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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-07-29, Page 1One of the damaged buildings at Canadian Canners. Hyrdo poles and the large warehouse in the background were flattened at Canadian Canners. • Exeter is victimized again, damage over one million Estimates of damage from Friday night's severe wind storm in Exeter are still being tabulated, but the figure will reach well over $1,000,000. It was the third time in the past seven years that nature has unleashed an attack on the community, with the recent disaster following this winter's estimates of the damage would not be known for some time. He said it would be "very, very substantial." One building was destroyed at Exeter Produce & Storage, while all other structures were left roofless. Owner Len Veri said this week damage would be around $200,000, although it ice storm and coming within one day of being the seventh an- niversary of a major flood. Canadian Canners Ltd. was the hardest hit in Friday's storm, Three buildings were totally demolished and the roof on the 250' by 250' wartehouse was wrecked, Manager Jack Urquhart said way," commented Veri. He had been at his home mopping Up water similar to most residents when he learned of the damage to his plant. The injured worker had managed to crawl to the highway and was taken by a passing motorist to the Yeti home. Some damage was also reported at Veri's mobile home park, but he said it was minimal, Three homes shifted sligl'tly on their foundations, but he said basically the homes stood up extremely well to the fury of the storm. The storm hit shortly after 9:00 p.m., only minutes after local merchants had cleared their merchandise from the sidewalks. Please turn to page 3 the night only 15 minutes before it happened. I don't want to think what could have happened if some of our employees had been on the job." Prior to closing dawn for the night, five persons had been working in the receiving area and Mrs. Leo Boyle was at her duties in the weigh scales shed. Surprisingly, only one injury has been reported to date due to the storm. A Jamaican worker at Exeter Produce sustained a broken arm and lacerations to his foot when he was struck by a steel rafter. The worker had been in the seasonal workers' bunkhouse at the time of the storm. The other workers were out for the evening. "We were most fortunate that Monday to enable continuation of processing of the pea crop. An outside processor helped over the weekend in taking some peas. On the pea crop. Urquhart remarked, "We haven't lost any peas yet because of the plant damage but we could because of wet weather if it rains anymore." Workmen, including 100 skilled personnel from Canadian Can- ners plants throughout the province, Ontario Hydro, Exeter and Goderich PUCs and six outside electrical contractors have been working continuously since Saturday morning to repair the damage. In summing up the damage Urquhart said, "We are so for- tunate there were not any people in the area. We closed down for "This is only a small dent in the stock," he added. A hangar has been rented at Huron Industrial Park and 40 people are working on two shifts to empty the cartons and dry off the tin cans. The local manager said it could take as long as six months to clean up all the canned goods. New and repaired receiving equipment was being set up , could go higher if engineering studies indicate some of the walls need replacing 'as well. The third building most severely damaged in the com- munity was the Zip Car Wash owned by Maynard Corrie, RR 5 Clinton. The roof was torn off and one bay in the cement block building collapsed. Corrie said damage has been listed at around $15,000, Canners manager Urquart said there was no way a dollar figure could be put on the loss right now. "One of our company officials said it could be as long as two years before we know the corn- plete cost." he related. The storm hit four areas at the canning facility, The roofs were blown off the 250' by 250' warehouse and the boiler room, while the building just east of the main processing plant which houses the receiving equipment was totally demolished and another storage shed about 200 feet in length was flattened. In addition, the small building which housed the weigh scales was completely blown away. According to Urquhart, the only part of this 'structure that has been found yet is the door. Mrs. Leo Boyle was at work in the weigh scales building only 15 minutes before it was destroyed. More than a dozen cars in the parking lot were damaged and some will require complete repainting. The large warehouse was completely filled with cases of canned goods. All the cartons were thoroughly soaked and they are being moved to a number of locations to have the cans cleaned before they rust. Urquhart said 58 truckloads of canned goods were removed from the warehouse, Sunday. What was it? SS board increase pay for drivers Various terms are being used to describe the severe wind and rain storm which hit Exeter Friday evening. Those descriptions include tornado and twister. Because the storm was localized, no meteorological station has been able to verify the type of storm nor the wind velocity. One local couple on their way to a camp ground in Bayfield said they saw what appeared to be two funnels when they looked out their car window. They were concerned enough to call home and have friends check on their house. Other residents repoit seeing a large, black cloud hovering close to the ground during the peak of the storm. Most people agree on one thing: had they known what was, happening in some areas of town, they would have headed for the basement. Or, as one wag suggested, to the safety of the Exeter arena. One Hundred and Third Year Price Per Copy 25 Cents EXETER, ONTARIO, JULY 29, 1976 Mrs. Leo Boyle was working at the Canners weigh scales only a few minutes before the building was blown away. Reach tentative compromise in effort to save race track • Six people ch rged slightly to the South of it'S proposed location to save the track, but he questioned if it was feasible. He said the consulting engineers had "strongly recommended" not building the structure inside the track. They termed it the "least desirable" location, according to Stephens. McKinlay said it was not a compatible situation, noting that it would create safety problem as well as a maintenance problem with the dust from the track. It had been suggested that a tunnel be built under the track — or a bridge over it — to provide access to the centre and McKinlay said that people don't use such accesses. He said 80 over district thefts Three male adults and three juveniles have been charged as a result of investigations into recent breakins at the Huron Park storage office of Tuckey Beverages. The investigation was con- ducted by Exeter OPP Constable Al Quinn. On the several occasions the premises were entered, soft drinks were taken. One theft was reported this Workmen start cleaning up the debris from the wrecked portion of one building at Exeter Produce & Storage. Bendix staff on holidays Two men drown in resort waters Tractors pull good crowd assistance arrived. Volunteers formed a human chain in an effort to locate him, but they were unsuccessful. Two OPP boats were in the area and they commenced dragging operations, taking about an hour to locate the body. The boats were operated by Cpl. D.B. Beacock of Forest and Constable W.D. Ream of Mt. Forest. There will be no inquest or post mortem concerning the death. The Huron-Perth County Roman Catholic Separate School Board approved an increase of $1.00 per day in the rates paid to the drivers of the seven board- owned buses at a meeting in Dublin, Monday. The increase will raise the rate to $17.00 per day for 187 days during the school term. An increase of 9.8 per cent was approved for the operators of the buses contracted by the board for the 1976-77 term. The Director of Education, John Vintar of Stratford, had his salary adjusted upward by $2,400 raising it to $37,800, effective August 1, 1976, to July 31, 1977. Trustees Howard Shantz of Stratford and John O'Drowsky of St. Marys were appointed to the committee to arrange the board- staff banquet in the fall. The board passed by a narrow margin a motion to pay a rental fee of $500 for the use of the Dublin Athletic Association grounds by the students at St. Patrick's School which adjoins the playgrounds. In a recorded vote, asked for by Stratford trustee,Howard Shantz, the lee was approved by a six to five vote and is for the academic year 1976-77, to be paid in Sep- tember. In favour were Donald Crowley of Gadshill, Greg Fleming of Crediton, Frencis Hickness of Seaforth, Joseph Looby of Dublin, Vincent Young of Goderich and William Kinahan of Lucknow. Against were Mickey Vere, Ronald Marcy and Howard Shantz all of Stratford; Ted Geoffrey of Zurich and John O'Drowsky of St. Marys. A board owned portable classroom, rented to the Perth Board of Education last school term, has been moved to St, Patrick's School in Dublin, It will be used to alleviate the crowded classrooms in the Dublin school and to accommodate a additional enrolment of 20 students from the Mitchell area who will be at- tending school at St. Patrick's, starting in the fall term in Sep- tember. Permission was granted to Glenn Rittinger of the Lutheran Church, Berea by the Sea, Goderich, to hold summer church school classes in St. Mary's Separate School in Goderich from August 16 to August 27, week. Traylor Industries, Hensall, was entered and tools and an air conditioner valued at $1,098 were taken. Owner James Taylor reported the theft Monday morning. There were only two accidents investigated this week, both on Saturday, In the first, a motor vehicle driven by John Kelders, RR 2 Grand Bend, went out of control while proceeding west on High- way 81 and collided with a fence owned by James Paterson. Damage was estimated at $500 by Constable Don Mason. In the other, Daniel Debus, RR 5 Sebringville, riding a bicycle, collided with the right side of a motor vehicle operated by Margaret Finlay, 93 Tecumseh Ave., London. The mishap occurred on County Road 2 just south of High- way 84. Debus sustained cuts and bruises and damage to ,the two vehicles was listed at $50 by Constable Bill Osterloo, During the week the Exeter detachment officers charged 74 people under the Highway Traffic Act, two under the Liquor Licence Act and 19 under the Criminal Code. Investigations were as follows: four wilful damage, two false pretences, five break and enters, two Narcotic Control Act, three thefts, two dog bites, one prowler, one firearms complaint. Drowning claimed the lives of two men in Grand Bend over the weekend. The body of 71-year-old John Augustus McCarthy was found floating in the Ausable River near Manore's Marina around 11:30 a.m., Saturday. The resident of 22 Orchard Road in Grand Bend had been reported missing earlier in the day by his wife. She had last seen him around midnight the previous day. On Sunday, shortly after dinner, a 23-year-old London man drowned while swimming at the main beach area. Donald Gerald Wreaks had been swimming some distance off shore when he ran into difficulties and sank beneath the water before • Production of 1976 models at the recreational vehicle plant of Bendix Home Systems Limited in Hensall was completed last week 'according to general manager Andy Imanse. Imanse told the T-A Monday morning that a layoff of most employees is in conjunction,with annual holidays. The Bendix official went on to say, "The time off is necessaryp provide sufficient time to male modigications for retooling to start 1977 model production. Sales are well ahead of last year and market conditions in- dicate a continuous demand for recreational vehicles. All employees are scheduled to be back to work for full shifts by the latter part of August." Exeter lady wins $100,000 Couldn't believe itwas true Bentley, who is a nurse at South Huron Hospital was returning a few weeks ago at a grocery store in Sebringville. Mrs. Is it possible? That was the first reaction of Audrey Bentley of Exeter when she saw number 75105 in Series 20 appear on the television screen during Thursday's Wintario draw, The next step was to pass the ticket to her husband Walter for his verification. A quick check of the numbers in Friday's London Free Press and the Bentley's were off to the Wintario headquarters in Toronto to collect $100,000. Mrs. Bentley said she was told in Toronto that the chances of winning one of the top prizes are five in six million, The cheque was easily obtained in Toronto and Mrs. Bentley still holds a photostatic copy of the cheque and the original ticket stub. The winning ticket was bought litreentr ,br..'the students at the University of , Western, Ontario still walk across the road rather than use the tunnels built for their safety. "It's a mistake you'll live to regret," the recreation director warned, "You can bulldoze the track out in the future if it is a problem," Norm Whiting suggested. Other alternate sites were considered at the Thursday night meeting. One called for pur- chasing the rear yards of the properties west of the existing arena arid putting the new structure on the same site. This would be more costly as land purchase would be involved and it was also questionable if there would be room for the new centre without still encroaching on the track. A location north of the com- munity park was also mentioned, but again this involved land acquisition costs and most felt it would be impossible to build on the ravine area north of the home of Gib Dow. The third alternative suggested was the south-east corner of the community park in the vicinity of the cattle sheds and tennis courts. Lack of parking and adequate vehicular access were the major objections here. Pryde Boulevard resident Jack Smith said he would object strenuously to having the facility so close to his home and predicted most other residents of the area would do likewise, Another alternative that was suggested was shortening the track to keep it entirely east of the centre, but the groups said a shorter track would not be as good as the present half-mile oval. Carf Cann contended that the rodeo and agricultural society did not need a half-mile track for their events. "Only the horsemen need it," he said, The entire matter of the track is expected to come up for discussion at a special session of Exeter council tonight. Close to 1,000 persons enjoyed the second annual tractor pull at Exeter Community Park Sunday afternoon. The event was sponsored by the Exeter Agricultural Society. Only five of the 44 machines entered were able to reach the maximum distance of 300 feet. In the open 76,000 pound class Dennis Westbrook of Burford had little trouble in reaching the 300 foot mark. The other were Robert Simp- son, Glencoe; Paul Murray, Seaforth and Cliff Livingston, Dungannon. Murray covered the full route with two machines and in the competition were driven by Lawrence Becker, Crediton; Mike Hartman, Dashwood; Ross Cottle, Woodham; Nick Klaver, Kippen, Albert Rooseboom, Hensall; Stewart Brown, Parkhill and Larry Consitt, Hensall. Bruce Shapton was chairman of the event and Roy Pennington of Teeswater was the announcer. Entries were accepted by Dolores Shapton and Marian Skinner. Exeter council have unof- ficially asked the South Huron recreation centre building committee to consider moving the proposed centre's location slightly at the community park to allow the race track to remain in existence. Their wishes were made known at an informal meeting held at the park, Thursday, when all groups interested in the project were on hand to debate the issue of saving the race track. After several alternatives were suggested, the members of council huddled for a few minutes and returned with their request that the site be altered. Mayor Bruce Shaw explained that the decision was unofficial because it was not an authorized council meeting, although only Reeve Derry Boyle and Coun- cillor Bob Simpson were not in attendance when the recom- mendation was presented. Shaw noted in his preamble, that it was fair and reasonable to assume that if no settlement on the race track issue could be reached, it would affect donations towards the centre. He told members of the rodeo committee, agricultural society and turf club that if the problem was resolved, he expected they would be making sizeable donations to the campaign. Dalton Finkbeiner, who had represented the rodeo committee when the original appeal to save the track had been made, said he knew of donations amounting to $10,000 which would be for- thcoming within a week if the track was left intact. The announcement of the unofficial decision of council drew a round of applause from representatives of the three groups which had been at- tempting to save the track, However, SHRCC chairman John Stephens and recreation director Jim McKinlay were obviously not pleased with the decision. Stephens noted that it would be possible to move the centre Town hall fund boosted by sale The Exeter and District Heritage Foundation netted slightly over $1,000 from their garage sale staged in conjunction with sidewalk sale days, Conveners JoyceMonteith and Pat Fletcher said they were very pleased with the donations and the sale of items, Items for sale even included the kitchen sink and other items ranged from a bedroom suite to small trinkets. Proceeds will go towards the town hall restoration fund. The Foundation have made application to the Ontario Heritage Foundation for finan- cial assistance in the project and have also, applied for a Wintario grant. In their recent bulletin, it was indicated $30,000 would have to be riased locally in order to receive grants. Members hope to have the exterior brick cleaned, a furnace installed and the belay put back in its place before the snow flies. Word is expected next month on the Heritage grant. The group's next project is a Dixie Lee chicken dinner. The event will be staged some time in August, from a meeting in Stratford when she dropped in to the Sebringville store, She commented, "Normally I would come home the back way, but this day I wanted to buy some strawberries so decided to go to Sebringville. I hadn't thought about buying a ticket until the person ahead of me did so, I had two dollars left in change from a purchase of cherries and bought two tickets," Mrs, Bentley is normally not a , ticket buyer. She added, "This is probably, the fourth or fifth ticket I have ewer purchased." Our pay day is usually the same day as the Wintario draw and by the time I get my cheque cashed the tickets are all gone," She has no plans at the moment , to spend the money and will continue her job at the hospital. • • The roof and one end wall et the Zip Car Wash were destroyed in Friday's storm Bentley of Exeter was the winner of draw. She is shown here with a T-A photo A WINTARIO WINNER --- Audrey $100,000 in Thursday's Wintario photostatic copy of the cheque.