The Bluffton news. [volume], December 27, 1945, Image 1

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LXX
NO.
ETIDE WEATHER
RUNS GAMUT ICE
SLEET, RAIN, SNOW
Rain Changing to Ice Dampens
Christmas Eve
Observance
Snowfall Tuesday Afternoon
Restores White Christmas
Here
........
fton’s holiday weather ran the
iut of ice, sleet, rain and snow
lin the twenty-four hours from
Christmas eve until Christmas night
proving to be the most disagreeable
Yuletide from a weather standpoint
in recent years.
The rain which started shortly
before dusk on Christmas eve, freez
ing as it fell covered sidewalks and
pavements with ice and made travel
hazardous for pedestrians and motor
ists alike. A number of basements
also were flooded.
Cancel Christinas Programs
Conditions became worse by night
fall when the heavy downpour of
rain coated automobile windshields
with a sheet of ice obscuring the
vision of autoists. Numerous cars
were reported skidding off the road
into ditches but there were no
serious accidents.
A 12-hour rain which started fall
ing early on Christmas eve trans
formed six inches of snow into a
thin, soot-pocked blanket of gray
white by Christmas morning. A
light snowfall Tuesday afternoon,
however, gave the landscape a fresn
covering and ushered in a belated
really white Christmas.
Some Christmas entertainments
scheduled for churches here Monday
night were cancelled because of
weather conditions.
The rain continued all night and
by Tuesday morning temperatures
which hovered around the freezing
point had risen sufficiently to change
the ice and snow into a treacherous
slushy underfooting.
Slightly warmer weather Tuesday
helped to clear away the coating of
ice on main-traveled highways until
late in the afternoon when snowfall
and somewhat colder weather provid
ed a more realistic and traditional
Christmas setting at the close of the
holiday.
Home From College
For Holiday Recess
Many Bluffton young people who
have been away attending
are home for the
these are:
I 1 4
I
college
among
holidays,
from
Stearns
Tiffin.
Mary Elizabeth
Heidelberg college,
Sarah Amstutz, Miami University,
Oxford.
Barbara Jean Triplett, Eastman
School of Music, Rochester, N. Y.
Florence Ann Biome, Art Students
League, New York City.
Jean Siefield, Toledo Uni
Toledo.
Margaret Basinger, Wooster
Wooster.
Dean Luginbuhl, Cincinnati
Mary
versity,
Mary
college,
Earl
Bible seminary, Cincinnati.
Jason Trippiehorn, University of
Pennsylvania Medical College, Phila
delphia.
Alice Jean Bixel, Oberlin Conser
vatory, Oberlin.
Beverly Biery, Oberlin college,
Oberlin.
Charles Trippiehorn, Ohio State
University, Columbus.
Nadine Allman, Otterbein college,
Westerville, Ohio.
Dorothy Anderson, Helen Greding,
Geneva, Ruth and Janice Hankish,
Juanita Bame and Eileen Haller,
State University, Bowling Green.
Bluffton Poetess To
Broadcast On Sunday
Beulah Moser Bernard will pre
sent a quarter-hour radio program
broadcast over Findlay station WFIN
on Sunday morning beginning at
11:45 o’clock.
The program will include the fol
lowing poems composed and read by
Mrs. Bernard to piano accompani
ment: “I Once Had A Home,” “To
You,” “Death,” “Would You?,” “A
Dream,” and “Less Than Nothing.”
Among her piano selections will be
“Dreams for Sale,” which she has
just composed.
Real Estate Deal
Oliver Spaeth has sold his prop
erty at Jackson and Kibler streets,
known as the Rohrbach property to
Nelson and Gail Basinger, residing
north of Bluffton on the Allen-Han
cock county line. The residence is
now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Clay
ton Harkness.
Correspondents Notice
AU material for publication, cor
respondents letters and advertising
copy should reach the Blufftc News
office next Monday aftemooir by 2
o’clock to insure publication in next
week’s edition. The (office will be
closed Monday night and all day
Tuesday, New Year’s day.
WHO WILL BE NEW
BLUFFTON MAYOR
REMAINS QUESTION
Mayoralty Picture Puzzling As
No Successor For Howe Is
In Evidence
None Of Incoming Council
Wants To Take Job Howe
Non-committal on Serving
Who will be Bluffton’s mayor for
the coming year remains just as much
of a question this week as it did fol
lowing the startling developments in
last November’s election which finally
ended in the town’s most perplexing
political dilemma in history.
Charles Aukerman, elected mayor
in a surprise write-in campaign, has
re-interated his decision to refuse to
qualify for the office, and will serve
instead on the municipal council to
which he also was elected.
Mayor Wilbur A. Howe, who ac
cording to law must serve until a
successor is qualified, could remain in
office until after the 1937 election, or
could submit his resignation to the
municipal council following its organ
ization, in which case the president
of the council would become mayor.
So far Howe has made no state
ment regarding his intentions, but the
picture is further complicated by the
fact that it is understood no member
of the new council will consent to
serve as its president should it mean
that he might have to serve as
mayor.
No clarification of the situation is
expected until the organization meet
ing of the new council on Monday,
Jan. 7, when Mayor Howe likely will
disclose what course of action he e.,
pects to follow,
If he should refuse Blulfton may
find itself at an impasse so far as
municipal organization is concerned,
providing councilmen refuse to accept
the presidency of the group, and how
the dilemma could be solved is some
thing not even political observers can
see as easily answerable.
Leave For Florida
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Gratz of
South Main street left Wednesday
for Miami, Florida, where they will
spend the winter.
Mr. and Mrs. Ross Bogart of
Cherry street accompanied by their
granddaughter, Mrs. Geo. Swank,
Jr., of Mishawaka, Ind., will leave
Thursday for Bradenton, Florida,
for the winter. During their ab
sence their home will be occupied by
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sheridan. Mr.
Sheridan, who served as a lieutenant
in the Army Signal Corps stationed
at Philadelphia was recently dis
charged and now employed in the
engineering department of the Trip
lett Electrical Instrument Co.
Births
The following
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs.
Williamstown, a
Mr.
a
%»Y^ttrnn
births at Bluffton
Wayne Hartman,
boy, Friday.
Frederick Reichen
brty, Sunday.
and Mrs.
Bluffton, a
Mr.
bach,
and Mrs. Kenneth Wiseley of
Alvada are parents of a girl, Lana
Jo,‘ born Monday at Findlay hospital.
Mrs. Wiseley is the former Natalia
Steiner, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
J. E. Steiner of Thurman street.
Two Hurt In Falls
Patients In Hospital
Two Bluffton residents injured in
falls the past week are patients in
Bluffton hospital.
Tt^ey are James Davis of Grove
street who fell at his home and Mrs.
Albert Deppler who fell on the ice
near her home on South Main street.
The condition of both was reported
satisfactory Wednesday morning.
Mrs. Raymond Conrad who was a
patient in the hospital for several
days the past week following a fall
has been removed to her home on
Geiger street.
a
Legion Helps World War II Vet
Beat Bluffton Housing Shortage
One of Bluffton Post's Suite of
Rooms Turned Over To
Young Couple
Makeshift Housing Will Permit
Veteran To Attend
Bluffton College
Blulfton Legionnaires this week
came to the rescue of a World War
II veteran whose plans to attend
Bluffton college apparently were
headed for the discard because of
the tight housing situation here.
When Bernard Jacobson, 23, and
his wife, of Elmhurst, N. Y., were
unable to find rooms or a house, the
Bluffton Legion post turned over to
the young couple one of their suite
of rooms on the second floor of the
town hall.
Until they can find another place,
Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson will live in
the former justice of the peace of
fice, facing Main street. To further
assist the war veteran, the Legion
has loaned him a kerosene cook stove
and some chairs.
Legion Aid Solves Problem
Except for the Legion’s aid, Jacob
son and his wife would not have
been able to locate here, and his
plans to enter Bluffton college on
January 3, following the Christmas
vacation, likely would have been
cancelled.
When he was unable to find living
quarters after an all-day search
last Friday, young Jacobson con
tacted Ralph Stearns, service offi
cer of the Bluffton Legion post.
Jacobson’s father, Dr. M. D. Jacob
son, a veteran of World War I, is
adjutant of the Elmhurst, N. Y.,
post.
Steams checked with Legion offi
cers, and the former justice of peace
office suite was offered to the young
couple until better quarters can be
found. They were well pleased, with
the arrangement and with the cour
tesy and cooperation extended by
the Bluffton Legionnaires.
Four Years
with
Marines
Jacobson expects to be a student
at Bluffton for one and one-half
years, as a part of pre-dental schol
astic training. He was discharged
last September after serving four
years with the 2n. arine division,
and was married one month later.
Over the holidays the couple are
in Detroit wit} her parents.
The Legion still has its large hall,
the former tox\n hall auditorium,
which is used for its regular meet
ings.
Edwin Welty Dies
Funeral Sunday
Funeral services for Edwin Welty,
68, laborer, were held in the Paul
Diller funeral home, Sunday after
noon with Rev. Robert Welch of the
Missionary church officiating. In
terment was in Maple Grove ceme
tery.
He died Friday at Kollmeier
convalescent home, Findlay, where
he was a patient for the past six
months.
Born in Putnam county the son of
Christian and Marian (Klay) Welty
he lived for many years in Bluffton.
He was never married.
Surviving are one sister, Mrs.
Amos Reichenbach of Bluffton and
four brothers, John and Aaron of
Bluffton Theophilus of Toledo ar.d
Enoch of Salem, Oregon.
Bluffton Navy Man
Weds In Far West
Jule Basinger, in naval service
and son of Mrs. Elizabeth Basinger
of near Bluffton was married to
Miss Kathryn Joyce Montague, only
daughter of Mrs. Clifford Montagu:
of Renton, Washington, according
word received here the first of the
week.
The ceremony took place Novem
ber 28 at 8 p. m., in th Methodist
church in Renton. The bride is an
office manager at Seattle, Wash.
The couple will reside in Renton,
near Seattle.
Brotherhood Will
Hear Lima Pastor
Rev. Vernon Van Buren of Grace
Methodist church, Lima will address
the monthly meeting of the brother
hood of Bluffton Methodist church
Thursday night. His address will
follow a potluck supper at 6:30
o’clock.
Paint That Bas
A bus travels 125,000 to 135,000
miles between paintings while a
streetcar travels 80,000 to 100,000
miles—about IVa to 2 years’ service.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
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A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO THURSDAY, DEC. 27. 1945
BLUFFTON PLANS
TO WELCOME NEW
YEAR WITH GAIETY
Watch Parties And Bands Of
Carolers Will Greet 1946
Monday Night
Business Places And Industries
Mill Suspend Operations On
New Year’s Day
Climaxing a season of holiday gai
ety, without war-restaint for the first
time in five years, Bluffton area resi
dents will celebrate the arrival of the
first post-war New Year at midnight
next Tuesday.
Ringing bells, shrilling whistles and
tooting horns will usher in the year,
and in keeping with the custom of the
community, band^ of carolers will
make their traditional rounds of the
town and countryside.
Watch parties i.i many homes will
add color and cheerfulness to the New
Year’s observance, and in other cases
the passing of the old year will be
observed by staying quietly at home
and listening to raWio music in keep
ing with the season.
New Y’ear’s Day next Tuesday will
be observed as a holiday, with busi
ness and industrial activities of the
town suspended. Plants of The Trip
lett Electrical Instrument Co. will be
closed both Monday and Tuesday. As
usual,* there will be no postal deliver
ies on town or rdiral routes on New
Y’ear’s day.
With the debut of 1946, the gaiety
of the holiday season will be brought
to a close and its color and cheer will
soon be absorbed in the rush of every
day affairs. Yuletide decorations will
come down for another year and the
Christmas tree will be discarded, sym
bolizing the passing of the commun
ity’s favorite holiday season.
Bluffton High ai Grade school stu
dents will return to their classes on
Wednesday, Jan. t, ending a 10-day
vacation^ and Bluffton College will
resume its scholastic schedule on
Thursday, Jan. 3
Couple Observes
Golden Wedding
The fiftieth wedding anniversary
of Mr. and Mrs. \\. Marshall
Oiai.'gc I
ebrated by the family Tuesday even
ing, Dec. 18.
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall were mar
ried Dec. 18, 1895 near Ada. Mrs.
Marshall was Miss Mary Caris be
fore her marriage. They have eight
children, Ward Marshall, Mrs. John
Smith, Mildred Marshall, Raymond
Marshall, Mrs. Harold Chiles, Mrs.
Dale Keith, Kimmel Marshall, Mrs.
Charles Conrad. There are eight
grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh
all are both 73 years old.
A large cake, commemorating the
occasion, graced the table.
Those present were: Mr. and Mrs.
Harold Chiles, Donald and Carol
Ann, Mr. and Mrs. Dale Keith of
Lima Mr. and Mrs. Ward Marsh
all, Miss Mildred Marshall, Mr. and
Mrs. Raymond Marshall, Jimmy and
Arlene, Mr. and Mrs. John Smith,
Vera and Nexa, Mr. and Mrs. Kim
mel Marshall, Terry and Larry, and
Mrs. Charles Conrad all of Bluffton.
The couple expressed appreciation
for the many calls, greeting cards,
flowers and gifts sent by friends in
honor of their Golden wedding an
niversary.
Couple Married In
Ceremony At Ottawa
The wedding of Miss Lois M.
Steiner, oldest daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Hiram P. Steiner of Pandora,
to Finley E. Brown of Dayton, took
place at Ottawa Saturday morning
with Rev. Hall officiating.
The bride’s oldest brother Maurice
witnessel the ceremony.
A reception was held at the home
of the bride for members of the im
mediate family.
The bride, a graduate of Mt. Cory
high school in the class of 1943, has
been employed at the A. S. C. Pat
terson Field, for the past two and
one-half years.
The groom has been recently dis
charged from the Navy and is em
ployed at the W. C. R. in Dayton.
The newly weds will make their
home in Dayton.
Arrives In Germany
Byran Anderson, former Bluffton
post office clerk has arrived in
Wurzburg, German, fvith a unit
of the Army of Occupation, it was
learned by his wife here the first
of the week.
New Year’s Calls
The formal custom .of making new /ears day
CALLS HAS LARGELY PASSED WITH TIME BUT
WE STILL LOOK UPON THIS TIME ASA HOLIDAY
WHEN OLD FRIENDSHIPS ARE REAFFIRMED AND
new ones strengthened.
11W
This
year with peace reuniting families
AND FRIENDS THE DAY TAKES ON FRESH
significance and joy as we exchange new
YEARS GREETINGS, WISHING HAPPINESS ANO GOOD
FORTUNE TO ALL.
With Many Servicemen Home
Family Gatherings Take On
Pre-War Aspect
Gifts and Toys In Profusion
Give Evidence of General
High Level of Prosperity
Bluffton’s business section thronged
with holiday shoppers on Saturday
and Monday was strangely silent
Tuesday as the town celebrated its
first peacetime Christmas in five
years.
With many servicemen already
home, family gatherings for the Yule
tide took on a new significance this
year in comparison with the obser
vances of the war years.
It was generally a happy and con
tented community for this year’s cele
bration, and the day was spent quiet
ly for the most part with family
circles enjoying the festivities in their
own homes.
Turkeys and chickens were abun
dant and with rationing abolished, the
Christmas dinner for the first time
since 1941 took on most of its pre-war
elaborateness.
Gifts and toys in profusion gave
evidence of a generally high level of
prosperity this holiday. Another evi
dence of the prosperous times was
seen in the fact that a survey failed
to disclose any poor or indigent in
need of relief.
Gospel Quartet
Will Broadcast
The King’s Messengers, a male
quartet from Grace Bible institute
of Omaha, Nebraska, will be heard
on the Ebenezer Mennonite church
broadcast Sunday afternoon at 3:30
o’clock over Findlay station WFIN.
Two members of the quartet Charles
Boehr and Myron Hilty and also the
accompanist Miss Ruth Bixel are
from Pandora. Other members are
Joe Schmidt and Allen Wiebe.
Jangle Of Telephone
Bells Busy Auto Wre
Christmas eve was anything but a
season of peace and joy for Leroy
Traucht who operates the auto
wrecking service department of Bixel
Motor Sales on Cherry street.
Fact is, Leroy spent virtually the
entire night pulling cars out of
ditches at the side of the highway.
There may have been Christmas
bells ringing that night, but the
only bells he heard was the strident1
jangle of the telephone as stranded
motorists appealed for help.
Streets and roads were covered
with ice from a heavy downpour of
rain which froze as it fell and to
make matters worse coated automo
bile windshields with a heavy sheet
of ice which added to hazards of
skidding.
Although numerous cars went off
the road resulting in a number of
minor accidents, no serious injuries
were reported.
~---*^7?
Relaxation From Tenseness Of The
War Marks Christmas Celebration
HOLIDAY SHOPPING
VOLUME SETS NEW
BLUFFTON RECORD
Dollar Volume Highest In lxcal
History Despite Scarcity
Of Merchandise
New Records Also Set In Vol
ume of Mail Handled
By Post Office
Holiday business established new
all-time records in Bluffton this year,
it was learned Wednesday as prelimi
nary checkups "-ere made on the vol
ume of Christmas merchandise sales.
Altho stocks of stores were far
from plentiful, ttye dollar volume was
the largest ever to be set here, mer
chants admitted privately in com
menting on record Yuletide sales.
Most stores were closed from
Christmas eve until Wednesday morn
ing and until a complete tabulation of
sales is completed and inventories
checked it will be impossible to get an
accurate figure of how much this
year’s sales tops previous marks.
Another reflection of the end of the
war was the endless volume of mail
that swamped handlers at Bluffton’s
post office. New incoming and out
going mail records are believed to
have been established during the
holiday rush.
A general upsurge in business local
ly during the past year, and which
reached its climax at Christmas, is
reflected in the deihand for business
rooms, with all available ones filled
for the first time in more than a de
cade.
Most buyers had plenty of money
for this year’s Christmas shopping
and as a result concentrated on better
quality merchandise. Despite the vol
ume of large scale spending, the pub
lic held onto its war loan bonds, for
there was no local evidence of con
version of bonds into cash in any un
usual amount.
Was The Only Xmas
cker Operator Heard
Forecast End Of Bad
Weather On Thursday
End of a spell of bad weather
which set in Christmas eve and con
tinued thru Wednesday is forecast
for Thursday with a prediction of
generally fair skies and somewhat
colder.
Snow falling Wednesday morning
ordinarily would have added to traf
fic hazards, actually improved driv
ing conditions over that which pre
vailed Monday night and Tuesday
when highways were covered with
a sheath of ice.
Temperatures, Wednesday ranged
around thirty degrees, slightly be
lyw the freezing point.
BLUFFTON MARKETS
Grain bushel prices) Wheat,
$1.70 corn, $1.12 oats, 70c sovs,
12.04. ______
v*rr*»
W*TM
NUMBER 36
MANY CHANGES
LOOM IN TOWN’S
OFFICIAL FAMILY
New Incumbents in Bluffton’s
Administrative Bodies Next
Year
'wo New Members in Incoming
Council Three on Board
of Education
Bluffton’s official family for the
coming year will find many changes
taking place when the municipal coun
cil, board of public affairs and board
of education complete new organiza
tions at their first 1946 meetings.
Least affected in the municipal set
up will be the council, for oniy two*
of the six councilmen to be qualified
at the initial session on Monday, Jan.
7, will be new members of the group.
The other four were re-elected in last
November’s election.
The three new members of the
board of education, to be seated the
same Monday, Jan. 7, all will be
serving their first terms. All three
members of the board of public affairs
have served before, but only two will
be filling successive terms.
Major question-mark in the 1946
picture, however, remains the mayor
alty puzzle, for Charles Aukerman’s
announcement that he will not accept
the office to which he was elected in
a write-in campaign will stand un
changed. Whether Mayor Wilbur A.
Howe will remain in office in view of
the fact that no member of the coun
cil-elect will indicate a willingness to
take over still is undecided.
Bluffton’s council for 1946 will in
clude Don Patterson, Charles Auker
man, Chester Stauffer, Cleon Triplett,
all holdover members, and Frank
Todd and Arden Baker, elected for
their first terms.
Rounding out the elective positions
will be W’ilford Geiger, re-elected mu
nicipal clerk, and Sidney C. Stattier,
treasurer.
The three new school board mem
bers will be Donavin Conrad, Leland
Diller and Paul Diller. Holdover mem
bers are Waldo Hofstetter and Levi
Althaus.
On the board of public affairs will
be Harry F. Barnes, Forrest Harmon
and A. C. Burcky.
New Richland township officials
who will take office include: Trustees
i—Fred Badertscher and Watson
Steiner constables, Esmond Griffith
and C. W. Lora justice of the peace,
Stanley Vertner.
With The Service Men
Sgt. Roland Swank who served in
the European theatre of war has re
ceived his discharge from the Army.
Swank, former superintendent of the
Elida schools expects to do graduate
work at Ohio State university this
winter.
Clair Habegger SM 2/c, son of Mr.
and Mrs. John Habegger who served
40 months in the Navy has received
his discharge at the Great Lakes,
Ill., separation center.
Home for the holidays with their
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Steiner
of near Pandora are Maurice J.
Steiner, formerly stationed at Savan
nah, Ga., who has received his Army
discharge and Sgt. Loren D. Steiner
home on furlough from Camp
Campbell, Kentucky.
Cpl. Victor Moser, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ervin Moser has received his
I discharge at Indiantown Gap, Pa.,
after 38 months of Army service, 30
of which were spent overseas.
Many Cars Stranded
On Elm Street Grade
West Elm street where the road
dips to Little Riley creek bridge was
one of the most hazardous stretches
of highway in town on Christmas
eve. Because of the ice-covered sur
face many cars were unable to make
the ordinarily easy grade.
Postmaster Ed Reichenbach who
lives' near the bridge was busy from
midnight until nearly Christmas
morning scattering ashes on the road
and assisting motorists whose cars
were stranded at the foot of the
grade.
Victory Loan Drive
To End Next Monday
With the Victory Loan sales drive
in its final week, the bond total
stood short of the $60,000 mark on
Wednesday morning.
All bond purchases up to and in
cluding Dec. 31 will be counted to
ward the drive, and heavier buying
with money received as Christmas
gifts, etc., was urged by those in
charge of the sales campaign.