The Bluffton news. [volume], October 02, 1947, Image 1

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

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXII
FOURTH DISTRICT
SPECIAL PRIMARY
ELECTION TUESDAY
Democrats and Republicans to
Name Congress Candidates
In Balloting
Six Candidates in Two Parties
Seek Vacant Seat of Con
gressman Jones
Bluffton and Richland township
voters will go to the polls next
Tuesday in a special primary elec
tion to name Democratic and Repub
lican candidates for the unexpired
term of Congressman Robert F.
Jones, of Lima, who resigned as a
representative to Congress to accept
an appointment to the Federal Com
munications Commission.
In the special primary, called by
Governor Thomas J. Herbert to per
mit the naming of candidates w’hose
names will appear on the November
General Election ballot, Republicans
■will make their choice between two
candidates, and Democrats will
decide the winner of a ticket of four.
Candidates
Each voter will receive one ballot.
On the Republican ticket will be the
names of Dewey Fetter, Allen county,
and William M. McCulloch, Miami
county.
The Democratic ballot will carry
the names of Paul Christie and
Joseph Quatman, both of Allen
county Reuben Dickman, Auglaize
county, and Roy Harmony, Shelby
county.
Counties in the Fourth District
•which will have polls open next
Tuesday for the special primary are
Allen, Auglaize, Mercer, Darke,
Miami and Shelby.
Polls will be open from 6:30 a. m.
to 6:30 p. m., and electors of Bluff
ton, Beaverdam and Richland town
ship will vote in their usual places.
Names of the candidates selected
by each party in the special primary
will appear on the ballot at the
regular November elction, the winner
going to Congress to fill the vacancy
caused by Jones’ resignation.
Sportsmen To See
Pheasant Hunt Film
Color motion pictures on South
Dakota pheasant hunting will be
shown at the first fall meeting of
the Bluffton Cmmunity Sportsmen’s
club in their clubrooms at the town
hall on Wednesday night of next
week, October 8, at 8 o’clock.
Elmer A. Clark, president of the
Great Lakes Aviation & Airways
with headquarters in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, will present and narrate
the pictures. The airline operates
chartered trips to the Dakota hunt
ing fields.
Following the program a pickerel
fish fry will be held. Meeting is
open to all members of the club and
their families.
Oil Well Drilling
Is Under Wag Here
'Drilling for oil is under way on
the John Boehr farm, three and one
half miles north of Bluffton in Riley
township, where a 65-foot derrick
was completed last w’eek.
Experienced oil men last week said
that judging by advance prepara
tions the well will be sunk to great
er depth than previously had been
the practice in this locality, ap
parently in the hope of setting off
another oil boom similar to that ex
perienced here at the turn of the
century.
Operations on the Boehr farm are
in the nature of a test well financed
by Findlay and Toledo capital. In
anticipation of success in the ven
ture, it was disclosed that the same
interests have leased drilling rights
to some 1,500 acres of surrounding
farmland.
Stanley Steiner On
Ohio State Staff
Stanley F. Steiner, son of E. P.
Steiner, of Bluffton, has been ap
pointed to the faculty of the de
partment of engineering at Ohio
State university, and will take up
his teaching duties there on Octo
ber 15.
To join the Ohio State teaching
staff, he has resigned as supervisor
of methods control at the Murray
Corporation of America plant in
Scranton, Pa.
At Ohio State his teaching duties
will be in the fields of tool engineer
ing, plant design, and equipment
and production engineering. Some
time also will be devoted to engin
eering consultation and post-gradu
ate work.
IN
OUR DATE WITH DESTINY
BLUFFTON BANKER
IN HOSPITAL AFTER
TWO AUTOS CRASH
Elmer Romey, Cashier, Under
goes Emergency Operation
For Internal Injuries
(An Editorial)
Kenton Woman Also In Hospital
Here Crash Near Town On
College Road
all honesty it might as well be admitted that only a few
will vote at next Tuesday's primary when the Fourth Dis
trict nominates two candidates for congress.
Most citizens haven't enough interest in public affairs
to go to the polls. This attitude has in the past cost whole
peoples their self-government—and such a thing can happen
again.
Faced with a crisis such as the world has not seen in
a thousand years and fateful decisions pending which will
affect the lives of generations yet unborn, this nation des
perately needs statesmen in congress.
It is the high privilege and duty of citizens of the Fourth
District to select such men.
Nothing can be more important than your obligation
to vote—remember you have a date with destiny at the
polls next Tuesday.
Elmer Romey, 67, cashier of the
Citizens National bank, is in Bluff
ton Community hospital with internal
injuries received at 5 p. m. Sunday
when Automobiles driven by Dr.
Francis Basinger, Bluffton dentist,
and Virgil W. Deitrich, West Liberty,
collided at the intersection of College
road and the Allen-Putnam County
Line road, two miles north of town.
Romey, who suffered a ruptured
intestine, underwent an emergency
operation at the hospital Sunday
night. His, condition Wednesday
morning was reprted satisfactory.
Also hospitalized in the crash was
Mrs. Leone Thrailkill, 49, of Kenton
Route 3, who is suffering from head
injury and shock. Her condition also
is satisfactory and she is expected
to leave the hospital Wednesday
evening.
Mrs. Donna Deitrich, 23, wife of
the -driver of the West Liberty car,
was discharged from the hospital
after treatment for a fractured collar
bone and cuts about the head. The
Deitrichs are former Mt. Cory resi
dents and Mrs. Thrailkill is the
mother of Mrs. Deitrich.
Dr. Basinger, who received an in
jured knee and shoulder, is able to
continue his dental practice this
week. Deitrich and four other oc
cupants of his car were unhurt.
Dr. Basinger’s car was northbound
on College road, and Deitrich was
driving east on the County Line road
when the mishap occurred. View of
the crossing was unobstructed, and
it is believed the crash resulted from
confusion as to which car had the
right-of-way.
Immediate assistance was provid
ed for the mishap victims by’ Mr.
and Mrs. Kenneth Winkler, of the
Badertscher apartments on South
Main street, whose car was just
ahead of that driven by Dr. Basing
er. Hearing the sound of the crash,
they’ turned around and returned to
the intersectin.
Romey and Dr. Basinger, alone in
their car, were enroute to the John
Boehr farm, which is approximately
one-half mile farther down the road,
to see a new oil well being drilled
at that site. i
Both automobiles were demolished
in the mishap.
Library To Close On
Thursday And Friday
Bluffton’s public library at the
high school will be closed on Thurs
day and Friday, it is announced by
Miss Ocie Anderson, librarian.
Bluffton high and grade schools
will be closed all day Thursday for
the Putnam county fair at Ottawa.
Religious Education
Teacher To Speak
Mrs. Charles Lauby, instructor in
religious education in the Bluffton
elementary schools will address a
union service in the Presbyterian
church, Sunday night at 7:30 o’clock.
She will speak on objects and aims
of the training and also display ma
terials being used in the course.
The meeting Sunday night is under
auspices of the Bluffton Ministerial
association.
Waste Of Food Thing Of Past In
Area Households As Prices Soar
President’s Plea for Food Con
servation Comes When Prac
tice Aifeady Is General
Waste from Tables Disappeared
Weeks Ago When Prices
First Soared Upward
The highest food prices in a
generation already have forced
maximum conservation of foodstuffs
in homes of the Bluffton area, and
appeals of President Truman that
the nation’s housewives save more
food represent a request with which
it will be impossible to comply.
That was the gist of comment
resulting from a spot check in Bluff
ton food stores last Saturday, when
women* who handle the actual prep
aration of meals in the home were
doing their week end shopping.
Comments’ranged from a sarcastic
“If those Washington Big Shots
ever tried to set a table on my
husband’s pay check, they’d know I
can’t waste anything”, to the mild
rejoiner “I don’t see how we can do
any more than we are doing.”
Whether sarcastic or mildly amus
ed at the idea that there is prevalent
waste when butter is near record
top prices and eggs are bringing
around five cents each, the women
who do the actual preparation of
food in Bluffton area kitchens all
were of the same opinion that high
prices of food long ago dictated the
conservation of every scrap of food
so far as the average family is con
cerned.
Garbage pails, according to house
wives contacted in the survey, never
within their memory afford leaner
pickings than they do today, and
wishful thinking that there is waste
which can be eliminated will not
change that situation.
BY HARR.Y |_ HALB
Editor’s Note—Thia is one
of a series of articles to appear
in the Bluffton News dealing
with early Ohio history. Others
will appear in forthcoming
issues.
Pirates Sink Island
Queen
The recent destruction of the Is
land Queen, Cincinnati-owned river
excursion steamer in Pittsburgh
waters and the sinking of the boat,
with a toll of more than 20 dead and
missing, recalls the scuttling of an
other Island Queen, great grand
mother of the Cincinnati boat, off
Middle Bass Island, in Lake Erie,
eighty-three years ago—September
19, 1864.
The first Island Queen, like the
great-granddaughter, was an excur
sion boat, plying among the Lake
Erie islands. Usually she was fill
ed to the rails with pleasure seekers.
On that early September morning
she had docked at Middle Bass Is
land when the Philo Parsons, a
packet between Sandusky, Detroit
and the islands, pulled alongside.
Four armed men off the Parsons
boarded the Queen and overpower
ing Captain G. W. Orr, took posses
sion of the steamer.
Twenty Pirates
About 20 of the pirates still were
on the Parsons. These, with those
on the Queen, lashed the two boats
together.
The passengers on the Island
Queen then were sworn to a day’s
secrecy and with those from the
P&rsons, were put ashore on Middle
Bass Island, then entirely uninhabit
(Continued on page 10)
I HE BLUFEflON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, OCT 2, 1947
DOWN TOWN BLOCK
SOLD GREENHOUSE
HAS NEW OWNER
Roy Hauenstein Buys Building
Occupied by Barnes Grocery,
Tuesday.
Ralph Basinger, Pandora Flor
ist Buys Grove Street Green
houses Here.
Two separate business deals were
closed here Tuesday w’hen Roy Hau
enstein purchased the Zehrbaeh block
occupied by Barnes grocery and
Elmer Short sold the Grove Street
Greenhouses to Ralph Basinger of
Pandora.
In the real estate deal, Hauen
stein, manager of the Ar?nstrong
furniture store here bought from
Mrs. Zoe ehrbach the latter'f North
Main street business room occupied
by the grocery with living, apart
ments on the second floor. Reported
consideration was $15,000.
In connection with his purchase of
the real estate Hauenstein announc
ed that a bakery will be opened lat
er this fall in the room now ecupied
by the grocery. The bakery, he
said will be operated by his brother
Harry Hauenstein, formerly Employ
ed by the Siefield bakery which op
erated here a number of ye^rs ago.
Arthur Amstutz .proprietor of the
Barnes grocery said Wednesday
morning that he had no plans to
announce at present.
Basinger, who purchases! the
greenhouse here is experienced in
that field, having been in that busi
ness in Pandora for a number of
years and will continue to Operate
the Bluffton establishment together
with his Pandora interests.
Short, the former owner, will as
sist in operation of the Greenhouse
here until after formal opening und
er the new management Nov. 1.
FIRE PREVENTION
URGED AS TOWN'S
LOSS GOES HIGHER
Fire Loss So Far This Year Is
$16,055 Damages At Same
Time Last Fall $20
Increased Vigilance Urged in
Local Observance of Fire
Prevention Week
Officials of the Bluffton Fire
Department pointed to a greatly in
creased fire loss here so far this
year, with damages of $16,055 in 14
town fires, as local interest centered
on the national observance of Fire
Fire Prevention Week, beginning
next Sunday.
At this time last year, Bluffton
had fire damages of only $20, as
compared with the loss of $16,055
reported in the first nine months of
1947. This year’s 14 alarms inside
the corporation also exceeds the 1946
total of only three at the end of
September.
Rural fire damage also has been
heavier, according to the report by
C. V. Stonehill, clerk of the depart
ment. In seven country fires this
year there has been an aggregate
loss of $40,300, in comparison with
five fires with damage of $1,400 for
the same period in 1946.
With the number of fires on the
increase in both town and country,
and damage running heavier than
in other years, the need of scientific
fire protection in the home becomes
more important than ever, Fire
Chief Guy Corson declared this week.
Urge Prevention
During the season when furnaces
and stoves first are put into late
fall use there often is greater
danger of fire damage than in mid
winter, unless the householder is
careful to check all possible fire haz
ards in advance.
Bluffton is in ia better position to
fight fires than ever before in
history, for it has two first-class
fire trucks, one especially adapted
for rural fire fighting, an advantage
that has resulted in contracts with
Orange and Richland township trust
ees to provide fire protection service
on an annual fee basis.
The department has 1,800 feet of
serviceable hose, nearly all of which
is two and one-half-inch size.
Members of the fire department
include Chief Corson, Clerk Stone
hill, H. E. Augsburger, Richard
Augsburger, Ed Badertscher, Robert
Dillman, Wilford Gretz, Ross Irwin,
Fred Martin, Lester Niswander, John
Stonehill, Aldine Wiess and Chas.
Young.
Bluffton area experienced the first
killing frost of the season when
temperatures dropped to 32 degrees
here Tuesday night. Early risers
Wednesday morning found a heavy
frost and farmers reported ice for
mation on livestock watering tanks.
Extent of the freeze could not br
definitely ascertained Wednesday but
farmers said it will put an enX to
maturing of the corn crop, mu/'h of
which is believed will be so A and
immature.
The cold snap Tuesday reght was
the most severe of a r/umber of
lighter freezes during the past ten
days. Warmer weathe^ is forecast
for the latter part of the week.
Boys F^vor Further Education
al preparation and Indus
trial Jobs
Survey of Occupations of Grad
uates for Past Ten Years
Made Here
Marriage\continues to be the tfiost
attractive vd^ation for the girl
graduate, whil& boys in increasing
numbers are pursuing eg A-s in
further education,Sjt gpr thetealed
this fall in a survey* bleave eakions
chosen by Bluffton .eir residefpol
graduates since 1938.
The occupational bred""....... ..........s
47 percent of the gir s
have become brides durii.
year period. At the
further schooling is tops
with the boys, claiming 30
of all graduating.
Killing Frost Here Tuesday Night
As Mercury Drops To Freezing Point
Marriage'Is Most Attractive Vocation
To High School Girls Here Report Shows
Second choice of the boys a.
in industry, with 24 per ce»
the graduates so engaged. Farming,
with 20 per cent of the graduates, is
a close third.
Next to marriage, 15 per cent
girl graduates have preferred ad
ditional scholastic training, industry
with 14 per cent was third.
Classes from 1938 to 1947 inclusive
included 271 girls and 258 boys on
the graduating lists.
Complete breakdown occupational
ly is as follows: Girls—Marriage, 47
per cent In School, 15% Industry.
14% stenographer-typist, and at
home, each 6% teaching, 4% clerk
or waitress, 3% beautician, 2%
nurse, Red Cross work, radio, tele
phone operator, and deceased, each
one per cent.
Breakdown of the occupations in
which boy graduates are engaged is
as follows: In school, 30% Industry,
24% Farming, 20% Army and
Deceased, each 6% truck driver,
garage mechanic, carpenter, and at
home, each 2% and the following
each one per cent: restaurant, Navy,
meat market, relief work, civil serv
ice, undertaker, hardware merchant,
beautician, painter, stock buyer, mer
chant, office manager, doctor, en
gineer, banker, stationary engineer.
Mennonite Relief
Unit To Re Moved
The Mennonite relief unit which
has been conditioning clothing for
European relief will vacate its pres
ent quarters in the Bluffton college
science building, it was announced
Tuesday. Until it is located in other
quarters it has been requested that
no more clothing be sent in.
Fugitive Sought For
Reported Lewdness
A man reported for lewd display
in the vicinity of the town hall sent
Bluffton police officers on an unsuc
cessful search for several hours
Tuesday night. A similar incident
was reported in the downtown sec
tion last Friday night.
New Windows At
Church Of Christ
Installation of nine new stained
glass windows was completed last
week in the auditorium of the Bluff
ton Church of Christ. Mrs. Helen
Wells was chairman of the com
mittee arranging for the improve
ment program.
Fears Unfounded
When the RFD was inaugurated
many business men expressed the
fear that the service would drive the
country into bankruptcy and that
many parcels would be lost.
Births
Mr. and Mrs. Guy Scoles, Bluff
ton, a boy, David Alfred, last Wed
nesday.
Mr. and, Mrs. Joe Pepple, Sr.,
Waynesfield, a boy, Joe Ronald, Jr.,
Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Davies,
Bluffton, a boy, Joseph Ropp, Sun
clay.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Stark, Co
lumbus Grove, a girl, Kaye Ellen,
Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Freeman Basinger,
Bluffton, a girl, Nyla Janiece, Mon
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Houdeshell,
Mt. Blanchard, a girl, Shirley Jo,
Tuesday.
WILL ATTEMPT TO
BUY NAVY TURBINE
FOR LIGHT PLANT
Board of Public Affairs Un
able To Make Purchase In
East Last Week
Negotiations Continue, With
Definite Possibility Tur
bine Can Be Had
Still in process this week were
negotiations that may lead to the
purchase of an 1,850 KW turbine
from government wr surplus stocks
as the most economical and im
mediate means of expanding the
electrical generating capacity of the
municipal light and power plant.
Representatives of the board of
public ajffairs were unable to buy a
turbine durhjg last week’s sale at a
navy surplus dtjppt rin Painesville,
Rhode Island, but returned home
with a report indicating definite pos
sibility of Bluffton obtaining the
type desired.
Five escort destroyers offered in
last week’s sale were bought as
complete units, and the turbines,
which represent part of the original
equipment on the ship, were included
in the sale. However, it may be
possible to purchase a turbine from
one of the new owners of the es
cort vessels, and that possibility is
being investigated.
May Get New Unit
In addition, there are reports the
navy may sell as surplus several
new turbines which never have been
used on ships, and if so the board
of public affairs plans to bid in
such a sale.
Negotiations that may lead toward
purchase of a surplus generator are
being pushed by the board because
of a substantial savings in cost, plus
earlier delivery than if a new tur
bine were ordered.
Representing the board at last
week’s surplus sale in Rhode Island
were John Swisher, superintendent
of the municipal light plant, and
Dan R. Tripplehorn, city solicitor.
Rites Wednesday For
Clara Badertscher
Mrs. Clara Badertscher, 67, of
Cherry street, died at 11 p. m. Sun
day in Bluffton Community hospital
after a four-months illness. She had
suffered a paralytic stroke last June.
Born in Putnam county, January
14, 1880, she was the daughter of
Gottlieb and Fredericka (Schweitzer)
Reichenbach. Iler first husband,
Ernest Brauen, preceded her in
death in 1910. On August 27, 1929,
she was married to Dan J. Bader
tscher, who survives.
Other survivors include two sons,
Dennis F. Brauen, McAllen, Texas
and Lloyd Brauen, of Bluffton three
sisters, Mrs. Sarah Basinger and
Mrs. Amelia Diller, both of Bluffton
and Mrs. Ida Stepler, Decatur, Ind.
two brothers, Dan Reichenbach, of
North Baltimore, and Hiram Reich
enbach, Bluffton.
Last rites were conducted Wednes
day afternoon in the First Mennon
ite church, of which she was a mem
ber, with Rev. J. N Smucker, pastor,
officiating Burial was in Maple
Grove cemetery.
PULLETS STOLEN
Myron Motter of South Main
street reported the first of the week
the theft of forty pullets from his
poultry house.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
DEALERS LIMITING
COAL DELIVERIES
TO SPREAD SUPPLY
Shortage of Goal Cars Respon
sible for Slow Shipments
to Local Yards
Deliveries to Householders Re
stricted More Coal Ex
pected in Mid-October
Coal has been scarce in Bluffton
so far this fall, with dealers restrict
ing deliveries to domestic users as
a serious shortage of railroad cars
cuts sharply into shipments of fuel
to local dealers.
Many area householders short of
fuel learned of the prevailing situa
tion for the first time last week,
when the first fall frosts brought to
mind the necessity of filling coal bins
for the chilly days ahead.
In apportioning out what little
coal they receive these days, dealers
are delivering only one load to a
customer, as long as the supply lasts.
The average load is about four tons
of coal.
With demand picking up with the
arrival of frost, there was no coal
in the hands of dealers last Satur
day, but a few cars have arrived
here this week to slightly relieve
the situation.
Temporary Shortage
Altho the present shortage is more
or less temporary in nature, dealers
said there will be little improvement
until after the middle of October
when coal shipments to the upper
lake regions will close for the sea
son.
The present shortage of cars, af
fecting shipments to Bluffton from
the mines, is caused by a last
minute rush to route as much coal
as possible to the upper lake area,
thereby resulting in a bottleneck so
far as deliveries to other points are
concerned.
With plenty of coal at the mines,
and sufficient cars to handle domestic
deliveries after the lake shipping
season closes, the present fuel short
age should soon ease, dealers said.
Current shortages are aggravated,
they point out, by a peak demand
from householders now that the first
signs of cold weather are at hand.
In contrast to the tight situation
affecting householders, there is
plenty of fuel on hand for the muni
cipal light plant, and other industrial
plants, which receive coal on a.
regularly specified delivery basis.
Sunday Talk On
Religion In Russia
Events in Europe leading up to
the present world crisis will be dis
cussed at 7:30 p. m. Sunday in the
St. John Mennonite church near
Pandora, by Rev. Peter Varonoff,
missionary from Odessa, Russia.
Speaking on “Russia, God and
Victory,” the Russian missionary
will relate his own experiences, and
illustrate the lecture with photo
stereopticon slides.
Rev. Varonoff, who represents the
Russian Missionary Bible Society,
predicts that Russia will be a great
missionary field in the future for
in that land, which comprises a sixth
of the world, he said, there are
195,000,000 people who have never
heard of Christ.
He says that to bring these people
the Christian religion will mean a
better chance of getting along with
them as neighbors. He says the
Slavs are instinctively a religious
and mystical race and suffering has
made the Russia .people receptive to
religion.
The speaker, who has been spend
ing most of his life in Russia where
his parents are also missionaries,
made several interesting comments
which threw light on the present at
titude of the Soviet government to
ward religion. He said that when
the Germans attacked and the terror
of war came, the people demanded
the right to worship and the govern
ment acceded.
Whether this was because of ex
pediency or actually because of less
ening in hostility to religion on the
part of the communists, is not
known, said the speaker. But, he
told, that on June 22, 1941, when
the churches opened in Russia,
Marshal Stalin stood for an hour
in a church in Moscow.
Rev. Varonoff will show pictures
of Russia, depicting the poverty of
the people and the grimness of the
war. He also will show impressive
slides of the city of Moscow, the
Kremlin and the Harbor of Vladi
vostok.