HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-11-05, Page 5119A GSS/Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1986
1913
Champion also made rollers for road -building
Wages were $8.85
Continued from Page 16
and bins for gravel, street water
sprinklers and heavy plows drawn
by horses.
The plant was located on'East
Street and wages at the time for
Barker and his colleagues was 15
cents per hour or $8.85 per week. •
The regular work week consisted of
10 hours a day, Monday to Friday,
and nine hours on Saturday for a
total of 59 hours a week. During busy
Storm of 1913
Many cities and towns, like
Goderich, and the people who live
along the shoreline of the Great
Lakes have an affinity to the water.
Goderich has always been a
bustling port town with direct ties to
the shipping industry. Much of its
commerce was tied to the water and
on a few occasions, like the Great
Storm of November 9, 1913, the town
that drew its commerce and strength
from the lake, also died by the lake.
The waters of Lake Huron can
often be fickle and the winds of
November can turn a normally
staid, calm•lake into a raging and
devastating force. That was the case
November 9, 1913.
The winds blew strong that day,
and suddenly began gusting in the
afternoon.
It was reported that many people
were on the bluffs, where the present
lighthouse is located, overlooking
Lake Huron that day, and that they
times, the employees were required
to work from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Monday to Friday, with no overtime
pay, for a total of 68 hours.
James Smith, the stationary
engineer at the time, resided in a
house located on the company
property so he could be in to work at
6 a.m. to start the boilers and get up
steam for the engines. He also had to
stay after work to take out the
ashes.
claimed lives
could hear the muffled sounds of
ships' distress signals.
The seas were unruly arid as high
as 30 and 40 feet. Hundreds of lives
were lost in the storm as well as
many Great Lakes freighters. The
town was in mourning for many of
the sailors that fell to the fickle
waters of Lake Huron that grey
November Day and even today,
through commemorative services,
the town of Goderich still recalls the
severity of the tragedy.
From the storm, it was learned
that the lighthouse in Goderich was
simply inadequate and the citizens
and the council petitioned the
government to make Goderich a safe
port of refuge.
In 1-914, the lighthouse overlooking
Lake Huron was reconstructed and a
permanent rotating light was
installed. The town also asked that
breakwalls be constructed to the
entrance of the harbour.
HURON AND KINLOSS
MUNICIPAL TELEPHONE SYSTEM
Ripley, Ontario NOG 2R0 395-2625
75 Y
F SEi
V C
S
T _ INC CODERICH CLEAN FOR 24 R
OAK*1962 Harold Wise purchased the property at 54 West Street, Goderich, and erected a building.
Irt.r,.....
jtite of tbat31ear the Laundromat opened with 12 washers, 5 dryers, and 2 coin -op dry cleaners.
In 1 .thebuilding was enlarged and more equipment added.
By the lattet' iart of the 1970's the operation now included 32 coin -op washers, 15 dryers, and 2
dvy cleaners
kteW;S#fvice$ t hat have been recently added include Wash, Dry and Fold service and steam pressing..
Atlfelldnts Mrs Marg Mullen, and Mrs. Anita Aubut handle these services as well as the dry-cleaning.
They also do some minor alterations and mending.
d S
ura .x�,n�VIVIc { nu�ce.a. 3I�,f� `t ,Oft,,,,Harold and Kay Wise, who own the laundromat, also own
Hn arc w ,. crram $.
end operate the Wise Energy Centre in Clinton involving
the heating, electrical and plumbing trades - sales & ser-
vice. It was his involvement with these trades that pro-
mpted Harold to open a Laundromat. Kay was a resident
of Goderich before her marriage & enjoys meeting old
friends and neighbours at the Laundromat.
Look forward to our 25 year celebration in 1987.
ES( SL LAUNDROMAT
45 West St., Goderich 524-4556
iirct p bullus in t-iuron 'Township
ca were installed by the Bell Telephone
Company around the turn of the
century. By 1910 Bell was serying 28
CUJbV11dCl talc aaavn .., va a....... ----- ---
south of the town of Kincardine.
Bell was not, however, anxious to
provide phones in the farming area away
from the lake and on March 7, 1911,
residents of the area met in the township
hall in the Village of Ripley to discuss the
founding of a local telephone system. It
was decided at the meeting that the most
suitable type of organization for the •
purpose would be a municipal telephone
system. A petition was then circulated
and presented to the council of the
Township of Huron which passed a by-law
on April 11, 1911, providing for the establishment of the Huron and
Kinloss Municipal Telephone System.
C.C. Huffman, a telephone engineer, was employed for one year
to supervise construction, and the plant was built by W.G. Lytle and
Company, a firm of contractors from Peterborough. Telephone
poles were imported from Michigan: The first exchange was located
in a building know as the Town and Country Restaurant on Ripley's
Queen Street. A.M. Treleaven was the first contract operator and
he and 'his family operated the switchboard until 1924. The system
got off to a very good start and at the end of two years, it was
reporting almost 600 phones in service.
Mathew Gemmell started to work for the company in 1917 as a
lineman and was subsequently appointed plant superintendent and
then manager. He served the system for over 30 years until his
death in 1949. His son, Francis, went to work for the system in 1926
and succeeded his father as manager. He resigned in 1955 to join
the staff of the Ontario Telephone Authority as an engineering
officer. His place was taken by Clayton Nicholson, the present
manager.
Another father and son who contributed much to the success of
the system were Angus and Ross Martyn. Angus Martyn was the
first secretary -treasurer and continued in that office until 1925. Ross
Martyn served in the same capacity from 1925 until his retirement
in 1957.
Stewart Needham, who was chairman of the commissioners for
many years, can also look back on more than 38 years (1938-1976)
association with the Huron and Kinloss organization.
The system steadily expanded its operations and the number of
customers increased year by year. Most of the growth can be
attributed to increased demand for telephone service within the
system's franchised area, but it also acquired an additional 600
phones when it purchased the assets of the neighbouring Goderich
Rural Telephone Co. Ltd. in 1957. The Goderich company served an
area northeast of Goderich from an exchange at the Village of
Dungannon. Portions of two smaller companies were also absorbed
by the Huron and Kinloss System. In 1944, it took over an area
south of Kincardine containing approximately 20 phones from the
Lake Shore Mutual Telephone Co. Ltd., and in 1952 it bought a line
with 10 customers from the Lucknow and Kinloss Telephone Co.
Ltd.
The first step in a plan for modernization of the system came in
1959 when a new dial exchange was installed at Bervie to improve
service to subscribers in the northeast section of the Ripley
exchange area. The next step was conversion to dial of the
Dungannon exchange in 1963 and the system became completely
automated when the Ripley exchange was converted in 1967.
Dungannon subscribers were given toll-free calling privileges to
Goderich, Ripley & Auburn. Ripley customers have the same
service to Kincardine, Dungannon & Lucknow. The small exchange
at Bervie was eliminated when Ripley was converted to dial.
The system now serves over 2,700 customers and is governed by
the present board of directors; Chairman, Jack Campbell;
'Commissioners, James S. Robb and Jim MacDonald.
HURON—KINEOSS TELEPHONE SYSTEM