The Bluffton news. [volume], February 16, 1950, Image 1

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXIV
TOWN MENACED
BY HIGH WATER
FOR TWO DAYS
Flooded Basements are Most
Serious Situation Reported
Here
Bluffton Fares Better Than
Many Other Towns Thru
out District
Rampaging outside their banks for
more than 24 hours on Monday and
Tuesday, Big and Little Riley creeks
were at flood stage in the Bluffton
district for one of the longest
periods since the long-remembered
1913 inundation.
Country roads were flooded and in
many cases partially washed away,
as water-choked ditches failed to
carry away water fast enough as it
fell over a 36-hour period beginning
Sunday night and continuing until
early Tuesday afternoon.
Altho rainfall was steady it rarely
reached the downpour stage, and
despite the fact that creeks spilled
over their banks late Monday after
noon the water was carried away
fast enough to keep the flood level
reaching some of the high water
marks of the last decade.
Worse Elsewhere
Bluffton fared better than most
surrounding communities because of
its favorable high-ground location.
Serious floods were reported in Ada,
Findlay and Ottawa on Tuesday.
Schools continued their normal
schedules here, but many in Allen,
Putnam and Hancock counties were
closed because of the flood. Mt. Cory
Rawson schools were dismissed at
noon on Tuesday because of water in
the boiler room at the Rawson
school, and many others in the dis
trict also sent pupils home because
of the high water.
Many flooded basements were re
ported in Bluffton, however, as the
rain continued to fall thruout Mon
day and Tuesday, but the situation
was alleviating Wednesday.
Water Soaked Ground
More than three times the normal
aJnuary rainfall total, followed by
this week’s rainfall has thoroughly
saturated the ground in the Bluffton
area, and water runs off into streams
as rapidly as it falls, to complicate
flood conditions locally.
Weather observers reported this
indicated the Bluffton area water
table level, seriously low last fall
•probably has returned to normal as
a result of the continued winter
downpours.
Since early January, Big and
Little Riley creeks have flooded out
side their banks here six times. In
normal seasons that many floods in
a year would be an exception.
Masonic Fat her-Son
Banquet Next Week
Supt. of Schools Aaron B. Murray
will be the speaker at the Bluffton
Masonic Father-Son banquet com
memorating the birthday of George
Washington, Wednesday night of
next week in the Masonic hall here.
Supt. Murray’s address will fol
low a banquet to be served at 6:30.
Richard C. Lewis, master of the
Bluffton lodge, will give the address
of welcome, opening the program. A
toast to the sons will be given by
Coach A. C. Burcky, and the re
sponse will be by his son, Bill
Burcky, a Bluffton college student.
Reservations for the banquet
should, be made with Bertrand L.
Swank not later than Saturday.
Peace Institute At
College This Week
A peace institute sponsored by
the Bluffton College Peace club will
be held Friday and Saturday on the
college campus.
At the opening session, 9:35 a. m.
Friday, C. J. Rempel, of Ontario,
Canada, will speak on “The Individ
ual’s Responsibility in the Way of
Peace.” In the afternoon at 4 p. m.
there will be a group discussion on
“What’s Wrong With the 20th Cen
tury?”
Rev. J. N. Smucker of Bluffton
will speak on “Peace of Mind” and
Prof. Melvin Gingerich, of Goshen,
Ind., will talk on “Christ: the Way
to Peace” at 7:30 p. m. Friday.
Topic for the concluding program
at 10 a. m. Saturday •will be “How
to be Effective Peacemakers Through
Personal Living.” Speakers will be
Rev. Smucker, Prof. Gingerich and
Rempel.
Colder Weather Curbs
Danger of Flood Here
Pirates to Meet Paulding in
Class Meet on Celina
Gym Floor
Strong Delphos St. John’s Out
fit Probable Foe in Second
Round
Bluffton High school’s bid to re
peat basketball tournament successes
of former years will be launched at
7:30 p. m. this Saturday when the
locals tangle with Paulding in the
annual Class exempted village
and parochial tourney at Celina.
Riding the crest of a six-game
winning streak, the Pirates will go
into the tournament with a season
record of 12 victories and only four
reversals.
Paulding, first-round foe of the
Bluffton team, has a 9-9 record, but
pre-game information indicates the
team will be one of the strongest in
the meet.
Early Test
Whether this year’s Bluffton team
will go far in tournament play like
ly will be decided in the initial
stages of the meet this season, for
if the Pirates beat Paulding their
second-round opponent in all likeli
hood will be Delphos St. John’s, de
fending State Class champs, who
have lost only one game so far this
season.
The Delphos outfit drew Lima St.
John’s as its initial foe, and is an
odds-on favorite to win easily, for
(Continued on last page)
TRUCKS INCREASE
TRAFFIC HAZARDS
STREET
Third Crash in Less Than
Month is Caused by
Through Trucks
Parked Passenger Car Wrecked
When Struck on South
Main Street
Bluffton’s third Main street traf
fic accident in less than a month in
volving through-bound trucks result
ed in a wrecked automobile for
James West, cashier of the Citizens
National bank, at 7:20 P. M. last
Friday.
West's car, a Chevrolet coach,
parked in front of his South Main
street residence, was virtually de
molished when it was struck from
the rear by a pickup truck heading
north. West lives in the Mellinger
apartments.
Struck on the right side, nearest
the curb, by the truck, West’s park
ed car was sent careening a distance
of 180 feet north on Main street. It
did not come to a stop until it had
crossed the street and crashed into
a fire hydrant in front of the E. C.
Romey residence at the Grove street
corner.
Truck Off Street
Gene Fangman, 20, of Lima, driv
er of the truck, said he did not see
the parked car. He claimed that he
was not asleep, although the truck
apparently was partially over the
curb when it crashed into West’s
automobile from the rear.
High School Faces First Hurdle
In Basketball Tourney Saturday
Mr. and Mrs. West missed being
(Continued on last page)
Sixteenth anniversary of the Bluff
ton Lions club Charter Night cele
bration will be held in the dining
room of the First Methodist church,
where the original charter was pre
sented, at 6:30 p. m. next Tuesday.
Wives of members and guests have
been invited for the celebration, and
will hear Ed Ward, of Lima, district
governor Merle Blue, of Dunkirk,
deputy governor and Neil Parment
er, of Lima, zone chairman.
Paul Cramer, president of the club
will preside. Forrest Steinman, of
the local club, a past-district gover
nor, will honor deceased members of
the organization.
Real Estate Deals
Mrs. L. C. Hauenstein residing
south of Bluffton has purchased the
Walter Stratton property on South
Main street and will occupy it next
month. Mr. £nd Mrs. Stratton will
move on 80 acres which they pur
chased last month from Mrs. Hau
enstein’s son Kenneth. The tract
was formerly part of the 160 acre
tract belonging to the late L. C.
Hauenstein.
Kenneth Reichenbach has pur
chased the Geo. Read property on
South Lawn avenue. Mr. and Mrs.
Reichenbach are moving from the
Norman Edinger property on Jeffer
son street. Mr. and Mrs. Read are
moving to a small farm which they
recently purchased neaz- Arlington.
ROBBERS FAIL IN
ATTEMPT TO LOOT
FARM CO-OP SAFE
Handle of Safe is Twisted Oil
by Burglars in Raid Mon
day Night
Second Robbery Attempt at
Office of County Farm
Bureau Near Town
Charter Night Dinner To Mark 16th
Anniversary Of Bluffton Lions Club
Guests will be here from surround
ing clubs including Beaverdam,
Lima, Findlay, etc. Earl Lehman
will be in charge of the music. The
dinner will be served by women’s
A second attempt within two
months to burglarize the office of
the Allen County Farm Bureau Co-op
warehouse two miles south of Bluff
ton on the Dixie highway failed
Monday night when thieves were un
successful in trying to force entrance
into the safe.
Handle of the safe which was
twisted off in the fruitless attempt
was the principal damage, it was
reported by office workers who dis
covered the depredation, Tuesday
morning.
Entrance to the office was gained
thru the rear of the warehouse.
Records and office furniture were
disarranged but no loss was reported.
A previous attempt to loot the of
fice made last December was foiled
when tear gas was automatically re
leased when the safe was tampered
with.
Joe Bronson of near Cherry street
also reported theft of a case of oil
from his garage one night during
the past week.
One~Day Boy Scout
Drive Here Tuesday
A concentrated one-day solicitation
campaign to raise funds for the con
tinuation of the Bluffton Boy Scout
program will be launched at a kick
off breakfast in the Walnut Grill
next Tuesday morning.
The solicitation, made by represen
tatives of local churches, will be
completed by Tuesday night.
Heading the local campaign com
mittee are Rev. V. C. Oppermann,
chairman Rev. J. N. Smucker, Rev.
Paul H. Cramer, Rev. L. W. McIn
tire and Rev. O. Merrill Boggs.
Twenty4hree solicitors will assist in
the drive.
No campaign was held in Bluffton
last year, and a good return is
sought this winter to make it pos
sible to carry out the varied Boy
Scout program supervised by the
Shawnee Area council, with which
Bluffton scouts are affiliated.
society of the Methodist church.
Active charter members of the
Bluffton club" include I. B. Beeshy,
Dr. Gordon Bixel, N. E. Byers,
Russell A. Lantz, E. S. Lape, A. E.
Lichtenwalter, Paul W. Stauffer, A.
J. B. Longsdorf and Forrest L.
Steinman.
The club now has a membership of
70. Officers are Paul H. Cramer,
president Charles Emans, first vice
president Franklin D. Rodabaugh,
second vice-president Clair B. Fett,
third vice-president Carl Lehman,
secretary-treasurer Dr. B. W. Trav
is, Robert Nonnamaker, Jesse Yoa
kam and Harry Turner, Sr., direct
ors A. Dwight Spayth, tailtwister
Morris Triplett, Lion tamer A. J. B.
Longsdorf, Jungle News Editor
Earl Lehman., and Harvey Bauman,
song leaders.
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
Price Cut Offsets Rise of One
Cent Effective Since Last
Fall
Retail price of milk dropped one
cent a quart in Bluffton Tuesday,
with consumers now paying 18 cents
for Grade A and homogenized
grades.
It was the first downward price
revision since last April, when a
similar 18-cent price went into ef
fect, to continue until early Septem
ber when a one-cent boost was made.
The 18-cent price represents a
post-war low, and is said to result
from an Ohio surplus, for similar
‘downward trends in retail pricing is
general thruout the northern part of
the state this week.
Coffee cream also is expected to
follow the downward trend of milk
prices, with retailers anticipating a
one-cent cut this week. Cream now
retails at 19 cents a half-pint.
High mark of local milk prices
since the war came in the fall of
1948 when it retailed here at 21
cents a quart.
New Auto Tags
Arrive Will Go
On Sale March 1
FIFTEEN hundred new auto
license tags for the Bluffton
district have arrived here, it was
stated the first of the week by
Dave Reichenbach, deputy
registrar.
They will go on sale March
1 at Reichenbach’s garage on
West Elm street. The new plates
which have black numerals on
yellow background have the same
letters as in 1949, Y2, ZB and
YY. s.
BLUFFTON NEWS
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, FEB. 16, 1950
MILK PRICE
DROPS ONE
CENT QUART
Bluffton Housewives Paying 18
Cents Beginning Tuesday
Morning
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Stobbe,
Ada, a girl, Joyce Lee, last Wed
nesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Laurel Bracy, Pan
dora, a girl, Rebecca Jean, Thurs
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hamman,
Bluffton, a girl, Doris Ann, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Balister, Mt.
Cory, a girl, Belinda Jill, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Galen Basinger,
Bluffton, a boy, Stephen Royal, Mon
day.
Mr. and Mrs. John Stonehill, Bluff
ton, a boy, Robert Joe, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Clum, La
fayette, a girl, Wednesday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Ulysses Reichen
bach, Bluffton, a girl, Wednesday
morning.
Rev. and Mrs. Mahlon Wenger, a
boy, Samuel Allman, born in Bucy
rus hospital, Saturday. Mrs. Weng
er is the former Nadine Allman,
daughter of Dr. and Mrs. V. H.
Allman.
Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood Diller,
Alameda, Calif., a boy, Perry Diller
II, born at that place, Feb. 3. Mr.
and Mrs. Diller are former Bluffton
residents.
Burkhalter Violin
Recital Here Sunday
Laurence Burkhalter, Bluffton col
lege instrumental music instructor,
will present a violin recital at 7:30
p. m. Sunday in the First Mennonite
Church.
Included on the program will be
Sonata No. 5 by Handel and Poeme
by Chausson. Burkhalter will be
accompanied by Miss Mary Maust,
college senior.
Burkhalter also is scheduled to
play over Radio Station WOSU, Co
lumbus, at 5 p. m. Sunday, Febru
ary 26.
Saddle Club Makes
Polio Contribution
Farley the Magician presented a
program of magic at a meeting of
the Bluffton Saddle Horse club last
Thursday night in the Walnut Grill.
At the session the club voted to
contribute $25 to the 1950 Bluffton
polio drive and made a contribution
of a similar amount to the Hancock
county campaign.
Nation farm indebtedness increased
about three-fourths if a billion dol
lars during 1949.
Three Injured In
Mishap On Dixie
Three Lima residents received first
aid treatment at Bluffton Commun
ity hospital Sunday night, following
a two-car mishap on the Dixie high
way near the Kermit Kibele resi
dence at the north edgfe of town.
Cars driven by Raymond E. How
ard, 59, of Lima, and Maynard A.
Amstutz, 23, of Sidney, were in
volved in the crash, with the How
ard auto leaving the highway and
rolling down a ditch embankment.
Howard, his sister, Mrs. Bessie
Howard, 70, and Emerson Smith,
49, a passenger in the car, escaped
with minor injuries. They were re
leased following treatment at the
hospital.
SCHOOL BOARD
HEARS ORANGE
TWP. PETITIONS
Copies Read at Meeting of
Bluffton Board Held Tues
day Night
Board Signifies Willingness to
Accept Territory if
Transferred
Copies of petitions signed by
Orange township residents requesting
transfer of their school territory
from Mt. Cory-Rawson to the Bluff
ton district were read at a meeting
of the Bluffton board of education,
Tuesday night.
Following reading of the petitions
the board indicated its willingness to
accept the territory.
No action of the Bluffton board is
necessary at this time other than an
indication of willingness to accept
the territory if the transfer is made,
school authorities pointed out.
When the petitions are submitted,
according to law, the county board
of education, which in this case is
the Hancock county board, must
make a ruling before the first day of
April, approving or rejecting the
petition for transfer.
In case the county board refuses
to make the petitioned transfer, all
information on the matter must be
submitted by the board to the state
department of education.
If, on review, the state department
is not in agreement with the county
board, a hearing on the case must be
held in the county prior to August 1.
Polio Benefit Dance
Here Next Wednesday
A benefit dance with all proceeds
going to Bluffton’s 1950 March of
dimes polio drive will be staged un
der auspices of the Bluffton Amer
ican Legion post Wednesday night
of next week in the Legion hall.
Round and square dancing will be
featured, and the public is urged to
attend, to help support the polio
campaign.
In New Locations
Mr. and Mrs. Will Steiner have
moved from their farm west of Bluff
ton to the Garau street property
which they purchased from Delbert
McGinnis.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilford Steiner are
moving on the Steiner farm, vacat
ing the property of the Misses Olive
and Lydia Amstutz on Spring street.
The Amstutz Sisters will mave here
from Lima the first of March and
occupy their property.
Mild Winter. Proves Help To
Fanners Of Bluffton Area
Trained in artificial respiration
and operation of the community’s
resuscitator, Bluffton has a five-man
emergency squad which quickly can
swing into action in case of asphyx
iations, drowning, etc.
To obtain services of the group it
is only necessary to notify the Bluff
ton telephone office when emergencies
occur, and the operator will take
over from that point.
On the emergency squad at pres
ent are Lester Niswander, Loren
Steinman, Al Ingalls and Gail Mum
ma, Fred Martin, the fifth member,
will be active again following his
Trained Squad Ready For Action
Here In Drowning, Other Emergencies
Sufficient Coal on Hand
for Town's Present Needs
Wheat is Out of Danger from
Winter Kill, Crlp Expert
Declares
Heavy Rains have Replenished
Long Depleted Subsurface
Moisture
Mild weather, the absence of ice,
snow and freezing temperatures,
coupled with a surplus of rainfall,
have been welcomed by Bluffton area
farmers who have found this winter
just about what they would order if
they had control over the elements.
City folks, threatened by coal
shortages thruout the winter because
of the mine situation, also will give
a vote of approval to the umisual
weather conditions which have pre
vailed since mid-Nftvember.
On the farms, the winter wheat
crop, fourth most important cash
income producer for the state's farm
ers, is out of danger from winter
kill, according to Dr. Robert E.
Yoder, supervisor of field research
at the Wooster Experiment station.
Wheat Outlook
“Being able to say early in Febru
ary, with almost positive assurance,
that Ohio’s winter wheat crop is out
of danger from winter kill establish
es some kind of record,” was Dr.
Yoder’s comment on the situation.
“Usually there is danger ahead
from heaving and blowing but winter
wheat planted last fall under un
usually dry conditions rooted deep,
good protection against heaving.
Then came the early snow and rains
in mid-November to give good top
(Continued on last page)
CORN ACREAGE CUT
MAY CHANGE TYPE
OF FARMING HERE
Wheat Acreage Also Must be
Cut by Farmers Expecting
Federal Aid
Farmers at Work Mapping
Plans for Year as March 1
Deadline Looms
Government allotments slashing
wheat and corn acreage in Ohio
along with other states in a crop
reduction program for those who
want to take advantage of federal
subsidies will complicate planning of
this year's operations by Bluffton
area farmers.
Federal allotments for wheat and
corn were announced last week, with
Ohio’s wheat acreage slashed better
than 10 per cent, and the cut in corn
acreage averaging more than 21 per
cent.
Complications in farm planning
were seen because of the fact that
March 1 is less than a month away,
when farmers will have their opera
tions mapped for the coming season.
Not Compulsory
Altho federal orders reducing
acreage are not compulsory, farmers
must comply with the program if
they expect to take advantage of
federal subsidies in the form of crop
loans and parity prices, it was point
ed out this week.
The picture here is all the more
complicated because of the fact that
in this area and adjoining counties
raising corn and feeding it to pigs
comprises the backbone of farm
operations.
How much of a difference compli
(Continued on page 4)
return from a vacation in the west.
In addition to being skilled in ar
tificial respiration, the squad also is
trained in operation of the fire de
partment’s resuscitator, which is kept
at the Bluffton Community hospital.
Most of the volunteer workers also
have training in first aid.
Refresher courses are taken by
the group twice a year, so that they
may proceed with the best possible
results when emergencies arise.
Bluffton’s squad has been in oper
ation for well over a year, and rep
resentatives of the local group as
sisted Ada in setting up a similar
organization during the last year.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 44
LOCAL SITUATION
IS SATISFACTORY
SURVEY DISCLOSES
Mild Weather has Served to
Stretch Householders’
Supplies
No Crisis Anticipated Except
in Event of Long Strike
at Mines
With the national coal situation
in a turmoil because of a miner’®
strike despite government interven
tion, Bluffton’s fuel picture for the
most part was brighter than it has
been at any time this winter.
Barring a long layoff from coal
production, local homeowners and in
dustries will not feel too much of a
pinch, a survey indicated here the
first of the week.
As the national situation assumed
a critical aspect this week, Bluffton
home owners for the most part had
an adequate supply for current
needs, and stockpiling in local coal
yards was in fair shape.
Rationing of retail deliveries was
being continued by Bluffton dealers,
and there arc indications that the
present supply will be sufficient to
meet demands for most of the re
mainder of the winter unless unus
ually cold weather should strike the
district.
One-Montii Supply
Bluffton’s municipal light plant re
ported a three to four weeks supply
on hand, although there were indi
cations that restrictions on the use
of current will be put into effect un
less the mine layoff is settled within
the next week.
Curtailment of service should it
come will be dictated more by a pro
gram to conserve fuel on hand than
because of an immediate emergency,
plant officials said.
Central Ohio Light and Power Co.
reported a two months’ supply at
the Woodcock generating plant here,
and’ only a protracted strike could
cause trouble.
Coal Supply Short
Bluffton college, however, faced
the possibility of shortage, for the
mine shutdown found the institution
with only a 10-days’ supply on hand,
it was reported Tuesday. There is
possibility,1 however, that coal for
continued operation may be obtain
able from retailers.
Page Dairy Co. also faced the
possibility of difficulties at its local
plant in case of a drawn-out strike,
with the plant coal reserve suffi
cient for only about two weeks on a
normal basis.
Dairy Hormone Feed
Meeting Here- Tues,
Explanation of a new method of
hormone feeding for dairy herds will
be made at an open meeting to be
held at 2 p. m. next Tuesday in the
Bluffton High school auditorium.
Special representatives of the
Quaker Oats Co. will explain the de
velopment of a thyro-active lactation
stimulant and the results obtained
from its use.
This type of feeding has been
tested for more than 10 years, and it
is reported that feeding the cow
small amounts of the thyroid hor
mone greatly increases the use of
food energy and milk production.
College Orchestra
To Give Concert
Bluffton college orchestra will pre
sent a concert Friday night in Ram
seyer chapel, a new venture in the
public appearances of the group.
Laurence Burkhalter will direct
the orchestra in the concert. Includ
ed in the program will be Overture
to. Stradella by von Flotow the
First Movement of Haydn’s Military
Symphony and Ballet Egyptianne by
Luigini.
Agriculture Classes
See New Idea Plant
Twenty-five Bluffton high school
agriculture students were in Cold
water, Wednesday, making an in
spection tour of the New Idea plant
manufacturer of farm machinery.
Included in the number were mem
bers of the veterans and vocational
agriculture classes, together with
Ralph N. Marshall, instructor in the
veterans class.
Hard wood makes better coals for
a campfire than soft wood.