The Bluffton news. [volume], July 20, 1939, Image 1

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BLUFFTON NEWS
The Advertising Medium for
Bluffton Trade Territory
VOLUME NO. LXIV
SCHOOL DEADLOCK
STILL UNBROKEN
Action to be Taken by Orange
Group After Rejection of
“Compromise”
Conference to be Held with
Findlay Attorney Case
May Go to Court
With the Orange township school
situation still deadlocked and no
compromise in sight, the controversy
appeared the first of the week to be
heading for the courts.
This was the situation as a group
■of Orange township residents seek
ing transfer of their territory from
the Union township (Mt. Cory)
school district to Bluffton viewed the
matter after the Hancock county
board of education had failed to
take action at its meeting in
Findlay, Saturday, relative to trans
fer of the territory.
Leaders of the Orange township
group which have been at odds with
the county board of education stated
that a meeting will be held this
xveek w’ith Attorney A. G. Fuller of
Findlay when a course of action
would be determined.
In Previous School Case
Attorney Fuller, retained as legal
counsel by the Orange township pro
testers, previously represented a
group of Marion township residents
in Hancock county W’hose suit to
compel the county board of educa
tion to transfer portions of that
township to the Findlay school dis
trict was recently upheld by the
Ohio Supreme court.
Atty. Fuller, together with Jesse
Anderson and a number of other
Orange township residents seeking
the transfer of territory to Bluffton
w’ere present at the meeting of the
county board in Findlay, Saturday.
Following the meeting it was re
ported that Attorney Fuller is mak
ing a detailed study of the case
pending a conference the latter part
of this week.
At the meeting of the county
board Anderson, together with other
Orange tow’nship associates sought a
revivor of action on a petition denied
by the board in May 1938. The
petition has sought the transfer of
nearly six square miles of Orange
(Continued on page 8)
Woman Badly Hurt In
Fall Down Stairway
George Howe, of Tippe
City, was seriously injured
Mrs.
canoe
about one o’clock Saturday morning
when she fell down a stairway at
her Lome.
In the mishap she suffered a pos
sible skull fracture, a broken collar
bone and body bruises, and her con
dition is reported serious by attend
ants at a Troy hospital to which
she was taken.
Mrs. Howe is the former Margaret
Kimmel, of this place, and her hus
band, a brother of Mayor Wilbur
Howe, is well known in Bluffton,
where he attended college.
After the How’e family had retired
for the night last Friday, Mr. Howe
was awakened by a crash, and upon
investigation he found his wife lying
semi-conscious at the foot of the
stairway.
Mrs. Howe is the mother of a
baby born May 25, and it is pre
sumed she was walking to another
room where the child was sleeping.
Perhaps not being fully awake she
may have made a misstep and
plunged down the stairway which is
adjacent to the bedroom door.
Mr. and Mrs. Homer Bracy, of
this place, were called to the Howe
home following the accident, and re
turned to Bluffton the first of the
week. Mrs. Bracy is a sister of
Mrs. Howe.
Births
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hart of Pan
dora are the parents of a son born
at the Community hospital, Thurs
day.
Announcement has been made of
the birth of a son James Harry to
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Whittemore of
Birmingham, Mich., Saturday. Mrs.
Whittemore will be remembered as
formerly Miss Gladys Devier of
place.
this
the
and
Announcement is made of
birth of a son Samuel, to Mr.
Mrs. Erwin Schrag of Pretty Prai
rie, Kansas, Friday. Mrs. Schrag
was formerly Miss Frances Mussel
man, daughter of Mrs. S. M. Mus
selman formerly of Bluffton. Her
father, the late Rev. S. M. Mussel
man was pastor of the First Men
nonite church here for a number of
years.
You probably were cold last Fri-i
day night—so was everyone else.
The reason was that it was the
coldest July weather in twenty-one
years. The minimum temperature
reading of 48 degrees equalled the
record for July cold weather set in
1918.
This Month Has
Two Full Moons—
Happens Rarely
JULY the month
Fourth, the heat and
MISSIONARY TO
SAIL FOR CHINA
Rev. J. F. Steiner to Spend Day
With Pandora Relatives
Enroute West
Will Return to Mission Station
On Island Recently Taken
Over by Japs
Returning to missionary service in
the war-torn island of Hainan, re
cently wrested from China by invad
ing Japanese forces, Rev. J. F. Stein
er, well known in the Bluffton area
and a native of the Swiss Settlement
will sail for the Orient early in Aug
ust.
Rev. Steiner has been associated
with a Presbyterian mission on the
island for the last 25 years, but he
and his family were forced to return
to the United States about a year ago
because of the fierceness of the fight
ing as Japanese battled to take Hai
nan from the Chinese.
On Febrauary 10 the Japanese
gained control of the island, and al
tho considerable damage was report
ed to have been done
buildings escaped harm.
Friday Night Coldest July
Weather Here In 21 Years
City Mail Carriers Walk 28
Miles Daily In Making Rounds
of the
unprece­
dented cool weather—has an
other unusual feature this
year—two full moons.
On the first day of the month
the moon was full, and on the
31st, a week from next Monday,
the lunar orbit will repeat the
performance. Two full moons
in a month occur but rarely.
the mission
During the last year Rev. Steiner
and family have made their home in
Wooster, where Mrs. Steiner and dau
ghters, Geneva and Betty, expect to
stay w’hile Rev. Steiner returns to
China.
Enroute west, Rev. Steiner will stop
off at Pandora on August 5 to visit
his brother-in-law, Rev. Armin C.
Steiner. On August 6 he will leave
Lima by rail enroute to Chicago and
San Francisco.
He will sail on the steamer, Presi
dent Pierce, on August 11, enroute
for Hainan unless further fighting
breaks out there in the meantime.
Class A License
To Radio Amateur
Ropp Triplett, electrical engineer
ing student at the University of Cin
cinnati and son of Mr. and Mrs. R.
L. Triplett *of Campus Drive has
been granted a Class A amateur
radio license by the Federal Com
munications commission.
This is the highest type of ama
teur license granted by the commis
sion. The Bluffton youth owns and
operates Radio Station W80WW at
his home here and held a “B”
type amateur license for several
years.
An airplane flight made by two
Illinois brothers to see their mother
who was visiting in Orange town
ship led residents of that area to
think the plane was in trouble and
was in danger of crashing, last
Thursday evening.
Sons Fly Plane Here To Get
Mother Visiting In Orange Twp.
Myron and Denzel Morrison, of
Salem, Ill., were the co-pilots of the
plane, which they flew here to visit
their mother, Mrs. Harry Morrison,
of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mrs. Morri
son was a guest at the home of her
brother, Myron Stratton, in Orange
township.
In seeking a landing place near
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INT
Last Friday’s minimum tempera
ture represented a drop of nearly
fifty degrees from the maximum of
the heat wave during the preceding
week. Cool weather and rains the
first of this week are to be followed
by fair and w-armer weather.
Bluffton’s City and Rural Car
riers Cover 36,900 Miles
In Twelve Months
Mail
Nearly Twenty Tons of
Delivered Annually on
Bluffton's City Routes
Carriers on Bluffton’s two postal
routes walk approximately 8,200
miles year year to deliver nearly 20
tons of mail to residents of the town,
it w’as learned this week.
addition to the distance cov
in town, mileaverage on the
rural routes served from the
post office is about 36,900 miles
In
ered
two
local
every 12 months.
In covering the two town routes
mailmen w’alk a total distance of
about 28 miles daily. Two trips are
made each day with the exception
of Saturday when afternoon deliver
ies are eliminated. Each carrier
walks about 14 miles per day on
these tw’o trips.
Computed on a yearly basis Bluff
ton’s postmen trudge well over 8,000
miles to deliver mail to patrons.
Average Load 30 Pounds
The average load of mail taken
from the post office by
carriers is seldom less
pounds per bag, and the
much greater during the
season.
Bluffton’s
than 30
weight is
Christmas
In a year it is estimated the two
(Continued on page 8)
Union Services
Sunday Evening
Union services will be held at the
St. John’s Reformed church, Sun
day night at 7:30 o’clock, it is an
nounced by the Bluffton Ministerial
association. The sermon will be
livered by Rev. J. A. Weed of
Methodist church.
de
the
COMES DOWN TOWN
busi-
Frank Scott retired Bluffton
ness man and manufacturer who has
been ill at his home on East Kibler
street was sufficiently recovered to
come down town, Monday. Mr. Scott,
aged 92 has been a familiar figure to
successive generations of Bluffton
people.
LEAVES FOR ARKANSAS
Chas. F. Miller of South Main
street who was recently employed by
the Bigley Electric company of Find
lay left Thursday morning for
Blytheville, Ark., where the Findlay
firm is constructing a rural electrifi
cation project.
that
also have three other REA
under construction in
the country.
They
projects
part of
ENROUTE HOME
and Mrs. A. J. B. Longs-
Supt.
dorf, Misses Levada Balmer and
Sevila Bixel and Sidney Stettler,
teachers in the Bluffton schools, are
expected to return the latter part of
this week from a motor trip to
California.
They left the latter part of June
for San Francisco where they atend
ed the National Education associa
tion convention, visited the fair and
other points of interest enroute.
the Stratton home the Morrison bro
thers flew quite low over the neigh
borhood and residents of the district
were fearful that the airship was in
difficulty and might crash.
Unable to '■ight a suitable landing
field, the brothers flew to Findlay
where they left their plane at the
air port and came to the Stratton
home
by automobile.
the following day they took
mother to Findlay, and she
by plane with them to Salem,
On
their
went
Ill., where they are engaged in drill
ing for oil. From Salem Mrs. Mor
rison w’ent on to her home in Tulsa.
rHE BLUFFTON NEWS
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1939
Radio interference that pesky
trouble that arises in the most inter
esting part of your favorite program,
may be eliminated if you will notify
the Bluffton Radio club w’hich is
making a campaign to eliminate in
terference caused by faulty electrical
connections.
The local radio club, consisting of
a group of amateurs, many of whom
could qualify as experts, has offered
its services without charge to elim
inate as far as possible interference
in Bluffton and vicinity.
Harold Solt, president of the Radio
club here has named Maynard
Geiger chairman of the committee to
handle this work and any radio set
POSTAL RECEIPTS
SET NEW MARK
Record Year With Sales
$25,737 Reported by
Post Office
Aggregate Receipts Show Gain
For Fifth Consecutive
Year Here
Postal receipts in Bluffton reached
new-all-time high during the last
fiscal year, w’hen the local office tran
sacted business amounting to $25,
737.38.
a
The aggregate represented a gain
of $1,356.68 over the preceding year
when the previous high'mark of $24,
380,70 was establkhu d. It marked
fifth consecutive year in which postal
receipts have shown a gain since
Postmaster Ed R. Reichenbach took
office in 1934.
The complete breakdown was as fol
lows: First quarter, $5,442.73 sec
ond quarter, $7,720.06 third quarter,
$6,761.64 and fourth quarter $5,812.
95.
That the gain in receipts is contin
uing was seen in the postmaster’s re
port that June, 1939, the last month
included in the fiscal report, showed
a gain of $190.16 over June in the
preceding year. This year’s receipts
in June aggregated $1,913.97,
those of last June $1,723.81.
FRESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
Radio Interference? Radio Club
Here Will Help You Eliminate It
AlASIA
Land of Midnight Sun—Glaciers and Bathing Beaches—Busy
Industrial Centers and Ghost Towns—Visited by
Newspaper
Sales were heaviest in the second
quarter of the last fiscal year, Post
master Reichenbach reported. This
represents the months of October,
November and December, a period in
which receipts aggregated $7,720.06.
and
Former College
Students Married
Announcement has been made of
the wedding of Miss Margaret Ber
ger of Amherst and Richard Thutt
of Elida, former Bluffton college
students.
The wedding took place at Am
herst, Saturday in the presence of
immidate families and close friends.
The bride is a graduate of Bluff
ton college in the class of 1936. Mr.
Thutt, a member of the same class
spent three years in college here
and then transferred to Ohio State
university where he was graduated.
He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. B. F.
Thutt of Elida.
The couple will reside in Lima
where he is employed at the plant
the Solar Refining company.
of
Argentine Youth At
Meter Plant Here
Teo DeGrand Pre, of Buenos Aires,
Argentina, twenty-year-old son of T.
C. DeGrand Pre, sales representative
for The Triplett Electrical Instru
ment Co. in Argentina and Brazil,
arrived in Bluffton last week to work
at the plant of the company for a
short time.
After obtaining a working knowl
edge of the products of the concern
he will return to South America
where he will be associated with his
father in furthering the sale of
Bluffton-made instruments and test
ers.
He was accompanied here last
week by his father, who has been in
Bluffton on several previous occa
sions. Mr. DeGrand Pre, senior, also
expects to visit in Bluffton again
before returning to the southern
continent.
BUMPER CORN CROP IS MATURING EARLY
owner troubled with this type in
terference is invited to notify Geiger
or any member of the club or drop
a postal card addressed to the club.
The municipal electric light plant
is cooperating with the radio club
in the project and the Board of Pub
lic Affairs has loaned the club a di
rectional type radio receiver to lo
cate the source of interference which
has recently reached major propor
tions.
Any interference found in city
lines will be corrected by the muni
cipal plant here. If interference is
caused by privately owned equip
ment recommendations will be made
to the owner as to how it may be
corrected.
Publishers
of
By B. F. Biery
Alaska—a strange land of contra
dictions—land of the midnight sun—
of glaciers and bathing beaches—of
thriving industrial cities and ghost
towns, gaunt specters of the day of
the ’98 gold rush—a land abounding
in fish, game, minerals, a veritable
treasure trove of natural resources
w’hich has only in comparatively re
cent years been appreciated by the
public which previously thought of it
as a barren, inhospitable and deso
late region.
This w’as the country in which
Mrs. Biery and myself were privi
leged to visit during the past month
with members of the National Edi
torial association comprising some
250 newspaper publishers and their
wives. The trip, a twenty-three day
tour, covered more than 10,000 miles.
The special invitation for the com
bined cruise and convention to Alas
ka was extended to the National
Editorial Association at their annual
convention at Sulphur Springs, West
Virginia, last year by the newspaper
men and officials of Alaska. The
vitation was heartily endorsed
Alaska’s governor, J. W. Troy.
(Continued on page 2)
in
by
Hold Model Airplane
Flight Contest Sunday
About 15 gasoline powered model
airplanes will compete in a Bluffton
district contest at 4 p. m. next Sun
day at the Homer Gratz farm, south
west of Bluffton.
Rubber powered smaller planes
also will be flown in the air shows
the first of its kind to be held here.
Description of the flights will be
made over an amplifying system.
Prizes to be aw’arded winners in
the contest have been made possible
through the cooperation of 11
ness men sponsoring the air
No charge will be made for
wishing to view the events.
busi
meet.
those
group
num-
Bluffton has an aggressive
of model airplane enthusiasts
bering more than 30 and there are
more gasoline powered planes in the
town than in either Lima or Find
lay, both of which are much larger.
this
fol
gas
Zip-
The prize list, announced
week by James Basinger, is as
lows: First prize, Howard DG8
model kit second prize, Comet
per kit third prize, Sevison coil
fourth prize, pair of Voit wheels
fifth prize, Austin air timer.
Sponsors of the contest includes
Midway Fountain, Sidney’s Drug
shop, Bixel Motor Sales, Kib’s News
Stand, Fett’s hardware, Steiner &
Huser, Lape’s Dry Goods, Neu Art
Studio, Citizens National bank, Gred
ings hardware, and Basingers Fur
niture store.
Entrance in the contest is restrict
ed to residents of Bluffton or vicin
ity. Marion Burkholder is is charge
of entries.
Kohli Named State
Fair Sheep Judge
Hiram Kohli, residing north of
Bluffton has been named one of the
judges of sheep exhibits at the Ohio
State fair this summer. He will
judge exhibits in the Merino class.
Kohli is one of the leading breed
ers of Merino sheep and has for
many years been an exhibitor in
state and county fairs. He has also
exported breeding stock to South
American sheep raisers.
TAX COLLECTOR COMING
A deputy from the Allen county
treasurer’s office will be at the Citiz
ens Nationa bank on Monday’ and
Tuesday, Aug. 7 and 8, to receive
real estate taxes now due.
Stand in Bluffton District Ten
Days to Two Weeks Ahead
of Schedule
Corn Cutting will Start Next
Month on Farms in North
western Ohio
A bumper com crop from ten days
to two w’eeks ahead of the usual grow
ing schedule, is maturing in the Bluff
ton district. The yield this year is
Title for the largest wheat yield
per acre claimed last week by
Orange township goes to Rich
land township this week. Melvin
Hilty, residing west of Bluffton
turned in a yield of 34 bushels
per acre, topping the season’s
previous high mark of 33 bushels.
expected to be equal to
banner crop, according
prospects.
last year’s
to present
tassel and
With the com now in
“shooting ears” farmers here are con
fidently predicting that com cutting
(Continued on page 8)
AGAIN
IS RELIEF UNIT
Cases Now in Richland
Four
Clerk of Board of Trustees
Reports
Total to be Cared for Expected
To be More Than Double
In Winter
After seven years of relief ad
ministration that passed in turn thru
the hands of the federal government,
the state and the county, responsi
bility for the care of the indigent
came back again to the hands of
Richland township trustees last
week.
When the township’s relief load
was taken over by the trustees, they
found there were four cases for
which they were to be responsible,
according to N. W. Basinger, town
ship clerk.
This figure undoubtedly will rep
resent the low point of the year,
Basinger said. During winter months
relief cases are usually double or
triple this number. Of the four now
(Continued on page 8)
Announce Addition
To College Faculty
Dr. M. C. Lehman, instructor at
Goshen college, Goshen, Ind., for sev
eral years, will be a member of the
Bluffton college faculty this fall, it
was announced last week by the col
lege administrative office.
Dr. Lehman will serve as professor
of philosophy and psychology, and
in addition may teach in the depart
ment of Biblical education.
Dr. Lehman received his Ph. D.
degree from Yale university, with a
major in philosophy. His past ex
perience also includes several years
as a missionary in India.
Two members of last year’s staff
already have left the college, it was
announced. Harvey Beidler has gone
to Celina as chief engineer of the
municipal power plant, and Rev. G.
T. Soldner is affiliated with an in
vestor's syndicate.
Lions Hear Talk
On Photography
Amateur photography, its phenom
enal rise and significance were dis
cussed by Prof. H. J. Singer of
Bowling Green university in an
after-dinner address before the
Lions club here Tuesday night at
the Walnut grill.
The meeting was first in the new’
year of the Lions club and the in
coming president Fred Getties out
lined policies and objectives of the
organization.
Orphans Home Band
To Present Concert
Appearing in an evening concert,
band from the orphans home main
tained in Ft. Wayne by the Reformed
and Evangelical churches will play
on the Emanuel’s Reformed church
grounds at 8 p. m. Thursday of
of next week.
a
The band will be presented here
under auspices of the Brotherhood
of the St. Johns and Emanuel’s
churches. Members of the congre
gations of both churches are invited.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live and
Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 12
TWO KILLED IN
HIGHWAY CRASH
Mishap Near Beaverdam Fatal
To Chicago Mother and
Her Daughter
Father In Bluffton Hospital
After Car Crashes Into
Concrete Abutment
A Chicago mother and her 12-year
old daughter met instant death at
2:30 o’clock last Friday afternoon
when the automobile in which they
were riding crashed into a concrete
abutment a mile and one-half east of
Beaxerdam on the Lincoln highway.
Rose Rifkin, 12, was killed instant
ly and her mother, Mrs. Benjamin
Rifkin, 38, died soon after, before she
could be moved.
Benjamin Rifkin, 50 husband and
father of the two victims, was serious
ly hurt and will be confined in the
Bluffton hospital for at least another
week with lacerations on the head and
body and three fractured ribs.
Enroute Home
The mishap occurred on the Lincoln
highway, one-fourth mile east of the
Phillips school, six miles southwest
of Bluffton, as the family was return
ing to their home in Chicago after
visiting relatives in Philadelphia and
Newark, N. J., and viewing the New
York World’s fair.
Rifkin, w’ho was driving, is believed
to have lost control of the car, and
a report by the state highway patrol
indicates the vehicle struck a guard
rail and skidded 60 feet before crash
ing into the concrete abutment of the
bridge.
Coroner Burt Hibbard reported that
State Highw’ay Patrolman Charles
Cain stopped Rifkin about five miles
from where the crash occurred and
warned him to “slow’ down.” This,
Cain said, had occurred only a few'
minutes before the fatal crash.
Car Demolished
After the mishap the car was turn
ed around and headed east, with the
right side demolished. All three oc
cbpantst were thrown’ from W vehicle.
Coroner Hibbard said Mrs. Rifkin
suffered a crushed chest and a broken
right thigh. Her daughter received a
fractured skull, a broken right jaw
and her left arm was severed, being
found in a ditch almost 100 feet from
the automobile.
Bodies of the two victims were re
moved to the Diller funeral home here
and then taken to Toledo and cremat
ed at the Woodlawn cemetery Sunday.
The bodies were accompanied to To
ledo by Mr. and Mrs. Dave Stein, of
Philadelphia, Mrs. Rifkin’s brother
and wife, and her sister and husband
of Newark, N. J.
Show Pictures Here
Of Hawaiian Islands
William Geiger, of Hawaii, form
erly of near Bluffton, who is spend
ing the summer here will show pic
tures of the islands at the First Men
nonite church on Thursday night,
July 27 at 8:15 o’clock.
Showing of the pictures will be in
connection with a meeting
Men’s Brotherhood of the
and the public is invited.
of the
church
arrived
Mr. and Mrs. Geiger who
here last month will leave the first
week in August, returning to
where he is an instructor
schools. Mrs. Geiger the
Miss Magdalene Frankhouser
ton is a Bluffton college graduate.
Hawaii
in the
former
of Dal-
Preceding the showing of pictures,
members of the Men’s Brotherhood
will enjoy a hamburger fry at the
outdoor grill at the home of Paul
Diller on South Main street.
Will Teach In City
Schools At Marion
Miss Mae Belle Amstutz of this
place has been employed as home
economics instructor in the schools
at Marion, according
ceived here from C.
superintendent of that
to word re
A. Hudson,
place.
resigned her
Miss Amstutz has
position at Eden Centralized school,
Upper Sandusky, w’here she has been
employed since graduating from Ohio
State university two years ago.
Band Concert On
Sunday Afternoon
An ojen air hand concert will be
given on the Bluffton college campus
Sunday afternoon at 3:30 o’clock.
The band directed by Prof. Sidney
Hauenstein will consist of about 35
members and is composed of college
and high school students and others
home for the summer vacation. The
public is invited.