The Bluffton news. [volume], June 27, 1940, Image 1

About The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current

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BLUFFTON NEWS
The Advertising Medium for
Bluffton Trade Territory
VOLUME NO. LXV
46 TO TAKE TEST
FOR RURAL MAIL
CARRIER THURSDAY
Examination to be Held at High
School Building in Morning
At 8:30 O’clock
Two Jobs at Postoffice Here
Will be Filled from Com
petitive List
Forty-six Bluffton area aspirants
will crowd the Bluffton High school
study hall Thursday morning to take
the civil sen-ice examination for two
rural mail carriers’ positions which
will be open at the local post office
within the next year.
The competitive examination will
start at 8:30 a. m., and those ranking
highest will head a certified list from
which appointments to the jobs w-ill
be named. Everyone taking the ex
amination must receive his mail from
Bluffton.
Rural carriers’ jobs are among the
highest salaried at the Bluffton post
office, and among those seeking the
two appointments are local business
men .teachers, college students and
postoffice employes.
46 Qualify
Only those presenting admission
cards can take the examination. These
cards have been sent from the Civil
Service Commission at Washington,
D. C„ to the 46 who qualified in pre
liminary applications filed two weeks
ago.
Papers of those competing will be
graded in Washington, and the regis
ter of the standing determined by the
examination will be in effect for at
least three years. Only rural carriers
jobs will be filled from the register,
however, and should other vacancies
occur at the post office there will be
another examination.
Ralph Stearns, assistant postmast
er here and secretary of the local
board of U. S. Civil Service examin
ers, will be in charge of the examin
ation. The study room in which the
examination is to be given is adjac
ent to the library-.
Vacancy in Fall
First vacancy on Bluffton’s rural
routes will be next fall when G. R.
Bogart retires. Clyde Yerger, car
rier on the other rural route, also is
to reach retirement age within the
next year.
Appointments to both positions will
be made from the list of eligibles cer
tified by the Civil Service Commis
sion following this week’s examina
tion.
Salary of rural route carries is $1,
800 annually for a 30-mile route, with
$20 annually additional for each extra
mile. Bluffton’s two routes are 62
and 67 miles each. In addition to the
salary an allowance also is made for
maintenance and equipment.
Local Man Treasurer
Of Ohio Church Group
Richard Mumma of Bluffton was
named treasurer of the newly or
ganized Ohio Presbyterian Youth
Synod council which was formed at
Wooster, Tuesday.
The youth group, patterned after
the adult synod now in session in
Wooster is designed to infuse a
youth viewpoint into church affairs
has the endorsement of the adult
body.
Organization of the Ohio youth
synod council Tuesday, marks the
ninth Presbyterian synod to adopt
this plan. It is planned that the
youth group shall conduct its affairs
and plan cooperation with the adult
church group with only a minimum
of supervision from the older body.
It will meet annually at the same
time and place of as the regular
synod.
The youth body as organized Tues
day represents 7,766 young people of
twelve of the fourteen Ohio Presby
teries. The group is making plans
to include a potential membership of
20,000.
Other officers elected Tuesday
were: Moderator, Ralph Kipp, Cin
cinnati vice moderator, Geo. Cole,
Toledo clerk, Olive Jones, Alliance.
Commission chairmen are: Faith and
life, Harold Sauer, Middlepoint mis
sions, Dorothy Endsley, Coshocton
social education and action, Arthur
Smith, East Liverpool stewardship,
Margaret Stainthorpe, Montpelier.
Swift’s Heretics
In Swift’s “Guliiver’s Travels,”
the Bigendians w-ere a party in the
empire of LlUiput, who made it a
matter of conscience to break their
eggs at the big end. They were
looked on as heretics by the ortho
dox party, who broke theirs at the
little end.
Post Office Men
Hook Big Bass
In Buckeye Lake
T1LUFFTON anglers are not
particularly superstitious, but
there is apparently some mys
terious affinity between post
office employes and big bass—
anyway here are the facts:
Gene Benroth. auxiliary clerk
carrier in the Bluffton postoffice
caught a 20 inch small mouth
bass at Buckeye lake, Sunday
afternoon using a fly rod with
chub minnow for bait. The fish
weighed 3 pounds and 9 ounces.
Robert Sommers, assistant
postmaster at Pandora, also fish
ing at the Buckeye last Sunday
hooked a 13 inch rock bass mea
suring 11*4 inches in girth.
Sommers used a softshell craw
fish for bait.
FORMER COLLEGE
STUDENT FATALLY
INJURED IN CRASH
Clyde Eigsti is Third to Die in
Auto-Truck Accident at
Montpelier
Succumbs in Hospital with
Fractured Skull and
Broken Back
Clyde Eigsti, 23, student in Bluff
ton college until the 1939 spring
term, died Saturday night in a
Wauseon hospital, the result of in
juries received Friday evening in an
automobile crash at Montpelier, O.
Eigsti’s home was in Flanagan,
Ill., but he had been working in
Pioneer, O., as truck driver for a
bakery. He was a student in Bluff
ton college during the 1935-36 and
1936-37 terms, and also was enrolled
for the first semester of the 1938-39
term.
Eigsti was driving the truck near
Montpelier when it was involved in
a collision with the automobile of
Lyle E. Knepper, 19, also of Mont
pelier. Knepper and his companion,
Miss Ho Mansfield, of Runkle, also
were fatally injured.
Eigsti received a fractured skull
and a broken back in the crash. He
had been working in Pioneer for
about a year and was the fiance of
Miss Pauline Miller, of Pioneer, who
was graduated from Bluffton college
a year ago.
With The Sick
John J. Badertscher who has been
quite ill is improving at his home
on Kibler street.
Albert Vermillion of Orange town
ship has returned to the Cleveland
clinic where he will undergo another
operation.
Word has been received here that
Dr. Peter Epp formerly of this
place is seriously ill in a sanitarium
at Columbus. Dr. Epp who was an
instructor in Bluffton college left
here to accept a position on the
faculty of Ohio State university.
Prof. E. J. Hirschler is spending
several weeks in Toledo taking tieat
ment at Robinwood hospital.
Will Harding, native of Orange
township, is seriously ill at his home
in Ada.
Mrs. Mattie Morrison of West Elm
street is a patient in Bluffton hos
pital.
Quartet Will Sing
On Saturday Night
A program of sacred songs will
be given by the Asbury Radio Male
quartet of Wilmore, Ky., at the Mis
sionary church, Saturday night at
8 o’clock.
The quartet comes here under aus
pices of Asbury College and Theo
logical seminary, it is announced by
the pastor, Rev. A. F. Albro.
Jobs in the Bluffton district were
going begging for someone to fill
them the first of the week as farm
ers sought help for the big cherry
crop in the offing.
With regular farm hands tied up
from dawn to dark trying to handle
the record hay crop or busy culti
vating corn, there is little time to
THE BLUF
What To Do With Record Hay
Crop Is Problem For Farmers
Many Cherry And Berry Picking
Jobs Now In Bluffton District
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INT
Mow Space in Barns Reported
Wholly Insufficient for
Big Harvest
Some Give Away Hay in Field
To Anyone Willing to Har
vest Stand
This year’s hay crop in the Bluff
ton area will be the heaviest in the
memory of the oldest farmers, it was
reported Tuesday by well informed
farm observers.
Plenty of rain and abnormally cool
days have provided excellent growing
weather for hay, and farmers al
ready are attempting to determine
what they will do with the bumper
crops the harvest will bring.
It is a forgone conclusion that
barns will not hold all the hay that
is to be cut this summer, and with
an abudance of forage crops avail
able it was reported this week that
some farmers are offering to give
the product of a part of their fields
free of charge to anyone who will
cut the hay.
Rain, altho beneficial in setting the
stage for bumper yields, also has had
an adverse effect on the first stand
of alfalfa, farm observers reported.
Coarse Alfalfa
Heavy precipitation of the lart
week has prevented harvest of the
first crop of alfalfa when it reached
maturity, with the result that the
stand is rather coarse. Second and
third alfalfa cuttings, however, are
expected to be of top quality, and
will more than make up for the
deficiencies of the first crop.
Timothy and red clover are not
yet ready for cutting, altho in a few
cases harvest has been started. With
the right kind of weather during the
next week, hay making will be in
full swing, however, and bumper
yields are in sight on every farm.
Mow Space Lacking
With an abundance of hay indi
cated, and with some farmers anti
cipating a shortage of mow space,
there were reports this week of
farmers attempting to dispose of
portions of their crops at nominal
prices.
One farmer is reported to have
offered 20 acres of hay for $36, and
in another instance a large quantity
is available to any-one willing to
harvest it.
Cornerstone Laying
On Sunday, July 21
Laying of the cornerstone for
Bluffton’s new $80,000 post office has
been postponed from Sunday, July
14, until Sunday, July 21, it was
announced this week.
An elaborate program for the
cornertsone ceremonies is being plan
ned by the Bluffton Masonic lodge,
which will be in charge of the event.
Bluffton’s downtown area will be
gaily decorated for the day, and
Masonic bodies from the surrounding
district will attend, including lodges
and uniformed Commandery organi
zations.
Local Masonic committees are
working with representatives from
Bluffton educational institutions, the
post office and civic organizations in
planning the cornerstone ceremonies.
W. Dillon Crist, of Alliance, Grand
Master of Ohio Masons, will be here
to lay the cornerstone, and Port
master General James Farley has
been invited to take part in the pro
gram.
In New Locations
Victor Gerber and family of Dal
ton have moved into the John Kohler
property on West Elm street.
Roy- Pogue and family are occupy
ing their new remodeled property on
Jefferson street. Their property at
the corner of North Main and Jeffer
son streets which was purchased by
Fred Gratz will be occupied oy Mr.
Thomas and family w-ho are moving
here from Marietta. Mr. Thomas is
employed at the Buckey-e Pipe Line
company’s pump station near Mt.
Cory.
give to taking care of the bumper
cherry crop which will be ready for
picking within the next few days.
Farmers are offering cherries to
anyone willing to pick on shares, as
was done during the past two weeks
at the height of the strawberry sea
son. Jobs picking gooseberries and
other small fruit are also said to be
available.
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 1940
WINDSTORM DOES
MUCH DAMAGE IN
BLUFFTON AREA
Barns Unroofed, Hayloaders
Upset and Silos Blown
Down in Heavy Storm
Farm District North of Town
Sustains Heaviest Loss
Sunday Evening
A sudden cloudburst accompanied
by a severe electrical storm and a
high wind left a trail of damage in
its wake thru the Bluffton area early
Sunday evening.
Heaviest damage Was Suffered in
the farm district north of Bluffton,
altho a strong wind in the town
ripped off tree limbs and disrupted
electric service in some sections for
about 10 minutes.
Striking about 5:30 p. m., the
storm was of comparatively short
duration, but damage was severe
immediately north and west of Bluff
ton.
Roofs Damaged
At the Ezra Moser farm, sections
of slate roofs were ripped from the
house and an implement shed.
Moser’s barn was about half unroof
ed, and the tin sections torn loose
by the wind were hurled against the
silo causing further damage.
A barn on the Harley Marquart
farm in the path of the storm was
also partially unroofed.
A shingle roof was badly damaged
on the house at the Elam Welty
farm, and several fruit trees were
uprooted.
Two silos were blown down on the
Nelson Diller farm, and windows of
the house were broken.
Silos Blown Down
At the Alden and Cyrus Steiner
farm a silo was blown over and
there was considerable damage to
roofs on the house and other build
ings. Silo on the Menno Schumach
er was considerably damaged.
Windows were blown in at the
house on the Zanna Staater farm,
occupied by Reno Oberly, and also
on the Arthur Badertscher farm.
Hayloaders, which had been left
setting in fields during haying opera
tions, also suffered. Stanley Bixel’s
loader was blown over and damaged.
A loader owned by Dan Badertscher
was wrecked, and Ezra Moser’s was
moved about 300 feet across a field
by the wind, but was not damaged.
Trees Uprooted
Trees were blown down in many
wooded plots, and there was con
siderable damage to orchards over
a wide area.
Quite a number of telephone lines
were down following the storm, in
an area north and west of town. It
required all of Monday and Tuesday
to repair the damage and resume un
interrupted service. Most of the
damage resulted from falling trees
and limbs.
One of the poles on the electric
high tension line running north of
town from the municipal plant also
was blown down near the Henry
Huber farm.
In Bluffton the high wind caused
a short circuit in electric wires out
side the house of Lester Binkley on
Railroad street. Bluffton firemen
were called and soon had the blaze
under control.
Ebenezer Church
Special Services
Special services are announced for
the Ebenezer Mennonite church on
next Sunday night and also Tues
day and Wednesday nights of next
week by the pastor, Rev. P. A. Klie
wer.
On Sunday night at 8:30 o’clock
Rev. and Mrs. E. Hamilton Sturte
vant will give an illustrated lecture
“Heathen America” dealing with
home mission work in rural Amer
ica, principally in Kentucky and New
Jersey.
Next Tuesday and Wednesday
nights a group of four young men,
members of the Students Foreign
Missions Fellowship will conduct
services.
Kenneth Neuenschwander of this
place, student at Columbia Bible col
lege is a member of the group.
Others are Neil Haw-kins, Dallas,
eTxas Thomas Fountain, Moo res
town, N. J., and James Smith,
Wheelersburg, Ohio. All are plan
ning to enter the foreign mission
field.
Parent-Teacher Co-operative
In more and more schools, par
ents are helping teachers to plan
and develop educational experiences
tor their children.
OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
ON NEWS
Her long veil fell in a billowing
of white flowers and she carried a
mass of misty tulle from a coronet
bouquet of orchids and white roses.
The bride’s only accessory was a
strand of pearls with a diamond
clasp, a gift of the groom.
The bridal party stood before a
setting of white gladioli and ferns
against a background of burgundy
velvet drapes.
Preceding the ceremony Mr. H.
Walton Alderfer of Lancaster, Pa.,
(Continued on page 8)
Many Come To Attend
Dedication Of Church
Dedication of the Defenseless Men
nonite church on South Jackson
street was largely attended Sunday
with many coming from a distance
to attend the services held in the
afternoon and evening.
The church, formerly located north
west of Bluffton was moved here
early last spring and has been re
modeled and redecorated. Rev. E. G.
Steiner, the pastor, has served the
congregation for the past ten years.
The dedicatory sermon was deliv
ered in the afternoon by Rev. N. J.
Smucker of Berne, Ind. Elder E. M.
Slagle of Archbold delivered the
evening sermon.
Attends National
Hi-Y Conference
John Stettler, high school senior,
and son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Stettler of North Main street at
tended the third national Hi-Y Con
gress at Oberlin over the week end.
He represented the Bluffton Hi-Y
club at the conferences attended by
upwards of 1,000 students.
Mr. and Mrs. M. M. Murray left
Monday night by train for Phila
delphia where they will attend the
Republican National convention to
nominate candidates for president
and vice-president of the United
States.
Murray, a life-long Republican
leader in Bluffton, has not missed a
national convention of his party dur
ing the last 40 years.
Bride In Church Wedding
MKS. DONAVIN GRATZ
edding At First
Mennonite Church
In a beautiful June wedding on
Sunday afternoon took place the
marriage of Miss Gayle Amstutz,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Am
stutz and Donavin Gratz, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Homer Gratz. The nup
tials were solemnized at the First
Mennonite church at 2:30 o’clock
with the service read by Rev. H. T.
Unruh.
The bride, who was given in mar
riage by her father, wore white bro
caded satin, the gown following prin
cess lines, with a high waistline and
the upper part embroidered with seed
pearls.
Exquisite simplicity and graceful
contour were the dominant features
of the model, which stressed long
tapering sleeves and an extremely
full skirt which flared to form the
train.
RESURFACING OF
COUNTY LINE IS
$10,000 PROJECT
Five Miles of Allen Putnam
County Road Improvement
Is Approved
Work to be Completed this
Summer, Plan Each County
To Pay Half
Re-surfacing of the Allen-Putnam
County line road between Richland
and Riley townships at a cost of
$10,000 was approved last week by
coommissioners of the two counties
and trustees of the townships.
Five miles of the road will be
stabilized and re-surfaced beginning
at the Bluffton-Pandora pike, and
continuing west.
M. M. Murray At G. 0. P. Convention
To Preserve Record Of 40 Years
Widening of the highway- also will
be effected. Present width of the
road is 12 feet in some places and
14 feet in others. The new roadway
will be 16 feet wide.
Authorities hope work can be
started on the improvement within
a month or six weeks. Plans have
been made on the assumption that
work on the program will be com
pleted this summer.
Initiative for the improvement was
taken by Allen county commission
ers. After they notified Putnam
county of their willingness to help
finance the project, an agreement
was reached in which each county is
to pay $5,000 toward the work.
Births
Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Montgomery of
Orange township are the parents of
a daughter born at the Bluffton hos
pital, Wednesday morning.
Rev-, and Mrs. Robert Diller of
Prospect are the parents of a daugh
ter born at the Marion hospital,
Wednesday- morning.
A daughter was born to Mr. and
Mrs. Orville Thomas of Dearborn,
Mich., at the Bluffton hospital, Mon
day.
Announcement has been made of
the birth of a daughter Lucy Lee,
to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Neiswan
der of Adrian, Mich., at the hos
pital in that city. Mrs. Niswander
was formerly Miss Frieda Criblez of
this place.
Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Peterson of
Ada are the parents of a son born
at Bluffton hospital, Tuesday.
Attendance this year will preserve
his record which is looked upon as
unique in this district.
Murray is a former mayor of
Bluffton and served as postmaster
here from 1924 to 1934 under Pres
idents Coolidge and Hoover. He has
served longer than any other post
master with the exception of Andrew
Hauenstein who held the office for
13 yearn.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live and a
Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 9
FEW PLACES TO
HANDLE FOURTH
OF JULY GOODS
Bulk of Former Sales Banned
Under Present Municipal
Ordinance
Sales Limited Principally to
Sparklers and Colored
Lights
With a new municipal ordinance
outlawing all fireworks except spark
lers and colored flares, few Bluffton
business places will handle the sale
of pyrotechnics this year, a survey
indicated early- this week.
Limited stocks will be carried by
those who plan to handle items
which have been listed as of a
harmless nature by’ the ordinance.
No noise-making devices of any
kind may be sold or discharged, in
cluding fire crackers, torpedoes,
bombs, caps for toy pistols or any
other devices “intended to produce a
visible or audible pyrotechnic effect
by combustion, explosion, deflagra
tion or detonation.”
Bluffton’s ban also applies to the
more spectacular fireworks reserved
for night-time, including sky rockets,
roman candles, pin wheels and the
like.
Sparklers May be Sold
Sparklers, colored flares, black
snakes and non-explosive novelties
are the only items which may be
sold or discharged within the city
limits, according to provisions of the
ordinance. These can be placed on
sale at any- time, Mayor Wilbur A.
Howe a. unced this week.
On special occasions the mayor is
authorized to grant permission for
the display of fireworks at public
gatherings if reasonable precautions
are assured for the protection of life
and property.
Otherwise, the day of noisy Fourth
of July celebrations, fraught with
danger, has passed into history so
far as Bluffton is concerned.
For conviction of violation of any
section of the ordinance, a fine of
not less than $25 and not more than
$100 will be assessed.
Evening Nuptials
At Ebenezer Church
In a ceremony at the Ebenezer
Mennonite church took place the wed
ding of Miss Sevila Bixel, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Sam S. Bixel and
Morris Niswander, son of Mr. and
Mrs. David Niswander, Saturday
evening at 5:30 o’clock.
Rev. P. A. Kliewer read the double
ring ceremony in the presence of
about 150 relatives and close Iriends.
Palms, ferns and summer flowers
banked the chancel which was light
ed with white tapers in tall candela
bra. The pews were marked with
pink and white corsages.
Preceding the ceremony Francis
Niswander sang “Because” and “O
Perfect Love”. Dwight Niswander of
Findlay sang “We Promise Thee”,
after the briday party had entered.
Miss Ruth Bixel played several se
lections and the traditional wedding
marches.
The bride who was given in mar
riage by her father wore a floor
length gown of white net and lace.
Her finger tip veil of tulle fell from
a tiara of net and seed pearls.
Her shower bouquet was of white
bride’s roses and pink sweet peas.
The bride’s sister, Magdalene
Bixel, who was maid of honor, wore
a blue dress and a large brimmed
hat with streamers. Her flowers
were pink roses and delpheniums.
Dwight Bixel, nephew of the bride
carried the rings in canterbury bells.
Marilyn Amstutz, the bride’s niece,
was dressed in pink and strewed rose
petals in the bride’s path.
The groom appeared in a dark
suit with a white gardenia bouton
niere and was attended by his bro
ther Francis Niswander. The ushers
were John Nusbaum and Phares
Bixel.
The mothers of the couple wore
corsages of roses.
A buffet supper followed at the
bride’s home for the bridal party
and immediate families. The bridal
table was centered with a four
tiered wedding cake.
Later Mr. and Mrs. Niswander
elft on a trip to Washington, D. C.»
and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The bride was graduated from
Bluffton High school and Bowling
Green State University and has
taught in the Bluffton Public schools.
Mr. Niswander was graduated
from Pandora High school. The
couple will reside at the home of the
brides’ parents for the present.