The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-12-23, Page 12PAGE 12—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, 'WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1987
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MONDAY DEC. 28th
19 York St.,
STRATFORD
273-3336
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off ,et,
ALL
MERCHANDISE
80 Ontario St.
STRATFORD
271-7432
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Communit - News
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BOXING DAY LIQUIDATION
Monday, December 28th
Nothing Held Back, All Items Priced To Clear
We've got to reduce our stock...
Many one of a kinds, floor models and
discontinued merchandise.
Don't Let Anything Keep You Away!
MONEY DOWN
INTEREST
PAYMENT TIL APRIL 1st '88
b3 Main tephe�nE furniture
83
Stephens Furniture
1,siyawray Plan
Free Deliveries
"Where Friendly Service and Satisfaction Guaranteed
Youngsters at the Goderich Figure Skating Club party, held Tuesday, Dec.15, were thEill-
ed to meet up with Santa. Here, Holly Culbert (2) gets a hug from the jolly fellow. (photo
by Sam Kinsman)
Extension of French
program considered
Superintendent Paul Carroll said that in
terms of space accommodation, it doesn't
appear there would be any problems in the
county's 24 elementary school buildings.
Where finances are concerned, Director
Bob Allen said, "We really do not know."
He said the federal government does fund,
to some extent, the teaching of French. But
he admitted he just doesn't know how this
would impact on Huron's overall budget.
"Any educational funding formulas are
enormously complicated," Allen told the
board.
He did offer an educated guess though. He
said funding the. additional French instruc-
tion hours could cost Huron taxpayers about
$130,000 of the estimated $305,200 price tag.
According to Mothers, "the jury is out" on
the teaching of French in kindergarten and
he had no firm recommendation to make
regarding that option.
But he did say students required oppor-
tunities to use their French conversational
skills in regular learning situations outside
French class. He said subjects taught in
French, at least some of the time, would be
of great benefit to children striving to
become fluently bilingual.
It could mean starting the program
earlier than the` present Grade 3, perhaps in
EDUCATION
kindergarten or Grades 1 and 2. Or it could
mean adding more time to existing pro-
grams in Grade 3 through 8 ... or some com-
bination of these options.
Don McDonald queried concerning the
number of graduating students who make
use of their French language skills.
Sally Rathwell asked how many students
the public school system is losing to early
French immersion classes in this area.
"Then we know who pays," said Elliott.
Board members asked for more informa-
tion from the superintendents in time for the
January meeting. John Elliott wanted Lu
know where the additonal intruction time
would come from - what would the students
lose to get more French.
John Elliott cautioned the board about
carrots "dangled" by government. He said
the special funds usually are available only
for a period of time. After that, these new
programs are funded out of of general
revenue.
Lock closed for repairs
The Canadian lock at Sault Ste. Marie,
reports say, will be closed throughout next
navigation season while repairs are made
to the old stone walls. A 200 -foot crack split
one wall in July!
An emergency dam was placed above
the locks on Oct. 20. Observers believe the
dam had not been used since 1909 when the
lower gates were smashed open by the
freighter Perry G. Walker.
On that hair-raising occasion the CPR
passenger ship Assiniboia was moored in
the flooded lock waiting for the downbound
ore carrier Crescent City to join her. The
upstream lock gates were open to admit
the freighter. ,
Meanwhile the Walker was approaching
the dock below the locks to await her turn
to be locked upbound. Her skipper signall-
ed the engineroom to stop and reverse. In-
stead, the ship suddenly shot forward at
full speed. She smashed into the lower
gates, setting loose a 20 -foot wall of water,
the Assiniboia, Crescent City and the full
force of current rushing through the open
upper gates.
Literally flushed downstream,
Assiniboia struck the Walker as they pass-
ed, her anchor gashing a hole in the
freighter. The, CPR ship sped downstream
out of control. Her skipper wisely ordered
LNEF'S CLASSIC
MAIN g - 2:00 P.M.
Daily; Sat. Dec. 26 - Thurs. Dec. 31.
THE ^,
SHIPWATCHER
By Dick With
full speed ahead to try to regain steerage
way. When she eventually stopped in
calmer waters, her damage was found to
be minimal.
The Walker swung in a couple of circles
and then grounded. But the Crescent City
had a hole torn in her side as she was car-
ried through the broken gate. She overtook
the Assiniboia, striking her twice as she
passed. By the time tugs caught up with
the Crescent City and towed her back to
the American Sault, she was settling on the
river bottom.
The dam, which was apparently put to
use again this fall after 78 years, is a por-
table affair intended for just such
emergencies. In 1909 it was dropped into
place, leaf by leaf, and gradually checked
the flow so the lock gates could be
repaired.
The stone, which until this year had en-
dured the stresses of time in the lock walls
quite well, was quarried on the west end of
" Manitoulin Island.
Opened in 1890 specifically to provide
stone for the Sault project, the quarry was
Iocated on the south shore, about six miles
south of Meldrum Bay. While it operated,
as many as a hundred men were employed
there, most of whom were Finnish miners
from Michigan's upper peninsula. The
quarry was an economic shot in the arm
for the island, a ready market for supplies
from local merchants and farmers.
Horse-drawn cars on rails carried stone
from the quarry to the Lake Huron shore.
A long pierwas built out into Greene
Island Harbour and the cars were hauled
onto the pier for loading the stone into
barges.
It was an ideal situation because Greene
Island a mile offshore and Steevens Island
closer in offered excellent shelter for ships
in bad weather. They could anchor in deep
water and move in to the pier for loading
while waiting for conditions to improve.
The Canadian lock was completed in
1894.
1