BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXII
NEW CITY WATER
WELL SITE TO BE
ON STAGER TRACT
Site on Howard Stager Land
Between Dixie and Rail
road South of Town
Fourth Well for Town’s Supply
WiU Be Drilled Early
Next Fall
A new well for Bluffton’s city
water supply will be drilled next
fall, on the Howard Stager tract,
south of Bluffton between the Dixie
highway and the Nickel Plate rail
road, it was announced this week by
the board of public affairs.
Approval of the site by state
board of health inspectors has open
ed the way for contract negotiations,
which will be completed in the near
future, and forwarded to the state
department for final clearance.
Land on which the new well will
be located is about 300 feet south
of the corporation line, and the well
will be drilled about two-thirds of
the distance from the highway to
the railroad, it was announced by a
spokesman for the board of public
affairs.
Approves Site
Preliminary approval was made
following inspection by O. C. Singer,
representative of the state board of
health. Water obtained after drill
ing is started, however, must be sent
to the state for final approval, inas
much as the well will be used for
the regular city supply.
With completion of the new well
in the Stager tract, the town will
have four wells for the regular city
supply, in addition to a well operated
separately to provide water used for
cooling purposes at the Page Dairy
plant.
Included in the group of four is
well in the Mrs. Caroline Matter ad
dition, which has not been used for
nearly a year, after residential trail
ing was started in the tract. No
decision has been made as to dis
position of the Matter well, which
now is used only as a reserve for
emergency.
Patrol To Check
Cars Near Lima
Traffic check of motor cars travel
ing over Route 65 into Lima will be
made Friday by the State Highway
Patrol, it was announced this week.
Motor vehicles will be inspected
for safety factors including brakes,
horn, windshield wipers, headlights,
stop lights, steering, rear vision mir
ror, tail lights and tires.
Written warnings will be issued
for minor violations, it was an
nounced.
The check will be one of a series
being made in conjunction with the
traffic survey program sponsored by
the state highway patrol and Ohio
chiefs of police during July.
Father Of Former
Local Teacher Dies
William Leroy baymon, 72, re
tired plumber, and father of A. L.
Daymon, former Bluffton High
school instructor in manual training,
died last Friday evening in a To
ledo hospital following an illness of
three weeks.
In addition to the former Bluffton
man he is survived by another son,
Don Daymon, and a daughter, Mrs.
Tom Dorsey, both of Findlay.
Funeral services were held Mon
day in Findlay.
In New Locations
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Waitermire are
moving into the first floor of their
property at South Jackson and
Franklin streets, the former Whit
mer property. The quarters were
recently vacated by Stevens Smith
and family who moved to their East
Elm street property purchased from
Emerson Lugibihl. Ray Campbell
and family will continue to occupy
the second floor of the Waitermire
property.
Maurice Mahoney and family have
moved here from Lima into their
Grove street property, the former
Danner residence ^^-'x*d by the
Wade Bechtols. Mr Mahoney is lo
cal manager of the telephone com
pany.
Mr. and Mrs. Chair Michael have
moved from an apartment in the
Chester Huber property on South
Mani street to the Nelson Basinger
property at Kibler and Jackson
streets, the former Rohrbach prop
erty.
Two School Teachers
Resign Positions Here
Resignations of two teachers in
the public schools here were an
nounced the first of the W’eek.
They are John Martin, instructor
in music and Mrs. Dwight Spaythe,
teacher of the second grade. Both
resignations will come before the
board of education for acceptance at
its meeting this Wednesday night.
Supt. R. S. Lanham said he had
no announcement to make at this
time as to who would fill the va
cancies.
Martin is understood to be consid
ering several offers to teach during
the coming year but has announced
no decision.
Mrs. Spaythe consented to teach
last year -when the vacancy in the
grade school was unfilled at the
time of opening of schools for the
fall term last September.
Under provisions of the new state
law, teachers have until July 10 to
resign, after which time the board
of education may refuse to release
them from their contracts. Pre
viously the deadline was August 1.
WHEAT OUTLOOK
GOOD HARVEST
LATE THIS YEAR
Combines Expected to Handle
Major Portion Latter Part
Of July
Corn Crop Making Notable Pro
gress Thruout Bluffton
District
Wheat in the Bluffton district is
“turning” and given favorable weath
er, harvesting with binders may be
■gin the latter part of next week,
farm observers said Wednesday.
The major portion of the harvest,
however, will probably come in about
two weeks since cool weather is
delaying ripening of the stand and
the greater part of the crop will be
combined which takes the grain at a
more ripened stage.
Outlook generally is for a better
than average crop altho the general
farm opinion here is that it may not
be as large as last year’s bumper
yield.
New Wheat $2.10
New wheat was quoted on the
Bluffton market at $2.10 a bushel
Wednesday morning, altho dealers
here pointed out that the price was
only nominal since there will be no
marketing of the new crop here for
several weeks.
The current price of $2.10 for new
wheat compares with that of $1.96
a year ago this week when the first
of the 1946 crop was marketed. Two
[years ago the first wheat sold here
[brought $1.54 a bushel.
Corn Grows Rapidly
Corn, handicapped by late plant
ing, has made amazing progress
during the past two weeks, and a
portion of the crop, roughly ten per
cent, was knee high by the Fourth
of July, a rule-of-thumb standard
for gauging the progress of normal
progress at this time of year.
Markets, however, still persisted
in manifesting doubts relative to
corn prospects and the price here
Tuesday touched an all-time high of
$2.20 per bushel. Wednesday’s quo
tation was off 5 cents.
A long spell of hot, dry weather
may help bring Bluffton’s mosquito
infestation under control, Mayor W.
W. Howe said this wreek, but other
wise the only hope for affected
areas is for each householder to
handle his own treatment program.
Although streams and other bodies
of water in the village are com
pletely free of mosquito larvae,
hordes of the pests taking refuge
in shrubbery on private lawns and
in tall grass on vacant lots threaten
to sabotage the town’s control pro
gram.
With private grounds providing a
harbor and breeding place, the may
or urged individual householders to
spray their own premises if they are
in an area where mosquitoes are
bad. The new DDT spray is plenti
ful and available at many local
stores, the town’s chief executive
announced.
To help control the infestation,
the mayor also urged that tall grass
Cleaning Of Catch Basins Launched
To Guard Against Flooded Streets
Key To Town’s Mosquito Control Is In
Spraying By Individual Householders
Council Authorizes Employ
ment of Extra Man For
Cleaning Program
Regular Work On Catch Basins
Seen As Answer To Problem
Of Flooded Streets
Seeking relief from flooded streets
during heavy rains, the municipal
council at Monday night’s meeting
authorized Street Commissioner Lee
Coon to add an extra man to his
street crew, for the purpose of
cleaning out all town catch basins.
A regular program of keeping the
catch basins free of stone, dirt, etc.,
was recommended by Councilman
Chet Stauffer, long a member of the
council’s street committee, who re
ported that the only answer to pre
venting flooded streets when there is
excessive rainfall is constant work
on catch basins.
In the past, the village street
crew has had time available to clean
out only those catch basins reported
clogged, but assignment of an extra
man to the program will make it
possible to prevent trouble before it
occurs, Stauffer said.
Catch basins in the town will be
cleaned out systematically, street by
street, but a special effort also will
be made to get at those at an early
date where trouble is reported.
Bluffton streets were flooded often
last spring when the weatherman
deluged the town with several tor
rential downpours, and it is hoped
that regularly cleaning catch basins
will prevent repetition of the trouble
in the future.
Sings At Chautauqua
Lake Summer Session
Miss Janice Murray, granddaugh
ter of Mrs. Hod Murray of North
Jackson street is singing on musical
programs at Chautauqua Lake, N. Y.,
this summer. She is the daughter
of Mr. and Mi’s. Aaron Murray of
Washington Court House.
Miss Murray, a contralto, is a
Bluffton native. Last year she was
a junior in the Ohio State university
school of music and was heard on a
number of radio programs over Co
lumbus station WOSU.
Quality Cattle Are
Shipped To Oregon
Two purebred Shorthorn cattle
from Willard Moser, northwest of
Bluffton were among seven animals
purchased in this area and shipped
to Portland, Oregon, to be used as
breeders in starting herds.
The animals were purchased by
James Ballentine of Portland who
came to this section in search of
high class breeding stock.
Ballentine also purchased two head
from Homer Tudor of Vaughnsville
and three from Hoewischer & Son
of Sidney.
Bluffton Youth
At Summer Camp
Arthur Neuenschwander, residing
west of Bluffton who has been prom
inent in junior livestock projects is
attending the annual 4-H Conserva
tion club’s outing at Camp Ohio in
Licking county this week.
Features of the camp will include
demonstrations of conservation farm
ing, together with talks on farm life
and practices by Ohio State uni
versity extension specialists.
immediately be cut on vacant lots
in the town.
New Store Will
Open Here Soon
Ralph Smith of Richmond, Ind.,
will open a Gamble store in the
Hankish business room on South
Main street. The location, formerly
occupied by the Allen County Farm
Bureau Co-operative is being re
modeled for the new tenant.
The Farm Bureau’s office and re
tail store is temporarily located in
the brick building on Cherry street
at the approach of the Big Riley
creek bridge, while their new build
ing is being constructed this sum
mer on land formerly part of the
Philip Hilty farm south of town
which the Farm Bureau purchased
as a site for their headquarters.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1947
PARTY CAUCUSES
TO BE HELD HERE
FRIDAY, JULY 25
Candidates for Five Richland
Township Offices Will Be
Named in Meetings
Democrats and Republicans also
to Nominate Two for Bluff
ton School Board
Republican and Democratic cau
cuses to name candidates for offices
in Richland township and the Bluff
ton school district at next Novem
ber’s election will be held at 8 p. m.
Friday, July 25, in the high school
building.
Filing deadline for names to ap
pear on the November ballots is
August 6, and holding the caucuses
12 days earlier will permit local
party leaders to be assured of full
tickets for balloting in the fall.
Five township offices will be on
the November ballot, and there will
be caucus nominations for one
trustee one clerk-treasurer two
constables and one justice of the
peace.
In addition, the caucuses will nom
inate candidates for two posts to be
open on the Bluffton board of educa
tion.
On the township board of trustees,
the term of Allen Grismore expires
on December 31. There will be one
nomination open to each party for a
four-year term. Fred Badertscher
and Watson Steiner will continue to
serve on the board.
Nahum Basinger, present clerk
treasurer, whose four-year term ex
pires this year, will not be a candi
date for re-election, he stated this
week.
Two year terms of Charles Lora
and R. E. Griffith as constables also
sxpire.
Election of a justicd of the peace
is required this fall because Rich
land townsh^^s^e^^ily one in
the last election, two years ago.
Stanley Vertner was the only candi
date on the ticket at that time, and
there will be nominations this year
for a four-year term.
On the Bluffton board of educa
tion the four year terms of Waldo
Hofstetter, board president, and Levi
Althaus expire.
For the caucuses here on July 25,
the Republicans will meet in the
high school cafeteria, and Democrats
in the study room adjoining the li
brary.
Weyer Quartered In
Former Jap Museum
Technician fifth grade Robert L.
Weyer, Bluffton is now serving with
the 8th Signal Batalion, 1 Corps, in
Kyoto, Japan as a switchboard oper
ator.
Quartered in one of the most or
nate billets in Japan, personnel as
signed to this unit can boast of liter
ally “dwelling in marble halls.” Prior
to the war the building was one of
the most exclusive museums of mod
ern art in Japan.
T/5 Weyer entered the army June
4, 1947, at Columbus, Ohio. After
completing Signal Corps training at
Camp Polk, La., he shipped overseas.
His parents reside in Bluffton.
Attend Opening Of
New Chevrolet Plant
Adam Steiner, Bluffton Chevrolet
dealer and Max Huffman, salesman,
on Wednesday were at Flint, Mich.,
to participate in a celebration
heralding the official opening of the
new Chevrolet-Flint assembly plant.
This plant, previewed recently by
newspapermen from all over the
country, is recognized as the most
modern automotive plant of its kind
in the world. One of its unique
features is “Suspended assembly,”
an innovation introduced by Chevro
let for the first time in high-volume
production of motor cars. The plant,
together with its adjoining Fisher
Body unit, is now in volume produc
tion, moving toward an announced
rate of 60 passengers cars and 20
trucks an hour.
r. Steiner was among approxi
mately 500 Chevrolet dealers from
Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsyl
vania and New York who eventu
ally will receive their new cars and
trucks from the Flint assembly
plant. They toured the plant Wed
nesday as guests of A. F. Young,
Flint regional manager for Chevro
let, following a .gigantic civic pa
rade through the streets of Flint.
The plant will be opened to public
inspection July 10.
In great attempts it is glorious
even to fail. —Longinus
N. V. Turner, of Mt. Cory, met
the Nickel Plate passenger train at
Mt. Cory station at 5:50 a. m. last
Thursday expecting to meet his son
who was coming from St. Louis to
spend the Fourth of July visiting
his mother in the Bluffton hospital.
Instead, the 82-year-old Mt. Cory
man was informed by the conductor
that the son, Vernon L. Turner, 52,
had died on the train enroute, and
that his body had been left in
Frankfort, Indiana.
The younger Turner is known to
have suffered from heart disease,
and death is presumed to have fol
lowed an attack on the train.
In addition to his father and
mother, the St. Louns man is sur
vived by his wife and daughter, and
an older brother, Burr Turner, of
Cleveland.
An attorney by profession, Turner
was a member of the staff of the
prosecuting attorney’s office in St.
Louis.
Mrs. N. V. Turner, the mother, is
seriously ill from shingles in the
Bluffton hospital.
Farmers in Upland Corn Dis
trict Seek More Tiling For
Fields
Reflecting the trend, ditchers with
equipment for laying tile are booked
with orders for the summer and fall,
and one tile manufacturing plant
has reported a a backlog of orders
that would keep it busy for two
years at its present rate of produc
tion.
An apparent paradox this season,
indicating the value of good drain
age, has found upland farms W’ith
little drainage remaining unwork
able, while lowlands with extensive
networks of tile dried out far more
quickly and were seeded much earl
ier on the average.
In normal seasons the upland
area immediately surrounding Bluff
ton has less need for drainage, and
tiling has been at a minimum for
that reason. Another factor is the
heavy upland seeding of corn, which
does not require as much drainage.
Farms in the Pandora area of ne
cessity have more tiling because of
more lowlands and crops such as
potatoes, sugar beets, tomatoes and
melons which require better drain
age.
William Burkholder, Bluffton con
tractor who installs tile ditches with
mechanical equipment, says he is
booked with more than enough ord
ers to keep him busy throughout the
spring and summer, and other ditch
ers are reported equally busy as
fanners prepare to hedge against a
repetition of unusually wet spring
weather.
Swiss Male Chorus
Concert On Sunday
The Swiss Male chorus will pre
sent a sacred concert at the Eben
ezer Mennonite church, Sunday night
at 8 o’clock. Earl Lehman is di
rector of the 30 voice choir and
Edith Lehman is accompanist.
Concert Sunday By
Orange Twp. Chorus
The Orange Township Men’s
chorus will give a sacred concert at
the Riley Creek Baptist church,
Sunday night at 8 o’clock, it is an
nounced by Rev. Robert Turner,
pastor of the church.
Reunions
The 8th annual reunion of the
Boutwell family will be held at
Orange Center Community house,
Sunday, July 20. Emanuel Boutwell,
Sec.
The J. G. Ford family reunion
will be held at Shelter House No. 3,
Riverside park, Findlay, Sunday,
Aug. 10. Anna Lee, Sec.
Many persons might have attained
wisdom had they not assumed they
already possessed it.
Father Meeting Nickel Plate Tain
At Mt. Cory Learns Son Died Enroute
Wet Spring Points Need For Better
Drainage On Bluffton Area Farms
Ditching Contractors and Tile)
Manufacturers Book Many
Orders
Record wet weather of this spring
has stimulated interest among farm
ers for additional tile drainage of
their lands, so that other seasons
similar to this will not keep them
out of fields over prolonged periods
when the ground should be worked.
Complete Repairs On
Fire Damaged House
Repairs have been completed on
the Fred Badertscher apartment
house at South Main and Kibler
streets which was badly damaged by
fire two months ago.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Reichenbach
have now moved back to their form
er apartment after having tempor
arily made their home with her par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Oberly of
Washington street following the fire.
Mr and Mrs Paul Greding and
children following the fire moved
into the South Main street property
they recently purchased formerly oc
cupied by Lloyd Thomas and family.
The apartment vacated by the Gred
ings is occupied by Mr. and Mrs.
Kenneth Winkler, recently married.
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Lombardy
remained in their apartment which
sustained only minor damage as the
result of the fire.
VOTERS’ ATTITUDE
ON SEWER ISSUE
CAUSES CONCERN
Reaction to Proposal for Sew
age Bonds is Matter of
Conjecture
Final Plans and Specifications
for Construction Ready
This Spring
Unfavorable attitude of economy
minded voters in this area toward
bond proposals to finance public con
struction project was a source of
concern this week among supporters
of Bluffton’s long deferred sewage
disposal system, who had hoped to
see the measure presented to the
electorate some time this year.
Most recent indication of voter re
action to the reflection of high prices
in public works projects was rejec
tion of a onehalf-mill bond proposal
for streets improvement, in Lima’s
primary election early in May-
The proposal, which required a 65
per cent favorable vote for its pass
age, failed to command a simple
majority in the balloting.
Requires 65
of
Vote
A reflection of that same attitude
in Bluffton would effectively forestall
any hope of assuring enough voter
support for approval by 65% of a
bond levy for the sewage disposal
system, it was pointed out, particul
arly in view of the town’s lukewarm
sentiment toward the proposal in the
past.
Final plans and specifications for
the sewage disposal systems will be
completed this spring, as the result
of town council decision last winter
to get that phase of preliminary
work out of the way.
To pay for the engineering serv
ices required, the municipality ob
tained an $8,000 interest-free loan
from the Federal Works Agency.
Repayment of the loan is not re
quired until construction of the sys
tem is started and the money is
available from bonds issued to
finance the project.
Elimiates Delay
By taking advantage of federal
financial assistance, it is possible to
eliminate the delay that ordinarily is
involved in preparation of complete
plans and specifications for a project
after a bond issue is authorized by
voters. Proceeding with planning
this spring means construction of
the system can be greatly speeded
once the “•lear light” is given at
the polls.
Bluffton’s application for the $8,000
planning fund is based on a $250,000
disposal system. Of this, $14,000 is
earmarked for the construction of
intercepting sewers along Big and
Little Riley creeks, and $105,000 for
erection of a sewage disposal plant.
Networks of sewers thruout the
town to empty into the interceptors
an- not included in present planning,
because of the cost factor, which
means that a completely new system
would be postponed until a later
date.
When you fall into a man’s con
versation, the first thing you should
consider is whether he has a greater
inclination to hear you, or that you
should hear him.
—Sir Richard Steele
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 12
COMPLETE WORK
ON SEVEN MILES
OF RURAL ROADS
Township and County Com
pletes $11,500 Summer
Program
Only Few' Roads in Richland
Township Not Hard Sur
faced
Richland township’s $11,500 sum
mer program of resurfacing seven
miles of roads was completed this
week, after work on the highways
had gotten away to a slow start be
cause of inclement spring weather.
Four
miles of “sealed
were included iii
surfacing
Sea
road
highways.
coat” re
the im-
provenlent program, and iin addition
three miles of mads weire treated
with “mat’’ improvement.
The “mat” consists of a three-inch
tar and oil mix applied to gravel
roads, principally as a foundation
coat. In the year after a mat coat
is placed on the road a sealing sur
face is added by spreading a one
inch 'oating of aspha mix.
ed coats were
of the Fett rad
miles
Putna
road,
aced on three
from the
county line to
and one mile of
the Rockport
the Swaney
tietween the Line oln and Dixie
Three Miles Mat Treated
Mat treatment was on two miles
of the Bixel-Grismore mad from the
Pandora mad to the Fett mad and
on one mile of the Swaney road
from the Lincoln highway south to
the Jackson township line. The
latter road connects with a hard
surfaced road previously put in by
Jackson township.
Work in the summer improvement
program was done by the Allen
county mad crew, with the county
and township sharing the cost.
Altho re-surfacing of roads in the
township will be limited this sum
mer because of funds available in
the township treasury, repair and
patching of other roads also will
effected.
Richland township now has 100
miles of state and national highways,
all of which are hard-surfaced. There
are only 15 miles of stone pike road.
Two More Summer
Band Concerts Here
Two more concerts will be given
this summer, it was announced the
first of the week, following the
initial appearance of the band in
an open air concert on the Presby,
terian church lawn last month.
The two coming concerts will be
July 26 and August 23, both on
Saturday night.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Fruchey,
Bluffton, a girl, Wednesday morn
ing.
Mr. and rs. Rolland Shellen
berger, Jenera, a girl, Mary Ann,
Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Don Thornton, Pan
dora, a girl, Laura Jean, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Dirmeyer,
Bluffton, a girl, Sharon Kay, Sun
day.
Mr. and Mrs. W oodrow Barclay,
Bluffton, a girl, Karen Rae, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Inbody,
Jenera, a boy, David Lawrence, Mon
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Alcantar,
Pandora, a boy, Ontonio, Jr., Mon
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Willeke, of
Ada, a boy, Wednesday morning.
Lt. Col. and Mrs. Norman King,
a boy, Dean Elliott, born at Sacra
mento, Calif., June 27. The father
is the son of Mr and Mrs. Wade
King of Mt. Cory, and the mother,
the former Marseila Reece, the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. J.
Reese also of Mt. Cory
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Griffin, Lima,
a boy, Larry Dean, born at Lima
Memorial hospital, Tuesday. Mrs.
Griffin is the former Betty Clark
of Bluffton.
BLUFFTON MARKETS
Wednesday Morning
Grain (bushel prices) Wheat
new, $2.10 old $2.40 corn $2.15
oats $1.08 soys $3.
Poultry—Heavy hens 25c leghorn
'"'ens 2Oc heavy fryers 4 lbs. and
ip, 31c fryers 3 to 4 lbs., 29c leg
horn fryers 24c.
Eggs—Large whites 48c large
browns 46c.
Butterfat—70c.