The Bluffton news. [volume], July 27, 1950, Image 1

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A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXV
DEBRIS LEFT BY
TWISTER BEING
CLEARED AWAY
Barns, Demolished, Houses Un
roofed and Trees are Up
rooted by Wind
Woodlot Near Former Ewing
School Bears Marks of
Gale’s Fury
_______
Orange township residents near
Bluffton this week still are effecting
repairs to buildings and cleaning up
debris left in the wake of a tornado
which cut a swath of damage five
miles long and approximately 300
yards wide in a semi-circle around
Bluffton early Wednesday evening of
last week.
Headed northeast from the Harry
Moore farm, on the Allen-Hancock
county line road, the tomadic wind
was a second edition of a one and
one-half-million dollar tornado which
had ripped Lima about an hour
earlier on the same day. The local
storm finally blew itself out on the
Milton and Howard Benroth farm,
five miles away on State Route 103.
Carpenters and roofers still were
busy on homes, bams and other build
ings this Wednesday, a week after
the storm hit, and woodlands which
suffered heavily in the windstorm will
be a mass of debris for months.
Crops Damaged
Riddled com fields, where mud
bespattered stalks are stripped much
as in a hail storm, are making an
attempt to effect a comeback, but
most of the crop in the stricken area
will be stunted and the yield will
suffer accordingly.
It was nearly 24 hours after the
storm struck before all roads in its
path were re-opened. In some cases
the resumption of traffic was made
possible by shoving fallen trees to one
side of the highway where they will
remain until there is time to remove
them later.
Orange township trustees assisted
by farmers working with tractors in
opening the blocked roads and farm-1
ers whose homes escaped damage
helped neighbors in putting tempor
ary roofs on buildings and effecting
other repairs.
Dead Pheasants and Rabbits
In heavily damaged woodlots, a lot
of dead rabbits and pheasants could
be found, leading to conjecture that
the storm had come up so quickly that
the game birds and animals had no
chance to find shelter.
Before dipping down into Orange
township on its trail of destruction,
the same tornado struck near the Dr.
Foust farm, one mile southwest of
Beaverdam on the Dixie highway, and
levelled a barn on the Homer F.
Weaver farm. Weaver, buried in the
debris, escaped with bruises, but a
son, Melvin, who was outside the bam
received a broken leg when he was
struck by a flying barn door. In the
same area it blew' down a number of
trees at a large roadside park near
the Foust home. The Deeds barn
south of Beaverdam and the Fett
barn east of Beaverdam were also
completely demolished.
The tornado ripping thru this area,
however, was apparently a different
one than that which ravaged Lima
more than an hour earlier. It struck
here shortly after 6 p. m., while the
Lima tornado occurred at 4:50.
Trail of Destruction
Between Beaverdam and its major
path of destruction in Orange town
ship, the tornado dipped briefly at
the Edgar Herr farm on the Bentley
road, and again at the Rollie Moser
farm on the Allen-Hancock county
line, where Moser’s bam wras badly
damaged.
From there, how’ever, the wind
(Continued on page 10)
Scientific farming is beginning to
enter a new phase these days as
hormones, the body chemicals which
doctors are using in their war on
disease, have successfully passed
tests branding them as a means oi
boosting the farmers’ cash income.
Insulin and “ACTH” hormones,
used against diabetes and arthritis
in the medical field, now also are
"helping to turn out livestock and
poultry products at lower cost.
Cows eating feed treated with
70 9,
Tornado Sweeps Path of Destruction
Through Orange Township
Mennonite women from churches
of the denomination throughout the
midwest will convene for a four-day
spiritual retreat on the Bluffton
college campus opening next Mon
day evening and continuing through
the following Thursday.
Since this is the first project of
its kind to be organized among Men
nonite women, definite estimates of
the anticiuated attendance were lack
ing the first of the week. However,
preparations are being made tenta
tively for 100 women. They will
live in college dormitories and take
their meals in the dining hall.
Miss Edna Ramseyer is chairman
of the general committee on ar
rangements and Mrs. Edison Diller
of Pandora, secretary. Committee
members are: Mrs. Ben Amstutz,
Mrs. Gerhard Buhler, Mrs. Milford
Haas, Mrs. Herman Hilty, Mrs.
Arthur Schumacher, Mrs., Sidney
British Parents
In August to
BLUFFTON’S FIRST
POLIO CASE TAKEN
TO LIMA HOSPITAL
Denver Zimmerly is Reported
Seriously III in Memorial
Hospital
Stricken Suddenly While at
Work at Central Ohio Power
Plant Here
Denver Zimmerly, 39, w*ho lives
one mile from Bluffton on the Bigler
road, last week became Allen coun
ty’s first 1950 polio patient, and is
in serious condition in Lima Me
morial hospital.
Zimmerly first became ill w’hile
working at the Bluffton generating
plant of the Central Ohio Light and
Power Co. where he is employed.
He was taken to the Lima Me
morial hospital for observation Fri
day and positive diagnosis of the
case as polio was made at 10:30
a. m. last Saturday morning.
Zimmerly was the first Allen
county polio case of the year, altho
there have been five from Auglaize
county.
The Bluffton man has a wife and
four children.
Install New Pastor
At Mennonite Church
Rev. Alvin J. Beachy, who recent
ly assumed the pastorate of the
First Mennonite church will be form
ally installed at services, Sunday
morning. He and his family moved
here twTo w’eeks ago from Man
chester, Conn.
At the installation service the
charge to the congregation will be
given by Rev. P. E. Whitmer. Rev.
E. J. Bohn of Pandora, president of
the Middle District conference will
give the charge to the pastor.
The installation ceremony will be
conducted by Rev. G. T. Soldner
who served as interim pastor of the
congregation since June 1 when the
resignation of Rev. J. N. Smucker,
former pastor, became effective.
Building Addition
Norman Triplett has started build
ing an addition to his residence on
Grove street.
one type—thyroprotein—reportedly
are producing 15% more milk and
from 20 to 25% more butterfat
than the ones which do not obtain
hormones in their diet, according to
the Quaker Oats Co., largest pro
ducer of this hormone-fortified feed.
Fishel Products Co., of Kingsbury,
Calif., mixes the same hormone in
its new hog feed “Swine-Dine”.
Fishel reports that pigs fed thyro
protein at Purdue university gained
1.57 pounds a day on ordinary feed
Mennonite Women’s Spiritual Retreat
Opens On College Campus Next Monday
Hormones Spark Scientific Farming—’May Turn
Steiner, Mrs. Melvin Zimmerly.
Besides the formal program, ar
rangements have been made to have
Miss Bertha Fast of Mountain
Lake, Minn., a former worker in
European relief with the Mennonite
Central Committe, give an outline
of what is being accomplished in
that field.
Attendance at the sessions is open
to all women interested. Local wo
men may register for 50 cents daily,
plus 60 cents for dinner and 40
cents for lunch.
Registration for the retreat will
open next Monday evening at 5
o’clock followed by supper and in
formal evening.
Daily schedule on Tuesday, Wed
nesday and Thursday is announced
as follows:
8:25 a.m.—Committees and Service
9:00 a.m.—Our Missionaries, Who
and Where?—Mrs. S. F.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cullen.
British parents of Mrs. Harry Shrid
er, Jr., Harmon road, will leave their
native England early in August to
make their future home in the Bluff
ton community.
Parting from relatives and friends
in their home city of Grimsby, 180
miles north of London, Mr. and Mrs.
Cullen will sail for the United
States on August 10. It will take
about 10 days for them to cross the
Atlantic by ship.
Mrs. Shrider is the only child of
the Cullens ,but they are leaving
his mother rind her mother in Eng
land. Both of them, however, are
glad to see their children come to
the United States for a new start.
By profession a clerical worker
and accountant, Mr. Cullen had been
with the London and Northwestern
railroad for 30 years. For the last
five years he has been head pay
master for the road.
When they land in New York City,
the Cullens will be met by Mr. and
Mrs. Shrider and Shrider’s brother
in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs.
Orville Basinger, also of Bluffton.
For the present, the Cullens will
make their home with the Shriders
on Harmon road.
Altho the English couple had
planned to sail from Liverpool, Eng
land, on July 31, their departure
has been deayed until about August
10 by crowded overseas travel to
this country.
Woman Fractures
Shoulder In Fall
Tripping on a signal hose at a
filling station, Mrs. Albert Deppler
of South Main street fell and sus
tained a fractured right shoulder.
The accident occurred while she and
her husband were visiting in Find
lay, Saturday evening.
She was removed to Bluffton hos
pital where her condition is reported
satisfactory.
This is her fourth mishap to sus
tain broken bones as the result of
falls previously she suffered a brok
en arm, broken leg and fractured
hip
Hearing On Richland
Ditch Set For Aug. 5
Final hearing on a proposed drain
age ditch in Richland township will
be held August 5, it is announced
by the Allen County commissioners.
The project to be located near
Beaverdam south of Route 30 is pe
titioned by Harvey C. Suter.
the gain averaged only 1.30 pounds. I
Pigs on the hormone diet ate 405
pounds of feed for every 100 pounds
gained. It took 417 pounds of regu
lar feed for the same job, it was
reported.
Another hormone finding partisans
among farm folks is “Stilbesttrol,”
which turns roosters into capons by
chemical instead of surgical means,
and does it at lower cost. Inasmuch
as hormonized birds also have fewer
pin feathers than ordinary capons,
tov lu.TTFFTON
of Bluffton Woman Arriving
Make This Their Future Home
NEWSk BLUFFTON# OHIO
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JULY
Bluffton Mobilizes for Civilian Defense
Farm Land
School Here To
Open On Sept. 5
For Fall Term
BLUFFTON’S public schools
will open on Tuesday, September
5 for the fall term, it was stated
by Supt. A. B. Murray, this
week.
Pannabecker.
10:00 a. m.—
Tues.—This is My Fath
er’s World—Pref. H. W.
Berky
Wed.—Using Our Hymn
ary—Prof. R. A. Lantz
Thurs.—You and Your
Family Panel Discus
sion—Mrs. Harry Yod
er, Presiding
11:00 a.m.—Teachings of Jesus—
Mrs. Olin Krehbiel
2.00 p. m.—Activity period—M.C.C.
relief cutting room,
crafts and cooperative
work for the college.
7:15 p. m.—Vesper services
8:00 p. m.—Evening program.
RODEO PROFITS TO
RUN $2,200 FIRST
REPORT INDICATES
Accounting Made at Meeting of
Participating Groups Tues
day Night
Fourth of July Project this
Year One of Most Profitable
in Decade
Bluffton’s 1950 Fourth of July
rodeo, one of the most successful in
the history of the annual events,
will net the four sponsoring organi
zations approximately $2,200, ac
cording to preliminary reports made
at a meeting of the groups Tuesday
night.
Aggregate receipts from the ro
deo, including concessions, etc.,
amounted to $4,677.04, with expenses
of $2,470.35 reported. This leaves
proceeds of $2,206.69, the report
show’s.
Attendance at the gala Fourth of
July show was up this summer, with
$1,569.41 reported from the sale of
admission tickets. Eating conces
sions had a total income of $418.48,
a new record.
Proceeds will go to the four spon
soring organizations: The Bluffton
Saddle club, Bluffton Community
Sportsmen’s club, Bluffton Business
Men’s association and the Bluffton
Recreation committee.
The town’s unique Fourth of July
program has an unusual record in
never having been rained out in
nearly a decade of yearly show’s.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Crist, Jenera,
a girl, bom Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Kennedy,
Benton Ridge, a boy, bom Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Walters,
Arlington, a boy, bom Sunday.
Mr.and Mrs. John Van Atta, Je
nera, a girl, bom Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis D. Risser,
Jr., Pandora, a boy, bom Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Rausch, Wil
liamstown), a boy, Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Downey,
Beaverdam, a boy, born Tuesday.
Mrs. Downey is the former Lavon
Wilch.
they bring premium prices on mar
kets, amounting to from two to five
cents a pound wholesale.
It is estimated that this year,
American farmers will spend ap
proximately one million dollars for
these two synthetic cousins, both of
which hav been approved by the U.
S. Food and Drug administration
since shortly after World War II
ended.
On a strictly experimental basis,
researchers already have discovered
27, 1950
DRAFT AND NAVAL
RESERVE CALL TO
SUMMON MEN SOON
Selective Service Prepares to
Process Draftees for Mili
tary Duty
First of Allen County’s Naval
Reserve Called 200 Ex
pect Call
Wartime enlargement of the
nation’s armed forces will reach into
the Bluffton district in a dual
phased program early in August as
the first group of prospective Allen
county draftees reports for prein
duction physical examinations at
about the same time that naval
reservists are being called back into
active service.
Under the selective service induc
tion program, 60 young men from
the county soon will receive notice
to report for physical examinations
on August 8. The initial draft call
is set tentatively for early Septem
ber.
Reserve officers in the naval forces
will start going back into naval
service immediately, with an an
nouncement Tuesday indicating that
200 will be called from the Allen
county area, all of whom will be on
active duty before Nov. 1.
Draft To Start
Physical examinations for the 60
prospective draftees from Allen
county will be given at Toledo, with
the group making the trip from
Lima by chartered bus. All men
called for the physicals will be in
Class 1-A, born between November,
1924, and September, 1927, it was
announced.
Many of the first group to be call
ed had passed previous physicals in
1948 and 1949, but were never in
ducted into the armed forces. They
must be re-examined now, selective
service officials state.
Anyone who believes his draft
status has changed since he was
classified 1-A is asked to contact the
draft board immediately on receipt
of notice of physical exam. This
will apply to men who have married
or acquired dependents since being
classified.
Reserves Called
In the call of naval reserves, 200
men from this area will be ordered
to active duty within the next three
months, according to Lt. Commndr.
G. J. Bishop, officer in charge of
the Lima Naval Reserve Training
Center.
Trained men in the surface divi
sion of the local naval unit are
scheduled for 12 months active duty.
Only officers, petty officers and
leading seaman will be called, Bishop
reported. All rates are involved in
the call, in which 86,000 naval and
marine reserves thruout the country
will go.
About 10 per cent of the 200 are
scheduled to leave next week, and
another 10 per cent the following
week.
Real Estate Deals
Mr. and Mrs. Garland Basinger
have purchased the residence ‘of
Rev. and Mrs. W. H. Lahr of Har
mon road. Possession will be given
September 1 when Rev. and Mrs.
Lahr will move to Denver, Colorado,
where they have purchased a resi
dence property in suburban Bonnie
Brae. Mr. and Mrs. Basinger are
now occupying an apartment in the
F. L. Todd residence on South Lawn
avenue.
Wm Klass has recently sold his
home north of Bluffton on Route 25
to Eugene Werner. Mr. and Mrs.
Werner will take possession next
month. Mr. and Mrs. Klass will
move to Lima.
other ways in which hormones can1
help the farmer boost his production1
or lower his costs.
For examples, one college labora
tory has found that thyroprotein
will make wool grow on sheep 137%
faster. It also claims to have made
chickens lay more eggs, and turkeys
grow faster’. Another hormone,
“Thiouracil” has been used to make
hogs lazier than usual, so the pork
ers could turn more of their feed in
to meat.
Three Former Bluffton Residents
Were In Midst Of Lima’s Tornado
Three former Bluffton resi
dents were among those whose
homes suffered damage in Lima’s
destructive tornado late last
Wednesday afternoon.
Robert Motter, whose apart
ment was unroofed, received
minor injuries and was treated
in Lima St. Rita’s hospital fol
lowing the twister. His wife,
the former Esther Gratz, and
son, were in the basement of
their home during the height of
the storm.
The home of Mr. and Mrs.
Gerald Basinger was damaged
so badly in the blow that the
family was forced to move out,
while repairs are being effected.
A garage at the Wayne Yerger
home was demolished in the
tornado.
LIGHTNING HITS
BARN IN STORM
BURNS TO GROUNU
Building and Contents on Cook
Farm near Rockport Total
Loss
Barn Burns in Midst of Near
Cloudburst During Heavy
Thunderstorm
Struck by lightning during a
severe electrical storm at 5 p. m.
last Wednesday, a large bam on the
Peter Cook farm, one and one-half
miles southwest of Rockport, burned
to the ground.
Altho Bluffton and Beaverdam fire
departments made hurried runs to
the scene, they were unable to do
anything toward controlling the
blaze, which was a raging inferno
within seconds after a lightning bolt
hit the structure.
Despite a heavy downpour of rain
accompanying the electrical storm,
the conflagration raged unchecked,
with its rapid spread aided by large
quantities of hay and straw stored
in the structure.
Any possibility of flames spread
ing to other nearby farm buildings
was prevented by the near-cloud
burst, however, Fire Chief Guy Cor
son reported.
Sheep Escape
A few sheep n the bam managed
to make their escape, but in addition
to the hay and straw Cook lost a
quantity of farming equipment, in
cluding corn shredder and corn
binder."
In the house when the storm
struck, Cook knew the lightning
bolt had found a mark nearby
Looking outside shortly after the
crash of rumbling thunder which
followed the bolt, he saw smoke
rolling from all sides of the bam.
The barn destroyed by fire was
one of two on the Cook farm. His
other, which was not damaged, is
about 100 yards from the razed
structure.
Called to the scene when the
alarm was sounded, the Bluffton
fire department made the run in a
torrential downpour of rain.
Valuation Placed
On Two Estates
Valuation was placed on two es
tates in Allen county probate court
recently.
Estate of John Owens of near
Ada was appraised at $13,954.50. Of
this $11,678.50 was real estate and
$2,267 personal property.
Estate of William W. Huber was
valued at $45,480 of which $32,000
was personal property and $13,480
real estate. His son, Earl Huber
of Findlay was appointed executor.
Bulls Into Cows, Then Into Steers
“We may learn to use hormones
to convert bulls into milk cows be
fore we get through,” was the state
ment of the research director for
one feed firm. “Then, when the cows
get too old for good milkers, we
may be able to turn them into beef
steers with another hormone.”
Biochemists—the men who work
with hormones—don’t seem to think
this remark is particularly far
fetched. For example, they have re
ported that scientists at the Univers­
PAGE THRES
lib
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 15
CALL COUNTY WIDE
MEETING AT LIMA
THURSUAY EVENING
Mayor W. A. Howe Will Ap
point Head of Defense
Force in Bluffton
Organization to Act as “Defense
Against Enemy Action and
Disaster”
Mobilization of Bluffton’s civilian
defense forces is in the making this
week, with preliminary activity
pointing toward a completion of
*preparations for immediate action to
safeguard life and property in case
of a wartime emergency.
Groundwork for establishment of
the civilian defense program here
will be laid at a steering committee
meeting in Lima Thursday night of
this week for mayors of Allen county
cities and villages, and other county
officials.
Bluffton’s civilian defense prepara
tions will be part of a state-wide
master plan, to be explained to town
officials at the session Thursday
night and organization of local
forces is expected to follow soon.
Mayor Appoints
Each city will have its own civilian
defense director, appointed by the
mayor, plus a complete complement
of committee heads in charge of
various phases of the overall pro
gram, under the proposed civil de
fense regulations for Ohio, which
cleared Gov. Frank J. Lausche Tues
day.
The regulations will have the ef
fect of law when the governor signs
them, for "filing with the secretary
of state. In their authorization by
the last legislature, the regulations
were cited as “a defense for the
people of the state against enemy
action and other disasters.”
For efficient operation, volunteers
in the civilian defense setup will be
grouped under divisions of personnel,
information, training, operations and
supply.
Multi-Phase Program
Included in the personnel division
will be law enforcement, evacuation
and housing, legal and personnel
work and welfare organizations.
Under information will be air raid
warnings, information and records.
Training and operations will include
communications, chemical work,
training and plans. Under supply
operations will be transportation, fire
departments, utilities, public works,
supply and health, medical and
hospital services.
In addition to the notice of this
week’s meeting to map general
county-wide plans, Mayor W. A.
Howe said he also has received a
notice for the state relative to
establishing an air-watch group in
Bluffton.
Former Resident
Dies In Canada
Calvin M. Fett, 56, former Bluff
ton resident, died at his home in
Port Kells, British Columbia, Can
ada, Sunday evening, according to
word received by relatives here.
News of his death came unexpect
edly as there has been no previous
word of his illness. There were no
details as to funeral arrangements.
He was a graduate of Bluffton
high school and left here about
thirty-five years ago. At the time
of his death he operated a poultry
farm. Previous to that he had en
gaged in farming near Pennant,
Saskatchewan.
He was a son of the late Mr. and
Mrs. Elias Fett of this place.
Surviving are his wife Ethyl and
daughter Joyce of Port Kells step
mother, Mrs. Elias Fett of Bluffton
sister, Mrs. Willis Welty of Bluff
ton and Mrs. A. F. Bartels of To
ledo and two brothers, Alvin Fett of
Pennant, Sask., and Geo. Fett of
Lima.
ity of Missouri have made a buck
rabbit produce milk by injecting the
proper hormones, and other re
searchers have used hormones to get
cows to give milk without first be
coming mothers.
Based on experience thus far,
there likely will be a vaster broader
potential use of hormones on the
farm, as uses are found for others
of the 20 different ones now known.
Don’t smoke around the bam.