The Bluffton news. [volume], July 01, 1948, 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 LXXIII
BLUFFTON PLANS
BUSY FOURTH OF
JULY CELEBRATION
Air Show And Rodeo Will Mark
Official Observance Of
Holiday Monday
Business Generally Will Be
Suspended No Deliveries
Of Mail Here
Offering two organized holiday at
tractions in addition to the town’s
usual assortment of holiday recrea
tional facilities, Bluffton’s Independ
ence Day observance next Monday
will be one of the most elaborate in
the history of the community.
Two of the major features on
the day’s program will be the air
show held in connection with dedica
tion of Bluffton’s airport in the
afternoon, followed by a gala rodeo
5n the evening, featuring some of the
best horsemen from Northwestern
Ohio
The swimming pool at Buckeye
lake, Harmon field and local picnic
spots will be popular places for
family gatherings, weather permit
ting, over the holiday weekend. In
addition, many local residents will
be out of town for vacations during
the week.
Business generally will be closed
for the holiday observance on Mon
day, altho the Fourth of July falls
on Sunday this year. There will be
no delivery of mail on town or rural
routes
The Triplett Electrical Instrument
Co. and the Boss Glove factory, two
major industrial plants, will suspend
operations for vacation periods be
ginning Friday night, and a num
ber of other local business places
will be closed for the coming week.
Farmers generally will take little
time off for the holiday continuing
work in fields, if weather permits,
because of press of seasonal farm
work.
As for nearly the past decade,
Bluffton’s Fourth of July observ
ance will be without firecrackers,
continuing a transformation to the
‘‘safe and sane” variety that started
in 1940 when a municipal ordinance
was passed prohibiting the discharge
of fireworks within the corporation
limits. The same regulation was
continued in 1941, and the following
year a state law was adopted with
provisions similar to those incorpor
ated in Bluffton’s code.
Rites For Mrs. Nora
Stratton Saturday
Funeral services were held Satur
day afternoon in the Olive Branch
church for Mrs. Nora Stratton, 74,
wife of Myron Stratton, who died
last Thursday morning in the family
home four miles east of Bluffton in
Orange township.
Daughter of William R. and Nancy
(Coulter) Bell, she was born in Han
cock county, June 14, 1874, and
married Mr. Stratton on Sept. 2,
1894.
Survivors include the husband and
eight children: Mrs. Mildred Klinger,
Bluffton Mrs. Olive Christman,
Route 4, Findlay Mrs. Opal Kldetz
ly, Salem, Ohio Mrs. Flo Clymer,
of near Mt. Cory Leland Stratton,
Long View, Texas Bernard Strat
ton, Bluffton Russell Stratton, Gal
loway, Ohio and Ralph Stratton,
Waynesfield. There are 22 grand
children and six great-grandchildren.
Also surviving are a brother,
Thomas Bell a sister, Mrs. Koontz...
and three half-brothers, Orton, Os
car and Orland Bell, all of this com
munity.
Rev. Walter Purdy officiated at
the funeral rites. Burial was in the
Clymer cemetery.
Sportsmen, Triplett
Nines Play This Week
^Following two games this week,
fter-city softball play at Harmon
Id will taper off until the week of
Lly 12 when Triplett and Sports
men teams will resume competition.
This week’s tilts will match the
Sportsmen against Pandora on the
local field this Thursday night, fol
lowed by a contest between Triplett
and Fostoria Moose on Friday night.
In the past week, the Sportsmen
lost to Findlay Cooper Tires by a
score of 8 to 1, with Ken Bracy the
losing hurler.
AT CELINA CAMP
Nancy Wells, Richard Patterson
and Bruce Hauenstein, together
with Rev. E. N. Bigelow are attend
ing the Presbyterian junior high
camp on Lake St. Marys near Celina
this week.
Authorities Study Control Measures
Following Polio
Minard Deeds Rites
To Be Held Saturday
Services will be held at 2:30 p. m.
Saturday in the Paul Diller funeral
home for Pfc. Minard Deeds, Bluff
ton college graduate, who was killed
in action while serving with the
Fourth Marine division on Saipan
in 1944.
He was the son of Mr. and Mrs
Dwight Deeds, North Main street
residents w’ho lived near Rawson
when Deeds was a student at Bluff
ton college.
Pfc. Deeds saw action in the
Marshalls and was posthumously
awarded the Silver Star for gal
lantry in action on Saipan that cost
him his life. He entered the serv
ice in 1942 shortly after graduating
from Bluffton college where he star
red in football.
Rev. Hilliard Camp, of North
Baltimore, will officiate at the serv
ice Saturday, with Bluffton Post,
American Legion in charge of grave
side rites at Clymer cemetery.
The body arrived in Bluffton
Tuesday evening, after being re
turned to this country from a Ma
rine cemetery on Saipan.
In addition to his parents, Deeds
is survived by two sisters, Betty and
Bonnie, both at home and a brother,
Donald, of Lima.
COUNCIL MAY BUY
NEW CAR FOR USE
OF TOWN’S POLICE
Delivery and Price of Auto May
Affect Final Decision in
Matter
Complaints of Residents Pre
cipitate Consideration of
Buying Cruiser
Considering the advisability of
purchasing a police cruiser for use
in routine police patrol and traffic
checks, municipal council men Mon
day night voted to advertise for
bdis to be considered at the next
meeting on Monday, July 12.
Decision in purchasing the vehicle
largely will hinge on delivery and
price factors and a further con
sideration as to how badly a cruiser
is needed, it was indicated following
Monday’s session.
Widespread complaints of speeding
and reckless operation of motor
vehicles precipitated consideration of
the question, together with a long
standing recommendation that a
police car is needed here, particularly
by the night man.
Discussion of the question at
Monday’s meeting disclosed that
many smaller communities have been
forced to operate police cars, includ
ing Ottawa and Ada in this vicinity.
Bids will be opened at the next
meeting of council on Monday, July
12.
Glove factory Closes
For Week's Vacation
The Boss Glove factory, closed for
vacation this week will resume oper
ations next Tuesday morning it is
announced by the manager, Chas.
Lloyd. Of the plant’s 60 employes,
those with one to five years service
will be paid for one week’s vacation
and those over five years for two
weeks. A new wage scale provid
ing for an eight per cent increase
will go into effect next Tuesday,
Lloyd said.
Bluffton Pastor On
Committee Of Synod
Rev. V. C. Oppermann, pastor of
St. John’s and Emmanuel’s Reformed
churches here was named Tuesday
as a member of the Northwest Ohio
Synod’s special committee on min
isters’ salaries. Appointment was
made by Dr. H. L. V. Shinn, synod
president.
The committee has been instructed
by the synod to make an exhaustive
study of the matter of pastors’ sal
aries and report to the synod next
May, having in mind a minimum of
$2,500 plus parsonage.
This committee also has been em
powered to act upon findings in ap
proaching congregations.
SUGAR SHOOT
A sugar shoot will be held Sun
day afternoon at the Gossard filling
station north of Bluffton on the
Dixie highway, it is announced by
the Bluffton Gun club.
Outbreak In District
Four Cases From Adjoining
Putnam County, One From
Lima Reported So Far
One Gilboa I?oy Dies All Cases
Are Children From Ages
Three To Nine
Allen county health authorities
this week were keeping a sharp
lookout for the spread of polio (in
fantile paralysis) following an out
break of the disease in adjoining
Putnam, county and one case in
Lima.
Four cases have been reported in
Putnam county, two from Gilboa and
two from Ottawa, following which
the Allen county case was isolated
last Thursday night. All are child-
The Christian Gratz family
reunion scheduled for July 11
at Pandora has been cancelled,
it was announced by officers of
the reunion, following a ban by
Putnam county health authori
ties on public gatherings because
of the polio outbreak.
Pandora-Bluffton Youth for
Christ picnic scheduled for Mon
day has been postponed in
definitely at the request of
Putnam county health authorities
because of the polio situation.
ren, ranging in ages from three to
nine. One of the Gilboa children
died last week.
All cases are receiving the Sister
Kenney treatment in Lima Memorial
hospital.
Although no formal statement has
come from Allen county health au
thorities, physicians are keeping a
careful check on suspected symptoms.
In Putnam county, the board of
health has asked parents to restrain
children from visiting public gath
erings, including movies, picnics,
swimming pools, etc.
The board also has warned that
all fruit and vegetables be washed
thoroughly before being eaten un
cooked, and that in cases of acute
illness the family physician should
be called. Children should rest in
bed each day after lunch and avoid
extreme fatigue.
To Attend Kansas
City FHA Meeting
Bluffton Future Homemakers of
America, a high school group will
be represented in the first annual
national FHA convention next week
by Miss Elizabeth Ann Mohr, club
adviser and instructor in home
economics. The convention will be
held in Kansas City, July 5 to 9.
Rosemary Montgomery, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Montgomery
of Orange township, a sophomore at
Mt. Cory high school will attend as
a representative of her school. She
will accompany her sister Miss
Wanda Montgomery’, home economics
instructor in Marysville schools who
is also taking with her two of her
pupils.
Swimming Films To
Be Shown Wednesday
Two moving picture shorts will be
shown at 8 p. m. Wednesday in the
Bluffton High school auditorium by
the Allen county’ chapter of the
American Red Cross, in connection
with the local community’s swimming
program for this summer.
Preceding the movies, a short talk
will be given by Everett E. Ballard,
water safety instructor and co-man
ager of Buckeye swimming pool,
whose subject will be “Swimming Is
Serious Fun.”
The movies are well-produced films
packed with entertainment and in
struction in water safety and life
saving methods.
FAMILY MOVES HERE
Clarence Brunn, operator of the
A to Z meat market has moved his
family from Lima into the former
Mrs. Lydia Ewing property on
South Lawn avenue which he pur
chased from the Ewing estate.
ESTATE VALUE $11,500
Estimated valuation of $11,500
has been set on the personal proper
ty in the estate of Mrs. Sarah
Geiger, late of Bluffton. Letters of
administration have been issued to
W. O. Geiger, of Bluffton, a son.
BUSINESS MEN TO MEET
A meeting of the Bluffton Busi
ness Men’s association will be held
in the town council room this Wed
nesday night at 7:30 o’clock.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JULY
AIR SHOW, RODEO
DOUBLE-FEATURE
PROGRAM MONDAY
Elaborate Holiday Celebration
Monday Will Attract
Many Here
Air Show Marks Airport Dedi
cation 12-Event Rodeo
In Evening
An afternoon air show in connec
tion with dedication of the Bluffton
airport and a gala night-tinie rodeo
under the floodlights at Harmon field
will mark Bluffton’s doubk-feature
Independence Day program next
Monday.
In addition to the two Monday at
tractions, a gigantic pre-rodeo pa
rade, replete with floats, horsemen
and many other features, will be
held in the downtown district on
Saturday night as the initial event
■....... 11 ....... ................ ........... ..
First, second and third cash
prizes will be awarded for the
best float or other entry in the
parade Saturday night.
in the holiday w’eek-end observance.
A band concert will precede the pa
rade.
Dedication of the airport in a two
and one-half hour program starting
at 1:30 p. m. next Monday will in
clude a parade of aircraft, P-10 pre
cision acrobatics, a helicopter dem
onstration by U. S. Army air forces
clown air antics, formation' flying,
a clown act and parachute jump
Professional Fliers
Professional fliers will be featured
in the star-studded program of air
acts offered by the Bluffton Fying
service, operators of the field.
Following music by the high school
band at the start of the air show,
the airport will be formally dedicat
ed by Mayor Arden R. Baker.
The State Highway Patrol’s 3eech
craft Bonanza, ar, air patrol' plane,
will be flown here for the meet, and
many other aircraft will be here for
inspection during the afternoon.
Rodeo Features
In the rodeo on brilliantly lighted
Harmon field, starting at 7:30 p. m.,
12 feature events will be presented
with priv.es aggregating $250 for
participants.
Some of the outstanding horse
men in northwestern Ohio, Indiana
and Michigan will compete.
Events include the Grand entry:
Brone riding, pony class, musical
keg (boys and girls), steer riding,
balloon race, obstacle race, men’s
musical keg, women’s musical keg,
steer riding, ladies pleasure horse,
calf roping and western stock horse.
Emerson DeTray, Defiance, will be
the judge Clyde Warren, Bluffton,
announcer Martin Breda, Cairo,
ring master Art Swank, Bluffton,
timer, and Millard Herr, Bluffton,
parade marshal.
Roy Rogers is general chairman of
the committee sponsoring the two
day program with Silas Diller and
Ed Badertschier as co-chairmen.
Woodrow Little is secretary and
James F. West, treasurer. Program
and entry chairman is Forrest Herr.
Resigns Position
In Findlay School
Paul Hochstttler, formerly of
Bluffton who for 21 years was in
structor in history and social science
in Findlay high school has resigned
his position to take over management
of the J. Hochstettler Coal com
pany of that place of which he is
proprietor.
Hochstettler was formerly grade
principal in the Bluffton schools and
later served as principal and super
intendent of the Wayland, Iowa,
schools and also taught in Elyria.
Congregational Youth
Conference Is Here
Sixty young people from Congre
gational churches of Northwestern
Ohio are holding a youth conference
at Bluffton college this week.
H. S. Seniors View
Class Trip Movies
Bluffton High school’s graduating
class of this year brought its scho
lastic activity to a close last Friday
night at a special program for mem
bers, friends and relatives in the
high school building.
Motion pictures of Washington,
D. C., visited by the class following
graduation were the feature at
traction, shown by Dwight Spayth,
class advisor. Refreshments were
served.
I, 1948
INDEPENDENCE DAY
observe the anmuersar
merican
to earn an.
um
un
Many Complaints Received Re
garding Killing Songbirds,
Property Damage
Laws Prohibiting Shooting of
Song Birds Will Be En
forced Here
Depredations of teen-agers armed
with air rifles drew fire at a meeting
of municipal council Monday night,
after councilmen reported widespread
complaints from virtually all sec
tions of the village.
Killing of songbirds and careless
shooting endangering pedestrians and
causing damage to property com
prised the principal basis of com
plaints.
Dead song birds have been report
ed in many areas following visits by
air-rifle-aimed youngsters, and the
mayor warned after the meeting that
state laws prohibiting killing of
song birds would be enforced to put
a stop to the practice.
The mayor also instructed police
officials to check carefully into com
plaints regarding careless handling
of guns in cases where pedestrians
are struck by bullets and where dam
age is done to property.
Cooperation of parents in properly
instructing their children in the use
of air rifles was asked as another
means of helping control the situa
tion.
With The Sick
Condition of Harl P. Mann who
underwent an operation at Bluffton
hospital is reported good.
Mrs. Wilbur Niswander of South
Jackson street is a patient in Bluff
ton hospital with a heart ailment.
Mrs. Francis Basinger is improv
ing at her home on South Lawn
avenue following a fall in which she
fractured her upper left arm.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Bauman,
Bluffton, a boy, Blaine Elwood,
Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. James Comely, Ben
ton Ridge, a girl, Patricia Jane,
Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Howell, Mt.
Cory, a boy, Ronald Eugene, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs^ George Lighthill, Ar
lington, a girl, Jean Marie, Satur
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Davis, Co
lumbus Grove, a girl, Barbara Lou,
Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Willis Bridges, Lima,
a boy, Wednesday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Bernard,
Carey, a boy, Thomas Gregory, bom
June 16 at Findlay hospital. Mrs.
Bernard is the former Marcella
Steiner of Bluffton.
penaence.
le spirit o|
an achievement*
ependence
om as ive know
is a responsibility and a
priuife^e we must continue
rametvorh
our democratic princi
leen-Age Depredations With Air
Guns Under Fire At Council Session
S'
&Y HARRY U HAL*
Editor’s Note—This is one
of a series of articles to appear
in the Bluffton News dealing
with early Ohio history. Others
will appear in forthcoming
issues.
Tale Of Two Towns
All forenoon the 507 Piketonians
on the east bank of the Ohio and
Erie Canal prinned gleefully and
gloated at the discomfiture of
Waverly, all around them but mostly
on the other side of the ditch—wait
ing for the water. And from sun
up till noon the ditch was dry.
That was 113 years ago—Waver
ly’s big celebration of the opening
of the canal but had any of these
residents of Piketon remained alive
until today the memory of these six
arid hours still would have been a
pleasant one. Five hundred and
seven was Piketon’s population then
and that day all of them were over
at Waverly, just four miles to the
north.
Piketon then was the county seat
of Pike County—an honor which
Waverly coveted and finally got.
Actually, from the beginning Wav
erly got about everything that Pike
ton wanted and Piketon wanted
everything that Waverly got.
It should have been Piketon’s
canal. It had been surveyed to go
right through Piketon instead of
Waverly. And Piketon’s general
store keeper, Robert Lucas had been
elected to the House of Represnta
tives—in fact he was speaker of the
House and at that moment was run
ning against Duncan McArthur, in
cumbent, for the governorship. Lucas
was a Democrat and McArthur a
Whig.
Canal Route Changed
However, Piketon overlooked the
fact that Lucas owned a lot of land
around Waverly and Jasper, a few
miles south of it. So when tfie canal
was dug it jiggled off at an angle
to pass through Waverly, Jasper and
Lucas’ land and left Piketon high
and dry.
That September 6, 1834, was a
gala day in Waverly. Great tables
were spread for outdoor dinners
bands had been brought in Waver
ly's four stores and two churches
were decorated with bunting every
body in the neighborhood had con
gregated and both Lucas and Mc
Arthur were there to make speeches
—Lucas to the Democrats and Mc
Arthur to the Whigs.
But the water did not come and
on its arrival the festivities hinged.
Water had been turned into the
canal that morning as per schedule
but for long stretches through the
Pee Pee Valley, between Waverly
and Chillicothe, the canal bed was
gravelly and the water seeped thru
before it passed such spots. Not
(Continued on page 8)
BLUFFTON
A Good Place To Trade
NUMBER 11
CORN HERE WILL
BE ABOVE KNEE
HIGH BY FOURTH
Hot, Humid Weather And Inter
mittent Showers Bring Phe
nomenal Growth
Corn Crop Prospects To Date
Are Best In Many Years,
Farmers Say
Practically all com in the Bluffton
area will be more than the tradi
tional knee-high stage by the Fourth
of July, and with humid weather
and almost continuous rainfall of
the last 10 days giving the crop
plenty of moisture prospects are the
best in many years.
Phenomenal growth of com in the
last week is the result of unusually
favorable weather, and with a good
supply of moisture in the ground
farmers see every prospect of the
crop continuing to shoot upward.
Traditionally com should be knee
high by the Fourth of July if the
country is to have a good harvest,
and most fields will be well beyond
that stage before the holiday ar
rives this year.
Previous to the last 10 days, com,
altho seeded early, had barely made
average progress, due to several
weeks of warm days offset by cool
nights. Weather of last week, how
ever, hot days with intermittent
showers, is described as ideal for
com.
The Bluffton area’s com acreage
will be about average this season.
In the meantime, wheat is turning
rapidly thruout the district. Except
for a few scattered operations
where binders are used, however,
most wheat cutting will be delayed
until after the Fourth, with harvest
ing expected to reach a peak by
mid-July.
Last Rites Held
For Wm, Kincaid
Funeral services were held last
Sunday afternoon for William Henry
Kincaid, 83, retired railroad section
hand, who died at 12:15 a. m. on the
preceding Friday in Bluffton Com
munity hospital after an illness of
three years.
Mr. Kincaid had been an employe
of the A. C. & Y. railroad before
quitting to be on the Nickel Plate
railroad section crew out of this
place.
In addition to his widow, Maude,
of Route 1 Bluffton, he is survived
by a brother, Thomas Kincaid, of
San Diego, Calif.
Funeral services were held in the
Basinger funeral home, with Rev. R.
Welch, pastor of the First Mission
ary church, of which Mr. Kincaid
was a member, officiating. Burial
was in Maple Grove cemetery.
Bluffton Race Driver
Is Injured At Celina
Mark “Jimmy” Garmatter, midget
race driver and son of Mr and Mrs.
Albert Garmatter, suffered body
bruises Sunday afternoon in the fea
ture race at the Mercer county fair
grounds, Celina, when his car went
off the track and overturned.
He was removed to Otis hospital
in Celina for examination and x-ray
and later removed to Lima for
treatment. He races under the name
of Jimmy Garmatter.
Reunions
Sixteenth annual reunion of the
Christian Stettler family will be
held at Richland Grange hall, Sun
day with picnic dinner at 1 o’clock.
Pres., Russell Criser sec., Florence
Smith. 12
Three Bids For
Light Plant Pump
Three bids have been received by
the board of public affairs for a
3,000 gpm centrifugal pump to be
added to municipal plant equipment.
No contract has been let, pending
further study of the three proposals.
CUSTODIANS RE-HIRED
Wade Bechtol, Paul Clark and
Harry Gratz were re-hired as
custodians of the high school and
Levi Gable as grade school custodian
at a meeting of the board of educa
tion, Friday night.
ATTEND INSTITUTE
Carol Carmack and Paul Cramer
are attending the Methodist inter
mediate institute at a camp near
Sabina this week.