The Bluffton news. [volume], October 23, 1941, 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. LXVI
COUNCIL REACHES
DECISION ON TYPE
OF SEWERS HERE
Intercepting Trunk Lines and
Primary Treatment Plant
Are Proposed
Cost is Estimated at $225,000
Ask Government for
$113,000 Grant
Decision as to the type of Bluffton’s
proposed sewer system was reached
at a meeting of the town council Mon
day night in a conference with C. S.
Kinkbeiner of the firm of Champe,
Finkbeiner and Associates, Toledo en
gineering firm which has been in
charge of the preparation of prelim
inary plans and estimates for the
project.
The mayor and clerk were author
ized by the council to sign an appli
cation for aid from the federal gov
ernment in the construction of a sys
tem of intercepting sewers and pri
mary treatment plant, the total cost
of which is estimated at $225,000.
Application for federal aid will be
in the sum of $113,000, leaving a bal
ance of $112,000 to be financed by the
municipality by means of bonds.
These figures, while approximately
correct, may me modified somewhat
when final estimates are completed,
Finkbeiner stated.
Costs Higher
In drafting plans for a proposed
sewer system, the council faced a rad
ically changed situation from that of
two years ago. Not only higher
material costs but increased limita
tions in provisions for federal aid
have placed a complete sewer system
beyond reach of the present financial
resources.
The town’s portion of a complete
sewer system which in 1939 would
have cost $100,000 would now cost
$151, 454, Finkbeiner told the council.
“It appears that the handful of voters
we failed to get to support the sewer
issue two years ago has cost us $51,
000,” was the comment of Mayor W.
A. Howe, following Finkbeiner’s
statement.
With construction of a complete
sewer system out of the question be
(Continued on page 8)
Funeral In Church
He Helped To Build
In Emmanuel’s Reformed church
south of Bluffton which he helped to
build nearly forty years ago were
held funeral services for Adolph
Badertscher, 74, Sunday afternoon.
Mr. Badertscher was head carpenter
and construction foreman when the
church was erected in 1902, and of
which congregation he was a mem
ber for many years.
Reared on a Richland township
farm, he learned the carpenter trade
which he followed for fifty years
and was working on the construction
of a house there the day before his
death. He was found dead in bed
Thursday morning at 6 o’clock.
Death was due to a heart ailment.
Officiating at the funeral services
were Rev. Emil Burrichter pastor of
the church and Rev. W. H. Lahr, a
former pastor. Interment was made
in the church cemetery.
He was born in Richland town
ship, March 25, 1867, the son of
Mathias and Lydia (Augsburger)
Badertscher. On May 8, 1888 he
was married to Lydia Kohler, the
couple celebrating their Golden Wed
ding anniversary three years ago
last May.
Surviving are his wife four sons
Milton at home, Albert and Elmer
of Bluffton and Herman of Arling
ton and six daughters Mrs. Cora
Balmer, Mrs. Mary Coon, Mrs.
Mildred Stauffer, Mrs. Dorothy Gei
ger, Mrs. Florence Everitt of Bluff
ton and Mrs. Edith Stauffer of Find
lay.
Also surviving are one sister, Mrs.
Peter Matter of Bluffton and four
brothers, John of Bluffton Gideon
of Ft. Wayne Peter of Lafayette
and Dr. Jacob Badertscher of Bloom
ington, Ind. Also surviving are 21
grandchildren and one great grand
child.
Lions Ask Council
To Clean Rest Rooms
Rennovation and cleaning of the
rest rooms in the town hall was
asked by members of the Lions club
at the business meeting of the or
ganization Tuesday night.
Resolution was proposed by A. E.
Lichtenwalter and approved by the
club. Formal request will be pre
sented by the club to the town
council.
No Shaves Until We
Win Beaver Gridders
Vow O. K. With Coeds
II’HISKERS leaped into popu
larity at Bluffton college
this week as members of the
football squad vowed there would
be no shaves until the team
chalked up a victory.
'The stand of the football war
riors was staunchly supported by
pretty coeds of the school who
also banded together into an
agreement that they would have
no dates with youths who did
not grow a luxuriant growth of
whiskers, “just like the foot
ball fellows”.
Whether the present whisker
growing movement wwill be
shortlived or not will depend on
the outcome of the Bluffton-Ash
land college football game to be
played at Ashland. Saturday
afternoon.
MID WINTER FAIR
TO BE HELD HERE
DECEMBER 3 TO 5
Twenty-sixth Annual Showing
Of Exhibits Planned by
Fair Board
Same General Program as Pre
viously Will be Used Again
This Year
Twenty-sixth annual fair of the
Bluffton Agricultural Society will be
held in a three day showing from De
cember 3 to 5, it was announced the
first of the week by Harry Barnes,
secretary of the fair board.
Preliminary plans of the fair board
are concerned at the present time with
finding- buildings for housing the
exhibits. Some of the buildings used
previously will again serve as exhibi
tion centers but several additional
places will have to be located.
No radical innovations in fair poli
cies or exhibition arrangements are
anticipated at the present time. The
same general program will be follow
ed as previously used and there will
be very few changes in the premium
lists.
People in Bluffton and surrounding
community look forward to the mid
winter fair which is becoming an in
stitution of increasing importance.
The unusual quality of the exhibits
has attracted showings of the high
est quality and competition has be
come keener in past years.
Officers of the fair are: President,
Hiram Kohli ice-President, Clyde
Klingler. Secretary, Harry Barnes
Treasurer, Ray Marshall.
Other members of the board of di
rectors are:Joe Powell, Clyde War
ren, Dwight Frantz, Harold Carr Ben
Amstutz, Edgar Herr, Albert W’inkler
and Carl McCafferty.
Dr. Garry Myers To
Talk At Auditorium
Dr. Garry Cleveland Myers, well
known author, lecturer and expert
in the field of children’s problems,
will address a public meeting at the
Bluffton High school auditorium next
Wednesday night, October 29 at 8
o'cldck.
Mr. Myers is editor-in-chief of
Children’s Activities, a magazine for
children published in Chicago and
conducts a syndicated newspaper col
umn entitled the Parent Problem.
War Maneuvers Are Relief To Routine
Army Camp Life, Bluffton Boy States
He has had years of experience as
a psychological consultant on child
ren’s problems, university teaching
and in conducting public forums
sponsored by the United States office
of education.
Dr. Myers will lecture to the
Bluffton audience and will conduct a
forum in which he will answer ques
tions concerning child problems. His
appearance here is being sponsored
by the Bluffton Women’s Federation
of clubs. The public is invited.
Two Are Named To
Honorary Society
Morris and Ropp Triplett, stu
dents in electrical engineering at the
University of Cincinnati, were elect
ed to membership in Eta Kappa Nu,
national honorary engineering fra
ternity, it was announced the first
of the weeek. Membership in the
fraternity is based on excellence in
scholarship and general ability.
Corporal Robert West, Camp
Forest, Tenn., Home for 10
Day Furlough
Participated in 55 Day Period
Of Simulation of War Com
bat Conditions
Although the United States army
war maneuvers are of a most rigor
ous nature, the selectees usually wel
come the war games as a relief from
the drill and routine of camp life,
acording to Corporal Robert West,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Cliff West of
South Lawn avenue, who is home
on furlough from Camp Forest, Ten
nessee.
West, who is in Bluffton on a 10
day stay, will return to the camp on
Sunday. After his basic training at
Ft. Bragg, N. C., for a 13 weeks’
period he was transferred to the
Tennessee camp where he has been
located since July 15, and is work
ing at the camp as a battery clerk.
Field Artillery
Camp Forest specializes in field
artillery of the 155 mm. howitzers.
Most of the soldiers in the camp are
(Continued on page 3)
Concert Series At
Bluffton College
A series of music presentations by
concert artists, sponsored by the
Bluffton college music department,
will be presented at the college
chapel with the first number, “The
Guardsmen Quartet” scheduled for
November 7, it was announced by
Prof. R. .A. Lantz, head of the col
lege music department.
The Guardsmen Quartet has ap
peared in numerous motion pictures,
radio engagements and personal ap
pearances. Their voices have been
recorded in more than 800 motion
pictures, including Walt Disney’s
“Snow White” in which they were
four of the dwarfs.
Other numbers on the series are:
Robert Eliot, violinist, Jan. 8 Ralph
Dobbs, pianist, March 11 The Rink
String Quartet, April 27. All of the
numbers will be presented in the
college chapel at 8:00 o’clock.
Funeral Friday For
Mrs. Chris Santschi
Funeral services for Mrs. Chris
tian Santschi, 83, of Kibler street,
will be held at St. John’s Reformed
church, Friday afternoon at 2:30
o’clock with her pastor Rev. Emil
Burrichter and Rev. W. H. Lahr of
Ada, a former pastor, officiating.
Mrs. Santschi died in the Bluffton
Community hospital Tuesday after
noon following a three weeks’ illness
of uremic poisoning. Burial will be
in Maple Grove cemetery.
A native of Switzerland, she was
born in Canton Bern on June 8,
1858, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Christian Boss and came to Bluffton
from Switzerland in the spring of
1888. On November 15 of that year
she was married in Wooster to
Christian Santschi who survives.
The couple settled on a farm
southwest of Bluffton and later
moved to the present location on
Kibler street. For fifty-three years
she was a member of the St. John’s
Reformed church.
Besides her husband, she is sur
vived by two sons, Louis of Bluffton
and Arthur Santschi of Lawrence
burg, Ind., and one daughter, Mrs.
Alice Parker of Washington, D. C.
A brother, Alfred Boss and a
sister Ann live in Switzerland. Also
surviving are five grandchildren.
The body was taken to the Stanley
Basinger funeral home where it will
remain until time for the funeral.
Buckeye Lake Shows
Profit For Town
Buckeye Lake, Bluffton’s munici
pally operated swimming pool showed
a net profit for the past summer of
$170.49 according to a report at the
town council meeting, Monday night.
Gross receipts for the season were
$700, the report disclosed. One-half
of the gross receipts, $350 was paid
to Evan Soash, manager in charge.
Other expenses were $21.51 for taxes
and fees and $158 for insurance.
The net profit of $170.49 will be
turned into the municipal treasury.
NO SCHOOL FRIDAY
Bluffton grade and high schools
will be dismissed all day Friday in
order to permit teachers to attend
the Northwestern Ohio Teachers con
ference to be held in Toledo on that
day.
rHE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, OCT !3, 1941
BLUFFTON VOTERS
TO RECEIVE FOUR
BALLOTS NOV. 4
Three Bluffton Precincts to
Have New Places for Bal
loting
All Electors to Sign Name in
“Jury List” Under New
Election Law
Bluffton voters will receive four
ballots when they vote at the regular
November election at four polling
places on Tuesday, November 4.
Separate ballots will be given the
voters for the town, township and
school board tickets and the proposal
to issue $8,00 in bonds for purchase
of fire fighting equipment.
Voters will mark their ballots for
the first time since 1928 at four vot
ing places in precincts which were
established from territory formerly
served by three precincts. The re
(Continued on page 4)
HOG PRICES HOLD
FIRM IN FACE OF
HEAVY MARKETING
Top of $9.90 Quoted Here Wed
nesday as Fall Offerings
Reach Peak
Heavy Run of Hogs is Reported
At Yards Dairy Products
Are Steady
That hog prices are holding up
well under a barrage of heavy fall
marketings was the view of the
market situation here Wednesday
morning when a top of $9.90 was
quoted at Brady Bros, yards.
Recession of the market from its
high mark of $11.70 a month ago
was to have been expected, accord
ing to livestock men, when the fall
run of hogs attained volume pro
portions.
In this connection it is pointed out
that the market retrenched in order
ly fashion without any wide open
break in the price structure. Low
point in the downswing of the pres
ent market was reached when prices
stabilized at $9.40.
Receding prices have had little ef
fect on livestock marketings here
and hogs are being marketed in
average to heavy volume this week,
dealers stated.
Prices for dairy products which
have been consistently advancing
since late summer remained un
changed since a week ago with but
terfat quoted at 36 cents and raw
milk commanding a price of $2.40
per hundred pounds.
Chicago Woman, Auto
Accident Victim, Dies
Mrs. Vera Houser, 48, of Kenil
worth, Ill., wife of a Chicago mail
order house executive who was in
jured in an automobile accident near
Bluffton in September died in a Chi
cago hospital last week, according to
word received here.
The woman received a fractured
skull when a rear ti/e of the auto
mobile in which she was riding blew
out and she was thrown from the
car to the pavement.
The accident occurred on the Lin
coln highway south of Bluffton and
she was removed to the Bluffton
hospital in an unconscious state. She
was removed two weeks ago in an
ambulance to a Chicago hospital
where she died without regaining
consciousness.
Her husband, Theodore Houser,
who was driving the car at the time
of the accident, is vice president of
Sears, Roebuck & Co., of Chicago.
Defense Classes To
Start First Of Year
National Defense classes to pro
vide training in vocational pursuits
will commence after the Christmas
holidays rather than at the present
time, it was announced Wednesday
morning by A. J. B. Longsdorf, sup
erintendent of Bluffton schools.
Need of the young men on the
farms and the present demand for
men in industry have caused the
enrollment to be less than the mini
mum of 10 students and it was de
cided to offer the instruction at a
later date.
Changing schools as often as four
times a year and living in 14 differ
ent states does not seem to weigh
heavily on the shoulders of 10-year
old Johnny Lee Holdman, new stu
dent in the fourth grade of the
public school here.
Johnny, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. A.
Gouker, is living in a trailer located
behind the Sinclair Filing station on
South Main street. His father is a
steam fitter for an eastern concern
which sends him to various parts
of the country. At the present time
he is engaged in the construction of
the new turbine being installed at
the Woodstock power generating
station of the Central Ohio Light
and Power Co. at the northeast edge
of town.
The family arrived in town Mon
day and will likely stay until Gouker
U. S. Army Inspector at Trip
lett Plant was Head Radio
Man on Manhattan
Operating Expense on Large
Ocean Liners About $10,000
Per Day
Ocean going vessels have personal
ities every bit as much as human be
ings, according to A. J. Croner,
United States army inspector from
the signal corps at Wright field in
Dayton, who addressed members of
the Lions club at the Walnut Grill
Tuesday night.
Croner has been engaged in in
spection work at the Triplett Elec
trical Instrument Co. and has been
living at the Cleon Triplett residence
on South,Main street, while in Bluff
ton. Croner has sailed in many
types of vessels between 1921 and
1935 and was head radio operator
on the turbine liner Manhattan, Le
viathan and other vessels.
React Differently
Even though two vessels may have
been constructed from the same blue
prints and are to all appearances
identical, they often behave very dif
ferently and react in a manner so
unique that a distinct personality
develops, Croner said.
Marine designers have never been
able to calculate by mathematical
processes the exact reactions of the
boat in the ocean. An unexplainable
intangible combination of circum
stances make every boat respond
differently to roll and pressure of
salt water, the audience was told.
Some boats are known as killers.
The Vittoria Emanuel III, an Ital
ian vessel, was known to have killed
a man on every trip. Even in dry
dock during construction operations
a man was killed on the ship.
Top Heavy Boats
A sailor can always pick out a
dangerous top heavy ship. Ore
carrying ships are especially dan
gerous. Several years ago, the Cy
clops, an ore carrying ship, disap
peared with a crew of 550 on board.
No one to the present day has ever
(Continued on page 4)
New Bluffton Grade Student Often
Changes Schools Four Times A Year
Ocean Liners Have Personalities
As Pople Do, Lions Speaker Says
County Methodist
Meet Here Friday
The Allen county Men’s Brother
hood of the Methodist church will
hold its October meeting at the
Bluffton Methodist church Friday
night at 6:30 o’clock.
Supper will be served by the ladies
of the church in the basement. Rev.
J. L. White, pastor of the Lima
Epworth Methodist church will be
the speaker. Special music will be
provided by the church here.
STUDENT RECITAL
Students in the Bluffton college
department of music will appear in
recital in the college chapel next
Tuesday night at 8:45 o’clock. The
public is invited.
Births
The following births at the Bluff
ton hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Don Eddy, a girl,
last Wednesday.
Dr. and Mrs. Vance Taylor,
Ottawa, a boy, Tuesday.
SERIOUSLY ILL
Condition of Albert Niswander, of
South Jackson street, who is suffer
ing with a heart ailment, continues
to be serious. He has been con
fined to his bed at his home since
the first of last week.
completes the construction work at
the power plant sometime in Janu
ary.
Although there are numerous prob
lems occasioned by frequent transfers
from one school to another, Johnny
seems to be receiving an education
on a par with many of his class
mates who have had more perman
ent locations.
He has found that states differ
tremendously on the matter of text
books. Some states, as in Ohio, have
free textbooks, other states rent them
to the students and still other states,
notably in the south, ask the stu
dents to buy all instructional ma
terials.
Johnny says that he enjoys the
constant traveling although he al
ways hates to leave a community be
(Continued on page 8)
NO RESURFACING IN
SIGHT FOR
STREET PAVEMENT
Street Will go Thru Another
Winter Without Repairs
Urged Two Years Ago
Some Hope for Federal Aid
Under Military Highway
Program for Dixie
Bluffton’s Main street, resurfacing
of which was urged two years ago
by the town council will go thru
another winter without attention
from the state highway department,
it was indicated in a statement from
O. C. Kohli, state resident division
highway engineer of Lima.
The street is part of the Dixie
highway, U. Si Route 25 and as one
of the principal north and south
thorofares is called upon to bear a
large volume of heavy truck traffic.
Much of the asphalt binder holding
bricks in place has eroded since the
pavement was constructed fourteen
years ago resulting in loose and
broken bricks in the pavement which
allows water to seep thru to the
underlying concrete base.
Council Urges Action
In urging action to prevent fur
ther deterioration of the street the
town council two years ago asked
immediate application of new asphalt
binder as a temporary measure and
later resurfacing with asphalt to
seal the pavement against water and
resultant damage by winter freezing
and thawing.
Some repair work may be done
this fall on the extreme south por
tion of the street, between Bentley
road and the corporation line, Kohli
stated. However the state highway
department has no further plans for
work on the street this year, he said.
With Route 25 being the only road
in this section designated as a
military highway, there is some
hope that aid in resurfacing the
street may eventually come from the
federal government.
Planned Last Year
Resurfacing of the street was
planned a year ago in a conference
between town officials and represen
tatives of the state highway de
partment. Following the conference
Mayor W. A. Howe announced that
an agreement had been reached to
do the work this summer.
Later, however, it was stated from
highway sources that shortage of
funds had hampered street work in
municipalities.
During consideration of the matter
last year it was indicated that cost
of the proposed improvement would
be approximately $35,000. Of this
sum the town was to pay $5,000 to
be supplied from the street high
way maintenance fund.
Paved in 1927
Main street’s present brick pave
ment was built in 1827 at a cost of
upwards of $100,000. It consists of
a six-inch concrete foundation, one
inch sand cushion and three inch
brick top held in place with asphalt
binder.
Resurfacing of the street would
eliminate a traffic hazard represent
ed by steel rails of the abandoned
Western Ohio interurbafi line in the
middle of the street thru the town.
Altho asphalt was placed in groov
es beside the rails after the line was
abandoned, enough of the rail pro
jects above street levels to make
driving treacherous when the surface
is wet.
A jiood Place to Live—
Try Bluffton First
NUMBER 26
BUILDING HERE NOT
AFFECTED BY NEW
PRIORITIES ORDER.
Applies Only to Critical Ma
terials Such as Steel, Cop
per and Brass
No Shortage in Basic Building
Materials, Reported by
Local Dealers
Building construction in the Bluff
to narea in not affected by the recent
order of the federal supply priorities
and allocation board (SPAB), it was
stated the first of the week by local
building material dealers.
Loans under the Federal Housing
Authority are still being granted and
construction has not been impeded be
cause of difficulties experienced in ob
taining loans.
The order of the priorities board
merely confirms a condition that ex
isted prior to its release as a result
of the priority procedure applying to
metal products essential to building,
it was pointed out by the Ohio as
sociation of retail lumber dealers.
Critical Materials
Under the interpretation which has
been made, the order applies only to
public and private construction which
utilizes an appreciable quantity of
critical materials. Much building
does not involve such materials in a
quantity that would be regarded as
sizable and hence does not come un
der the restrictions, it was emphasiz
ed.
Another factor operating to facili
tate construction here* is that Bluffton
is in a non-defense area and govern
mental regulations will not be as re
stricted in regard to materials were
this area strictly a defense district.
Farm Building
The order does not apply to farm
building nor does it apply to construc
tion actually under way. according to
an interpretation made by the lum
ber association.
There is no ban whatever on reha
bilitation and repair activities and
programs unless the use of critical
materials gets in to the “appreciable”
classification.
The real purpose of the drder, it is
understood, was primarily to divert
the use of large quantities of steel
from many public purposes such as
post offices, harbor improvements,
flood control projects and the like dur
ing the defense emergency.
There is no authority for banning
any type of private construction for
which materials arc already available,
it is pointed out.
Basic Materials
Structures which do not involve
critical materials such as steel, cop
per and brass can be erected as free
ly as at any time during ‘he pa-i
several years. Basic building mater
ials such as lumber, brick, stone, ce
ment are not particularly scarce, are
not under priority control and may
be obtained for building jobs.
In Bluffton there are several new
houses likely to be erected in the near
future, some under private loans and
others going through on F. H. A. ar
rangements.
The whole situation may be sum
med up by saying that one contem
plating building “must anticipate his
wants further in advance than was
the case previously,” said one dealer
here Wednesday morning.
Clair B. Fett Named
County Legion Head
Clair B. Fett, Bluffton manufac
turer residing on Campus Drive, was
elected commander of the American
Legion posts of Allen county at a
recent meeting of county command
ers
There are now six posts in the
county consisting of units in Lima,
Delphos, Spencerville, Cairo, Harrod
and Bluffton.
Fett was commander of the Bluff
ton Post No. 382 on two previous
occasions, once in 1926 and again in
1939. At the present time he is
finance officer of the Bluffton post.
Bible Lectures At
Reformed Church
Rev. C. A. Schmid, pastor of the
Cross Evangelical and Reformed
church of Berne, Ind., will be the
speaker at the annual Bible lecture
series to be held at the St. John’s
Reformed church beginning Sunday
night, November 2.
Five lectures will be presented by
the speaker, it was announced by
Rev. Emil Burrichter, pastor of the
Bluffton Reformed churches. Ttaw
public is invited.