

General Comments About the Website

FROM Donald: "This is an awesome website. I found the information that I needed right away from one of the over 20,000 free articles that you provide as a public service. I'm surprised that so much if this site is free. But I still signed up so I could access the thousands of expanded pages, interesting articles, and dozens of valuable programs! The member's library of books, magazines and videos that I can view online is really terrific! I understand that you and your staff are all unpaid volunteers. Please keep up the good work. And I commend you for your plans to add another 10,000 free informative articles over the next year. I'm thrilled to support you in this endeavor with my small membership donation. Thanks again for all your hard work."

FROM Huey: "I agree with my Uncle, I too have found the articles to be very enlightening. They say that it will take about 100,000 articles to cover the full scope that they have envisioned for the website. They have over 20,000 articles so far and that's doing pretty well, but it could take several years to get the rest. I also noticed that many of the Main Topic Pages and some of the article pages are still in the rough draft stage. I guess that they will fill in as they can get volunteers to work on them. But what I can't figure out is why anyone would spend the time writing informative in depth articles just to give away free to this website for publication? What's in it for them?"

FROM Dewey: "Well Huey, to me It looks like most of the articles on this website are written by very informed people, like boating instructors, boat designers, boat builders, riggers, electricians, fitters, marine repair technicians and marine surveyors. Writing such articles helps establish them as knowledgeable professionals. After all, this website was originally created by a school for marine technicians and marine surveyors. The website is growing in content every day. They even had to move to a bigger, more powerful server because the website's traffic has been growing exponentially."

FROM Louie: "I agree with everyone above. This site is quickly becoming the ultimate reference resource about every aspect of boats and ships for everyone from the beginning recreational boater to the seasoned professional mariner. I use the topic pages on the right sidebar to browse around the website. It's like a Junior Woodchucks' Guidebook for Boaters. Their Members' Library of over 300 popular and obscure books and over 200 magazine back issues that can be viewed online is fabulous. The Academy's magazine is especially informative. On top of that, there is the "Ask-An-Expert program for members where you can get an expert's answer to any of your boat questions. And a whole years membership is only $25. What a deal! I really love being part of this "Everything About Boats" community and help provide thousands of helpful articles free to the public. I think that I'll sit down right now and write an article about my experiences boating with my uncle."

FROM Scrooge: "You rave about this website like it was the best thing since sliced bread. Well, I think it stinks. Sure, it has a lot of good information for boaters, and they're adding more every day, but it will probably never be finished. Furthermore, I don't even own a boat. And I wouldn't have a boat even if someone gave me one. Boats are a waste of money and time and energy and money! They're just a hole in the water you pour money into. If you gave me a boat, I'd sell it quicker then you could say Baggywrinkle. Then I'd lock up the cash with all my other money so I could keep my eye on it and count it every day. Bah humbug."

FROM Daisy: "I'm just so glad that Donald got the boat so we and the boys could enjoy boating — together. And of course all of the girls, April, May, and June, love to be on the water too, especially when that is where the boys are. Oh poor Scrooge, boating is more fun then you could possibly imagine."

FROM Scrooge: "After seeing how much fun you all have on the water together, I regret that I didn't have that much fun when I was young. I've had a change of heart, and I'm giving each of you a Lifetime Academy Membership."

FROM Editor: "For those of you that have stayed with us this far, many thanks, and we hope that you found this little narrative informative. Your faithful support inspires us to keep working on this phenomenal website. We know that we have a lot more to do. Ultimately, we hope that we can help you enjoy the wonder filled world of boating as much as we do. We are all waiting to see what you have to say about this webpage article. Submit any comments via email To: Comments♥EverythingAboutBoats.org (Replace "♥" with "@"). Be sure to include this page's title in the subject line. Also, your corrections, updates, additions and suggestions are welcomed. Please submit them via email To: Editor♥EverythingAboutBoats.org (Replace "♥" with "@"). It has been truly amazing to see what we have been able to accomplished when we've worked together. Thanks to all those that have donated their valuable time and energy, and a special THANK YOU to all that have supported this cause with their membership donations."

Comments About This Particular Page

From Robert: “I think you would be interested in knowing that I worked at the Fisher Pierce Bearcat plant that was located on property that once was the U.S. Air Force Base in Manchester, NH.  You mentioned that production of the motor ceased in 1972.  I worked there from 1971 to 1972. In 1972, a few months after I had stopped working there, an alarming story appeared on the local T.V. station’s Evening News.  A tremendous explosion had occurred at the plant. It seemed the plant was built over an oil tank farm. I had never heard of an oil tank farm until I heard that news story.  Somehow, someway, a spark came from somewhere which caused a bomb-like explosion. I don’t believe the plant ever re-opened. I don’t know if the Fisher-Pierce Bearcat motors were built in any other plants in the U.S.  If not, the explosion at my former plant was probably the main reason why production ceased in 1972.“

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