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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-11-14, Page 2PAGE 2--GODERICH SIGNA STAit, WEt NESDAY, NQ' ,r, l BER 14,1984 1985 TAKE A PONY FOR A RIDE! IllustrfxtioEf Only -.. $611450 611 5• excludes freight, pre -delivery tax R licence. STANDARD FEATURES INCLUDE:. Power brakes, Michelin steel belted all season radial tires, including spore, windshield wipor and washer with intermittent wiper, halogen head lights, covered rear window shelf, day and night interior roar view mirror, radio antenna, rear window defroster, interior installed fuse box. lockable gos lank door, aluminum coated muf- fler, mudflaps (front.and rear), carpet -floor, luggage compartment and rear seat bock, front Inner fender linings, tool set, compact tool storage in luggage comportment, manual choke with warning light, reclining front seats, folding rear seots, heavy duty bottery, starter, heater with four speed blower, side window defroster, child -proof door locks, exterior rearview mirror on drivels side, luggage compartment light, duol horns, cigarette lighter, drip rag moulding, arm rest, grab handles (I front, 2 rear), radiator woter reservoir, special protective anti corrosion painting treatment, colour co-ordinated seatbelt with worning chime, wheel hub -cops. $TRRTFORD •Sales *Service •Parts Open Monday -Thursday 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. MID �nrf3Saturday 10!a.m.-2,p.m. A' 633 ERIE ST. STRATFORD 271/20- Beautify your home - SPIRAL STAIRWAY *No other stairway takes as little room as a spiral •Dress it up . or leave it plain *Modular Kit as shown, or CUSTOM FABRICATED to your needs or specifications Ra thwell MEiTAbGRAFT biD. LOCATED IN YANASTRA-2 MILES SOUTH OF CLINTON BESIDE THE VANASTRA FACTORY OUTLET 482-3523 e Arm4dPoak survives more than one dunking in Lake Huron The month of November has never been particularly kind to Arnold Doak. In fact, the 70 -year old Goderich Township resident could be forgiven for having outright contempt for the llth month of the year. And yet, as he prepared for major surgery at St. Joseph's Hospital in London last Sun- day, Arnold recalled how he has twice had brushes with death on Lake Huron. And yes, both instances happened to be in the month of November. It was almost 50 years to the day that Ar- nold, as a young 20 year-old sailor survived a disaster on Lake Huron as the freighters W.C. Franz and Edward E. Loomis collided m the early hours of November 21, 1934 sen - .ding many young men to a chilly grave in the tempestuous waters of Lake Huron. It was 3.30 a.m. Wednesday, November 21, 1934 when the Franz, upbound, was pass- ing the Soreldoc, also upbound when the Loomis, downbound in the same channel struck the Franz near Thunder Bay Island in norther Lake Huron. Four young men would lose their lives in the accident, in- cluding Joe Langridge of Goderich. A newspaper account of the frantic activi- ty before the Franz went down, outlined the desparate attempts of crewmembers to ave, each other. Smoke from the three freig Lrs and the dark of night reduced visibilitk to a few feet on that fateful morn- ing making the task even more difficult. It was just a matter minutes before the No. 1 cargo hold of the Franz filled with water and when the Franz settled, water poured down into the engine room. Capt. Alex McIntyre gave orders for the men to stand by the lifeboats, giving the Franz only five minutes to stay afloat. "Among those routed from their .bunks by the crash were Joe Langridge,w atchman, Arnold Doak, fireman and Vernon Willis, oiler, all of Goderich," a newspaper account read. "They hastily donned their clothing and life jaticets on being warned of the situa- tion and stood by the boats with the rest of the crew. Langridge was seen to be bleeding freely about the face." As the men tried to lower the starboard life boat, a rope or tackle broke throwing six of the eleven passengers into the ice-cold water, while Doak and four other crew members managed to hang on to the upend- ed boat. Doak was able to follow some of the others up through the rigging to the deck of the Franz. An attempt to launch the port boat proved fruitless as i' crashed into the lake and filled with water. Those who had managed to climb back on Put a little Cross -Country magic in their Chti.. . s... Twenty -year-old Arnold Doak was one of, 20 crew memberd the Franz that fateful iliorning in November. KARHU "COUNTRY" CROSS-COUNTRY SKI PACKAGE You will have lo cross a lot Of country to find a Netter buy than this. We have chosen the Karhu Country fiberglass, foam core ski as the backbone of this pa( kage because of its quality construction and rugged durability, The equipment in this package coupled with our expertise in ensuring a proper fit will result in miles of smiles. And that's what Cross -Country skiing is all about! A great gift idea. A great value for exceptional winter FUN. PA( k \(,E !N( LUDE * KARHU COUNTRY X-C SKI Fiberglass Foam ( ore. 2 Year guarantee. *Zermatt Leather Boot *Fiberglass Poles Pinso Bindings *Complete with installation Super Special TEAM PACKETS & OL r ITS OPEN DAILY: 9 am - 6 pm THURS. & FRI. TILL 9 pm the boat lowered a ladder into the water to help others aboard. Three men went miss- ing and the crew had to turn their efforts to two of the men they could see in the water. The engineer, unconscious, was hauled from the water with a rope but the second cook was crushed as the Loomis returned and closed in on the Franz. The 20 members of the crew crossed over to the Loomis on ladders and the landing boom, and by this time only the wheelhouse of the Franz was visible in the pre -dawn darkness. The Loomis stood by, along with several other lake freighters until the Franz slipped to the bottom of the lake at approx- imately 6 a.m. The Loomis was escorted to Port Huron by a coa'st guard cutter. The episode would have been enough to send even the heartiest of sailors scamper- ing for solid ground. Arnold Doak just took the accident in stride. "I had been sailing two years before the accident and I went right back and worked the lake for eight more years," he recalled. "I joined the Navy after that and was bomb- ed while near Algiers in North Africa. We were working landing barges there. After the war I got married and sailed for about another year." While Arnold may have given up sailing after the war and settled into family life and regular job, the lake would take a secoi d swipe at his young life. The date was Saturday, November 25, 1950 and while working for the Goderich Elevator and Transit Company, Arnold ac- cepted a ride up the hill with Norman Allin at the end of his shift at 6 p.m. While attempting to turn around his 1928 model Chrysler, Allin accidentally backed the car into the harbour. Elmer Lee, a passenger in the front seat managed to jump clear of the car before it hit the water. Allin and Arnold went into the harbour with the vehicle. The vehicle sank 25 feet before touching bottom and Allin was able to get our through the front door. Doak, in the back seat, had to push out the rear window to escape certain death. "It was dark and I thought of giving up,',' he said. "But I also thought of my ,family and knew I had to get out. I pressed my back against one door and pushed out the window on the other side. The first 10 to 15 feet were difficult but then I made it to the top easily. However, the two were in the water for almost 10 minutes before elevator workers were able to haul them to the safety of shore, up the steep bank. Arnold suffered an abrasion and was in shock. It's little wonder Arnold approaches the • month of November with a measure of trepidation. Historically, it has not been kind. But he's beaten all the odds. Town responsible for part of North Harbour Road The regional office Transport Canada informed council that it will make repairs or reconstruct any portion of North Harbour Road which lies on federal property,. In a letter to council, Fred Scantlebury, regional manager for the Harbours and Ports Division of Transport Canada said his department will be responsible for repairing or reconstructing any damaged section of road on federal land. However, repairs to other sections of the road, including the hill, will be the town's responsibility. At an earlier council meeting, Mayor Eileen Palmer suggested the works committee should investigate the possibility of securing funding in the event the truck route would require additional upgrading due to increased traffic during the harbour expansion project. Scantlebury also said he would be willing to meet with town representatives to discuss the lack of a land connection betweena the south and north side of the harbour. Seek funding for new day care operation in Goderich Goderich town council has asked its day care committee to investigate the possibili- ty of granting financial assistance for the establishment of a municipal day care cen- tre. In a letter to council, Cindy, Brindley ask- ed that council give consideration to a re- quest to provide a suitable building, with equipped kitchen and fenced yard, for the establishment of a day care centre. An employee at the Mother's Helpers Day Care in Kincardine and a graduate of the Early Childhood Education program at Con- estoga College, Brindley said the Kincar- dine concept, which offers day care, nursery • • • • • • • • • • • • THE SQUARE ^trr?i??r-'?i?iif.r?i'ii if to ii 'i of WED. - THURS. LAST 2 DAYS FOR school and a drop-in babysitting service, would work well in Goderich. Looking to council for financial help in establishing the day care, Brindley sug- gested a service club could be approached to help build equipment as was the case in Kin- cardine. Karen Toman of Kipcardine told council in a separate letter tlfat she started the day care with $3,000 and costs were recovered in the first year. The drop-in concept proved both popular and financially rewarding she said adding that the operation will gross $60,000 in its third ybar. Council turned the matter over to its day nursery committee for consideration. PARK THEATRE i -i i?r • GODERICM • S24•7811 • • • • • -cam TERROR IN THE AISLES 7:00 p.At- �, • ADULT ACCOMPANIMENT THE WILD LIF E 8:30 P.M. • • • • • • • • • • • • : STARTS FRIDAY NOV • • HU K NORRIS • • • • 16 FRIDAY - SATURDAY 7 & 9 PM • • • EXPERT SKATE SHARPENING • • WE HONOUR : VISA & MASTER CARD • • • • 4 • • • SALES & SERVICE „Get fit and a whole lot more for a lot less!" 4 THE SQUARE, GODERICH ph: 524-2822 • • • ••®•••ar••••••**OIS 4Am1E SUN. - THURS. 8:00 PM ?'THE WAR'S NOT OVER UNTIL THE LAST MAN COMES HOME!" VIETNAM 1984 ADULT ACCOMPANIMENT • r • TUESDAY SPECIAL 0 • • ADULTS • $2." only YOUTHS a! THEATRE PASSES • MAKE GREAT CHRISTMAS a GIFTS • 0 • •••®!••••$ •••••*+