The Bluffton news. [volume], July 07, 1949, Image 1

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

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VOLUME LXXIV
ESTIMATE 10,000
SAW BLUFFTON'S
PIONEER PARADE
Largest Crowd Ever in Bluffton
Lines Streets Here Satur
day Night
Colorful Line of March One and
One-half Miles Long Draws
Cheers
Northwestern Ohio never had a
better parade than the variety-laden
Forty-Niner Gold Rush which per
fectly recreated a pioneer atmos
phere as it stretched along its
astonishing one and one-half mile
length on Main street here last
Saturday evening.
And Bluffton never had a lai ger
crowd than the turnout of more
than 10,000 spectators who crowded
every inch of the 10-block long
parade route, jammed to overflowing
this village of 2,500, and parked
their automobiles all the way to the
city limits.
The parade started promptly at
7:30 from Schmidt’s field movirg
east on Cherry street to Railroad
street, up College avenue, over Har
mon road onto Poplar street where
it entered South Main street and
moved north, passing the brilliantly
illuminated judges stand in front of
the Presbyterian church at 8 o’clock.
Both sides of Main street were
lined with spectators along the en
tire line of march and lawns and
porches in the residence sections
were turned into improvised grand
stands and filled with chairs and
camp stools.
Even the weather was perfect for
the pioneer-flavored event which in
augurated Bluffton’s holiday week
end celebration. With the arrival of
gtmdown, the heat wave abated
somewhat, there was a cooling
breeze, and a bright moon and
twinkling stars beamed down from
a cloudless sky as the big event
swung down Main street on its final
lap just at dusk.
Cheers and applause from spectat
ors punctuated the snappy tempo of
band music as what seemed to be
an interminable procession of cos
tumed pioneers, rumbling prairie
schooners, old-time buggies, hacks,
sleighs, mounted horsemen and other
featured entries marched along the
jammed parade route.
Many Features
It was a display of sparkling
brilliance which topped anything
ever produced in this part of the
state in the way of pioneer celebra
tions, and it was by far Bluffton’s
biggest and most outstanding com
munity event of all time.
Variety marked the one and one
half mile long parade. There were I
prairie schooners of every size and
description, including two which
actually made trips west, one 101
years old and the other nearing the
century mark.
One schooner was drawn by a
plodding ox team: teams of heavy
draft horses pulled the others, and
there were two smaller entries
drawn by ponies.
In front of and following the
lumbering wagons were bearded,
costumed horsemen: mounted trouba
dors riflemen and Indians.
Prospectors With Burros
Plodding along the search of the
precious metal which provided the
Gold-Rush parade theme were foot
sore prospectors, leading and some
times dragging heavily laden burros.
Another outstanding feature was
a gleaming black, horse-drawn
funeral coach of the Nineties, fol
lowed by a mourner’s hack, and with
the drivers attired in the high hat
formal black costume of that day.
An old-time six-passenger sleigh
dashed merrily along through a field
of artificial snow on another large
float, and there was another sleigh
on wheels in another part of the
parade.
Buggies, hansoms, hackneys, car
riages, buckboards and other convey
ances of yesteryear also had featur
ed spots in the parade and an un
usual touch was one old-time buggy
which rattled by, drawn by a two
wheeled garden tractor.
A lumbering medicine man 8
wagon’s sign reading in part “Dr.
Hursey’s Marvelous Discovery. Drink
Or Rub On” rivalled for cleverness
the insurance firm’s entry showing
gleaming hot coals, above which was
emblazoned “Cold Cash for Hot
Ashes.”
Dude On Bicycle
Bill Edwards as a dude of the
(Continued on page 8)
Scorching weather with temper
atures hitting new record marks
for early July, high humidity and a
blistering sun have assaulted Bluff
ton since a week ago Tuesday in an
unrelenting heat wave that showed
no indications of abatement as it
went into its ninth day this Wed
nesday.
Since the blast of hot weather
swept into the area nine days ago
temperatures have topped the 90
mark every day and a high of 100
degrees was recorded last Saturday.
Aaron B. Murray
Succumbs
O F. Sidney Hauenstein,
Bluffton druggist and musi
cian who died Monday following
a five months’ illness. Funeral
services were held in the Presby
terian church Wednesday after
noon.
RITES FOR SIDNEY
HAUENSTEIN ARE
HELD WEDNESDAY
Founder of Sidney’s Drug Shop
Dies After Critical Five
Months Illness
’rominent Local Musician On
Bluffton College Faculty
Since 1909
Funeral services largely attended
were held Wednesday afternoon for
Sidney Hauenstein, 68, prominent
civic leader, business man and mu
sician, who died at 6:20 p. m. Mon
day in Bluffton Community hospital
following five-months’ critical illness
from a heart ailment.
He founded Sidney’s Drug Shop
here in 1908, a business in which
he was associated with his brother,
Armin, at the time of his death.
Prominent in musical circles, Mr.
Hauenstein had been a member of
the Bluffton college music faculty
since 1909, and he taught music in
Bluffton High school from 1912 to
1944.
He was an accomplished violinist
and widely known as a successful
conductor of high school orchestras
and bands.
Active in community activities, he
was a former member of the village
council was a past master of Bluff
ton Masonic lodge and was a mem
ber of the Bluffton Presbyterian
church and clerk of the session.
He was born in Bluffton on De
cember 16, 1880, the second son of
(Continued on page 8)
Paper Drive
Bluffton Boy Scout Troop 56 will
have a paper collection Saturday
afternoon. Have paper bundled and
on the curb by noon. Proceeds will
go toward financing a week’s camp
outing for the troop.
Best Window Display
Basinger Furniture Store—$5.00
cash and blue rosette for pioneer
log cabin interior.
Beard Winners
Best all-around beard—John Man
ahan, Bluffton, free hair cut until
Jan. 1, 1950, and blue rosette rib
bon.
Best Forty-Niner beard—Al In
galls, five pound pail strained honey.
Best Goatee—How-ard Stauffer,
five pound pail strained honey.
Best Moustache—Rev. Paul Cram
er, five pound pail strained honey.
Parade Winners
First prize $50—Ox-drawn prairie
schooner built by Herr Bros., Al
Ingalls and Arthur Swank, all of
Bluffton.
jggg THE BLUFFTON NEWS
Wednesdays Rain Fails to Break
On Sunday the mercury climbed
to 95 and the Fourth of July again
brought temperatures near the 100
mark with a reading of 95 in early
afternoon.
Despite the sweltering heat, Bluff
ton’s holiday weekend celebration
went off without any indication that
the hot weather was enough of a
deterrent to keep spectators at home.
Although the mercury hit 100 de
grees Saturday afternoon, a record
crowd of more than 10,000 persons
jammed the towm for the evening
NEW LIGHT PLANT
BOILER IN USE
FLY ASH IS GONE
Completion of New 32.000 Lb.
Per Hour Boiler Ends
$225,000 Expansion
New Turbine and Addition to
Municipal Plant Building
Also In Program
Marking the completion of a $225,
000 expansion program launched
1946 and ending heavy fly ash in
undations which for years have
raised the ire of nearby householders
the new 32,000 pound per hour high
pressure steam boiler was put into
regular use at the municipal light
plant last week.
Steel stack of the new boiler has
a built-in mechanism to trap fly ash
and no more complaints from that
source should be occasioned, Plant
Supt. John Swisher said.
Completion of the boiler marked
the final phase of an extensive ex
pansion program which also includ
ed installation of a new 2000 KW
turbo-generator and the construction
of a brick addition to the muni
cipal plant.
Installation of the new boiler gives
the plant two high pressure units
capable of adequately handling the
town’s expanded electrical load,
Supt. Swisher said.
In addition to the new unit, the
plant also has a 20,000 pound per
hour high pressure boiler installed
10 years ago. Two old low pressure
boilers, no longer capable of carry
ing the load, will not be used, except
as standbys in emergency.
The new 2,000 KW turbine, a re
built Navy surplus unit, was put on
the line last spring. In addition,
the plant also has 1,250 KW and
750 KW turbines, but the latter no
longer is capable of carrying the
normal peak daytime load put on
the plant.
BLUFFTON MARKETS
Wednesday Morning
Grain (bushel prices) Wheat
$1.72 corn $1.25 oats 58c soys
$2.15.
Poultry—Heavy hens 21c leghorn
hens 18c heavy rock fryers, 3 lbs.,
and up, 24c heavy red fryers, 3 lbs.,
and up, 22c leghorn fryers 19.
Eggs—Large white 49c large
brown 48c medium white 42c
medium brown 41c pullets and
checks 32c.
Butterfat—58c.
Forty-Niner Gold Rush Contest Winners
Second prize—$25—Funeral Coach
and Mourners Cab of the Nineties
entered by Stanley Basinger, of
Bluffton.
Third prize $15—101-year-old Mor
mon Prairie Schooner owned by
Adolph Nordhaus, of Glandorf.
Fourth prize $10—Old-time Sleigh
float entered by Stauffer’s Pure Oil
station, Bluffton.
Fifth prize $5—|Five-Way Tie)
Two old-time prospectors Lester
Niswander, Bluffton John Manahan,
Bluffton High-wheeled bicycle, Bill
Edwards, Bluffton Hursey’s Medi
cine Man Wagon, D. C. Hursey &
Sons, Bluffton and Buggy drawn by
garden tractor, Geiger & Diller,
Bluffton.
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1919
Farmers Pass Up Holiday On Fourth As
Wheat Harvest Begins Two Weeks Early
PARADE ANDRODEODRAW RECORD HOLIDAY CROWDS
parade featuring a Forty-Niner Gold
Rush theme and approximately
3,000 were here for the Forty-Niner
rodeo on Monday night.
During the nine-day heat wave
the town went without rain until
Wednesday morning when a good
shower fell at about 5:30 a. m.
High temperatures and humidity
continued unabated, however, and the
weatheiman said no relief was in
sight on Wednesday or Thursday.
The only other indication of rain
had been a light one-minute sprinkle
Named as New School Head
Bumper Crop Averaging 30
Bushels Per Acre (Jives High
est Quality Test in Years
First Grain Marketed Here Last
Saturday Morning: Price At
Elevator is $1.72
The Fourth of July was just an
other working day for Bluffton
area farmers who were busy in
their fields all day Monday as the
harvest of a bumper crop of wheat
reached a peak stage from 10 days
to two weeks earlier than usual.
First wheat from this year’s
harvest was unloaded at the Farm
ers Grain Co. on Saturday by Will
Steiner, two miles west of town, in
augurating a steady procession of
trucks and wagons loaded with gold
en ripe grain. Price paid farmers
the first of the week was $1.72 per
bushel.
Excellent harvest conditions on the
Fourth found farmers passing up
the holiday to keep combining going
at top speed, and four carloads
(8,000 bushels) of wheat were load
ed at the elevator during the day.
High Quality Test
Hot, dry weather which has pre
vailed here in early summer not
(Continued on page 8)
BOY KILLED BY
CONTACT WITH
RADIO AERIAL
Charged Wire Fatal to Eight
Year Old Bluffton Boy
In Indiana
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Francis
Moser Had Been Visiting
(Jrandparent 19 Days
Robert Lee (Bobbie) Moser, eight
year-old son of Mr .and Mrs. Francis
Moser, 137 Thurman street, was ac
cidentally electrocuted while playing
wjth cousins in the yard of his
grandmother at Berne, Ind., at 4:30
p. m. Wednesday of last week.
Death occurred instantly when the
boy came into contact with a charg
ed radio aerial attached to the
house. The Berne fire department
and a physician for two hours at
tempted to resuscitate the child.
The accident occurred as the child
was playing a game similar to hide
and seek with several other play
mates. As he attempted to hide in
some shrubbery he came in contact
with the charged aerial.
A lineman from the Indiana
Michigan Electric company said fol
lowing the accident that the radio
to which the aerial wafc attached
was apparently defective and threw
the voltage of from 118 to 120 de
grees into the aerial. The ground
wet from recent rains and the fact
that the boy was barefoot at the
time made the shock powerful
enough to kill him instantly. There
were slight burns on one arm.
Going to Berne shortly after the
close of school, Bobbie had been
visiting his grandmother, Mrs. Lena
Eicher, for the last 19 days. An
uncle, Lawrence Eicher, also lives at
the same residence.
Born on July 6, 1940, in Adams
county, Ind., the boy would have
been in the third grade next fall.
In addition to his parents, Bobby
is survived by a sister, Carol Ann,
at home: and the paternal grand
(Continued on page 8)
Heat Wave
Tuesday afternoon.
Bluffton’s water supply has been
adequate to meet the increased de
mands brought on by sizzling hot
weather, Supt. John Swisher an
nounced Tuesday.
The Bluffton plant has six wells,
four of which are pumped for the
city water supply and two for the
’age Dairy. During the current
heat wave, it has been necessary to
operate only two of the four wells
for the city supply, Swisher said.
BOARD UNANIMOUS
N ITS CHOICE OF
BLUFFTON NATIVE
ll ead of Washington Court,
House Schools For Past
Eight Years
Will Assume Duties as Superin
tendent in Bluffton on
August 1
Aaron B. Murray, 44, Bluffton
native, for the past eight years head
of the school at Washington Court
House, Ohio, was hired as superin
tendent of the Bluffton public schools
at a meeting of the board of edu
cation here Tuesday night.
Final agreement between Murray
and the board was reached after
midnight in which the new school
I head receives a three-year contract
at an annual salary of $4,600, be
ginning Aug. 1. The board which was
nbpelessly deadlocked a week pre
vious on two other candidates was
late H.
mother
street.
Tuesday
unanimous in its action
night.
Although Murray has
year to serve under his
contract at Washington Court House,
he said following the meeting Tues
day night that he would take steps
immediately to request his release.
Since it is the practice of boards
of education to grant releases from
teaching and administrative con
tracts when requested, there is no
difficulty anticipated from that quar
ter.
another
present
First Native-Born School Head
Murray will be the first native
born superintendent in history of
the Bluffton schools and also the
first Rluffton high school graduate
to head the schools here. He is the
son of Mrs. H. G. Murray and the
G. (Hod) Murray. His
lives on North Jackson
He was graduated from Bluffton
(Continued on page 8)
Bluffton Man Hurt
In Auto Collision
Albert Lugibill, 80, of S. Lawn
avenue, escaped with lacerations of
the left hand and leg, when his auto
mobile was overturned in a collision
one mile northeast of Bluffton on
the Dixie highway at 4 p. m. Thurs
day.
A southbound auto driven by Paul
S. King, 56, of Lima, collided with
Lugibill’s northbound car when the
Bluffton man is said
tempted a left hand turn into a
driveway. Property damage was
extensive.
to have at-
Lugibill was treated by a Bluffton
physician.
Patriotic ceremonies at 3 p. m.
next Sunday in the Old cemetery on
Jefferson street will mark dedica
tion of a gleaming white Georgia
marble headstone erected in late
spring to mark the all-but-forgotten
grave of Joseph DeFord, founder
of Bluffton and a soldier in the
American Revolution.
Marble Marker At Grave Of Town’s
Founder To Be Dedicated Sunday
Identification of the nearly for
gotten grave of Bluffton’s first citi
zen was effected last year with the
assistance of the late Med Murray.
The marble marker was placed
next to a small boulder almost com
pletely overgrown with grass which
for years was the only idtentifica
tion of the final
the pioneer who
small gristmill on
resting place of
in 1832 built a
Riley creek, and
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY H--------------------------
Free Bus Trips
Twice Weekly To
Col. Grove Pool
BLUFFTON youngsters didn’t
mind the heat wave nearly as
much beginning Tuesday when
the municipally operated bus
began making trips twice week
ly to the Columbus Grove swim
ming pool.
With the Buckeye Lake swim
ming pool closed for the season,
village councilmen authorized
bus trips to the Columbus Grove
pool every Tuesday and Thurs
day afternoon for the remainder
of the season. The bus starts
from the Grade School grounds.
The 28-passenger Bluffton
college bus has been chartered
trips, and Robert Burk
director of the town’s
recreation program, will
the bus and supervise
for the
holder,
summer
operate
the groups.
be made as necessary to take all
children of grade or high school
age interested.
As many trips will
There is no charge to youths
for the service.
DON AUGSBURGER
CLERK OF PUBLIC
AFFAIRS BOARD
Donavin Augsburger Will
Succeed Charles Emans When
Latter Resigns Sept. 1
New Clerk, Son of Mr. and Mrs.
Harley Augsburger, Business
Administration Student
Donavin Augsburger, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Harley Augsburger, Tues
day night was named new clerk to
the board of public affairs and will
succeed the incumbent, Charles
Emans, when the latter’s resignation
becomes effective next September 1.
Augsburger’s salary was set at
$200 -a month, the same as that
received by Emans.
The new board of public affairs
clerk has been a student in tne Lluii
ton college department of business
administration for the last two years
and has a background fitting him to
assume duties of the position.
Emans, who will leave next Sept
ember 1, has not yet announced his
plans for the future. He also in
tends to resign as village clerk, a
position to which he was elected in
1947. His term will expire at
close of this year.
the
Accepts Call To
Pastorate Here
Rev. Leonard McIntyre of Olena,
Ohio, has accepted a call to the pas
torate of the Bluffton-Rockport
Presbyterian churches, it was
nounced the first of the week,
expects to assume his duties
early in September.
He
hen
Mc
trial
A call was extended to Rev.
Intyre after he preached a
sermon here on Sunday of last week
at a joint service of the Bluffton
and Rockport congregations.
He is now pastor of a Presby
terian church at Olena, near Nor
walk.
Real Estate Deal
on
by
The Ralph Dunifon property
Garau street has been purchased
Mr. Cole, retired mail carrier, it was
announced this week. Possssion will
be given November 1.
thereby founded the village.
Joseph DeFord is said to have
come from France with Lafayette
and served through the Revolution
ary war in the Fifth Maryland
regiment.
The marble stone marking the
grave is the standard marker pro
vided by the federal government for
the burial places of all Revolution
ary war veterans.
In charge of the service next
Sunday will be Clarence N. Breese,
president of the Allen county chap
ter, Sons of the American Revolu
tion and Mrs. Grace Johnson, re
gent, and Mrs. W. V. Parent, chap
lain, of the county chapter, Daugh
ters of the American Revolution.
NUMBER 12
NIGHT RODEO IS
TOP FOURTH OF
JULY ATTRACTION
Sixth Independence Day Cele
bration Attracts Skilled
Horsemen
Holiday Crowd Enjoys Widely
Varied Attractions on
Harmon Field
Closing Bluffton’s holiday week
end Forty-Niner Gold Rush celebra-
tion, the biggest and most successful
community event ever staged here,
an old-time Wild West rodeo on
brilliantly lighted Harmon field Mon
day night attracted a crowd of up
pards of 3,0(H) spectators.
In the fifth annual Fourth of
July rodeo presentation, the weather
man again lent his fullest coopera
tion, for skies were fair and temp
eratures in the eighties were hot
enough to make area residents glad
of the chance to see the gala out
door show.
Rain has never spoiled Fourth of
July rodeo plans here in fact there
never has been threatening weather
on rodeo day.
Glad To Be Outdoors
With the urge to escape the heat
by being outdoors swelling the
crowd, all available seating space
was taken and hundreds lined the
fence around Harmon field for the
night-time spectacle that proved it
still holds plenty of appeal for com
munity residents.
With typical Fourth of July
weather providing temperatures in
the eighties during the rodeo, the
perspiring crowds disposed of huge
quantities of ice cream and soft
drinks, the largest sales ever made
at the night event.
In the 12-event rodeo, $250 in
cash prizes were awarded to com
peting horsemen from Northwestern
Ohio, and the show was critically
adjudged by experts as one of the
best ever staged here.
67 Horses In Entry
There was a total of 67 horses
and riders in the grand entry par
ade which opened the evening show,
and 100 horses participated in the
competition for prizes.
The balloon race, always a feature
of Bluffton’s rodeo, was first seen
in this area on Harmon field and
since has been widely adopted.
Continuing the Forty-Niner Gold
Rush theme of the week end cele
bration, contestants were bearded
and preceding the rodeo there was
a field parade of many of the
pioneer entries in last Saturday’s
community parade.
(Continued on page 8)
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Ernest, Ben
ton Ridge, a boy, Melvin Earl, last
Wednesday.
Mr. and Mrs.
Williamstown, a
Thursday.
Charles Hartman,
girl, Karen Sue,
Dwaine Amstutz,
Kenneth Dwaine,
rs.
Mr. and
boy,
Bluffton, a
Thursday.
Mr. and
Bluffton, a
day.
rs.
John Nonnamaker,
Frederick, Fri­
boy, Joe
Wingate, Bluff
Kay, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul
ton, a girl, Barbara
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Basinger,
Jenera, a girl, Elva Marie, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Luginbuhl,
Sluffton, a girl, Muriel Louise, Sat
urday.
Mr. and Mrs. Leland Gerber,
Bluffton, a boy, Garth Lee, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Hartman,
Bluffton, a girl, Wednesday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Kent Burkholder,
Beaverdam, a girl, Wednesday morn
ing.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Wagner,
Ada, a girl, Wednesday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Hauenstein,
Ann Arbor, Mich., a boy, Thomas
Edgar, born at University hospital,
Sunday. Mr. Hauenstein is the son
of Edgar Hauenstein, Bluffton phar
macist.
Organ Program At
Methodist Church
Prof. Otto Holtkamp, of the Bluff
ton college school of music, will be
the organist for services in the First
Methodist church at 10:30 a. m.
Sunday.
A new Wurlitzer organ has been
installed in the church for demon
stration.