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The Huron Expositor, 1996-07-17, Page 44 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, July 17, 19911 Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 TERRI-LYNN DALE • General Manager & Advertising Manager MARY MELLOR - Sales PAT ARMES - Office Manager DIANNE McGRATH • Subscriptions & Classifieds DAVE SCOTT - Editor GREGOR CAMPBELL - Reporter BARB STOREY - distribution A Bowes Publishers Community Newspaper SUBSCRIPTION RATES LOCM • 32 50 a year, in advance, plus 2.28 G.S.T S NIORS. - 30 00 a yeaC in advance, plus 2 10 G S T • USA &I ?reign 32 50 a year in advance; plus 578.00 postage, G -S T. exempt SUBSCRIPTION RATES Published weekly by Signal -Star Publishing at 100 Main St , Seaforth Publication mail registration Na 0696 held of Sea1orth, Ontario Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of o typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance foi signoture, will not be charged, but -the balance of the advertisement will be paid for coke applicable rale . In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a" wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely.on,ofler lo Sell and may be withdrawn at any time The Huron Expositor. is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduciion purposes Changes of address, orders For subscriptions and undeliv- _ eroble copies are to be sent to The Huron! Expositor Wednesday, July 17,-1996 Editorial and Business Offices . 100 Main Slreet.,Seaforth Telephone 15191527-0240 fax (519) 527-2858 Mailing Address • P.O. Box 69, Sealorlh, Ontario, NOK 1 WO Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, Ontano•Community Newspapers Association and'the Ontario Press Council Letters to the Editor Hibbert 150th celebration is near Dear Editor: The Grand Finale in Hibben Township is near at hand. Fo the past three ycars "every body and their neighbour" ha been organizing and plannin for the' celebration of th - Sesquicentennial of the found ifg of their.township. Hav they got a party planned There is lots to do for every one, young and old. And it' -being held in, Dublin, on August 2, 3 and 4. On Friday, August 2,'thc week -end starts off with the official opening ceremonies and registration' at 6 p.m. -this. is followed by a local talent show and dancing to "The Blenders". The evening ends with a special Sesquicentennial cake, coffee and juice. Saturday. August 3, prolnis- -es to he never-ending action -with the Parade- at 11 a.m. fol- lowed by a co -cd volleyball tournament, children's pro- gram and. a Beef Barbecue and Dance in the evening. Tickets mum he purchased for the bar- becue before July 2p. "Black Water Draw", a very popular band. -will provide thc music for the dance. A sell-out crowd is expected. so get your tickets in advance - they're also cheaper. Sunday. August 4. winds things up with a Pancake From ashes to ashes... The same fire wall on Main Street has now helped stop big fires, 120 -years apart, froming south in Seafottlt It is the y low wall, three bricks thick, on the north side of what has been Shinen's store for many years now. That's where flames from this month's fire were stymied to the south. It was a spanking new building, the owner hadn't yet moved in, when it also played a huge part in saving what little remained of Main Street after the biggest fire in Seaforth history, on September 4 in 1876. This blaze was perhaps deliberate- ly set by a woman of some- what "ill repute". It com- pletely destroyed 12 acres in the central portion of town. OUT OF CONTROL - The firemen didn't have' enough hose or water to fight the inferno, which raged out of control east, west across - Main, and north beyond the • intersection. But the fire ran into this .new brick wall of P. Megarey's to the south, which lost its new windows, but "arrested the blaze and saved a row of frame build- ings beyond it from the rav- ages of the fire", as historian Isabelle Campbell described it in The.Story of Seaforth. - A short piece in The Huron Expositor the year before - (September 24, 1875). -remarked that `tumble-down frame buildings on Main . street are being removed -to. - make room for more hand- some and _substantial strut- - tures.One of these was a "frame buildipg ...recently - occupied as, a laundry ' (which) has also been - removed. The lot on which 'it. stood has been purchased by Mr. P. Megarcy, who intends eructing on it next season a large brick store. Who wilt be next?" The north wall of this new store was where the fire stalled t}ic next September, and 120 years later, this rhost Breakfast, for- which advance t tickets must be, purchased r' before July 30. There will be an Interdenominational s Church Service at 11:30 a.m,. g -followed by thc closing cere c monies at 2:30 p.m. , - The entire -week-end will c feature' both indoor and out ! . door displays with memorabil- - ia, antique tractors, cars, train s ,locomotive, etc. There's lots of food available and a flea marketfeaturing Hibbert Township talents will be held Saturday.. Plenty of parking is available, along with R.V. parking. and all facilities will meet. handicap requirements Advance tickets for the events can be purchased a Edighoffers in Mifchcll, 348- 8463. Cardno's Men's Wear in Scaforth, 527=05.69, 'and Hibbert Township Office in Dublin, 345-2931. . So plan to join us and "Mingle & Mix in 96!" Letts show the spirit of Hibbert Township by supporting the efforts of its residents to cele- brate 150 years of growing .and working together to become -the .great community it is today. Thant(, you for this opportu- nity to tell all your readers about our plans for thiscelc- bration. See you there! Yours truly, • Jo Van Loon in Hydro workers Cancer rates high Rather than magnetic fields, researchers should he paying inore attention to electric fields because exposure to them is implicated in higher- than-expected rates 'of Leukemia among some Ontario Hydro workers, according to a study pub- - fished past Week in thc American Journal of Epidemiology. The study of 30,00( active and retired Ontario Hydro . workers. financed by the util- ity. was done ,hy University of Toronto professor of pre- ventative medicine and bio- statistics Dr. Anthony Miller. He says many questions - remain unanswered, accord- ing to a report in The Globe and Mail. He found ''the risk of dcvcl= t,; oping leukemia was as much as 11 times greater for work- ers who had high exposure to electric and magnetic fields,", according to the Toronto newspaper. "Those who developed leukemia tended to have worked at the utility for at least 20 years. Her added this research "should be reassuring to peo- ple worried about living near hydro transmitters because houses shield people from electric fields." "If there arc problems from low-level exposure to electric fields; they arc likely to be caused by small electric motors held close to the body such as hair dryers," the newspaper quotes Dr. Miller as saying. Decline in social a Community and Social Services Ministcr David Tsubouchi says he is encour- aged by thc June decline in the number of people relying on social assistance in Ontario, which he feels -indir cates "seasonal changes in employment and that our welfare reforms are having some impact. Last Thursday's press ss istance numbers release states there were 7,469- fewer households depending on social assis- tance in Ontario last month. or 14,291 fcwcr individuals. This June a total of 1.208,622 got social assis- tance, well down from the figure for June 1995, which was 1,345,841, according to the provincial government. Scuttlebutt by Gregor Campbell recent Canada.Day weekend. The Expositor reported the heat from.the flames in the big first fire was so intense it was impossible to walk on Main or Goderich Streets. Seaforth was subsequently - crawling with sightseers. —For-days following the town was crowded with the curious from miles around - here to - sec the destruction, as The Expositor phrased it. Property loss totalled .$102,800 and only slightly more than a third of this was covered hy insurance, or $36,400 -worth. Headlines were tiny things last century, not much bigger .. than a line of type, rarely more than one line, even for a declaration of war: The Expositor had regular New . York and Michigan corre- spondents back then, one of , the -finest truly regional papers in the land. , ' To put it in perspective - 1875 was at'around the same . time General Custer- got ' wiped out to the man hy-.the Sioux after- the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Sitting Bull anti what remained of his warriors had crossed into , Canada, on the'run from the U.S. Calvary... - But -our big local blaze got_ the red -carpet treatment 'a 10 -line head in The Expositor that week less than a decade aftggr Confederation, and all toiil almost all the last page • (unheard of), and most of editorial, page 4, eloquently penned by "M.Y" McLean. - The head on the news story read: THE SEAFORTH FIRE, A "TERRIBLE CONFLAGRATION, FORTY HOUSES AND BUSINESS PLACES BURNED, Over One Hundred Outland Dollars Worth of Property Destro)e4 Over Thirty Families Rendered Homeless. The Trial and Committal of the Supposed Incendiary, We will let that original Expositor account of "the Great Conflagration" speak Sri its own words: "About 2 o'clock on Monday morning last, the cit- izens of Seaforth were aroused from their slumbers by the dreaded alarm of fire, and in a few minutes hun- dreds of people, men, women and children in all manner of attire, were rushing to the scene of the fire. - "When first discovered, the lire was issuing from the rear portion of a small frame building in the centre of the wooden block on the east - side of Main street and north of St. John street (about the - same spot this month's fire was). The building was occu-. pied as a small grocery or , candy shop by a woman named Mrs, Gri frith.... "...buildings; were however of such inflammable material that the water had but little ' effect on the flames... "...the fire spread almost with the rapidity of lighten- ing both ways, and was now - burning in six different direc- tions at the same time... . "Main and Goderich streets, 'between the, burning rows, were like heated furnaces. The entire front row of build- ings on the west side of Main street, from St. John to - Goderich street, and the Whole block on the east side of Goderich street, between Main and George (now Victoria) streets, from Megarey's new brick store to Goderich street, and the row of buildings along Godcrich street cast of Main street, were at this time burning, with the most terrible fury... -"...and before 5 it had done its dreadful work. ROGUES AT WORK "The sight which was pre- sented when daylight dawned, was one not soon to be forgotten. "Two large squares of . buildings in ruins. and Goderich and St. John streets for two squares lo the west, literally filled with furniture, stoves, boxes, crockery. and, an unimaginable variety of articles and hundreds of begrimmed and weary men and women searching among this labyrinth for what remained of their worldly ' possessions... "...hy 9 o'clock in the forenoon, the streets were pretty well cleared. . "We are sorry' to have it to say that there are the heorea- sons to believe that scime- miserable demons in human ' form, instead of aiding to stay the (lames and save property, took advantage of the excitement which prc vailed, and employed their time in spiriting off such arti- cles as they could convc- - niently carry. It is believed that a good deal of property has been lost this way. "A severe application of the 'cal' to the hare hacks of those who could be guilty,of such 'a crime as this would be - a fitting punishment... MONEY TALKS But there was big money around Scaforth in that pros- peroUa decade. By 1870 we were shipping more -wheat than any other settlement in Ontario: Salt had also been discoyeirod under the town in the the laic 1860s and soon Seaforih was the f biggest sourett Of very -precious commodity"" in' Canada. The population here in 1875 was 2,060, about the 'CONTINUED on page 5 aly makes front of Edmonton paper FROM THE PAGES OF THE HURON EXPOSITOR JULY 21, 1896 AN OLD HURONITE TO THE FRONT r Another for- mer Huron boy has been dis- tinguishing himself. We refer to Mr. James McKinnon, of Laird township, Algoma, who has just received from the department of agriculture, at Ottawa, the diploma and medal awarded him at the World's Fair, Chicago, in 1893, for the best sample of red fall wheat. This wheat was grown on the farm of Mr. Duncan McKinnon, of Laird township, and, while it reflects credit on the wheat productiveness of Algoma. it also places Mr: James McKinnon on the first ranks of the farming profession. The township of Laird is to be congratulated on having such able, industrious and enterprising residents as the Messrs. McKinnon. BICYCLE RACES Arrangements have been made whereby bicyclist enthusiasts in town will have the pleasure of a good evening's sport. it has been arranged that on Wednesday evening next two matched races will be run on the recre- ation grounds between Messrs. J.W. Livingston and George M. Baldwin, at one and five miles. As these two riders are old rivals in the racing field, two interesting and close contests may be expected, and we arc sure that there will be a Targe turn out to witness the races. in addition to the matched raccs it is the intention to have other events, so that a full and interesting evening's programme will be provided. A movement is on foot among several bicyclists through the county with a view to forming a county cir- cuit, and the intention is to hold racc meets for county riders at different towns in In the Years Agone the county. It is hoped that all cyclists will take this matter up and do all they can to bring it to a successful issue. JULY 22, 1921 A NARROW ESCAPE - While Mr. Alex Walker, of town, was swimming in thc river between the two piers at Bayfield on Friday of last week, he became exhausted and sank. Luckily, however, his 'predicament was noticed by Stanley Nichol, who jumpcd off the pier and suc- ceeded in keeping him up until some men secured a boat and rescued them. It was a plucky deed and is to receive some recognition from thc Provincial Boy Scouts, young Nichol being a member of the Seaforth orga- nization. A GOOD FLOW OF WATER - The well drillers who have been operating at the rear of the town hall for. some time struck a big flow of water on Friday last at a' depth of 146 feet. Pumping has continued since without any lowering of the water which maintained a level of 40 feet from the top of the well. The pump used had a capacity of 40 gallons per minute, but it is believed the well is capable of 40 gallons per minute, but it is believed . the well is capable of supply- ing a much greater quantity than this. The water is of excellent quality, is free from mineral taste and is cold and sparkling. Another well will he sunk near the present one for emergency purposes and as soon" as labor and material costs come down the council intend erecting a power house and going ahead with thc new waterworks system for the town. something that Scaforth has been badly in' need of for some years. JULY 26, 1946 A torrential downpour of rain late Friday afternoon brought to an abrupt stop all farming operations. Accompanied by a high wind that at times seemed to reach tornado proportions, the rain fell steadily for more than an hour. Motorists proceeded with • difficulty driving through water that filled Seaforth streets in. many places from curb to curb, as drains were unable to cope with the flow. Main Street benefitted from the down- pour, the flood of water washing away accumulated dirt and refuse that littered the street. DALY MAKES FRONT PAGE iN EDMONTON When on a visit to Edmonton, Reeve John F. Daly called on a number of former Seaforth citizens, recalling in his visits interest- ing happening of years ago in Seaforth. One of the Seaforth oldtimers he visited told of the reunion in a letter to the ,Expositor: - "Jack is an old-timer in Seaforth. He has been suc- cessful in business there, first as a jeweller, and later as a Ford distributor and dealer...I inay tell the home folks that while here Jack got in front of the camera and -incidental-' ly on thc front page of our daily newspapers. A couple of Americans from Texas dropped over for a few days here on their way to Fairbanks, Alaska,. THey were, making the trip in an old 1914 Model T Ford. which, no doubt, had been thoroughly overhauled. - • ' Whcn these two men *cm in Edmonton thcy naturally called at the Ford hcadquar- • tors here and Jack happened to be around there at the time, He asked Jack to'step into thc picture, the reason being that . Jack is the oldest Ford dealer in Canada. However, the way the leg- end appeared .under the pic- turc in thc paper was: "J.F. Daly, the Oldest Car Dealer in Canada." This was clearly misleading. Whcn Jack says he is the oldest Ford dealer in Canada, my guess is that he does not mean that he is in years the oldest man who is still selling Ford cars but that he has actually been selling Ford cars longer than any other Ford dealer' in this Dominion. , JULY 29, 1971 Margaret E. Elligsen, a graduate of Scaforth District High School, is one or seven Ontario high school gradu- ates who have won $750 University of, Watetloo research assistanceships fol- lowing an annual chemistry competition which attracted 1,569 entries from some 200 high schools. She is a daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Elligsen, RR 4 Walton. Swimming instruction for more than 400 area children concluded last week when examiners of thc Red Cross Water Safety Division carried out tests in the various class- es. instruction began early in July and was carried out by the pool staff including Ruth Gorwill, supervisor, lane Sills, Jean Devereaux, Mary •Ball, Brenda Dietz, Ruth Anne Dunlop. Leanne Mclanson, Stcwart McLean, Peter DeGroot and Mrs. Joan Pinder.