The Bluffton news. [volume], July 20, 1944, Image 2

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

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
FACE TWO _______
I’vt. Paul Wingate, of Bluffton was
in one of the port units handling
European invasion shipping leaving
England, and a press release received
this week regarding the work gives
an interesting "inside" story of what
went on behind the scenes in prepar
ing for the Normandy attack.
Minute after minute, hour bv hour,
groups of huge trucks and trailers,
jeeps and command cars, were put
aboard vessels in the English port by
a Umited States Army port unit- and
each vehicle went directly into its ap
pointed place. Each was designed to
play a part when the waves of Ameri
can troops hit the French beaches.
Soldiers went aboard the ships un
der the guidance of the subport of
ficers in the tense hours immediately
before D-Day, and drove their vehicles
into designated sections of the holds.
Carpenters and lashers were on hand
to shove wooden chocks under the
wheels and lash the machines in po
sition. The soldiers watched, so that
they could untie the machines when
they reached the far shore.
Final waterproofing w*as applied to
the vehicles. The seats and floors of
the machines were loaded with am
munition, K-Rations, weapons and
bedding. Full tanks of gasoline made
the vehicles ready to roll into action,
and oil and w'ater for the motors and
moving parts had been supplied.
Bluffton Man With Port Crew In
England Handling Invasion Shipping
Experienced Shippers
Operations at the subport were di
rected by Major Sam Israel of New
Orleans, who was in the shipping bus
iness for 15 years before entering the
army two years ago.
Maj. Israel was given a list of the
vessels to be loaded by his subport
unit in time for D-Day. Priority
schedules and stowage plans arrived
from top headquarters where the al
location of ships was made.
Officers and men of the unit were
called together assigned to their roles
in the immense task of loading dozens
of ships with troops and their field
equipment. Captain Bernard Stem,
also of New Orleans, was the Amer
ican officer in charge of the rail trans
portation section of the unit.
Capt. Stem and his men sandled the
continuous flow’ of cargo that moved
into the port day and night in the
weeks before the Allied assault, with-
July 10, 1919
A German machine gun captured
by the Americans in Metz is on
exhibit in the News window. The
gun w’as sent from France by Ed
ward Plattner who has been over
seas the past year and from which
service he has been recently dis
charged.
Miss Erma Jones, a former in
structor in the Bluffton High School,
now’ engaged in Y. W. C. A. canteen
service in France has made applica
tion in that capacity to be sent with
a detachment of Marines who are
assigned to service in Armenia.
They came all the way back from
California to France and back again
to Bluffton—6 dainty letters, all
perfumed, and pink too-—addressed
to Albert J. Reichenbach, A. E. F.
That he should be the object of such
n
tered the army. He raw to it that all
the ships in the subport were stand
ing by and cleared for sailing when
D-Day dawmed.
Delayed by Weather
Executive officer and deputy sub
port commander w*as Captain James
E. Igoe of New* York City, a former
member of a New’ \ork steel firm.
Twice while the D-Day preparations
were under way, Capt. Igoe, the oth
er officers, and the enlisted men of
the unit worked 48 hours at a stretch
to make certain that the vessels were
loaded on schedule.
Captain John F. Randall, of Wau
sau, Wis., served as laison officer be
tween the subport and the quarter
master depots, checking the cargoes
passing through the docks on their
route to France.
When the D-Day ships were loaded,
they were sent outside the barbor to
aw’ait the departure signal. While
the vessels were lined up and waiting,
word of the postponement of D-Day
for 24 hours w’as sent to Majar Israel.
During the period of postponement,
the port unit operated a fleet of tugs
in a courier service, taking out men
and minor items of equipment which
had arrived at the last minute.
One ship’s officer needed additional
charts. Another reported that a wat
er tank had developed a leak. The
tank was repaired by port technicians,
and the charts were rushed to the of
ficer.
At every stage of the loading, the
gear on all the ships was tested to de
termine w’hether it could carry the
burdens that w’ould be imposed on it
when the ships were being unloaded
off the French beaches.
Some of the smaller vessels carried
troops in addition to heavy cargoes.
On these ships large tents were erect
ed for the soldiers, and straw matt
resses w’ere furnished for each man to
use in the course of the journey.
Bluffton In First World War
What Happened Here Twen
y-five Years Ago This Week
caused no end of concern to Albert
also. Albert who was recently dis
charged from the service upon open
ing the letters found a winsome
photo of a pretty daughter of the
far west and also discovered that the
letters were meant for another Al
Reichenbach serving with a Pennsyl
vania regiment. Shucks.
Edmund Hawk arrived home Satur
day evening, honorably discharged
from the service.
Ray Hauenstein arrived home Mon
day evening from France. Ray had
been serving with a hospital unit.
Homer Reeder of Jenera surprised
his parents by walking into the
house. Homer had been in France
with the A. E. F. the past year and
w’as recently discharged from Camp
Sherman. The parents did not know
that he had left Frar
Dale Moo
service, be
Insurance Real Estate
This is a good time to list your properties and farms
for sale.
A. E. IWHLI
Phone 165-W 235 W. College Avenue
Important Notice
The new yearly telephone directory for
Bluffton is now in the hands of the printer.
Persons desiring changes, additional or new list­
ings must notify our business office at once.
500-W
Bluffton Telephone Co.
Yanks Prepare to Take Farmhouse
The following article is one of
a popular series written by
Charles Trippiehorn, Bluffton
high school senior and specialist
in reptilia.—Editor
Two American soldiers make a farmhouse their objective
as they push their way into Northern France with the inva
sion army. The rifle of the soldier on the left apparently
is still draped with the waterproof covering used on rifles
during amphibious operations and warfare and in very damp
climates where rust sets in quickly-
Explodes Myth That Garter Snake
Swallows Young When Frightened
To most people unfamiliar w’ith
snakes, any snake less than foot long
is a "garter” snake. Actually some
specimens of the common garter
grow to a length of three and one
half feet, but this above average. It
is one of the most common snakes
found in the United States and is
seen quite often and is familiar to
everyone. The coloration of this spe
cies varies considerably. The most
commonly seen is that having a
ground color of some shade of brown
w’ith three yellow’ stripes running
down the sides and back. Some are
green, tan or even black. The black
or melanistic garter is rarely seen.
All are the same species deter
mined by "snakemen” because the
scale count, head plates, eyes, etc.,
remain the same in all specimens of
a given species. In other words
color is not the determining factor.
This snake when first captured
will bite but soon becomes tame
enough to take worms from one’s
hand.
Since the snake does do a lot of
good and because of its inoffensive
ness it should be placed on the list
of snakes not to be killed. Yet it
seems to be the most often killed by
unthinking people.
Brave indeed must be the person
who so courageously beats to death
a small snake that would have diffi
culty battling a large fishworm.
Unlike the blue racer and milk
The only time there is any advant
age in pruning tomato or cucumber
vines is when the number of plants
per acre can be sufficiently increased
by the practice to compensate for the
decreased yield on the plants which
are pruned.
The pruning must be done care
fully and at the proper time or the
plant is damaged, and the pruning
is likely to spread plant diseases, ac
cording to Prof. H. D. Brow’n, of the
Department of Horticulture, Ohio
State University.
For those reasons, the home gard
ener is advised to permit tomatoes
and cucumbers to follow’ their natur
al mode of growth. The same rule
applies to sweet corn and to sw’eet
potatoes. Removing the suckers
from corn does not increase yields,
and the pruning of sweet pototo
may
Virus diseases of vegetable crops
are spread by the transfer of sap
from a diseased plant to one w’hich
is healthy until infected by the trans
fer. The transfer may be made by
the gardener while pruning or by in
sects which feed first on one plant
and then on another. Insects can be
controlled by sprays or dusts.
Many of the inquiries coming to
gardening specialists at Ohio State
University concern the curling of
tomato leaves. Usually, this is an
indication of insufficient moisture to
permit the plant to transfer starch
and sugar from one part of the plant
to another. The curled leaves do
not affect the yield or quality of the
tomatoes.
Ordinarily There Is No Advantage
In Pruning Tomatoes Or Cucumbers
Overly ambitious gardeners w’ho
THE BLUFFTON NEWS, BI
Ct I PHOTO FtOM IIGIUL COtFl
snake which lay eggs the young
garter snakes are born alive. This
may have been the foundation of the
story told by self professed reptile
"authorities” concerning the habit of
the mother snake swallowing her
young for protection. The writer
attempts to explain it.
It seems that when surprised in
the fields while with her young the
female garter snake appears 4o open
her mouth while the little snakes
dash to safety down her throat.
What may have happened is this:
A female snake may have been killed
just prior to bearing her young.
The body may have been broken
open and the young allowed to es
cape. To a pe: who does not re
alize that some snakes bear living
young it might seem as though they
had been swallowed.
Another fact, that throw's cold
water on this story is that the moth
er snake never stays with the young
after they are born.
This simple explanation of the
story may be scoffed at by many
people who have heard and believed
it, but professional herpitologists ac
cept it as untrue and who should
know’ better than they.
Several of the different variations
of common garter snakes will be on
display in the News window Satur
day afternoon and night.
With the common garters will be
show’n two specimens of Butler’s
garter snake, a smaller species.
These w’ere donated to the collec
tion by John Skeldon, curator of
reptiles at the Toledo zool. This
species although doubtful as to its
occurrence around Bluffton is com
mon in northern Ohio.
cultivate tomatoes deeply and often
are likely to find tomato leaf curl
in their gardens. Surface roots are
cut by the cultivation, and severed
roots cannot pump water for the
plant. The only practical purpose of
cultivation is to kill weeds.
Two serious diseases affect the
leaves of tomatoes and may cause
some distortion, but leaves affected
by these diseases show brow’n spots
w’hich die. Leaf curl caused by lack
of water does not change the green
color of the leaves. The tomato leaf
diseases can be controlled by spray
ing or dusting w’ith fixed copper, but
Bordeaux mixture may cause blos
som end rot to tomatoes or reduce
the yield.
Many an argument is sound—just
sound!
For Vigor and Health—
include meat in your menu.
Always ready to serve you.
Bigler Bros.
Fresh and Salt Meats
UFFTON, OHIO_____________________
Probably never before in history
have the people of the world been as
"meat conscious” as they seem to be
during this second World Wnr. Now
that a good juicy steak has become a
thing one dreams about, now’, indeed,
is the time to stop for a while and
examine the meat production of the
Americas, an industry important thru
out the continent, especially in the
temperate zones.
The first cattle seem to have been
brought to America by Columbus him
self as early as 1493, at the time of
his second voyage to the New World,
w’hile a quarter of a century later
Cortes brought the first horses to the
Western Hemisphere.
The animals brought by Columbus
and Cortes w’ere distributed mainly
among the islands and on the main
land of North America.
Then in 1535 the Spaniards brought
in horses, cattle and later a few sheep.
The first cattle w’as probably taken
to Asuncion (Paraguay) by a Portu
guese. In 1596 for thousand head of
cattle w’ere distributed along the re
gions of the Rio de la Plate.
Let free on the Pampas and wild
plains of southeastern South Ameri
ca, these animals reproduced and
eventually grew into helds of w’ild
cattle that were to be hunted princi
pally by the gauchos or Argentine
cow’ boys.
During the first quarter of the nine
teenth century quite a large conting
ent of men was regularly engaged in
hunting cattle, altho these were lean
bony specimens, good only for the
production of hides and of tallow and
jerked beef. However the South
American people, especially those of
the Argentine, began to realize the
importance of the cattle industry be
cause of their amiable climate and
great grassy plains.
The Pampas are probably the great
est grazing lands of all the world.
The Argentines realized that cattle to
be profitable must be grown for meat
as w’ell as their hides and this re
quired a better type of cattle. Con
sequently, about the year 1860, the
importation of high grade European
cattle began in a small w’ay.
At the turn of the century, cattle
breeding in South America had be
come an important industry and in
1907 the value of livestock imported
into Argentine alone was of more
than two million dollars. Further
more, pastures were fenced and the
proper herbage w’as growm to feed the
animals in a scientific way.
Argentine Pampas, Great Grazing
Lands, Basis Of Huge Cattle Industry
With the betterment of conditions
for the rearing of cattle a number of
large estates and plants to take care
of the livestock business sprung up in
Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and
Brazil, four countries which are today,
together w’ith Canada and the United
States, the major producers of meat,
hides, w’ool and dairy products of the
Western Hemisphere.
The first World War, while intesi
fying the need for meat, cut off some
of its sources of production and thus
stimulate its export by cattle rais
ing South American countries. The
perfecting at that time of methods of
conservation, further encouraged the
production by South America of froz
en meats for exportation. A new field
w’as opened to the cattle raisers of the
continent.
In 1939 the second World War
brought about a situation similar to
that of 1914-1918 and once more stim
ulated meat production throughout
the Western Hemisphere.
Lawn Benches
Sturdy, well made you will want
several of these.
Fibre Rugs
Just the thing for your porch—selection
of colors and in sizes 4 by 7, 6 by 9, and
9 by 12.
Taiale Lamps
For your screened porch or living room
and some really handsome shades.
More Pow dereue
To those who called after our previous
stock was exhausted, we are pleased to
announce a new stock of Powderene
the scientific preparation for cleaning
rugs and carpets.
United State's, Honduras and Nicar
agu*a satisfy their own home consump
tion.
Other producers of meat in a minor
scale are Peru. Chile, Mexico, Cuba,
Gautemale and the Dominican Repub
lic, these, and a number of other
countries, are striving to intensify
their livestock production with a view
to satisfying their own demands and
also, eventually, to become exporters.
There are, besides, great regions of
South America that could be excellent
for cattle raising in the near future.
Among these are the "llanos”, large
grassy plains of Venezuela and Col
ombia, which are believed by some to
be South America’s land of opportun
ity as far as cattle is concerned.
Meat is one of the products whose
interchange is occuring among the
Latin nations of the continent. Pan
ama, for instance, is importing meat
from Cuba, and Venezuela from Uru
guay.
As a whole, the Americas are con
tributing a large percentage to the
world’s production of meat, a propor
tion w’hich—in relation to its popula
tions—is only exceeded by that of cer
tain regions of the south Pacific area.
The cattle of the Western Hemisphere
have besides, been perfected now’ for
a more rapid reproduction and for a
greater yield of meat.
There is a marked tendency through
out Latin America to be self-suffi
cient particularly in the production of
foodstuffs. The development of live
stock breeding in particall y every
country of the continent may lead in
the near future to America’s complete
supremacy in the meat production of
the w’orld.
Vidor Herbert Opera
At Toledo This Week
Victor Herbert’s gayest musical
show’ "The Red Mill” being staged at
the Zoo amphitheatre in Toledo this
week is acclaimed as one of the best
of the summer series of open air
shows.
It is being presented at 8:45 p. m.
every night this week and also next
Sunday to large audiences.
"The Red Mill”, one of Victor
Herbert’s outstanding contributions
to the light opera stage is replete
with fascinating music and sparkling
comedy. Leads taken by New York
players are w’ell supported by a
large orchestra and chorus.
Another Victor Herbert production
"Naughty Marietta” will be the at
traction for next week, starting on
Monday night, July 24 for a seven
performance run.
The attractions are staged under
sponsorship of the Toledo Civic Light
Opera Guild. Convenient bus con
nections make it possible for Bluff
ton people to attend.
Seats are on sale at the Zoo box
office each night. Mail orders for
tickets should be addressed to B. R.
Baker’s Toledo.
Hog cholera losses were the
heaviest in 1943 ever reported. The
only practical way to avoid losses
from this disease is to immunize the
hogs before an outbreak occurs in
the neighborhood. Hot w’eather and
presence of flies appear to be as
sociated w’ith the development of
cholera epidemics.
gwiT
Adding Charm to Your Porch or Lawn
Basinger’s Furniture Store
THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1944
Rye Used For Erosion
Control On Highway
Experimenting with rye r.s an
erosion control program on berms of
the Dixie highway between Bluffton
and Findlay has proved very suc
cessful, according to reports cleared
thru the office of O. C. Kohli, divis
ion engineer of the Ohio Department
of Highways.
First planted in 1942, six miles of
berms about half way between Bluff
ton and Findlay were seeded with 19
bushels of rye. Thru the winter, a
heavier layer of the young rye held
the soil in place and prevented ero
sion.
Grass seed was planted in the
spring and the soil w’as found in ex
cellent condition due to the extensive
rye roots. As the rye grew’ during
the early spring it protected the new
grass and permitted it to get a
good sturdy start.
By using the rye in this manner
it was found possible to eliminate
much of the expensive mulchs and
fertilizers that formerly were used
w’ith less satisfactory results.
After the rye matured this year,
it w’as combined and the rye straw
provides a layer of mulch that pro
tects the new grass and enriches the
soil for the coming year. The first
harvesting produced 70 bushels of
seed from the original 19 planted.
This has been used on a number of
other highways in this area.
Birthday Surprise
A very pleasant birthday surprise
w’as given Mrs. Chancey Spallinger
Sunday evening. Those present
w’ere Mr. and Mrs. Russell Huber
and son Dale, Mrs. Berdell Huber
and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Otis
Fett and daughter, Mr. and Mrs.
Harold Schick and daughter, Mr. and
Mrs. Roscoe Trout, Mr. and Mrs.
Harvey Clausing, Alice and Janice
Lentz, and Dora Army. A covered
dish supper and ice cream were en
joyed by all.
Developed Southwest
Charles Morgan, 1795-1878, was a
New Englander by birth who con
tributed to the development .of the
Southw’est Texas in particular. At
21 he sold provisions to ships in New
York and was first to establish regu
lar steamship service between New
York and Texas ports In 1870 he
w’as called the largest shipowner in
the United States. He developed the
Louisiana and Texas railroad in
1877, which was later purchased by
the Southern Pacific.
MUNSON R. BIXEL, M. D.
Office Hours: 8:30-10 A. M.
1-3 P. M. 7-8 P. M.
Office, 118 Cherry St.
Phone 120-F Bluffton. O.
D. C. BIXEL, O. D.
GORDON BIXEL. O. D.
122 South Main St., Bluffton
EYESIGHT SPECIALISTS
Office Hours: 9:00 A. M.—5:30 P. M.
Eveninrs: Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat. 7:00
to 8:00 P. M. Closed Thursday Afternoon.
Francis Basinger, D. D. S.
Evan Basinger, D. D. S.
Telephone 271-W
Bluffton, Ohio
LOCAL AND LONG
DISTANCE HAULING
Every Load Insured
STAGER BROS.
Bluffton, Ohio
Porch Rockers
Protected from rain with good quality
outdoor varnish split bottom seats.
They will stand the weather.
Card Table Seis
Attractive table and four sturdy chairs
for those informal summer afternoons and
evenings.
Just Received
Mighty good looking bathroom sets—
rug and seat cover—in an exceptional
range of colors to match your color
scheme.
For Rabv
Just received a large selection of high
chairs.