The Brussels Post, 1976-02-18, Page 11OF WHAT A POWER OUTAGE
COULD COST YOU!
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There's nothing like a real cold snap to
make you realize how fragile is our
civilization. We had a dandy recently, with
temperatures far below zero in real
(Fahrenheit) degrees for quite a few days.
It brought the usual plethora of dead
batteries, burst water pipes, and ancient
furnaces giving up the ghost.
I am firmly convinced that if Canada had
a solid month of 30-below temperatures,
the country would fall apart, physically,
mentally and morally.
There's something insidious and fearful
about a prolonged cold spell. You sense
that some giant beast is outside there,
creeping implacably nearer, silent and,
monstrous, until the finalmoment of horror
when claws of cold steel will clutch your.
throat, 'and your eyeballs will pop out and
hang on your cheeks like frozen grapes.
Our house is normally a toasty one. the
merest touch of a finger to the thermostat,
and we laugh at the cold. Not so:this time.
First it was a draft around the feet. We
threw an old coat down at the back door,
where the beast was intruding his icy
tentacles. The temperature went clown.
Next, while. the thermostat read 70, the
thermoMeter read , 58, and wouldn't ,go
higher. We closed off the back kitchen,
where there is a sink and a johnny. It got
colder.
We retreated upstairs to the TV room,
and plugged in an .electric heater, and
waited for. the cold spell to end. The
thermometer plunged. The icicles on the
south roof took on awesome propo rtions.
During a foray to-the kitchen for food, I
checked the downStairs powder room. In
the sink, where the tap habitually drips,
there werea perfect stalagmite, not quite
meeting. in the ,toilet bowl, there was a
sheet of ice, glare, six inches thick, and two
squirrels;4'dredd out of .the affie, by
the cold, playing their version of road
hockey.
Outside lurked the abominable Iceman.
Downstairs the furnace coughed valiantly,
like a man with emphysema and one lung.
The thermometer read 56:
Beginnings of patic. The furnace-men
weren't coming until next Thursday. You
make appointments with them months
ahead, like a dentist..
Call the ntimber. "Nope, nobody here on
a Saturday, and besides, we don't do
furnace work any more. Call ,your oil
dealer."
Called oil dealer. Situation getting grim.
Th oughts of moving to a motel. Certainly
that car wouldn't start, anti taxi as easy to
capture as lost virginity.
Oil dealer chuckles jovially. "Are your
filters clean?''
"My what?"
"Your filters: 'if they're dirty, your
furnace can't breathe."
Ask wife.Filters clean? She says the
Dating the week February 2 to
OPP officers at the Wingham
ctachment conducted 29 itivest,
titiohS.
Nine charges were 'laid under
is Highway Traffic Act. Three
barges were laid titicler the
Num. Licence Act: One charge
as laid tinder the Criminal Code.
verity-thtce warnings Were
tied.
bitting the week, there were 14
(nor Vehicle Collisions which
aused ah estitriated $22,556,00
Property damage and injuries
o 9 'persons,
On Monday, February 2, oSeph A Donahoe of tondon as hilt11'0d when he collided with he rear of a \ladle owned 'by
croon Glenn of R.R. 1, Auburn
iich was in the southbound lane-
f Highway 4,, south of tlititori
furaiice man usually puts new ones in, but
last . year 'he said they didn't need
changing.
Tel fuel dealer. He chuckles heartily ,
"They should be cleaned once a month.
Try taking them out altogether for a while,
and call me back."
"How do you take them out?" Diagram
given over phone. By some miracle, I find
and remove the filters. They are black as
Tohy's you-know-what.
An hour later, temperature up to 58.
Another hour later, up to 60. Cheers of
victory. Put electric heater,face down, in
toilet bowl, of 'downstairs johnny, Emerge
from tv room redoubt.
Four p.m.. Saturday. Sun shining.
Venture forth. Car starts. Go downtown.
Everyone jolly. Horror stories abound.
Colleague spent four hours and S28 getting
car started. Friend had all upstairs pipes
burst, water, water everywhere.
Neighbor's almost-new fornace conked out
at 1 a.m. Another colleague with brand-
new house, brand new electric system,
was able to get temperature up to only 17
degrees, with help of fireplace. Feel better.
Own suffering trivial.
Return home, in, good mood. Wife
furious. Let rotten. cat in to get warm.
Rotten cat showed gratitude by eommiting
No. 1 and No. 2 all over back kitchen,
where ice in john now melted. But hOuse'a
lovely, balMy .68. The Beast once more
defeated.
But he'll be back. And down deep, I
don't really trust our, technology to cope
with FEM. Furnaces, for example.
They're much too complicated for an
ordinary nincompoop.' to deal with, They
require a guy with a Grade 10 education
and a skill with inanimate things. •
Second last time I called the furnace
man; the furnace was dead. Not even a
cough. "Try pushing the starter button,"
he - • suggested.
NoW, I knew some cars and mostaircraft
have a starter button. I di/tight furnaces
just started upon their own, when the cold
weather came along.
After throe trips clown cellar` and three
trips back up to the phone, I located the
starter battens, two of them. I pushed.
Nothing. I pushed and pushed and pushed.
Zilch
Called the guy back. He said he'd come.
Got home from work, the furnace was
humming, asked my wife what he did:
"He pu`shed the starter button!" she
said, deliberately and witheringly: That
cost me twelve bucks.
But I, and my contemporaries, will have
the last laugh when we run out of oil and
gas and go back to coal furnaces. Then
we'll see who, the experts are. We know
that coal furnaces are not inanimate
ereatures,They respond to a couple of
bangs about the ears with a shovel.
in a collision on. Concession 2,
west of the Perth-Huron County
Line, Grey Township.
on Saturday, February 7, Clif-
ford Ritchie of R.R. 3, Walton and
Ronald Stevenson of R.R. 2,
Brussels were involved in a
collision on Concession 15-16,
east of Sideroad 5-6, Grey Town-
ship, Both were injuried, as well
as a passenger in the Ritchie
vehicle; riavid G. Rosekat of It R.,
1, 'Walton.
BUILDING TREE NURSERY — Charles Bromley of
Blyth, left, one of the four men hired by the Maitland
Valley Conservation Authority under L.I.R. is.
assisting Jim. Walsh to construct tree racks at Falls
Reserve Workshop for a tree nurery at Wawanosh
Valley Conservation Area. The men, all watershed
residents have been kept very busy working on a
large number of Authority projects.
Morningstar Lodge meets
The regular meeting of Lodge in' March.
Morningstar Rebekah Lodge was It was reported the Dessert
held Tuesday with a good Euchre had been a success and all
attendance. The charter Was who helped in any way were
draped in memory of the late thanked by the Noble Grand.
Sister , Mary Rutledge. Reports Several items of business were
• were given on sick and shutins. discussed and held over for the
A request from a member for next meeting. After Lodge closed
' permission to transfer to another cards were played by all present
lodge was granted: Plans were and a delicious lunch served by
discussed for the visit to Goderich committees in charge.
INCOME TAX PREPARED
Farmers — Businessmen Individuals
— At Reasonable Rates —
Ronnenberg Insurance Agency
Open in Brussels Tuesday and Friday Only — Ph. 887-6663
Monkton Office Open Monday to Saturday Noon
Phone 347.2241 — Any Time.
Phone Early for Appointment and Avoid the Rush
THINK
PROTECT Your FARM
/NCO
Tractor' -6-"enettittir for Standby Power
YOUR TRACTOR' arid d
m/ea GENERATOR
MAKE A. TERRIFIC .POWER TEAM
Orifeitt
GLEN SCHWARTZENTRUBER
.351,160t
tHE MUSSELS' POSti: FEBRUA"RY 1978
• Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
The cold snap
PP reports
'22,550 property damage in collisions
Road 16, East Wawahosh, after
being' involved in another colli-
sion.
W i lliarri T,1-lays and Robert EL
Bridge, both of R.R. 1, Wroxeter,
were involved in a collision ort
County Road 28, north of High-
way 87, Howick Township. Both
drivers were injured, as well as a
passenger in the Bridge vehicle,
Mary Bridge
Geetge Payne of R.R. 2,
Listowel and Donald MacMurchy
of R. 1, Ethel were both, injured
1PatkerPtumbing & Heatng'
8876071 -
WITH A