Sight Feed Generator Company During World War Two
West Alexandria, OH
1924-1960's as Sight Feed Generator Company
1960's-Current as Rexarc Interntaional

This page updated 8-6-2024.

During World War Two, the United States became what was and is still known as the Arsenal of Democracy.  When the Arsenal of Democracy is discussed in current literature, the American production of aircraft, vehicles, and ships is most widely presented.  During World War Two, the United States produced 52% of the world's aircraft, 36% of the world's artillery, 48% of the world's vehicles, and 66% of the world's ships.  To accomplish this it took huge companies, large factories, shipyards, and thousands of workers at each location.  However, there were also thousands of small companies across the United States with limited resources that were also important contributors to the war effort. 

One such company was in the small village of West Alexandria along U.S. 35 in west central Ohio.  In 1945 the Sight Feed Generator Company located in this small village had a work force of 160 employees and a factory that contained approximately 50,000 square feet.  While many companies during World War Two manufactured war material unrelated to its previous peace time products, the Sight Feed Generator Company continued to make its normal products, acetylene gas generators.  This is a technology with which I was totally unfamiliar.  Researching the information for this webpage on the company was a true learning experience for me. 

A typical gas welding setup in the early 20th century did not entail oxygen and acetylene cylinders shipped from a distribution plant. Instead, welding operations drew acetylene directly from portable acetylene generators.  In 1924, a West Alexandria, OH local inventor, Will Swift, and local business man, Carl Smith, had the idea of putting a Pyrex viewport into the calcium carbide hopper for these portable acetylene generators. This enabled operators to decide whether they had enough fuel before starting a job, making the operators much more productive.

The company’s first product, the Sight Feed acetylene generator, soon found use in a variety of applications. Some of the firm’s products even generated fuel for the acetylene lamps used during the U.S.’s island-hopping campaign in World War II. The lamps required no electricity, and they could quickly flare up as needed—for war planes taxiing, taking off, and landing—before diminishing rapidly into darkness. 

By the 1960’s, the development team at the newly renamed company of Rexarc, had developed a fully automatic generator that could be operated safely and efficiently, as well as easily support plant expansions as they were needed.  Now renamed Rexarc International Inc., the company is in its fourth generation of family ownership and still located on the site of those original tobacco barns at 35 East Third Street, West Alexandria, OH.

This image shows the Site Feed Generator Company factory complex at 35 East Third Street, West Alexandria, OH.  Looking at the cars in the parking lot, this appears to be a late 1930s or World War Two era photo.  With employees walking out to their vehicles, this is apparently the end of the work shift.  The large building on the left is still part of the current Rexarc factory complex.  During World War Two the company also utilized the former Ford garage in nearby Eaton, OH, to its west, and had its sales force located in Richmond, IN.

While I was writing this page in March 2024, I was unable, due to other issues, to make the trip to western Ohio to photograph the plant.  I was finally able to personally stop by and photograph the current Rexarc plant in early August 2024.  Author's photo added 8-6-2024.

Manufacturing was conducted in the complex shown above.  Painting and shipping were accomplished at its Eaton, OH facility.  Late in the war, this plant was  contracted to manufacture gas generator units for the U.S. Navy.  There were also two warehouses in Eaton.  The facilities in West Alexandria and Eaton, OH employed 135 workers during the war.  Twenty-five office and sales people worked out of the Richmond, IN office which was in the Richmond Water Works building at the corner of Main and 10th Streets. 

The company was awarded the Army-Navy "E" flag on April 25, 1945.  This image shows Ohio Army National Guardsmen from Eaton, OH hoisting the E-flag at the award ceremony. 

Sight Feed Generator Company World War Two Products:  The company had a total of $481,000 major contracts to help win World War Two. 

In 1943, the Eaton facility employed 24 hourly workers and two supervisors.  Located in front of the workers are the gas generators that were and still are the main product of the company.

Examples of the Sight Feed Generator Company's World War Two products can be found in several military and aviation museums in the United States.  Below are examples I have found in three of those museums.

National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, FL: 

This World War Two diorama of a F4F Wildcat undergoing repairs in the South Pacific includes four Sight Feed Generator Company products.  One gas generator can be seen in the lower left of the photo.  Author's photo.

The diorama uses three generators for stanchions to hold the rope in front of the left wing of the Wildcat.   Author's photo.

 All three Sight Feed Generator Company gas generators can be seen in this photo.  Because they are being used as stanchions, they are the easiest and most prominent artifact besides the Wildcat that can be seen.  Author's photo

This is the one on the far left.  Author's photo.

Because it is right in front of the display, the company's name atop the carbide hopper is highly visible to the museum's many visitors.  It was this gas generator with the company's name so prominently displayed that got me interested in researching the company.  Author's photo.

This is the middle Sight Feed Generator Company generator that is being used to hold the rope at the display.  Author's photo.

The company name is also very obvious on this artifact.  Author's photo.


This is the third gas generator which is being used to tie off the rope.  Author's photo.

Interestingly, a Sight Feed Generator Company-built World War Two oxygen generator is being used under the right wing of the F4F as a stanchion.  This is the only one of its type I have found on display at a museum.  Author's photo.

Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This and the image below show as much of the data plate as could be photographed.  The information shows that this was ordered by the USAAF and was built by the Sight Feed Generator Company of West Alexandria, OH.  Author's photo.

This portable oxygen generator is a Model F-10-A.  Author's photo.

During World War Two, the United States Navy built a larger number of bases in the Central and Southwest Pacific as the war moved towards the Japanese homeland.  The Bureau of Yards and Docks published this catalog that listed all of the necessary equipment required for each base.  Included in the catalog is a Sight Feed Generator Company acetylene portable generator as shown in the next image.  

This image shows a Sight Feed Generator Company acetylene gas generator with an adaptor for use as a flood light.  The generator and cart are very similar to the current product produced by the Rexarc Company.

This enlarged description in the operation section gives instructions for use as a floodlight.

U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA: 

This display of a U.S. Army World War Two maintenance truck shows a Sight Feed Generator Company acetylene generator in the rear of the workspace. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This enlargement of the previous photo shows that this was built by the Sight Feed Generator Company.  Author's photo.

World War II American Experience, Gettysburg, PA:

This World War Two maintenance truck display includes two Sight Feed Generator Company-built acetylene generators.  Author's photo.

Author's photo.

Author's photo.

Author's photo.

Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This and the next image show the instructions.  Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This Rexarc data sheet shows that the current portable acetylene generator and cart are remarkably similar to those produced 80 years ago by the company to help win World War Two.  Image courtesy of Rexarc International, Inc.

This enlargement of the data sheet shows all of the components in the generator.  Image courtesy of Rexarc International, Inc.

The Sight Feed Generator Company Factory:  The factory has been located at 35 East Third Street in West Alexandria since 1924.  This is its 100th anniversary as I write this page in March 2024.  The buildings and the name of the company have changed over the past 100 years, but the product line is still acetylene gas generators.

The first plant.  The railway to the east of the building allowed for shipment of the final product,as shown here.  Raw material could be brought into the plant by truck on the west side.  Image courtesy of Rexarc International, Inc.

This appears to be a 1930s era photo which shows some expansion to the west.  Image courtesy of Rexarc International, Inc.

This image is nearly the same but can be dated as the late 1930's or the World War Two era from the cars in the parking lot.  There are no post-World War Two vehicles shown.  A large new factory building has been added to the west end of the factory complex.  There is a house in front of the new factory building along with a tree on the south side of it.  Image courtesy of Rexarc International, Inc.

  The factory complex has not changed in this photo but the house and the tree on the south side of the west building are gone.  This is a post-World War Two era photo.  Of interest is the steam locomotive, tender, and caboose on the rail track to the east of the factory complex.  This would date this as a 1950s era  photo.  Note the configuration of the building on the left.  Its shape can be seen in the current satellite view below.  Image courtesy of Rexarc International, Inc.

The satellite view shows the roof line of the building from the above photo.  A building for office space has been added to the south of this building.  Also, there is an expansion to the north of the current factory complex.  The several separate buildings that were on the east side have been replaced by a new structure.  This is the building with the white roof.  Image courtesy of Google Maps.

This image shows the current Rexarc factory complex located at 35 East Third Street in West, Alexandria, OH.  Image courtesy of Google Maps.

This image gives another view of the current factory.  The village of West Alexandria, OH has a current population of 1,334.  For the past 100 years, this factory has been an important business to the local population and provided several generations of local residents with jobs.  In 1924, the company only had four factory employees.  During World War Two, it had 135.  Image courtesy of Google Earth.

During World War Two, this was the location of offices of the Richmond Water Works in Richmond, IN.  On the second floor, the Sight Feed Generator Company rented floor space for 25 office and sales personnel.  Image courtesy of Google Maps.  

Patent 1,915,349:  This 1933 acetylene gas generator patent was assigned to the Sight Feed Generator Company. 

Patent 2,367,240:  The company's owner, Carl Smith applies for this patent on June 27, 1940.  The patent was awarded on January 16, 1945.