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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton News Record, 1939-09-07, Page 6FACE THE CLINTOri NEWS -RECORD ' :eaee_e e!t +Cee wee eteelt!'.+et y`_eeeeei!+*e!$aefe tet ate «`_{!eteeseentee Scoble Family Were Noted as Mechanics _44C, .ei and Machinists By Victor Lauriston in the LondonFree Press •%, ee ie ee.eeieeeet ate teteQ letee set etiHtMMieetetaeetetet The enterprise and determination anies, but designed by individual pat - of the Scottish pioneers, who, nearly tem -makers and ,c'on,structed'under a century ago, peopled not merely the the pattern -maker's direction in the Huron ;tract' but many portions.` of `Southwestern Ontario, are illustrated in the lives of Charles and John. Scobie - Charles, a Scottish immi- grant, and John, his Canadian -born Charles Scobie was born near the royal city of Perth, in Scotland. His father 'dried while he was still very small, but his widowed mother saw to his education. He learned the trade of mill -weight and pattern - making, and became an excellent mechanic. Among his early achievements in Scotland was the building of a small condensing engine of one-half 'horse- power, which could not be stopped by hand power. Most of his pattern - making had to do with machinery needed for the old-fashionedstone flour mills, which were not until several decades later superseded' by the Belgian roller process. It was said of Charles Scobie that he could make any pattern for any machinery needed for stone flour mills. Charles Scobie married in Scotland. For 16 years he lived in Glasgow Of his first marriage three children were born, William, Betsy. and Jane. On his wife's death he married Mary Mackie. More than a decade earlier, another Scot, John Galt, had opened the Hur- on tract for the Canada Company, and there was a steady emigration thereafter from Scotland to the new land. It was in the early 40's that Charles Scabie's interest at first stir- ted in the opportunities Canada had to offer. In 1842 the family sailed for Canada. The spring passage was stormy and the little sailing ship spent six weeks and three days traversing the local foundry. Hardly a bit of in- dustrial machinery in those days but had its own individuality. If a part was broken or damaged, the pattern- maker and mechanic made a new one. About 1849 Charles Scobie moved to Oshawa where for a short time he worked in a foundry. Meanwhile, however, ''he had discovered a good opening for a saw mill in theheavily timbered Huron tract in Stanley township.. At the Oshawa foundry he made the machinery for this saw mill, Late in 1849 the Scobie family trekked from Oshawa to their new home in Stanley.. Four wagons were loaded with mill machinery, each drawn by a team of horses; while the family traveled in a light wagon. Young John Scobie, then in his sixth year, was keenly interested In the horse which drew this light wagon. It was black, part French pony, and was one of the Scobie family possession for many years. "This horse," he declared, many years. afterward, "was' a good feeder: She kicked me on my right knee. We sold her when she was, 85 years old and she was still alive at 45 years." Anyway, the black horse brought the family safely over bumpy cordu- roy roads to the new home in the Huron bush. Charles Scobie had, ap- parently, taken up land in Stanley while he was still a resident of Guelph, a couple of years before the trek. Now the family busied them- selves setting up the machinery for a water power mill which they were to operate f or the next 17 years, utilizing the waters of what is still known as Scobie's Creek. The original mill was Iater sup - Atlantic to Quebec. From Quebec plemented by a steam power mill; they made their Way to Upper Cane' practice being to run the water ada. There Charles Scobie speedily power plant when the water was found work in connection with flour high, and use steam power when the milling. His first home in Canada water was low. The Scobie circular was in Toronto where he set up flour saw outfits in the next 17 yeas cut mill machinery do Yonge street at up and marketed many thousands of what was then known as Hog's HoI- feet of excellent timber, made avail- What low. From Toronto he moved' -to able by the clearing of the land Guelph. I Eventually Charles' Scobie decided Ito get back to his original trade of There were already three :children flour milling. The growing Team of of Charles Scobie's second marriage Seaforth looked like a good opening --Charles, Mary and James -and at for a thoroughly modern mill. Young Guelph on December 23, 1843, the John Scobie helped his father set up youngest, John Scobie, was born. land eventually learned' to operate a In Guelph the elder Scobie follow-- four -stone grist mill at Seaforth. In ed his trade of planning and setting fact, John, and his brother, William, tip machinery - machinery for the helped design the mill, and eventually commbn loeal industries in those days acquired a half interest in the vent - being, not produced by large comp- are. William,the eldest of the fam- eSNAPS HOT GUILD INFORMAL PORTRAITS Use a portrait attachment to take informal portrait close-ups such as this with a box camera or fixed -focus folding model. CUMIVIHIR is an ideal season for in- formal outdoor portraits of your family and friends, and informal por- traits are about as easy to take as any other type of snapshot. Natural- 'ly, such informal shots are not to be comparedwith the work of skilled, experienced professional photogra- phers ... but, since you take them yourself for your own album, they do have unique personal interest. Your informal portraits may show one, two, or several persons, grouped naturally - without stiffness. The dubjeets should ?ill most of the pic- ture space; too much, background is detrimental. Faces should be turned to that a good likeness is obtained- whether •profile, full -face, or in be- tween -but as a rule the subjects should not loolc directly at the cam- era. Two types of lighting are accept- able. Direct sunllght from one side IS all right, but straight -overhead lighting from the+noon sun produces harsh, displeasing shadows. For a softer lighting, and ` better like- nesses, place the subjects in "open shade" -for example, at the edge of shade front a big tree, where they 'will receive light reflected from the sky, but no direct sun. Informal portraits in direct sun- light require no increase in :ex- posure, In open shade (not under trees or a porch) try an exposure of 1/28 ,second at f.8 lens opening. With a box camera or inexpensive folding type, use the smallest lens opening, and give a very short time exposure -about as fast as you can work the shutter -with the camera on a firm, solid support. A focusing camera enables you to take reasonable close-ups without a lens attachment, as well, as Tull - figure shots, You can also take full - figure shots and group shots with a box camera if it has a "two-point" focus setting, enabling you to get as near as five or six feet to the subject. Hut for real close-ups with the camera, you will need a portrait attachment a small- sup- plementary lens that supe on over the regular camera lens. The attach- ment does not change the exposure. Often, an informal portrait gains interest if the subject is busy with some everyday activity -for exam- ple, filling a tobacco pipe, if a man,, or crocheting, if a woman. The ac- tion adds story quality -and tells more about the subject. Concerted action-ouchas conversation -adds unity to a group picture. Make a collection„of .good, 'infor- med portraits of your friends and family. They'll justify a special sec- tion in your snapshot album, 244 John van Guilder ily, was by trade an engine, builder. The machinery for' the Seaforth mill "was, as usual, made in the local foundry, and the frame work was made entirely from dumber sawed at the Scobie mill in Stanley township. The mill one of the .most modern fn Huron tract, or. in Western Ontario for that matter, cost around $15,000. The father and two sons, working together, operated it for three years with considerable profit, enabling them to clear away °a good part of the debt incurred in the big venture. And then -abruptly, wheat prices crashed from $1,80 to $1,10, largely as a result of the collapse following the close of the American `Civil War. The Scobies:lost heavily, and event- ually the mill' was sold to a Stratford man named Marshall for $4,500, After paying off their debts the Scobies had about $1,100 each. John Scobie thriftily. deposited 'his money in the Seaforth bank. Right then, however, the new salt industry in Huron was booming. Salt had been a scarce commodity, and When salt brine was discovered in denting for oil at Seltford,' 'opposite God'erich, the eerie. dperators made fortunes almost overnight. Numerous wells were drilled and' a succession of new companies organized. The bank manager advised John Scobie to buy salt well stock. John Scobie, however, was Scottish and cautious. He bought $500 worth of stock, gave $400 cash to his father and mother and kept a litte margin for himself. Shortly afterwards he moved' to Goderich and himself engaged in the salt business. He drilled one or two wells and operated a salt block on the Maitland road, almost opppsite the present C. N. R. roundhouse. It was merely one of a host of such ventures, but with careful manage- ment it seems for years to have made a fair profit. The salt industry, however, fell on evil days. In the beginning the Huron salt producers had all the world, 'and especially the populous United States for a, market. Then salt wells were drilled in Michigan, the United States Government imposed a heavy tariff on Canadian salt, and careful man- agement was indeed needed to make both ends meet in the once prosper- ous business. More than that, new methods were being developed and big consolidations were replacing in- dividual producers. At that, thifty John Scobie would. probably have continued to make a living out of salt had not a fire destroyed his plant and compelled him to go out of business. Subsequently, Joseph Kidd rebuilt and operated the plant, About 1896 the buildings were torn down to make way for the plant of the Kensington Furniture Comp- any, 'which, experiencing the same hard luck, was burned down event- ually, compelling the company to go out of business, John Scobie was later engaged in business ventures of one sort or an- other at Toronto, Teeswater .and Lon- don. At Mooretown and Parkhill Ile managed salt plants. In 1870 John Scobie had married a young. English girl, Emma Camber, who had resided in Canada since in- fancy, and Whose loyal support gave hint added courage' 'to try again in the face of repeated failures and losses. She Was his companion for nearly 50 years, dieing in 1919 in Detroit, to which city the family had -loved some 20 -years before. John Scobie himself, with memory clear almost to the last, survived till 1982, after 90 diligent and courageous years. Of him it could be said, as it was said of Robert Louis ' Steven - son's hero, that "whatever befell him it was not dishonor, and whatever elsefailed him, he was not found wanting in himself." Agricultural Societies' Fairs and Exhibitions 1939 August Toronto (Canadian National Exhibition) .... Aug. 25 -Sept, 9 September 1-9 Durham Sept, 7, 8 Gederich Sept, 7, 8 Tavistock Sept, 8, 9 September 11-16 Blyth Sept, 15, 16 London (Western Fair) . Sept. 11-16 Milverton Sept, 14, 15 New Hamburg . ... Sept, 15, 16 Wiarton Sept. 14, 15 September 18-23 Ailsa Craig . . . Sept, 21; 22 Atwood Sept. 22, 23 Clifford Sept. 22, 23 Exeter Sept. 20, 21 Hanover Sept. 19, 20 Kincardine Listowel Seaforth Sept. 21, 22 Sept. 20, 21 Sept. 21, 22 Stratford..... . . Sept. 18-20 September 25-30 Bayfield . , ... . Sept. 27, 28 Brussels ..... Sept. 29, 30 Ilderton Kirktou Lucknow Sept. 27 Sept. 28, 29 Sept. 28, 29 Mitchell Sept, 26, 27 Owen Sound .. Sept. 30, Oct. 2 & 3 Palmerston Port Elgin Ripley Strathroy Medford Sept. 26, 27 Sept. 28, 29 Sept. 26, 27 Sept. 28-30 Sept. 26, 27 Wingham S'ep,t. 27, 28 October 2-7 Dungannon Oct. 5, 6 Gerrie .................. Oct. 6, 7 St. 'Marys, Oct. 5, 0 RECRUITING NOTE At the outbreak of: the Great War Henry was a lad fie his late teens. Like many other Canadians % he was TURNIP CROPS MOVE TO STATES First shipments of the 1939 turnip crop will leave` Exeter, Lucan and attracted to the: army partly by the Lambeth for the United States romanticism proper of his age, par; markets this'week, J. `J. Johnson, Do- ly by the conviction that it was his minion fruit and vegetable inspector duty to do his bit towards making for this district, reported. theworld safe for Democracy, Par- This section of Western Ontario ticlarly appealing to his imagination will' be able to provide a larger crop was the ubiquitous poster, showing this year to fill the requirements the golden -haired girl asking "What of U. S. buyers` due to' considerably did you, de in the Great War, increased acreage, Acreage of the Daddy]?"' Though Henry Was not Ontario crop, the inspector said, will married at the time, he !felt that be approximately the 'same as last some day he would: be, and he waa'yeae. going to be prepared to answer that Growers are optimistic over pros question without embarrassment. Pects of this year's crop. The quality So Henry enlisted in the C.E.F., of turnips generally is higher• than where he served efficiently, but in previous seasons and an increasing without special distinction, until the demand for Ontario table turnips Armistice, Then he resumed hisin, across the line indicate prices will terrupted business career and except be firm again this year. for occasion of battalion reunions, Mr. Johnson estimated that 1,500,- Vimy- dinners and the like, he grad- 000 bushels of "rutabagas" will be ually relegated the War and his part exported from Western Ontario to in it to the back of his mind. the United States during the 1939- Years passed and Henry 'acquired, -40 season. in the order named, a wife and a Blyth and Wingham, in. Huron golden -haired daughter, Rose. -Rather County, will be in the field' this year to Henry's disappointment, while with new. turnip -waxing plants.' Rose asked questions about every Waxing operations' will commence conceivable subject, the great clues- within the next month. The waxing tion remained unasked and unansw- process has come into increased ered until this year. A few weeks ago, Rose, who reads the newspapers and listens to the radio, apparently realized that there were points of similarity between the world situation now and in 1914, Quite suddenly one evening she came to Henry with'the long-awaited' ques- tion, "What did you do in. the Great War, Daddy?" • ' Henry smiled modestly and answ- ered: "I was a soldier, dear." Rose said nothing for a time, but she looked at her father. One could see that she was mentally compar- ing the natty militiamen whom she had seen on ceremonial parades with Henry's now far -from -military fig- ure. Her innocent, eyes rested first on Henry's bald spot, passed to the fringe of gray hair beneath, and: rest- ed on his middle-aged punch. Theft -she laughed. -The Printed Word. MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR JOB Here are a few suggestions on how to be successful today -simply, plain advice by Lowell Thomas's Commen- tator magazine that will help any ambitious youngster to a better job: 1,, Get started anywhere. Don't be too choosy about picking a job these days. Take what you can get. 2. Remember, this job has some hidden opportunities which you can dig up, fashion into something worth while. 3. Be interested primarily in the business. Don't let your employer feel that your personal interests come first. 4. Be punctual. While nothing may be said about coming in late ter leav- ing early, or about extra long lunch hours, such actions do not help you. 5. Take time off only when obsoletely essential. Frequent sick leaves stand in the way of advance- ment, 6. If you have a complaint either take it to the proper superior er keep it to yourself. Don't speak be- hind the boss's back. Such tales have a nasty way of getting back to him. 7, If you have any ideas, write them out and submit thein to your superior. Ideas build business. Yours may help. 8. Be patient these trying times' in the matter of salary increases, Your employer may be having a tough struggle. Stand by him. He will more than make it up to you when things brighten. 9. Stop envying the other fellow's job. Concentrate on making the'most of yours. HURRY AGAIN! HURRY! Hurry! calls the train, it's time that you were home again; leave the lake but take its blue in memary'.s keeping back with you. The waves still sing for you their song when for their cooling touch you long; may your eyes remember things -like the sweep of seagull's wings! Cornfields, where the poppies grew, take their beauty 'home with you; as you walk grey roads, man- made, tread again the sylvan shade of lanes moss -grown or river way, Seel winds sweet scented with the hay; may the peace of countryside in the days of stress abidel Hurry! Hurry! calls the train, though days of labor come again you are bringing 'hack to -day memories none can take away; weave them in each task you do, jay will blossom then anew! ?Lillian Dorset. WHIT/ GROUNDHOG CAUGHT BY FARMER On Tuesday afternoon, Mr, Cyrus Bauman, R,R, No. 3, Elmira brought, into The Signet office a white groundhog which he had captured on his farm, 'lhhis type of grbundhog. is ,rare, seldom is an albino ground- hog seen, Mr. Bauman 'and his hired man had seen the albino the previous day and being ai bit inquisitive, de- cided to investigate and find out what the white object •sitting on the fence really was, and its origin. As- sisted • by, the farm dog prominence during the' past three years for expert shipments. NATURE TAKING CARE OF CATERPILLAR'S IN NORTH Nature is taking care of the tent caterpillars infesting forests in. the Nipissing and Port Arthur areas of Ontario for several years past, the Doininion department of agriculture reports. Parasites have attacked the cater- pillars, and are doing more to destroy the crawling army than man can do, but there is a new menace to the forests in view, the spruce budworm, says reports of the forest insect jm vestigation division. A survey of the caterpillar regions of Ontario this year, the experts re- port, "shows the tent caterpillar is doing comparatively little damage in those areas, due to the fact that the native parasites have reasserted themselves and are thriving on the caterpillars. The parasites are harm- less in the forests. "But while the tent caterpillar would appear to be declining in On- tario, the spruce budworm, an old enemy of the pulpwood forests, is increasing. There is a severe infes- tation of it in Algoma and it is now common in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. "Farther west the similar jack pine budworm has damaged vast areas of jack pine from Manitoba to Lake Superior." HENSALL FARMER DIES SUDDENLY Henry C. Soldau, prominent farmer of Hensall, died suddenly- last Wed- nesday morning from a heart attack caused from a acute attack of indi- gestion which he suffered -while threshing at the farm of his son, Jack. In his 74th year, Mr. Soldan was noted as a great horseman, hav- ing won malty prizes at the Canadian National Exhibition and Western Fair, He moved with his wife and family some 27 years ago from Sas- katoon to Hensall where he has since resided,. his farm being half a mile from Hensall on highway No. 4. He was a valued member of the South Huron Agricultural Society foe South Huron, having held prominent offices until recently. Surviving are Itis widow, four sons, William, Jack, Allan and Roy, all of Hensall; and two daughters, Mrs. Garnet Case and Mrs. Melvin Moir, of Hensall; one sister, Mrs. John Johnston, of Hensall. TIIIIR,S., SEPT 7, 1939 Take an Enjoyable Holiday at Western Ontario's Exhibition PRIZE LIST $32,000 Speed Events Daily -Night Horse Show -Photography Salon Dog Show -Superb Grandstand Spectacle -Hobby Fair .Carnival Midway -Hundreds of Exhibits W. D..TACKSOlc, Secretary 239 0A1 4 A WRITING LESSON HULL= BRIDGE As soon are Billy saw his father comfortably settled in an armchair he gave hint a pencil and a sheet of paper, and said: ' "Daddy, please write down the figures 1 to 9, but leaving out 8," This done, Billy asked father which figue he thought was the most badly written, and Father selected 'the 2, "Then please multiply your line of figures by 18,' said Billy. Father worked out the sum, and the result was: •12345679 18 98765432 12345679 222222222 "Very good!" laughed Father. "You have given me a little practice in making the figure 2." he explanation is that if the fig- ure be multiplied by multiples of nine the results will be all twos, al: threes, all fours, and so on, accord- ing to the figure selected. -Ex. CAT MOTHERS BABY RABBIT At the home of Albert Silk a cat is mothering a strange family -her own tiny kitten and a two weeks old rabbit and caring for both of them with true motherly instinct. It seems that a rabbit on the premises gave birth to a family and would have nothing to do with them. All died with the exception of one which the Silk children a week ago put with the cat to see if it would be cared for. So zealously does she guard her new charge that if anyone gees near the hayloft where they live she moves the baby rabbit and kitten to safer ground. The little rabbit is not so fearsome and is making friends with those who come near, in quite neighborly fashion. - Mit- chell Advocate. • SERVES HIM RIGHT Senator Duncan Marshall appears to have been rather riled last week. Workmen were engaged in coating Tara's main street with asphalt and gravel, when they came upon the senator's car parked itt their away. As is Customary in such cases, they asked the senator to move his car, but the latter, for some reason oe other, seems to have been in the mood that said, /11'll move it when I get ready," and walked away. Hav- ing given the owner a chance /to move the car, without him doing se, the men went back to their work, with the result that considerable of the hot oil landed on the side of the senatorial wagon.. When the Hon, Dune. returned and saw what had happened, it is said that he was far' from being an Appeasement Chamb- erlain,' and the oil was on the car and not on the troubled waters. CQN'r'RACT LET" At a Special Meeting : of. Hullett- Township Council held insLondesboro; Community Hall, the tenders for building and repairing•; township, bridges were opened. Joe Looby was the successful tenderer fon the Ng - bridge on Concession 10,,,2% miles•. east of Londesboro, and Mclean. of Blyth tendered successfully., for the: repairing of two small bridges on sideroad 10 and 11, Messrs. Quinlan and M.ogg have • commenced work on the Equalization- of the township and the job • is pro- gressing favourably. Don't keep the milk of " human•., kindness too long in cold storage. It is apt to decline in quality.' There 11} no easier, surer way a winning a reputation for gracious manners than by being a good lie - God gives His best to those who., tuner. OLD (VIRGINIA Fine Cut Tobacco i`f:ae►111ss N iy urols'' P A galaxy of radio stars in an entertaining program of music. song and story. CKNX MON. 1 THURS. "Council Standard" - RIB -ROLL or Tire -Lap Roofing ie being widely used for houses. It is permanent, fireproof, weather- proof -requires minimum upkeep. Writefor our new free book. "Hone 'Tope". astern Steel;Prod`ttcts': PRESTON ONT lgrr04,/JAt7p 4, MONTREAL &To5ONTO Royal Canadian Pacific Engine at World's Fair • • A n inipresslve feature in the 4M "Railroads on Parade" pa- geant at the New York World's Pair, Canadian Pacific Railway Locomotive 2850 is attracting marked attention. ''he Royal de- corations It still carries recall the. important part it Played In the westward passage across Canada of Their Majesties Ming George VI and Queen Elizabeth and make it the outstanding engine on. ex- hibit. Locot'hotive '2860 impresses ht four daily shows as a powerful, which hauled, the royal train front Quebec City to Vancouver, a dis- tance of more than 3,000 miles, the longest :• continuous run ever recorded by a passenger train. At the end of that run, Locomo- tive 2850 worked its way back to Montreal in regular' duty, com- pleting practically 6,000 miles of ,continuous service. The Cana- dian Pacific Railway announced that the entire trip had passed without engine trouble of any kind; that the locomotive was to the Pacific Coast again. It is one of 60 engines of the same series capable of a similar per- formance. Four times daily during August. the Cyclopean Canadian Pacific- locomotive goes on display at New York; and four times a day Spectators echo the words of Her - Majesty Queen "2lizabeth when. she inspected the locomotive dur- ing the tour: "Isn't it a lovely en - Standing giver' • on the engine in this: still in perfect condition and picture are the "Gay Lassies of ,,mom