p*
BLUFFTON NEWS
The Advertising Medium for
Bluffton Trade Territory
VOLUME NO. LXIII
NO MORE LAND
TO BE BOUGHT
Letter from Washington Ad
vises Present Property Be
lieved Large Enough
Purchase of Additional Lot
Thought Unnecessary
Survey Continues
Indication that there will be no en
largement of the site chosen for
Bluffton’s new $80,000 postoffice is
seen in a letter received this week
by The Bluffton Business Men’s As
sociation.
Following announcement that the
post office department had selected
lots owned by Edgar Chamberlain
and A. D. Gratz, at Main and Frank
lin streets, the Business Men’s as
sociation and the Lions club entered
a protest as to the size of the real
estate.
In a letter of suggestions sent to
the post office departments, the two
civic organizations urged the addi
tional
Mrs.
Gratz
purchase of a lot owned by
Clara Geiser, adjoining the
property on the north.
letter from the procurement
The
division of the treasury department
indicated the matter is pretty defi
nitely closed, and that officials con
sider the Chamberlain-Gratz site suf
ficiently large for the purpose.
Consider Site Large Enough
In part, the communication reads:
“Careful study has been given
to this case, and it is found that
the 86-foot frontage on the cor
ner of Main and Franklin streets
will be sufficient space on which
to erect a suitable building at
Bluffton.
“The Department has entered
into a contract for the purchase
of the land in question. It is
not expected, therefore, that the
ste case will be re-opened, and
consideration given to the selec
tion of other property.”
Preliminary survey of the site at
Main and Franklin streets is under
way at present. J. D. Levin, the
engineer in charge, is visiting Bluff
ton intermittently to make a detailed
investigation of the property.
It is believed contracts will be let
for the work and construction will be
under way before the close of
government fiscal year, June 30.
the
Night School Class
Has 32 Students
First meeting in a three-months’
vocational night school course was
held Tuesday night in the Bluffton
High school building, with a class
of 32 students reporting for train
ing in shop electricity.
The shop electricity class will meet
each Tuesday, and another course
in shop drawing will be held Thurs
day night of each week.
jack Remde is teaching the shop
electricity course, and George Klay
is in charge of the other class.
Births
A son, Michael Wade, was born to
Dr. and Mrs. DeLos Kervin of Port
Huron, Mich., at that place, Sunday
night. Mrs. Kervin was formerly
Miss Dorothy Rae Triplett, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Triplett
of South Main street.
Announcement has been received
here of the birth of a son, Don
Erwin to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Koch
of Toledo. Mrs. Koch was formerly
Miss Mabel Althaus of Bluffton.
A daughter was born Monday to
Dr. and Mrs. C.
Butte, Montana.
was formerly Miss
daughter of Rev.
Kliewer of Grove street.
E. Kielsmeier of
Mrs. Kielsmeier
Elizabeth Kliwer,
and Mrs. P. A.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Bame of
Williamstown are the parents of a
son bom at the Community hospital
here, Satuday.
A son was born to and Mrs.
Clarence Greiner residin, north of
Bluffton at the Community hospital,
Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Lehman of
Pandora are the parents of a daugh
ter bom at the Community hospital,
Tuesday.
Orange Township’s First School
Was Log
Dog’s Life Just
One Thing After
Another Nowdays
IFE’S uncertainties loom larg
er this time of year than ever
before—at least for a dog—with
the announcement that sale of
dog tags is running considerably
under last year’s figure.
With only two days left in
which to buy tags, Menno Bad
ertscher, in charge of
this part of Allen and
counties is expecting a
last minute business.
sales in
Hancock
rush of
Friday will be the last day to
purchase tags without paying the
$1 penalty.
MAN KILLED AS
AUTO HITS TRAIN
Hitchhiker Riding in Car
Fatally Injured Com
panion in Hospital
is
Accident Occurs at Nickel Plate
Grade Crossing North of
Bluffton
Death which stalked the ice-covered
highways of northwestern Ohio the
past week brought to an abrupt close
an expedition of a Michigan hitchhik
ing couple wl|p were returning to
their homes after the romance of the
open road had faded.
Gordon Black, 30, hitchhikier, of
Big Beaver, Michigan, is dead and his
companion Dorothy Green, 17, of Haz
el Park, Michigan, lies in the Bluffton
Community hospital in a serious con
dition as the result of injuries sus
tained when the automobile
torist who picked them up
time before, crashed into
Plate passenger train near
Monday afternoon.
of a mo
a short
a Nickel
Bluffton,
W. F. Ridge, 29, REA engineer of
Tamaqua, Pa., with temporary head
quarters at St. Mary’s, driver of the
ill-fated car is also a patient in the
Bluffton hospital, having sustained a
minor hip injury in the accident,
is expected to leave the hospital
the first of next week.
He
by
Crash at Grade Crossing
The accident occurred at the grade
crossing of the Dixie highway and the
Nickel Plate railroad one mile north
of Bluffton. Ridge, enroute to his
work on a REA project in Huron
County was driving north and
crashed into the westbound Nickel
(Continued on page 4)
Three Hurt In Mt.
Cory Auto Mishap
Three Hancock county youths were
treated last Thursday in Bluffton
Community hospital for injuries suf
fered late the preceding night in an
automobile crash on Route 69 at the
south edge of Mt. Cory.
John Gill, 18, Mt. Blanchard,
wras the most seriously hurt, receiv
ing a broken arm and cuts and
bruises. He is a brother of Virginia
Gill, an office employe at The Trip
lett Electrical Instrument Co.
Thomas Rodabaugh, 17, also
of
Mt. Blanchard, and Earl Deter, 16,
of near Findlay, escaped
cuts and bruises.
with minor
the driver
of the car
State patrolmen said
apparently lost control
which crashed into a utility pole.
The car was badly wrecked.
Real Estate Deals
has
the
L. L. Clymer of this place
purchased the 90 acre farm of
late Louisa Smith six miles east of
Bluffton in Orange township near
the Main school. The place
occupied and Clymer expects
it for pasture purposes.
is un
to use
Dayton
Rev. Will Motter of near
has purchased the 50 acre farm of
the late Coy Main in Orange town
ship.
John
owns
well
Henry, which adjoins the Main farm.
Rev. Motter, son of the late
Motter of Orange township also
the tract known as the Bout
place occupied by Leonard
House Back In 1850
First Educational Structure was
Located on Site of Late
Ewing School
Literary Societies Provide Early
Training for Distinguish
ed Leaders
The Bluffton News presents
the twenty-third installment of
the “Centennial Series'' dealing
with early Bluffton history and
published in commemoration of
the one hundredth anniversary
of Bluffton's founding.—Editor.
The school house in Orange town
ship was the first community center.
It housed not only school activities,
but on Sunday was used for church
and in the evenings
were in full session,
ing of the school houses every
religious and community
place in the cabins of one
tiers.
Two Changes Made
In Business District
Two changes of location are taking
place in the business district this
week. The Economy store, dealers
in men’s clothing and furnishings
moved from the Chas. Hankish block,
formerly the Lugibihl hardware
block, to the room in the Mrs. Edith
Mann block formerly occupied by
C. F. Niswander.
The West Ohio Gas company office
will occupy the room vacated by the
Economy store. The Gas company
will move from the Rolland Strat
ton block where it has been occupy
ing quarters in conjunction with the
Echo Feed store.
Auto Crash Fatal
To Former Student
Vernon Ramseyer, 42, of Oska
loosa, Iowa, Bluffton college gradu
ate in the class of 1919 w’as in
stantly killed on Tuesday night of
last week in an automobile accident.
Ramseyer, who w’as engaged in the
hatchery business w’as killed when
his car crashed into the rear of a
parked truck. He was enroute to
his home at Oskaloosa after
ing a hatchery meeting in a
town.
Government Turns Down Plea for Larger Site For New Postoffice
literary societies
Before the build
cial,
event took
of the set-
letter days
These events were red
on the calendars of the people and all
the inhabitants would assemble, no
matter what the attraction might be.
Roads were difficult to travel and
trails w7erp harder to traverse, but be
cause there were only a few attrac
(Continued on page 4)
Social Security Man
Will Be Here Friday
William Ashbrook, manager of the
Lima field office of the Social Se
curity board will be in Bluffton at
the post office on Friday
from 11 to 12 o’clock for
venience of anyone having
with this board.
morning
the con
business
his orig-
Any person who has lost
inal social security card may file ap
plication for a duplicate at this
time. Also women who have changed
their names either by marriage
divorce may correct their social
curity records at this time.
or
se-
attend
nearby
riding
of the
A Presbyterian minister
with Ramseyer at the time
accident was hurled from the auto
and is reported in a critical condi
tion.
Funeral services for Ramseyer
were held at Oskaloosa on Friday
afternoon.
Ramseyer was prominent in Bluff
ton college activities during his col
lege career and has been engaged in
the hatchery business since that
time. He was married August 24,
1920 to Florence Lehman, youngest
daughter of the late J. F. Lehman,
of Berne, Ind., former president of
the Mluffton college board of trus
tees. She is a sister of G. A. Leh
man of Rochester, N. Y., and C. O.
Lehman of Geneseo, N. Y.
Besides his w’ife he is survived by
tw’o children Jacqueline Rose and
J. Carroll, his parents and one bro
ther Harry Ramseyer.
rHE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INT ERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1939
POWER COMPANY DOUBLES PLANT CAPACITY HERE38NUMBER
CITY GETS NEW
WATER SUPPLY
Acquires Rights to Large Vol
ume Pumped from Bluffton
Stone Quarry
May be Used for Drinking Pur
poses if State Health
Board Gives O. K.
for
An additional source of water
Bluffton’s municipal wat works was
assured this week with the consuma
tion of negotiations that made avail
able approximately three-quarter mil
lion gallons of water daily from the
quarry of the Bluffton S i- Co.
In exchange for the water, the town
council has agreed to fur
current from the muni ci
to exceed 50 horsepower
the electrically driven pi
quarry located nearby.
electric
mt, not
operate
at the
Samples of the water, however, have
been sent to Columbus for analysis by
the state board of health. If a favor
able report is received, there is the
distinct proabability most of the water
from the stone quarry will be pumped
into the the reservoir and used to
ply the needs of Bluffton water
rons.
More Desirable Water
If the state board of health gives its
approval, the new source will more
than double the town’s supply of
drinking water, and in addition a bet
ter quality prixluct will be available.
Near End Of Work On
Light Plant Addition
Construction of the new addition
to the municipal water works and
electric light plant will be completed
this week.
Brick work on the walls has been
completed and the new 20 by 60
structure shortly will be under roof.
Herbert U. Tuttle, of Lima, has had
the contract for construction of the
building, which involved a total ex
penditure of $6,990.
Delivery of the boiler and stoker,
which will be housed in the addition,
is expected about the first of Feb
ruary, and installation will be start
ed at once. The parts will be de
livered unassembled.
All work is to be completed on the
$34,512 expansion program by next
April, when it is planned to place in
operation the new boiler for the
generation of electric current. Eight
separate contracts were let by the
Board of Public Affairs for various
phases of the work, which is being
financed in conjunction with the
PWA.
To Attend Anti-War
Meet In Washington
Miss Barbara Hauenstein of
Campus Drive will leave this Wed
nesday night for Washington where
she will attend a national confer
ence on the Cause and
which will be held
January 21 to 25.
Cure of War
in that city
conference as
She will attend the
one of one hundred delegates from
the National Committee of Church
Women, representing eight large de
nominations.
Following the conference she will
remain in Washington to do gradu
ate work at American university
toward a Master of Arts degree.
Bluffton’s weather during the last
week varied from spring-like condi
tions that prevailed until Thursday
to include a sudden and violent re
turn of winter that gripped the
area unexpectedly on Friday.
Dandelion blossoms were found on
farms
which
winter
snow
highways.
’olice
to
nps
are being
boiler pur
piped into
For the present, plans
made to use the water fo
poses only, and it will
the main quarry at the w iter works.
'ransient
Skull in
sup
pat-
was
Water from the quarry, it
pointed out, has no sulphur content, is
much softer and is entirely free of
sediment. Both sulphur and sediment
are contained in waiter pumped from
the present weels ope-uted by the
water works. Springs from which
water is taken in the stone auarry are
about 25 feet below the ground level.
Approximately one-half to three
quarter of a million gallons of water
daily are pumped from the quarry.
Bluffton’s average daily water con
sumption on the other is about one
quarter million gallons.
In addition to the new water supply
from the stone quarry, the municipal
plant has three wells. Two are pump
ed reguarly and the other is held for
reserve purposes it was announced.
Lions Hear Talk
On Service Clubs
Development of service clubs as a
force in community betterment was
outlined by Roland Bixler, of To
ledo, Tuesday night at a dinner
meeting of the Lions club in the
Walnut Grill of the Pine restaurant.
Bixler, a graduate of Bluffton
High school and Bluffton college, is
managing editor
ite”, magazine
Exchange club.
Winter With Heavy Snow7 And Ice
Covered Roads In Bluffton Area
the early part of last week
closed with a touch of real
that
and
brought five inches of
treacherous ice-coated
storm Friday was the
The snoiv
heaviest experienced here this sea
son, and it continued
night. Light flurries
Saturday and Sunday.
all day and
also fell on
highways as
Snow’ packed on the
it fell, transforming them into dan
gerous ice-covered roadw’ays that
made automobile traffic unusually
Receives Fractured
Automobile Crash
Near Bluffton
Seek to Learn Story in Connec
tion with Theft of Wrecked
Detroit Car
Suffering from a fractured skull and
slowly regaining consciousness in the
Bluffton Community hospital, a thirty
three year old man, belived to be a
hitch hiker, is expected to furnish po
lice with corroborative testimony rela
tive to a stolen automobile wrecked
on the Dixie highway, three miles
south of Bluffon hast Thursday night
at 7:30 o’clock.
According to paper found in his pos
session following the accident, the
man is Raymond E. Roth, bom in Al
lentown, Pa., and later lived in New
York state. Roth who was brought in
the Diller ambulance to the hospital
unconscious following the accident
showed first signs of regaining
(Continued on page 5)
of “The Exchange
published by The
had their inception
Service clubs
in luncheon clubs organized during
the latter part of the nineteenth
century, Bixler pointed out. Their
work in community betterment, how
ever, was not inaugurated until the
early part of this century.
Of the international service clubs
in existence today the three largest
are the Rotary, Kiw’anis and
the speaker said.
Lions,
Bluffton Woman's
Grandson Honored
John Bash, senior in Oberlin col
lege and grandson of Mrs. M. M,
Kibler of this place,
awarded the Jerome D.
dustrial scholarship for
cording to announcement
first of the week by the college pub
licity bureau.
has been
Davis in
1938, ac
made the
The scholarship w-as awarded for
Bash’s essay on “Labor Conditions
in the Lorain Steel Plant.”
Lorain,
a com
in that
Bash, whose home is in
worked the past summer as
mon laborer in a steel plant
city. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
E. W. Bash. His father is an in
structor in Lorain high school. His
mother wras the former Helen Kibler
of Bluffton.
LEAVE FOR FLORIDA
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Deppler of
South Main street left Wednesday
for St. Petersburg, Florida where
they will spend the winter. Enroute
south they will stop off to visit at
Atlanta, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla.
perilous. Two serious accidents oc
curred near Bluffton as a result of
the slippery highways. Many other
minor crashes also were reported.
Ice and snow were pretty well
cleared from the highways by Tues
day, but the fall of snow resumed
Tuesday night and continued until
Wednesday morning, giving indica
tion that perhaps winter has not
yet ended its latest siege.
The cold wave arrived quite sud
denly last Friday, after the first of
the week brought a continuance of
almost spring-like conditions.
Farmers were plowing generally
early in the week, and one of them,
Joshua Amstutz, found a dandelion
in blossom while plowing on his
farm, five miles north on the Allen
Putnam county line road.
Quiz Awaiting Accident
Victim Unconscious In Hospital
con-
RICHLAND FARM
INSURANCE MEET
Association Holds Annual Meet
ing and Election Here
Saturday Afternoon
Organization has 510 Policies
Outstanding and $1,948,265
In Risks
Insurance risks aggregating nearly
two million dollars are carried by the
Richland Township Farmers Mutual
Insurance Company, a rural mutual
insurance organization operating in
the Bluffton area.
Report of business done by the com
pany during 1938 was made at the
annual meeting held here Saturday
afternoon to effect organization for
the coming year.
At the session it was disclosed that
the Richland Township association has
policies in force amounting to $1,948,
265. This represents a gain over the
preceding year when risks were $1,
872,580.
510 Policies In Force
A total of 510 policies are in force,
12 more than a year ago which re
port showed 498. Total loss for 1938
was $1,225.63. No assessment has
been made since November, 1936.
Elected at the meeting were: Eli
Augsburger, director for a term of
three years Charles Lora, appraiser,
cne year Earl Matter, secretary, one
year and Henry Huber, treasurer,
one year. Huber, Lora and Augs
burger were re-elected, and Matter
was named to fill the place formerly
held by Henry Gratz.
Augsburger also was re-elected
president. Peter Matter and Jacob
Schick are the two holdover members
of the board of directors. Peter Mat
ter also serves as vice-president.
Organized in 1885
Altho the Richland organization
does not include professional insurance
men in its personnel, it has continued
in operation successfully for more
than a half century. The society was
organized in 1885 for the primary pur
pose of insuring farm property on a
mutual basis.
Business originally was conducted
in a comparatively restricted neigh
borhood but in the last decade or so
orperations have been generally ex
tended to include surrounding count
ies.
On several occasions state insurance
authorities have complimented the lo
cal mutual organization on the man
ner in which its business affairs have
been handled. Officers and members
of the board of directors are chosen
directly from farmers of the district
affiliated with the company.
PIANO RECITAL
the
Re-
Elma Schifferly will present
following pupils in recital at the
formed church, Sunday afternoon at
2 o’clock:
Marilyn Steiner, Lavon Burrichter,
Virginia Miller, Treva Kempf, Sarah
Amstutz, Mary Ellen Luginbuhl,
Mirian Hannawald, Margaret Nis
wander, Alfred Basinger and Arthur
John Moser. The public is invited.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live and a
Good Place to Trade
NEW $175,000
UNIT INSTALLED
Central Ohio Light & Power
Company Adds Second 5,000
KW Tubo-Generator
Bluffton to be Principal Point
For Generating Electric
Current
Installation of a new 5000 KW tur
bo-genrator was completed here last
week at the Woodcock generating
station of The Central Ohio Light and
Power Co., at a total cost of more than
$175,000.
Completion of the additional genera
tor makes it possible for the local
plant to assume a new imoprtance as
the power company’s principal source
of electric energy.
Erected at a total cost of over $1,
000,000, the modem plant of the util
ity, located on the grounds of the de
serted quarry, in the future will be al
most the sole regular source of elec
tric energy for patrons in six counties.
Pinci pa I Source
An older plan tat Findlay, with
8,000 KW capacity, which previously
has been the principal supply station
for current, will be kept in operation,
but will provide only a limited out
put. It will be repdy at all times for
emergency use, but the principal
source of current in the future will
be the Bluffton station.
Installation of the 5,000 KW gener
ator doubles the output of the local
steam generating plant. Another
generator of the same type was in
stalled when the plant was built, and
was placed in operation early last
spring.
Both generators will be operated on
a full-time schedule, with the Bluffton
plant carrying approximately 75 per
cent of the total current requirements
i of Central Ohio customers.
10,000 KW Output
With the two generators operating,
output will be 10,000 KW. This out
put together with current from the
Findlay Station will be ample to meet
all requirements up to the peak load
of from 11,00 to 12,000 KW.
Installation of the new generator
was started last September. Aggre
gate cost of the turbine and auxiliary
equipment installed during the five
months period has been announced as
approxiamtely $175,000.
When the plant was constructed last
year, space was left for the recently
placed equipment. Construction of
additional boilers was no* required,
for sufficient boiler capacity was pro
vided in the original plant work.
were
been
gen-
Two complete sets of boilers
built last year, and have since
used intermittenly with the first
erator included in the plant equipment.
Car Is Damaged In
Collision With Truck
Four Bluffton young women were
severely shaken up but otherwise un
harmed when the car in
wrere riding skidded into
the Dixie highway three
of Van Buren, Friday
o’clock.
which they
a truck on
miles
night
north
at 7
Miss
was
Ruth
badly
The car, driven by
Greding of this place
damaged. Miss Greding, instructor
in the high school at Waterville,
near Toledo, was returning to her
home here for the week end.
With her in the car were Miss
Marcella Steiner, instructor in the
near
schools at Grand Rapids,
Waterville and Misses Letha
wander and Annabelle Weed,
dents at Bowling Green State
versity.
Nis
stu-
uni-
skidded on the ice covered
colliding with a truck
Hobard Jayne of Wake-
The car
pavement
driven by
Miss Niswander and Miss
finished the trip on the bus
field.
Weed
while
drove
the evening.
Miss Greding and Miss Steiner
the car to Bluffton later in
Lewis Gets O. K. As
Auto Tag Distributor
Robert Lewis, Bluffton barber,
has been endorsed by the Allen
County Republican Executive com
mittee as deputy registrar of motor
vehicles
of auto
cinity.
to have charge of
tags for Bluffton
the sale
and vi-
endorsed
committee also
The
Arthur Lewis, a brother, for a posi
tion in the state highway depart
ment.