The Bluffton news. [volume], January 18, 1940, Image 1

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BLUFFTON NEWS
The Advertising Medium for
Bluffton Trade Territory
VOLUME NO. LXIV
TURBINE ARRIVES
AT LIGHT PLANT
Thirty Ton Unit Shipped in Two
Freight Cars is LTnloaded
Saturday
Concrete Foundation Now Under
Construction to be Finished
Next Month
Bluffton’s 750 K. W. turbo-genera
tor recently purchased by the Board
of Public Affairs was unloaded Sat
urday at the municipal light and
power plant where it is expected to
be put in operation about the middle
of April for the generation of electric
current.
It was shipped to Bluffton from
State College, Pa., in two box cars.
Aggregate weight of the turbine is
approximately 30 tons.
Foundation for the unit will be
completed in about three weeks, after
which the turbo-generator will be put
in place and adjusted by Westing
house engineers.
Concrete foundation for the gen
erator will be 12 feet deep, and will
be sunk one foot into the rock to
give adequate support for the heavy
unit.
Plant’s First Turbine
Installation of the equipment will
(Continued on page 8)
Bluffton. May Get
9-Hole Golf Course
Initial steps in a movement to as
sure a golf course for Bluffton and
the surrounding area were taken at
a meeting Monday night in Patter
son’s Barber shop.
Committees were named to solicit
membership, and more than half of
the quota needed to assure the pro
ject already have subscribed.
Outlook for the program appears
bright, and present plans call for
the construction of a nine-hole course
on the F. E. Wenger farm, two
miles south of town on the Dixie
highway.
Educator To Speak
At Vesper Service
“Some Differences Between Major
and Minor League Players”, will be
the subject of an address by Dr.
Wilbur Miller of Columbus who will
address the Bluffton college vesper
service in the chapel, Sunday after
noon' at 3 o’clock. Dr. Miller is as
sistant superintendent of the Colum
bus schools. Special music will be
provided by the College Vesper choir.
Thompson Returned
To Cemetery Board
J. A. Thompson, whose term as
trustee of Maple Grove cemetery ex
pired at the end of December was
re-appointed as a member of the
cemetery board by Mayor W. A.
Howe, Monday night. The appoint
ment, for a term of six years was
confirmed by the council. Other
members of the board are E. L. Dil
ler and Mrs. W. E. Diller.
Union Twp. Couple
Wed Sunday Morning
Edmund W. Hummon and Miss
Blanche N. Fisher, both of Union
township, were married Sunday
morning at 9 o’clock at the home of
Rev. G. W. Lilly of Port Clinton.
The ring service was read in the
presence of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth
Hummon of Toledo and Mrs. Lilly
who witnessed the ceremony.
The officiating minister was a
former pastor of the Rawson United
Brethren charge and the Hummons
were members of the Peasant View
church.
Mr. Hummon, the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Jesse Hummon, is employed by
the Ohio Oil company at Findlay.
The bride is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Chas. Fisher. The couple
will reside at the Hummon home for
the present
Sales Tax Man In
Bluffton Jan. 25
A sales tax examiner will be in
Bluffton on Thursday, January 25 at
the Mayor’s office from 9 a. m. to
4 p. m. to assist vendors with their
semi-annual sales tax report for the
period July to December 31, 1939,
it is announced by Frank M. Hlil,
manager of the Lima district office
of the department of taxation.
All vendors must file a report on
or before January 31 or be subject
to $1 a day penalty on delinquent
reports.
.------.-------------------_--------------- _!
Vice President
TpORREST L. Steinman, Bluff
ton lumber dealer who was
elected first vice president of
the Ohio Association of Retail
Lumber Dealers at its annual
convention at the Hotel Biltmore,
in Dayton, Wednesday morning.
Steinman last year was second
vice president of the association.
He is also prominent in Bluffton
civic affairs, being president of
the board of education, past dis
trict governor of the Lions club
and active in Masonic circles.
FARM INSTITUTE
SPEAKERS NAMED
Two-Day Farm Meeting Will Be
Held in Bluffton On Jan.
26 and 27
Four Agricultural Speakers,
Many Other Features on
Program Here
Preparations are nearing comple
tion for Bluffton’s two-day Farm
Institute to be held here Friday and
Saturday, Jan. 26 and 27.
Joint men’s and women’s sessions
will be held on the opening day in
the high school auditorium, with
programs in the morning, afternoon
and evening.
On the second day, separate meet
ings will be held by the two groups.
Men will meet in the auditorium,
and the women in the high school
gymnasium.
Four well known speakers will ap
pear on the two-day program. They
include Clarence Goller, of Ney, De
fiance county Mrs. M. C. Rosselott,
Buford, Highland County J. H. War
ner, Allen county agricultural agent,
and Elam Sutter, Master Farmer,
Pandora.
Officers of the institute organiza
tions include the following:
Men’s Institute—Jesse E. Ander
son, president Albert Augsburger,
vice-president Quinten E. Burkhold
er, secretary-treasurer executive
committee, Harry F. Barnes, Melvin
Zimmerly, Edgar Herr, Chris Gratz,
Albert Geiger and Lloyd Van Meter.
Women’s Institute—Mrs. Lloyd
Van Meter, president Mrs. Russell
Huber, vice-president Mrs. Calvin
Burkholder, secretary executive com
mittee, Mrs. Raymond Stratton, Mrs.
Harry Anderson, Mrs. Charlotte
Marshall and Mrs. Harvey Gratz.
Heart Attack Fatal
To Bluffton Man
Funeral services largely attended
were held at the Ebenezer Mennonite
church Tuesday afternoon for Hiram
Burkholder, 34, Bluffton school bus
driver and clerk at the Kibele news
stand, victim of heart attack.
Mr. Burkholder was found dead at
5 o’clock Sunday morning by his wife
in the bath room of their home on
Spring street. He had complained
Saturday night of feeling ill and had
visited a physician. How’ever he had
been at work daily and his death was
unexpected.
He w’as bom west of Bluffton in
Richland township the son of David
and Lydia (Augsburger) Burkholder.
Another Misconception Blasted—
Eskimos Don’t Live In Ice Igloos
Surviving are his mother his wife,
Martha four children, Joan, Jean,
Donald and David all at home three
brothers C”rus of Beaverdam, Calvin
and Albert of Bluffton and four sis
ters, Mrs. Allen Grismore, Mrs. Ella
ters, Mrs. Cora Grismore, Mrs. La
vina Marquart, Mrs. William Alt
haus and Miss Ella Burkholder, all
of Bluffton.
Rev. P. A. Kliewer, pastor of the
Ebenezer church and Rev. H. T.
Unruh, of the First Mennonite
church, officiated at the funeral
service. Interment was in the
Ebenezer cemetery.
Lions Club Hears Address On
Life and Customs in
Northern Alaska
Former Eskimo Director of
Education is Speaker Also
Shows Pictures
Contrary to popular conception,
Eskimos live in underground huts
rather than in ice igloos, members
of the Bluffton Lions club were told
at a dinner meeting Tuesday night
in the Walnut Grill.
Dr. Clark M. Garber, who spent
10 years as superintendent of Eski
mo education in the Bering Strait
area of Alaska, was the speaker at
the session.
Chief food of the Eskimos is meat
principally that of seal, walrus,
reindeer, moose and bear, the speak
er said. Clothing is fashioned from
the skins of fur-bearing animals.
Dr. Garber told the club the area
in which he was stationed was the
cradle of the Northwest Indian race.
First inhabitants in Alaska are be
lieved to have crossed the Bering
Straits from Asia. Those who set
tled there eventually evolved into the
present Eskimos, and those who
went farther south became the fore
runners of the northwest Indian
tribes.
Alaska is of tremendous strategic
and industrial importance to the
United States. Rich mineral depos
its make the area a valuable acqui
sition to any country, and for that
reason it is being eyed with desire
by over-populated Asiatic nations.
Realization of the situation on the
part of the United States govern
ment is evidenced by extensive work
on fortifications in the last few
years, Dr. Garber pointed out, the
first erected since this country pur
chased the land from Russia.
In connection with his lecture, Dr.
Garber showed pictures illustrating
Eskimo life and Eskimo customs.
A unique phase of his w’ork in
Alaska as educational superintend
ent was the fact that a part of his
duties also included supervision of
the reindeer. It was under his di
rection that a count of all deer was
taken.
Remains Brought
Here For Burial
Remains of Mrs. Bertha Greding
Rhoda, 66, of Lima, a former Bluff
ton resident, were brought here for
burial in Maple Grove cemetery Sun
day afternoon following funeral
services held at the First Reformed
church in Lima.
Mrs. Rhoda died Thursday after
noon at Lima Memorial hospital
where she had been a patient since
December 25 when she suffered a
broken hip as the result of a fall
at her home.
She was born in New Philadelphia,
the daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Peter
Greding but spent most of her child
hood in Bluffton where her father
was for many years minister of the
Reformed congregations here and
prominent in affairs of his denom
ination.
She moved to Lima thirty-six
years years ago. In 1919 she was
married to William Rhoda of Lima
who died three years later
Surviving are her brother, L. T.
Greding of Bluffton and three sis
ters, Mrs. Wm. Huber of Ada, Mrs.
Noah Diller of Bluffton and Miss
Amelia Greding of Lima.
Substitute Drives
School Bus Route
Eldon Tscheigg, substitute school
bus driver, has taken over the duties
of Hiram Burkholder, regular driver,
who died suddenly at his home on
Spring street, Sunday morning.
Tscheigg began his duties as driver
on the route Monday morning. He
will continue as substitute driver on
the route until action is taken by the
board of education in the appoint
ment of a regular driver. The next
scheduled meeting of the board is on
February 12.
With Tscheigg driving Burkholder’s
route, A. E. Oyer, janitor at the Grade
school building is the only remaining
substitute driver in the employ of the
board here. Indications the first of
the week were that the board at its
next meeting will consider the mat
ter of employing additional substitute
drivers.
VISITS IN FLORIDA
Mrs. Florence Bogart of South
Jackson street is making an extend
ed visit at the home of her son,
Oscar Bogart and family in Orlando,
Florida.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INT ERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1940
HDNOR BLUFFTON
LUMBER DEALER
Forrest Steinman Elected First
Vice President of State
Association
Convention with 2,000 in At
tendance Takes Action at
Dayton Wednesday
Forrest L. Steinman, Bluffton lum
ber dealer and prominent in civic
affairs here was elected first vice
president of the Ohio Association of
Retail Lumber Dealers at the annual
convention of the association at Day
ton, Wednesday morning. Sessions
of the convention are being held at
the Biltmore hotel in that city.
Mr. and Mrs. Steinman left Tues
day night for Dayton to attend the
three day session of the convention.
They are expected to return home
Friday night.
The state association which has
elevated the Bluffton man to the
(Continued on page 8)
SPRING IS PLAN
Operations Expected to Start in
District Leased North
Of Bluffton
Leaseholders Now Have Two
Wells Producing Near Du
pont, Putnam County
Drilling for oil is expected to be
started early this spring in a district
four miles north of Bluffton where
some of the first oil was found in
this area nearly half a century ago.
Bowling Green and New* York in
terests last fall leased the oil rights
to 685 acres of farm land in Putnam
and Hancock counties north of the
Amstutz cannery on the College road.
Proximity of whiter is said to have
delayed the start of oil drilling last
fall, but word this jveek^indicated
operations will get under wray early
in the spring.
Leaseholders of the prospective
field near Bluffton now have two pro
ducing w’ells near Dupont in the
northwest corner of Putnam county,
approximately 35 miles from here.
Oil was first found about 45 years
ago in the 685-acre tract, leased in
the vicinity of the Amstutz cannery
last fall, and drilling in the spring
will re-open an old field here.
The search for oil in the abandon
ed field is said to be a part of a
nation-wide movement, w’hich finds
operators leasing and drilling in
fields which half a century ago were
not considered good enough to pump.
Changed conditions, including much
better prices, are believed to make
the pumping of such fields profitable
in these days, and as a result old
fields are being re-opened all over
the country.
Today crude oil brings approxi
mately 90 cents a barrel, in contrast
to the price range prevailing 50
years ago when 15 cents a barrel
was paid. In addition oil can nowr
be marketed near home and trans
portation facilities are much improv
ed.
Woman, 82, Is
Great Great
Grandmother
giRTH of a son last week to
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Runser
of Ada makes Mrs. Rilla Mar
shall, 82 year old Bluffton wo
man, a great great grandmother,
the oldest of a five generation
line.
Mrs. Marshall was the mother
of the late Mrs. Ira Troxel who
in turn was the mother of Mrs.
Ralph Patterson. Mrs. Patterson
is the mother of Mrs. Runser,
the former Miss Maxine Patter
son of this place.
Besides her great great grand
son, Mrs. Marshall was the
mother of five children, grand
mother of 14 and also great
grandmother of 14 children.
HIGH MASONIC DEGREE
George Klay and Harold Wenger
left Tuesday for Toledo where they
are receiving the Scottish Rite
thirty-second degree in the Masonic
order. They will return Friday.
Both are members of the Bluffton
Masonic lodge.
Bluffton’s contribution to the na
tional campaign to fight infantile
paralysis in connection with the
President’s Birthday party on Jan.
30 will consist of the sale of “March
of Dimes” buttons sponsored by the
local Lions club.
Buttons will be for sale in the
business places of the town and the
public schools from now until the
close of the month.
Two days will be set aside for
pushing sale of the buttons on the
streets, Fred Getties, president of the
Lions announced. Members of the
Eastern Star To Hol
Meeting
Sixteen Chapters to Send Dele
gations Here for Annual
Session
Some 250 Members to Attend
Instruction in Ritualistic
Work
Delegations from sixteen Eastern
Star chapters will be in Bluffton to
attend the annual meeting of the
Eighth Ohio district to be held in
the high school gymnasium, Satur
day morning and afternoon.
About 250 members of the order
are expected here for the sessions
which will consist largely of a school
of instruction in the ritualistic work
of the order.
Chapters which will be represent
ed here include Lima, Ottawa, Will
shire, Van Wert, Delphos, Paulding,
Kalida, Antwerp, Lafayette, Payne,
Continental, Spencerville, Ohio City,
Columbus Grove, Leipsic and Bluff
ton.
Mrs. Gwladus Thomas of Niles,
Worthy Grand Matron of the order
will deliver the principal address at
the afternoon sessions. Other state
officers who will be here include
Mrs. Lois Ridenour of Delphos,
grand representative Mrs. Netta
Sullivan of Lima, grand warder and
Mrs. Bessie Tickle of Willshire,
deputy grand matron.
A. J. B. Longsdorf, superintend
ent of schools will deliver tKe'weL
come address at the morning session
which will open at 9:30 o’clock. Re
sponse will be by Mrs. Ilo Parker of
Van Wert. The afternoon session
I will open at 1:30 o’clock.
Give Adult Course
In Home Problems
The first of a series of discussions
and demonstrations on problems re
lated to homemaking will be held
Monday night at 7:30 o’clock at the
home economics rooms at the high
school.
At this time the subjects for dis
cussion and the duration of the
course will be decided by a majority
vote of those enrolling.
Edythe Cupp, vocational home ec
onomics instructor at the school will
lead the first discussion on the topic
“You are What you Eat”.
Enrollment is open to all over
School age interested in home prob
lems.
Births
The following births at the Bluff
ton hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Gratz, a
daughter, Martha Faith, Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Nile Murray, a
daughter, Marilyn Marie, Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Burry of
Findlay, a daughter, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Schutz of
Pandora, a daughter, Virginia Mae,
Thursday
Word has been received here of
the birth of a son, Eugene Lewfis,
to Mr. and Mrs. Leo Schetter at
Mercy hospital, Tiffin, Jan. 7. Mrs.
Schetter was formerly Miss Thelma
Griffith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Esmond Griffith south of Bluffton.
“March Of Dimes” Buttons Sold
Under Auspices Of Lions Club
Ushered in by biting winter winds,
near-zero temperatures are prevail
ing in the Bluffton district this week.
High winds Sunday, which blew
off branches of trees and caused
other minor damage preceded tem
peratures which dropped to around
ten degrees above zero the first of
the week, accompanied by snowfall.
A further drop of the mercury to a
minimum of six above zero was re
corded Wednesday morning.
Sharp Winter Winds And Near
Zero Weather Sweep District
club will sell pins in the downtown •,
area on January 25 and 26 during
the two-day meeting of the Farm
Institute here.
Buttons are sold in most small
towns this year because of the diffi
culty of arranging birthday balls
where attendance will be restricted.
All proceeds go toward fighting in
fantile paralysis.
Details of sale of buttons wil be
handled by the activities and finance
committees of the Lions. Chairman
of the two units are Woodrow Little
and Homer Gratz.
District
In Bluffton Saturday
COUNCIL STUDIES
FIREWORKS BAN
Two Ordinances Under Consid
eration Ban Sale, Shooting
Of Fireworks
Council Likely Will Decide On
Future Policy at Next
Regular Meeting
Ordinances banning the sale and
discharge of fireworks in Bluffton
next Fourth of July are being consid
ered by the municipal council, and fi
nal decision in the matter is expected
to be reached at the next regular
meeting of the group in three weeks.
At last Monday’s session the council
requested City Solicitor Francis Dur
bin to prepare an ordinance banning
the sale of fireworks, and another pro
hibiting shooting or discharging fire
works in the town.
Each ordinance will be considered
separately by the council, it was indi
cated at Monday’s meeting.
Prohibiting the sale of fireworks
here will be considered first when the
matter next is brought up, and it has
been intimated that of the two or
dinances it has the better prospect of
being approved.
I
Seek Public Reaction
I Under present*' circumstances there
1 is no certainty that either ordinance
will be put into effect and it appears
that the council is principally interest
ed in sounding out public opinion on
the question.
Town officials said, however, that
there is quite a bit of sentiment fav
oring a ban on local sale of fireworks.
Prohibiting use of fireworks in the
town may not be as well supported.
Last year there was said to have
been some objection to the mayor’s
request that discharge of fireworks be
confined to the residential district.
Many residents felt that if fireworks
were sold in the business district it
was unfair to have their discharge in
the residential area, Mayor Wilbur A.
Howe told the councimen.
Couple Married In
A rlington Friday
Wedding of Miss Bettye Mumma
of Bluffton and Raymond Walters of
Pandora took place in Arlington,
Friday night at 8 o’clock at the
home of the officiating minister, Rev.
L. B. Remaley, pastor of the Bluff
ton Church of Christ. The couple
was unattended.
The nuptial service was read by
Rev. Remaley using the single ring
ceremony. The bride was attired
for the occasion in dark blue crepe
and wore a corsage of talsiman
roses. Following the ceremony the
couple left Saturday for a week end
wedding trip to Cleveland.
The bride, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Gail Mumma, was graduated
from Bluffton high school in the
class of 1936 and is employed at the
Triplett plant here.
Mr. Walters, son of Mr. and Mrs.
John Walters of Pandora, is a grad
uate of Pandora high school and is
employed aS truck driver by a pro
duce firm at that place.
Annual Meeting Of
Farmers Grain Co.
Annual meeting of the Farmers
Grain company stockholders and in
vited guests will be held at the
Walnut Grill this Wednesday night.
Business of the meeting will include
election of directors and receiving of
yearly reports.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live and a
Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 38
RICHLAND FARM
INSURANCE MEET
Mutual Association Carries
Risks Aggregating $2,192,
905 in This Area
Policies in Force Number 531,
Report Shows Veteran
Officer Retires
Insurance risks aggregating more
than two million dollars are carried by
the Richland Township Farmers Mu
tual Insurance Co., a rural mutual or
ganization operating in the Bluffton
area.
Report of business transacted by the
company in 1939 was made at the an
nual meeting in Bluffton last Satur
day 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 $2,192,
905. This represents a gain of $233,
000 over the preceding year when
risks were $1,948,265.
531 Policy in Force
A total of 531 policies are in force,
42 more than in 1939.
Elmer Lauby was elected as a new
member of the board of directors for
a three-year term at last Saturday’s
meeting. He takes the place of Peter
Matter, veteran officer, who is serious
ly ill at his home in Bluffton.
Other directors serving unexpired
terms are Eli Augsburger and Jacob
Schick.
Officers elected for this year in
clude: Eli Augsburger, president Ja
cob Schick, vice-president Earl Mat
ter, secretary H. .Huber, treasurer,
and Charles Lora, appraiser.
Organized in 1885
Altho the Richland township com
pany does not include professional in
surance men in its directorate, it has
continued in operation successfully
for more than a half a century. The
society was oganized in 1885 for the
primary purpose of insuring farm
property on a mutual basis.
Business originally was conducted
in a comparative restricted neighbor
hood but in the last decade or so op
erations have been generally extend
ed to include surrounding counties.
Legion To Sponsor
“Jamboree”, Feb. 7
Cast of the “Boone County Jam
boree”, headline WLW radio attrac
tion, will appear in Bluffton on Wed
nesday night, Feb. 7 in the high
school gymnasium, it was announced
the first of the week by officers of
the Bluffton post of the American
Legion which is sponsoring their ap
pearance here.
The cast will be headed by “Lazy
Jim” Day in person, well known to
radio fans who tune in on weekly
Saturday night programs.
With The Sick
Chas. Mangus is a patient in the
Bluffton hospital with a broken
right hip which he received in a fall
at his home on Railroad street, Fri
day.
Irvin Steiner, son of E. P. Steiner
east of Bluffton, is in the hospital at
Willoughby, near Cleveland, with an
attack of pneumonia. His condition
is reported improving.
Dr. S. K. Mosiman, president
emeritus of Bluffton college, a pa
tient at the hospital here is some
what improved.
Peter Matter continues seriously
ill at his home on Spring street.
Mrs. Harvey Beidler who recently
underwent an operation at the
Bluffton hospital is convalescing at
her home on South Jackson street.
Miss Sylvia Fett who has been a
patient in the Bluffton hospital is
convalescing at the home of her
sister, Mrs. Willis Welty on South
Main street
Jesse Hummon whose left forearm
was badly injured when caught in a
com shredder four weeks ago has
been removed from the Bluffton hos
pital to his home in Union township
where he is convalescing.
Condition of Mrs. G. T. Soldner,
critically ill at her home on Cherry
street, remains unchanged.
ENROUTE TO CALIFORNIA
Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Worthington
who left here in December on a
motor trip to St. Petersburg, Florida,
are now enroute to Los Angeles, ac
cording to word received here the
first of the week.
LEAVE FOR FLORIDA
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Deppler of
South Main street have left for St.
Petersburg, Florida, w’here they will
spend the winter.