HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1981-08-26, Page 1HURONVIEW DISASTER—Eleven people, suffering from lacera-
tions and burns were tended to on the lawns at Huronview following
an explosion which blasted a portion of the home for the aged on
August 21. Nurses, orderlies, volunteers, doctors and ambulance at-
tendants Helped to comfort the injured before they:were taken to
nearby Clinton Public Hospital. Police Constable Don Armstrong.
said that the small public: hospital handled the emergency situation
with complete care and efficiency. (Shelley MerPhee photo)
EXPLOSION—Clients at the Huron Day Centre were preparing for a fund-raising
rummage sale when the usually quiet wing at Huronview was blasted into a state
of disaster last Thursday afternoon. An explosion in a nearby boiler room resulted
in an emergency which had three ambulances, volunteer helpers, and staff mem-
bers at Huronview and the Clinton Public Hospital, tendIiig to 11 victims.
(Shelley McPhee Photo)
Everything is set for
Howick's 125th party
Residents of Howick are
gearing up for what should
be the biggest celebration
the township has ever seen
when it commemorates its
125th anniversary next
weekend.
Gordon Kaster of
Wroxeter, one of the
organizers, said he is
overwhelmed by the
response to tyle celebration
so far. He said 4,500 family
invitations were sent out and
many replies have been
received asking for tickets or
more information.
Mr. Kaster said the towns-
people and businessmen are
starting to put up banners
and historic displays. He
said everything is ready and
waiting for the celebration to
begin and "the only thing we
have no control over is the
weather". But he added he is
sure the weather will hold up
for the weekend.
The festivities will com-
mence next Wednesday
evening at a variety concert
to be held at the Howick
Community Centre. The
anniversary queen and
princess are to be crowned
that night.
Thursday's big event will
be a giant bingo at the
community centile with a
$1,000 jackpot.
Registration is to be held
Friday at the town halls and
two dances are scheduled for
Friday evening, one in the
Howick Community Centre
and one in Belmore.
A school reunion is slated
for Saturday morning at the
Howick Central School and
on Saturday afternoon there
will be a parade from For-
dwich to the Howick Com-
munity Centre featuring
over 100 floats, bands and
steam cars and tractors.
Other events for Saturday
include a pork barbeque and
a 125th costume ball in, the
evening, both to be held at
the Howick Community
Centre.
Sunday's activities will
include anniversary services
at the township churches, a
beef barbeque and a shirt-
tail parade and dance.
Monday is to be a day for
visiting with not too much
planned because schools
reopen the next day.
ain
Fra,ST SECTION
Wingham, Ontario, Wednesday, August 26, 1981
Lloyd Doors to get new siding
Rail study recommen
Single Copy 50c
s
but no major loss o se
Service can be trimmed in
several areas to cut costs,
but three-quarters of the
existing rail freight network,
in the midwestern Ontario -
Bruce region should be
retained to meet present and
future needs.
This is the recom-
mendation of a joint study by
the Ontario Ministry of
Transportation and Com-
munications (MTC) and CN
and CP railways.. on rail
servicein the region.
The study was carried out
in response to applications
by CN and CP to abandon a
Eleven :.persons are injured
in explosion at Nuronview
Eleven persons were taken to hospital
following an explosion which ripped through
a wing of Huronview, the county home for
the aged, at Clinton last Thursday af-
ternoon.
Fortunately most of the injuries were
limited to cuts caused by flying glass from
hattered windows and doors, bruises and'.
minor burns. Only five of the victims were
held in hospital overnight for observation;
all were reported in satisfactory condition.
About 57 residents were evacuated from
the home for the night.
The blast, which caused an estimated
$500,000 damage to the 310 -bed home, was
traced to fumes from a ruptured under-
ground gasoline line running to an auxiliary
generator.
Inspector Robert Kaufman of the Ontario
Fire Marshal's office, London, said the
fumes exploded when they were ignited by a
spark from an electric pump in an under-
ground room. The leaking line was con-
nected to.a buried storage tank which had
been filled with gasoline just hours before
the blast.
It also was reported tha
week some participants in
t earlier in the
a day care
Local girl is
at Miss CNE
A local girl scored a major
accomplishment last
weekend when she was
selected as third runner-up
at the Miss CNE Queen of the
Fairs pageant.
Janice McMichael of
Wroxeter, reigning as Miss
Howick Fall Fair, competed
against 97 other girls
representing agricultural
societies all .across the
province at the CNE. A
Dresden girl was the winner,
Janice, who is no
newcomer to this type of
competition, said she found
the experience a lot of fun,
although coming down with a
cold just before the pageant
didn't help at all.
She and the other girls
arrived in Toronto last
Tuesday and spent the ,day
getting acquainted. Wed-
nesday morning they were in
the CNE parade and "then
had a lot of free time to walk
around and see the sights,
she reported.
Thursday the girls had
their interviews with the
judges, anti, that night at-
tended the Scottish World
Festival.
The competition started in
earnest Friday, with all 98
girls on stage in short
dresses for an introduction in
the morning, and then
returning in long dresses in
the afternoon.
At this point the 15 finalists
were announced, and Janice
was thrilled to find herself
among them. These 15 girls
had to deliver prepared
speeches On one\ of two
program at Huronview had complained of
gas fumes.
Eight of the injured persons were par-
ticipants in the day care program, and
Huronview Administrator Wayne Lester
noted that more might have been hurt had
Thursday not been such a fine day. Because
of the good weather, many partipipants
were outside the auditorium when the ex-
.plesion occurred.
In addition to the auditorium, the blast
damaged four two -room apartments, ,a
sitting room and a kitchen, and Mr. Lester
said he expects there is structural damage
to the building.
The five persons hospitalized for ob-
servation included Rosemary Armstrong of
Clinton, day care coordinator; Sandra
Davidson of Goderich, activities director;
Vera Thiel of Zurich and Shirley Haggerty
of Clinton, both participants in the day care
program, and Irvin Trewartha, a resident of
Huronview.
Released following treatment were Ann
Dennis, Zurich; May Gibson, Ann Dykstra
and Barbara Bellfleur, all of Clinton, and
Olive Harvey and Elizabeth Alexander of
Exeter. All were taking part in the day care
program.
finalist
ageant
P
• topics, the fall fair or the
agricultural ioteiety, and
Janice reported she wrote:
hers on the fair.
After the speeches, there
was a further out to,the top
five contestants, .add once
again Janice was among the
select group. These live had
to give impromptu speeches
and then were ranked as
Miss CNE and four runners-
up. Janice said she was not
pleased with her impromptu,
speech, but she still made it
into the number four spot.
Another local girl, Lois
Hanna, who was Miss
Lucknow and Miss Mid-
western Ontario last year,
also was atnong the 15'
finalists this year at the
CNE.
While this was the largest
pageant in which she has
taken part, Janice has had
considerable success over
the past several years in
other competitions of this
sort. Prior to being crowned
Miss Howick last fall, she
had won the Miss 'Wingham
Funfest title and Was first
runner-up in the Miss
Midwestern Ontario contest.
Earlier this year she won the
Miss Listowel Paddyfest
crown and also competed in
the Miss Kitchener -Waterloo
pageant. She will be entering
the Miss Midwestern Ontario
pageant again this year
representing Howick.
Janice is a daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Ronald McMichael
of Teeswater and one of the
talented, stepdancing Mc-
Michael sisters.
number of unprofitable
branch lines. Its recom-
mendations now go to the
Canadian Transport Com-
mission (CTC), which will
hold hearingson the ap-
plications, possibly this fall,
and then announce its
decision.
While the CTC is not bound
by the study, it is anticipated
it will adopt its recom-
mendations.
The summary . report,
released recently, proposes
the railways be allowed to
abandon little -used lines and
eliminate overlapping ser-
vice, but continue to serve all
major users in the. area.
In return, it recommends
the CTC should subsidize the
railways on the operation of
any unprofitable lines and
the railways not have to pay
the cost of any track
diversions` required to
maintain service
Such diversions have been
proposed at Wingham, to
connect the Premium Lloyd
door factory to the CN Rail
line, and at Hanover to serve
Nutrite Inc.
It also recommends the
province should consider
purchasing or leasing from
CN Rail several abandoned
rights of way. These would
be maintained by the
province in case, at some
later date, development
makes it worthwhile to
reopen them.
In effect, the compromise
proposed in the summary
report differs only slightly
from the "preferred net-
work". sought by the
railways. .
In addition to the lines
running from Stratford to
Gnderich Owen Sound and
Southampton and from
Guelph. to Ferggs,,:it c 1115 'pit.
CN Rail to tnaintaul a Spur
line from Listowel to
Wingham and from
Harriston to Mount Forest.
It calls for CP to retain a
spur line to Durham, in
addition to the lines running
from Guelph to Goderich and
Brampton to Owen Sound
which the railway had
planned to keep open.
Teeswater, Lucknow and
Kincardine would lose all
rail service, as would a
number ofsmaller com-
munities such as Wroxeter
and Gorrie, and nearly all
overlapping service would
be eliminated. Only
Goderich and Owen Sound
would still be served by both
'railways.
This "rationalized" rail
network would retain 73 per
cent of the existing rail
Please turn to Page 2
Lloyd factory satisfied
with rail stinly,pr+
Although the Premium
Lloyd door factory would
prefer to retain access to the
CP Rail line, the recom-
mendation put forward in the
recently released branch
line rationalization study is,
"the next best alternative to
the status quo", a company
spokesman said.
Frank Hori, a vice
president at company head-
quarters in Toronto, said the
company could live with the
proposal to Link its Wingham
plant to the CN Rail line,
thus permitting abandon-
ment of the CP branch.
FINALIST AT CNE Janice McMi
the reigning Miss Howick, was third
Miss CNE Queen of the Fairs pageant
end in Toronto. In the pageant Jan
against 97 girls representing agriculture
across Ontario.
hael of Wroxeter,
runner-up in the
held last week -
Ice competed
I societies all
While its' shipments of
West Coast red cedar
originate with CP Rail and it
would be more convenient to
keep them on that line, the
transport ministry has
promised the cost of the
proposed track diversion
would not be billed to
Premium Lloyd, he repor-
ted.
"If it won't cost us any-
thing, we can't object."
Earlier the company had
warned that loss of access to
rail freight would make the
Wingham plant uneconomi-
cal and force its closure.
Mr. Hort added that the
company is optimistic about
the prospects. for extending
its operation here. He said as
far as head office is con-
cerned, the long-range plans
are to stay in Wingham and
boost production for the
export market. ,
He also commented that
the town "must do more to
get more industry",
promising his company will
do what it can to help.
The , Premium Lloyd
factory, which• produces
wooden doors, is a major
user of rail freight to bring
its raw materials from the
West Coast.
A study of rail lines in the
Bruce area carried out by
the Ontario Ministry of
Transportation and Com-
munications and CN and CP
Rail has proposed a
rationalized network, which
would cut costs to the
railways while continuing to
handle most existing traffic.
Among other things, the
study proposes that CP Rail
be allowed to abandon its
.....„.mt .„....,..,..„...,......,..:$
Teeswater branch line which
currently serves the door
factory. In return, a short
track diversion would be
built connecting the factory
to the nearby CN track,
which would be kept open
between 'Wingham and
Listowel.
These proposals have been
forwarded to the Canad-
ian Transport Co m}s ion,
whisk .. old` hearidgs on
the abandent applica-
tions and then hand down a
decision.
KATHY WILLITS
Kathy Willits, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Walter
Willits, of RR 1, Wing -
ham, graduated from the
General Business finance
Major program at Fan-
shawe College. Kathy has
accepted a positron with
Tilden Rent-A-Car Com-
pany in London.
Firemen respond to
farm -related calls
The Wingham Fire
Department answered two
calls for farm -related blazes
last Wednesday.
Fire Chief Dave Crothers
reported that Wingham
firemen responded to an
alarm for a barn fire at 1:30
a.m. at the farm of David
Elliot, Lot 23, ('on. 12 of
Turnberry Township.
Wingham firemen arrived
upon the scene to find the
Teeswater Fire Department
already battling the blaze.
The Teeswater brigade had
been called by the ()PP.
Mr. Crothers said although
he had no estimate of
damage or the cause of the
fire, between 25-30 head of
cattle were lost.
The second call came at
12:04 p.m. when the
Wingham department ' was
summoned to a fire on the
farm of George McGee, Lot
30, Con. 11 of Easy Wawanosh
Township.
A wagonload of straw and
some field stubble were lost
in the fire which was blamed
on friction from the baler.
Chief Crothers estimated the
'damage at $1,500.
3t
Ca