The Bluffton news. [volume], May 19, 1949, Image 1

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
VOLUME LXXIV
China
Ralph Sommer, Mennonite Re
lief Worker is Evacuated
by Navy
One of Last American Civilians
To Leave Beleaguered
City
Ralph Sommer, 34-year old Pan
dora native engaged in China relief
work with headquarters in Shanghai
has been evacuated by the U. S.
Navy from that city, now the scene
of a pitched battle between Chinese
Nationalist and Communist armies.
Sommer is one of 30 civilians
aboard the Navy destroyer Tucker in
the lower Yangtze river, according
to press dispatches Tuesday. The 30
refugees are among the last to leave
the beleaguered city conditions in
■which are reported fast becoming
chaotic.
The civilians made their escape by
hoarding small navy landing craft
dispatched up the Whangpoo river
into the city and taken to the des
troyer at some distance down the
Yangtze.
Three Years in China
For the past three years Sommer
has been doing post-war relief work
in China under auspices of the Men
nonite Central committee. With him
on board the navy destroyer is
Wayne Yoder of West Liberty, also
a MCC worker.
The Pandora man is the son of
Mrs. Philip Sommer who lives with
her daughter, Mrs. Vernon Suter
west of Pandora on Route 12. He is
also a nephew of Walter Sommer of
Bluffton who operates a North Main
street grocery and lives on South
Jackson street.
Members of Sommer’s family said
that the press dispatches were the
first they had heard from him since
the situation in Shanghai became
critical and they were relieved to
learn of his whereabouts.
Family Returns from China
His wife, the former Frances
Miller who was with him in China
for two and one-half years returned
to this country last December with
their six months’ old son Philip and
are making their home at present
with her parents in Edon, Ohio.
Mrs. Sommer, together with a
number of other American mothers
was evacuated from China last winter
when the food supply for infants be
came scarce.
According to plans at that time
Sommer intended to return to this
country the latter part of this month.
He and Yoder expected to go vra
Europe, stopping enroute in Switzer
land to visit relatives.
Elected Rotary
District Governor
Levi Gratz, Bluffton native, living
in Gainesville, Florida, has been
elected district governor of Florida
Rotary clubs, according to word re
ceived here the first of the week.
Gratz who has been in agricul
tural work in Florida for the past
26 years is now assistant director
of research at the Florida agricul
tural experiment stations. His at
tendance at weekly Rotary club
luncheons has been unbroken for the
past 22 years.
He is the son of Henry Gratz of
South Main street and his wife the
former Vera Rogers of this $lace.
Alumni Dinner Ticket
Deadline Is Friday
Friday will be the last day to pur
chase tickets for the Bluffton high
school dinner, it was announced by
the committee in charge. The alum
ni reunion will be held May 27 and
ticket sales will close one week be
fore in order that those serving the
dinner may know the number of
plates to be prepared.
Tickets may be obtained at either
drug store or from Miss Harriet
Burkhart, secretary of the associa
tion.
Committee in charge of the dance
announced this week that formal or
informal dress will be optional. Mu
sic will be provided by Mack Finch’s
10-piece orchestra which is heard
regularly at Green Meadow’s club at
Piqua.
Dancing will be from 9 o’clock un
til midnight and tickets will be sold
at the door or may be purchased in
advance at Pine restaurant, Basing
er’s furniture store, Pat’s barber
shop, Risser’s sandw’ich shop and
Suitie’s dry cleaning.
A feature of the evening will be
the twentieth reunion of the class
of 1929 to be held during the even
ing at the home of Mrs. Richard
Davies of South Main street.
Pandora Man Flees Shanghai as
Armies Battle for City
Flies To Nebraska
For Funeral Rites
Mrs. S. K. Mosiman of Grove
street left by plane from Toledo
Tuesday afternoon for Beatrice,
Nebraska, where she was called by
the death of her sister, Mrs. Wm.
Penner. Funeral services were held
at Beatrice, Wednesday afternoon
followed by interment at that place.
Mrs. Mosiman expects to return
home next wreek.
SEWAGE PROBLEMS
HERE MAY BRING
STATE CRACKDOWN
New State Law Prohibits Dis
charge of Sewage Into
Public Waters
Immediate Action Against Vio
lators Predicted By
State Official
State pressure for installation of
sewage disposal facilities in Bluffton
may come here yet this year in a
crackdown on cities discharging un
treated sewage into streams, it is
predicted by F. H. Waring, chief of
the Ohio division of sanitary engin
eering.
The state official declared that a
bill passed by the state house of
representatives early this month pro
hibits the discharge of untreated
sewage and industrial wastes into
public waters, and that the state will
take immediate steps to enforce
compliance.
Waring’s remarks also indicated
that smaller communities would be
the first to receive attention from
the state, because of more unwieldy
preliminaries entailed in large-city
programs.
Crackdown
High School Baccalaureate
Union Service Sunday Night
on
Villages
In connection with the state’s
crackdown, he declared, “It is to the
smaller communities with less popu
lation—and less money, I’ll admit—
that we look to clean up their prob
lems within a reasonable time.”
The new law, explained Waring,
is in keeping with a pact made be
tween eight eastern and midwestern
states to clean up the Ohio river
valley. The pact requires every
state to pass legislation sufficient
to meet terms of the agreement.
Bluffton during the last year
completed all preliminary planning
for installation of a network of san
itary sewers and construction of a
sewage disposal plant, made possible
through an interest-free loan from
the federal government.
With all plans and specifications
completed, work can be started on
the project as soon as funds are
made available.
Store To Hold New
Location Opening
Geiger & Diller, men’s clothing
and footwear establishment will hold
a formal opening Saturday of their
new Noith Main street store, it
was announced this week.
The location, formerly occupied by
the Fett hardware has been extens
ively remodeled and departmental
ized in accordance with approved
merchandise practices. Modern light
ing and new fixtures and interior
decoration add materially to the
store’s attractiveness.
The store is operated as a part
nership by W. O. Geiger and Silas
Diller specializing in nationally ac
cepted brands of merchandise. Fav
ors will be given to everyone call
ing at the store on opening Satur
day, it is announced by the firm.
Attending National
Radio Parts Show
The Triplett Electrical Instrument
company is exhibiting new models
at the National R^dio Parts Show
at Chicago this week. Leaving the
latter part of last week for the
show were R. L. Triplett, Morris,
Ropp and Norman Triplett and Ard
en Baker.
Others who will attend during the
week include Norman Edinger, Vyril
Neeper, Robert Artman, Glenn Noe
and D. W. Bixler.
Rev. V. C. Oppermann Will
Deliver Gass Sermon in
Gymnasium
Senior Class Play to be Present
ed Next Monday and
Tuesday
Baccalaureate services Sunday
night at 8 o’clock in the school gym
nasium will open Bluffton High
school’s busy schedule of commence
ment week activity, which will be
culminated by graduation exercises
on the following Thursday.
Rev. V. C. Oppermann, pastor of
St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed
church, will be the baccalaureate
speaker, taking as his subject, “Dis
covering Life.”
Also appearing on the program
will be invitation and benediction by
Rev. Paul Shelly and prayer by Rev.
J. N. Smacker.
Ruth Diller and Ada May Oyer
will play the processional and reces
sional and a mixed octet will sing.
Senior Play
Commencement, week activities fol
lowing the baccalaureate will include
presentation of the senior class play
"The Darling Brats” on Monday
and Tuesday nights in the high
school auditorium at 7:30 o’clock.
Commencement exercises for a
graduating class of 29 seniors will
be held Thursday night, May 26,
with Dr. Clyde Hissong, state di
rector of education, as the speaker.
Closing event of the commence
ment season will be the alumni din
ner and reunion, followed by a
dance, on Friday, May 27.
Beautifui Switzerland
Film To Be At Pandora
“Beautiful Switzerland,” depicted
in 2,000 feet of technicolor film will
be shown at the Pandora high school
auditorium on Wednesday night,
May 25 at 8 o’clock by Mr. and Mrs.
Rudolph Haller, native Swiss who
are making a tour of this country.
They are brought to Pandora by the
Bluffton-Pandora Swiss society.
Mr. and Mrs. Haller are well
recommended and drew a crowded
house when they showed last month
in the auditorium at Berne, Ind.
The film was taken in 1947-48.
Shown in the film will be:
Zurich, largest Swiss city election
in Canton Glarus Brienz, famous
for wood carving Lake Luzerne,
famous summer and winter resort
Ruetli, where Switzerland was born
old and new Swiss trains St. Gallen,
world’s embroidery center Rhins,
waterfall at Schaffhausen Basle,
chemical center Lenzburg castle,
residence of an American Freiburg,
famous for cheese and grapes Ge
neva, home of League of Nations,
International Red Cross, watch man
ufacturing Lugano, Switzerland’s
Florida Bern, the capital.
Winter sports at St. Moritz, Rigi
Mountain, famous view overlooking
Switzerland closeup view of the
Matterhorn Majestic abbey in Wal
lis valley August 1, Swiss independ
ence day and landscape views.
Man Is Injured
When Hit By Car
Homer Follett, 42, of Cherry
street is in Bluffton hospital with a
broken right leg between the knee
and ankle as the result of an acci
dent Saturday night when he was
struck by an automobile driven by
Ronald Zimmerly of Blufftdn.
The accident occurred in the busi
ness section as Follett was crossing
North Main street at 10:15 o’clock.
He was removed to the hospital in
the Basinger ambulance. Hospital
attaches said he would ^be under
treatment there for some time.
High School Music
Spring Concert
Bluffton high school music groups
will present their final concert of the
school year in the gymnasium this
Wednesday night at 8 o’clock. The
program is under direction of Earl
Lehman, music supervisor.
Appearing in vocal numbers will
be the girls glee club, mixed chorus
and the junior girls’ trio consisting
of Ada May Oyer, Ruth Diller and
Dorothy Hardwick.
Instrumental numbers will be by
the band and a trumpet solo by Kay
Berry.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1919
MANY EVENTS TO
MARK GRADUATION
WEEK AT COLLEGE
Ground-breaking for New Gym
nasium, May 27 May Day
on May 28
Baccalaureate, Sunday, May 29
Commencement, Monday,
May 30
A four-day program of busy
activity beginning Friday, May 27,
will mark Bluffton college commence
ment week with highlights including
ground breaking ceremonies for a
new gymnasium and crowning of the
May Queen on Saturday, May 26, the
baccalaureate on the following day,
and commencement exercises on Mon
day, May 30.
Falling on the Memorial Day holi
day week end, commence!..ent week
is expected to attract what may be
Complete commencement week
calendar on Page 10.
a record attendance, particularly in
view of the launching of this sum
mer’s gymnasium construction pro
gram.
In addition to breaking ground for
the new structure and traditional
May Day exercises, Saturday May 28
also will be marked bj a wide
variety of activity.
Alumni Reunion, Play. Saturday
Morning sports events, noon-day
class reunions, senior class exercises
and the annual box ceremony will
precede the ground breaking cere
monies. In the evening, the alumni
banquet will be held in Ropp hall,
followed by presentation of Moliere’s
“The Imaginary Invalid.”
Highlights of the Sunday, May 29
program, will be the baccalaureate
in the afternoon and a concert by the
vesper choir in the evening. Dr.
Lloyd L. Ramseyer, president, will
take as his baccalaureate theme,
“Christian Love and Human Free
dom.”
Commencement exercises Monday
morning, May 30, will be addressed
by Dr. Bernard C. Claussen, pastor
of the Euclid Aven irjHaptist church,
•Cleveland. His sub/s?? will be 'Tow
to Fail-Successfully.”
BY HARR.Y L. HAli
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.
The Man Who
Remembered
“Dan,” a skeptical interviewer
asked, “my wife and I were married
on November 27, 1828—nearly twenty
years ago. What was the day of
the week?”
Thirty-one-year-old Daniel Mc
Cartney did not hesitate. “Thurs
day,” he replied. “Yes, it was Thurs
day and the day was dark and a
little stormy. Father and I butcher
ed a beef that day.” When asked if
he remembered what the family had
for dinner that day McCartney men
tioned a number of viands without
hesitation, among them butter, which
he said he did not like. “I did not
eat any of the butter,” he related.
That was Daniel McCartney, who
lived near Iberia, Morrow County, in
the 1850s—Ohio’s memory man. Mc
Cartney could remember every day
and what happened then since he was
10 years old. Somehow or another
every little detail was fixed in his
mind to be lived over again at any
time.
Asked by a newspaperman to tell
about the newsman’s wedding day,
January 28, 1836, McCartney quick
ly answered: “That was Thursday.
There was snow on the ground, good
sleighing but not very cold. Father
and I were hauling hay. A sole
came off the sled and we had to
throw the hay off, put a new sole on
the sled and reload before we could
go.”
Big Snow
McCartney seldom was mistake^ in
his answers. When he was in error
(Continued on page 2)
Mrs. J. S. Steiner To
Head Red Cross Here
Mrs. J. S. Steiner was re-elected
president of the Bluffton Red Cross
chapter for the coming year at the
annual election of officers Tuesday
night.
Other officers elected were: vice
pres., Mrs. Paul Studler sec.-treas.,
Mrs. Edith Mann community serv
ice sec., Ralph Steams.
Overlapping of Activities Given
as Reason for Dis
solution
Leader in Many Projects
Aimed at Community
Improvement
Bluffton’s three-year-old Commun
ity Progress Association, organized
fox- the promotion of activities re
lating to the welfare, development
and advancement of the community,
has been disbanded because of over
lapping activities with other organ
izations.
Announcement of the move, decided
by association membership, was
made by Rev. V. C. Oppermann, who
had headed the group since its for
mation in the winter of 1946.
During its lifetime the organiza
tion spearheaded campaigns for
many community improvements in
cluding re-organization of a year
around recreation program, re-em
phasis on summer recreation at Har
mon field, outfitting the Bluffton
High school band with uniforms, a
new floodlighting system at Harmon
field and many other projects.
Local Interests Represented
Its membership was composed of
representatives from 11 community
groups, Consisting of‘ Business (mer
chant) firms church and affiliated
organizations educational groups
farm organizations financial and in
surance organizations health agen
cies industry, labor, local govern
mental agencies and youth organiza
tions.
Officers of the association during
its last year of activity were Rev.
V. C. Oppermann, president Wood
row Little, vice-president James
West, secretary, and Mrs. J. S.
Steiner, treasurer.
A balance of $69 in the treasury
was disposed of by contributing $44
to the Bluffon Recreation Commit
tee and $25 to the Band Mothers.
Final Student
Recital Friday
Final student recital for the school
year will be held in Bluffton college
chapel, Friday night at 8 o’clock
when the department of music will
present in a program students of
Professors Otto Holtkamp, Elma
Ater, Pearl Bogart Mann and Rus
sell Lantz. The public is invited.
Going To Germany
For Army Service
Clyde Fisher who recently re-en
listed in the army is home on fur
lough until May 27 when he will
leave for service in Germany.
Fisher previously served for 32
months in the South Pacific during
World War II.
Real Estate Deal
A. D. Gratz has purchased from
the heirs the property of the late
Chris Santschi on East Kibler
street. Mrs. Arthur Santschi who
is occupying the place will move the
last of this month to Chicago, to
join her husband where the latter
has his business headquarters.
With The Sick
Community Progress Association
Votes To Disband Its Activities
C. D. Amstutz of South Jackson
street is a patient in Bluffton hos
pital. His condition is reported ser
ious.
Maynard Mann of Atlanta, Ga.,
is a patient in a hospital in that
city. His mother Mrs. Edith Mann
of North Main street is spending
the week there.
Building New Home
Ivan Clements has started the
foundation for a new residence on
Geiger street adjoining the Mrs.
Lida Burkholder property. Mr. and
Mrs. Clements are now making their
home in apartments at the Lester
Binkley residence on Railroad street.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
Community hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Andrews,
Beaverdam, a boy, Steven Andrews,
Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Butler, Leip
sic, a girl, Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kirchner,
Findlay, a boy, Gary Floyd, Wed
nesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Klassen, Akr
ron, a boy, John Paul, Sunday. Mr.
Klassen is the son of Prof, and
I Mrs. John Klassen of South Jackson
street.
Rev. Cramer Is Head
Of Lions Club Here
Rev. Paul Cramer was chosen
president of the Bluffton Lions club
at the annual election of officers
held at the meeting of the organi
zation, Tuesday night. He and oth
er officers elected by the club mem
bership will assume their duties
July 1 and serve one year.
Also elected were:
1st vice pres., Chas. Emans 2nd
vice pres., Dr. F. D. Rodabaugh
3rd vice pres., Clair B. Fett sec
treas., Carl Lehman tail twister,
Dwight Spayth lion tamer, Morris
Triplett song leader, Earl Lehman
asst., song leader, Harvey Bauman
directors, Dr. B. W. Travis and
Robert Nonnamaker.
MACHINES TO HELP
FARM INCOME AS
PRICES HIT DECLINE
Cost-Cutting Farm Mechaniza
tion Will Bolster Profits
Despite Lower Prices
Man, Wife and a Combine Can
Do The Work of 19 Hired
Hands, Survey Shows
With prices of his crops on a de
clining trend, springtime this year
finds the Bluffton district farmer
relying more than ever on cost-cut
ting farm machinery to keep his
profits up at a time when the mar
ket is going down.
Although all farm crop prices
have dropped from their record lev
els of a year ago, talks with farm
ers again have emphasized how the
post-war era’s much-publicized rural
mechanization will prop farm buying
power.
Cost-cutting farm machinery rep
resents a big investment on even
the average-sized farm, but its adop
tion dates back sufficient years to
have made it possible for most farm
ers to spread the cost over a wide
span covering more than a decade.
During the war, farm mechanism
served its purpose in continuing
record crop yields, despite shortages
of labor. Now it will be called
upon in a new role—-that of bolster
ing farm income in the face of de
clining prices for crops and other
farm output.
Big Savings
The dollar-and-cents story of farm
mechanization cost-cutting can be
figured out mathematically, it was
pointed out this week.
For example, when wheat was
harvested and threshed in two sap
arate operations, it took one man on
a binder, plus two men to shock
bundles, six days to harvest 100
acres. Later it required the labor of
16 men for two and one-half days
to handle the threshing.
Now with a combine harvesting
and threshing in one operation, one
man can combine the entire crop in
five days, plus the time of another
man ox’ his wife on a truck to haul
the grain to the market.
Milking machines, another labor
saving device, pay off in dollars and
cents. With a double-unit milking
machine, two persons, man and wife,
can milk as many as 40 cows in
35 minutes. It would take two men
two hours to milk the cows by hand.
Cheapest Hired Hand
Electricity also is one of the
cheapest hired hands in farm his
tory. It serves a multitude of pur
poses, including running the milk
ing machines, cooling and bottling
milk, pumping water for the live
stock, providing lights for the home
and othex- buildings, running refrig
erators and deep freezers and other
household equipment.
Other new farm equipment reflect
ing the trend toward mechanization
include hydraulic post hole diggers.
These do the entire job and can
cover as much as one-half mile of
fence in a day’s time with no hard
work required on the part of the
operator.
Mechanical corn pickers also have
cut down the labor required in
handling harvesting of the corn crop
each fall. A corn picker will har
vest as much as 1,200 bushels a day,
as compared with the 100-bushel top
output of a man.
Horses Obsolete
Tractors, now used on virtually
every farm, have obsoleted the work
horse in less than tw'o decades.
Their use represented the first step
in cost-cutting mechanization on the
farm, although sometimes even to
1 (Continued on page 10)
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
NUMBER 5
DRY SPELL HITS
CORN PLANTING IN
BLUFFTON AREA
lack of Rainfall is Serious in
Immediate District, Farm
ers Say
Acreage Being Seeded to Com
larger Than Last Year,
Estimate
Lack of rainfall in the midst of
the corn planting season is proving
a detriment to seeding of the crop
in the immediate Bluffton area.
Farmers here said Wednesday that
conditions are rapidly approximating
a drought.
Late plowing has been running
into unexpected difficulties because
of the hardness of the ground due
to lack of moisture.
While surrounding districts have
had several heavy downpours within
the past week, the local area has had
nothing more than a few very light
showers. In view, of the current dry
spell farmers recalled that ac this
time last year work in fields was
badly hampered by excessive wet
weather.
Because of the fact that there has
been no interruption due to weather
conditions, planting of the corn crop
in the district will be practically com
pleted during the May 12 to 27
period xi'commended by Allen County
Farm Agent Herbert H. Hadley.
Large Acreage Anticipated
While it is yet too early to make
a definite survey, it is believed that
the coni acreage will be sizably larg
er than that of a year ago when wet
weather delayed planting and forced
some acreage to other crops.
Stressing the May 12 to 27 period
as most favorable for com planting
Hadley said the only unfavorable
aspect is a possibility that sometimes
corn planted during this time
matures too late for prompt seeding
of wheat in the fall.
Principal advantages include the
fact that the farmer will run the
least risk from com borer there is
a minimum of risk from cutworms,
sod web worms, seed maggots a
good stand is likely and an ample
choice of hybrids can be made.
Many of these advantages cannot
be obtained if com is planted earlier
than May 12, the farm agent declar
ed.
Only favorable aspects to planting
com after May 27 are in better weed
control and good stands. Many dis
advantages include the possibility’ of
frost damage in the fall and danger
of heavy damage from chinch bugs
and grasshoppers.
Mrs. Ernest Gratz
Funeral Is Sunday
Funeral services for Mrs. Ernest
Gxatz, 69, were held at Emmanuel’s
Reformed church, Sunday afternoon
with her pastor Rev. V. C. Opper
mann officiating. Interment was in
Maple Grove cemetery.
Mrs. Gratz, who lived three miles
south of Bluffton died Thursday
afternoon in Bluffton Community’
hospital where she had been taken
two days previous following a heart
attack.
She was bom September 15, 1879
in Canton Bern, Switzerland, a
daughter of Solomon and Louise
(Leichty) Boegli. The family came
to this country when she was five
months old.
She was married, November 16,
1899 to Mr. Gratz, who survives.
She was a member of Richland
grange and Emmanuel’s Reformed
church.
Besides her husband she is surviv
ed by one daughter, Mrs. Vera Core
of Col. Grove and five sons, J.
Leonard and Wilford F. Gratz both
of Bluffton Reno of Col. Grove, Ken
neth of Lima and Francis of Spring
field.
Also surviving are two sisters:
Mrs. Catherine Maidlow, Gilboa and
Mrs. Florin Reuscher, Cincinnati and
five brothers: John and Sam Boegli,
Gilboa Paul and David Boegli,
Centralia, Wash. Daniel Boegli,
Hanford, Calif.
Arrangements were in charge of
Diller funeral home.
In New Locations
Mr. and Mrs. Rolland Stratton
and family have moved from their
apartments in the Stratton block to
the former Mrs. Lydia Burkholder
farm west of Bluffton which he re
cently purchased.
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Conrad who
have been making their home with
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond
Conrad are occupying the apartment
vacated in the Stratton block.