Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-03-20, Page 3.4 ,,,rc:rF,, rypwtr.lP+� , +.' n,,.�,,,.ax ,* .',w. «r .. M. -�, �,�„x rr. •.,.N -,M f,v�,1.�,. t6+M� dlu^4'p,*..,+++"' +ate a+... r�..• ,,,,�..:n7• mrr M .•' 4.. nI x/ e- .v W .e w +I •'.* -•4 ✓ .- •., 4. ♦.. .., w .M .,r .. ♦ 44. .. 41. Park House wus Social centre f Goderich People who have come to live, in Goderich since 1945 must wonder why anyone would want to save the Park I-l;ouse evenif it is the oldest house in town. In that year a fire destroyed the hand- some steep roof with its dormer windows. The "modernization" of the third floor which occurred with the rebuilding and the stuccoing of the exterior have almost completely obscured the fine lines of what was once the grandest house in the Huron Tract. • Built by John Langford for the Canada Company Commissioner, Thomas Mercer Jones, in preparation for 'his arrival in Goderich in 1839, it was for about 20 years the centre of the social life of the area, Jones was married to the only daughter of Bishop Strachan, head of the •Anglican Church in Upper Canada and very in- fluential in government circles in York. Twenty-one wagon loads of furniture came. over the rough trail to the new house. ;According to "In the days of the Canada Company" Mrs. Jones was hot altogether pleased with its plan and caused the stairway to be turned around to face an important new.froht entrance installed at the rear of the house. Those were the days when men dreamed that Goderich'would become a metropolis with its splendid location where the Menesetung River emptied into Lake Huron. "Many settlers with considerable means came into the area in spite of the hardships associated with beginning a new life in a land covered,witb bush, they tried very hard to live in the manner to which they had been accustomed at home. 4. The Jones' house was the centre of this social life. Although Mrs. Jones' seldom accepted an invitatipn she was lavish with her hospitality and the drawing room which ran the full length of the second floor and was heated with two fireplaces'was the scene of many parties and much gaiety. Flower gardens were laid out behind the house and along the bank of harbor hill. Ii portant visitors braved. the hazards of corduroy roads to come and stay for weeks. Thesehalcyon times lasted for about 20 years until the major part of the Canada Company's holdings had been disposed of and until the coming of the railway. This latter brought the end of the dream that Goderich would become the great port its founder had hoped but would be the end of the rail line. Instead, it was the im- mediate cause of Thomas ,Mercer Jones' dismissal by the Company. "He sided with the majority of the area settlers in choosing the company which proposed to bring a rail line from Buffalo and, without authority, promised the Support or the' Company. In fact the Company wa's hacking the line from York ( Toronto). Shortly afterward, Jones was dismissed. He left the big house• for a cottage further along the bank and became manager of the town's first bank. Mrs. .Jones did not live long after the move. Her body was taken back to York in a plain pine box on a ihvagon with the driver sittirg on top. ' So ended the days of glory for the Canada Company house. ki; .44 r .. ' • m•x:,1 ,,,pi -•-W MW"ni*+., •. ,..,-us' °. 44.11:0 M1 ,Y. 1i 31. V(fr tit !l 11 R I ( 11 SIGNAL -STAR, T'HURS)~ AY . MARCH 7,0, 19*,, e home of diitInctlo Wbi C 1 This was the Park House of old -- a beautiful building steeped in history and situated in a place of distinction in Goderich. It bears little` resemblance to the• austere, cold looking "box" which sits atop Harbor Hill today but if some local citizens have anything to say about it, the Park House will soon regain its deserved distinction. A meeting in the assessment office Monday evening, March 24 will allow citizens the opportunity to lend their support. toward restoring the historic old building. Several letters to the editor in this week'sS'ignal-Star also urge sympathy for the cause; •Of great . concern ' to, the people of Ontario today is the Provincial Government 'plans for..,, the• expansion of Ontario Hydro -- tr-ansmiss-ionlines. throughout the Province. It was back on July 11, 1974, that the former Minister of Energy, Darcy McKeough outlined the plans of the government and of the Hydro Corporation. 'with respect to the generation of electricity and Its distribution. Ontario Hydro's ° goal is for the construction of nine new nuclear power stations by 1993 - • at a cost of more than $105 billion. The plans call for two thirds of the Province :energy needs to be suppliedby; nuclear power within 20)/ears. • The five projects approved (continued; from, page 2) • community projects such as that mentioned:above. ' With reference to the article in the Signal -Star regarding the. sale by Branch 109 of ,.yellow tulips to mark . the Golden Anniversary gf the.., Legion in 1976, may I advise that these bulbs may be ordered by phoning Howard Carroll on Elgin Ave. Goderiph by March 31. Yours truly,' Neil Shaw P;R.O. Legion Branch 109 By Jack Riddell, Huron MPP ave more concern for environmen' for construction in July were; supply of 500 KV powerv to ' Kitchener formed art ,of the construction •. of a� 2;000 p megawatt oil fired generating ' Bradley to Georgetown station at .Wesleyville in J -lope. ' Environmental Study released Towriship,_ a _second nuclear 1 by Ontario Hydro in January station at Pickering and two 197'5. . heavy water plants for the These projects corrlprise Bruce nuclear generating Ontario. Hydro's expansion' plant. This would involve-• a program from 1977 to 1982. total investment in excess of Included with the statement of July 11, was a report by $2.6 million. • The major transmission Ontario Hydro entitled "Long corridors that were' chosen Range Planning of the Electric were a 5.00 KV transmission lijle Power System". This report is from the Middleport Tran- to form the basis for theex- sformer station, near Nan- pansion• program of Ontario Hydro from 1982 to 1993. The Transformer. station, near date for public hearings into Pickering, at an estimated cost these plans have not yet been of $360 million and a 500 KV line • announced but are to begin from Bradley Junction to later this year.' At these Orangeville through -the hearings, Hydro plans to Limehouse crossing south to present for discussion,a range Milton and the Toronto area. of possible long term power In the eastern part of the growth rates 'ranging between Province, along Lake Ontario,: four and lOpercent per annum. Commonwealth Associates While the .Nanticoke to Inccffporated, an independent. Pickering t r•a n s'm is s i o n organizati Chas .,studied the corridor was extensively std by Bruce H`owTett Inc rporated, an ' independent Organization whose findings were reviewed, by the Solandt Commission; this was not the ease with the Bradley to 'ticoke to the Cherrywood route for a transmission corridor between the Pickering and , L,enno' generating stations. Their findings are..now being reviewed by the Solandt Commission, ar.rbmmission established -- 'Government,, Georgetown transmission to' discus the matter with route. b Hydro, - 6.ne public • and in- The decision of the Provincial terested groups and make recommendations. In addition to this Govern- Tnent approved . program, Ontario Hydro has plans for a second 500 KV corridor to join the Bruce complex to the Toronto -area, and has ex- pressed the need to supply 500 KV power to the London and Kitchener areas by 1980. The. Government . to expand facilities at the'Bruce Nuclear Power Plant to provide hydro- electric power to the Toronto area will incur capitaLcosts of many millions of dollars, and will necessitate numerous heavier transmission lines across the prime agricultural and scenic areas of South Western Ontario, The en - Square Goderich Phone 524-8551 \\,\DEEP AUT SPECIALS� Roast Beef . 0 Q 10 LB. Sausage LB. 6 9 c IDEAL FOR SANDWICHES WITH DRESSING vironmental report for the Bradley to Georgetown route was *released by Ontario Hydro la•?st January. On . this case,, however, Ontario Hydro has , • been permitted to do their own study without the benefit of an independent group and without independent public hearings. While 'the "Northern" security route from the Bruce Station to Milton has been approved, the approval of the second or "Southern" 500 KV corridor to carry pow1r from the Bruce Station to Kitchener is being withheld pending review of Hydro's long-range plans. We in the Liberal Party are greatly concerned and . ha raised serious objections to th fact that Ontario Hydro has done their study in the absence of independent consultants or public hearings. Any route 'selected by Hydro will greatly alter the`,lives /of 'the people affected. Yet the manner , in which'this rotate was chosen is unresponsive to the needs of the "'northern" route is inap- This would' elimina‘e the propriate and illogical since the crossing of the Limehouse area primary market for the Bruce south of Georgetown as is now power should, be the Kitchener- the case. A security line could Waterloo area, then run from the Bruce station" Further.,' Ontario Hydro has to Essa and down the- already not substantiated their "con- (r existing Essa-Kleinberg tention that the route recom- corridor. This, route would be mended •for the , Niagara' shorter, cheaper and eliminate Escarpment crossing by the corridors through prime neutral and highly expert ,agricultural land. , environmental consultants of - Bruce Howlett is unacceptable:` The Government's planned Nonetheless, the Solandt Hydro corridors have a Commission chose to ignore the potential „ of 70,000 to 80,000 route which recommended that megawatts, while the overall the Escarpment be crossed at needs for the entire Province Rattlesnake Point, permitting today are between 12,000 and the Kitchener -Waterloo line to 13,000 megawatts. If the be routed via the 401 crossing.d proceeding with the current every 10 years since this has proposals of Ontario Hydro been the pattern in the past. they will be setting a pattern of Ontario now consumes twice as encouraging the already serious problem of over cen- tralization in. the Toronto area rather than protecting and conserving our prime .' agricultural farmland. However, the ultimate Obviously, Hydro hasnot,, bertefilts to be received or the disclosed their real plans for penalties ` to be paid have not hydro expansion in .this yet been determined. Ontario Province._ Hydro has not presented their A major problem with the plans to the people or discussed Ontario Hydro expansion their alternatives. program lies in the fact that the . ,• justification for this expansion It is of major importance that is simply the extrapolation of a Ontario Hydro place greater demand curve. • 'Hydro . has emphasis on conservation and Government insists , on forecast a doubling of demand far less emphasis on expansion. much energy per capita as most European countries and this proportion is "still in- creasialg. Oidtime-r contest will rekindle Id memorie peoples ,Twenty-five year,old rivalry Throu,ghout the Bradley 'to will he evident again in anis Georgetown route hearings "year's Young Canada Week but conducted by Ontario ITydro, this time not for a torwiament the view continually expressed championship but for fun and a by them was that the tr an= , chance for players to smission lines were being built remember the good old days. to service the local area and The Goderich and Lucknow provide power specifically to pEe woes, rivals in the first the Kitchener area which is the tournament, will be facing off closest major load centre., Hydro has further stated that this year'.i�n the ,,first Young Canada Old "timers game.••The by 1985, 2.,800 megawatts of power would be required in the teams, , hardI,) pee woes any Kitchener area from the Bruce' longer, will be fathering from Generating station and 5,600 across the province to celebrate the - fact that they megawatts by, 1995. However, made history with their first the present projected "nor- th'orn" Bruce line make no encounteryears ago. effort to approach'the• closest Getting the teams together , load centre. Kitchener 'is left has. been no. easy task, since' , without new supply and the . most of the.players have moved other routes are misplaced as a •around on Jobs and are no longer in .the area. Roy result. The first logical thing to do, Emherlin°has°been busy for the therefore, would be to complete past.few'months tracking down • the power line to Kitchener and the Lucknow team,and Harold then to Toronto. The route Lamb has faced identical should be studied by an •in-. problems with the Goderich dependent group and through lineup. public hearings. After this°first "I had to make twenty dif priority decision has been ,erent phone calls before I finally 4reached one of the made,' the long range planning players.," said Mr. Lamb. can be decided through public The" two organizers wet" .hearings. thrown a curve by. the tour- Hydro's long 'range plans nanlent committee when the have not }tern puhhrelY date for the game was changed discussed, but their arguments at the Solandt' Commission Lit the last minute. Originally 5point tlxrr idyll of a the match was to he played on hearings g' 1 p the first Saturday of the background program to tournament but recently it was establish generating • stations mgame of ,the week. As. a oved to the' last Sater-day, the around the Westi'rn perimeter last of the Province. It •se'nis that Hydro ha's made their,, long range plans, held superficial hearings, merely going through the . motions. of. public par- ticipation and ,then simpYcy proceeded •t„ do what it had intended to del from -the outset, Ohviously Hydro has assumed that their long range plans are going to he approved: The lls`adley to Georgetown result all the player's Full to he contacted ,Igain and ad\ iced tit' the F•h;Inge Host ill' the nl were ,til"la ahl(' to pi;1\ In the exhibition garlic hot seine' 110(1 made Plans for the follow inti weekend and ware not ,(11le tc, nl,rke it. • "One of the guys 11,111te,1 11, rotilt' ;1n(1 111;11 but w 11,,('11 the d,111' 11 ,(s.` changed tio oU Irl t nl,lko 11. ,,licl till 1 and Ili` ,,-maybe. old rivalry was free for the first date but pl ins to take,his family. to Ft6rida -the same weekend the game is set for.'' Roy En1hc'rlin •has' had the sametrouble getting his for�,,'r teammates together.• His f71'".st attempt to notify the players was by mail hut the mail strike made it impossible to contact all of them. -"I started making phone calls and just�„when I had all the arrangements made the date was changed and I had to.do it all over again,," The original Lucknow team consisted of 14 players. The first time Mr. Emhcrlin con- -tacted the players 11 of them s�ird they would play, After the date waschanged and the -players were contacted the second time, only eight of the 1• originals have said they could ' regul,o*.",said Mr. 1-1mberlin. definitely•take part. `.1 don't know how many of ,the originals are going -to make, it but we will definitejy have a full team," said Mr. Emhcrlin. ,Only four taf. the I��ucknov oldtim.ers live within a 10 or 1;1 mile radius of their home town. Some are living in Listowel and the remainder are' stretched out between Galt, Preston, London, Toronto arid Wiarton. Roy Fmber•lin played on the fir•y+t tournament championship •1•)1 w (,cltleril h oldlinlc'r, are spi., .Id out the proiitee as w1•II as thou countor'pilrts.'Mr. I Join h,O, run yp limit a4)Ittone' 1)111t .Illrng his fotnler• leant n.,dt,s in 1,J10(14)0. llan111t(►n, 1,1,ioipr•iln, Kitchener and 11 Sound ( hit c►f the original •12 I)I.I\ I I -, lu has 1)1'1•n aloe ter L'I'1 cl '1'(Itt�' Illtiwel's fro�li e .trill h,l�,llne hopeful that I w!, elf the ('1► rt loll ( hill,.! rc h I layc l `. h,a e passed team and he like many r)111(rs 1 '.,1', ,i11, the hrs.! , tour has not. been all that active in -11.1 mon) to hold c•onlplc'te the sport for.-thj past 20 years, team Mr. Lamb drew players Some of the omen hung up the from the second 'tournament - blades for gold Lind some havt' "team,. kept in\ ul\ ed in hockey Like the L'cicknow entry the thtioug,11 coaching or managing „,(;cl(leri(Ch•pl;lyers have` been off "I only know of three for',tire the blades file quit(. a few years. that are still playing(continued on page l5) C9 to own of Goderich PUBLIC MEETING Thursday,March 21 ]:30 P.m. Town Hall Concerning planned neighbourhood park and playground on 'Cam14�dge Street, this year's priority project. Everyone welcome. Of special interest to east' 'nd residents. Parks ommittee .41 1';