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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1966-06-16, Page 6th pt JUNE 1,6, 1961% ' tUktpN xPorrQl;, s>aAFOR I; ONT.,' alatae ► ! ► 113abells Ganite boill (Continued .from last week) W4PERWORI s Mho large white brick building which housed the Yatexaygrls for man ears y Y was built in 1$$.0, on Cole- Man. Street. The contractors were William Treaves, ger the brickwork and a Mr, ,McIntosh, for the wood - Work, This was a direct pumping system which used tlwo pumps of 90 and 700 gallon capacity -per day. The reservoir held an accumulation of 400,000 gallon, and the water was pumped, into it from the small Sil- Ver Creek stream and delivered for domestic and fire purposes, through three miles of four, six and eight inch mains, to sixteen hydrants, at a pressure repre- senting fifty and one hundred pounds. The orignal cost of the system was $14,000. In 1892, more new pumps were installed,. adding 1,000,000 gallons addi- tional capacity. In 1923 two artesian wells were drill- ed back of the town hall, from which our present wat- er supply is fed. The formal opening of 'the waterworks took place On duly 27, 1880, with a big celebration. Demonstra- tions of hose, etc., were given. The railway granted special rates for the . occasion, The return fare from Stratford was forty cents, and from Goderich, thirty- five cents. - The engineers in charge of this first plant, also had their living quarters in the building. These were William McKay, Robert S. Roberts, Fred Hammett and Adam McKay, till 1923, when the modern pumping station, storage facilities and distribution system was completed. After 1923, the living quarters here was the home of ,several town workmen. In later years, the only use made of the property was stable accommoda- tion for the town horse. Eventually, the horse gave way to motor power driven vehicles. "Dobbin" was sold by Auctioneer, Harold Jackson, on June 6, 1959, to Alfred Grummett, Tuckersmith, for $215.00. The har- ness brought $5.00 and the wagon, $14.00. The build- ing, after being empty for sometime, deteriorated to such an extent that it was sold in October, 1961, to Murray and Virginia Dalton, for one thousand dollars. HYDRO •I The first electric light plant which was run' by the Council as a municipal enterprise, from 1889, was housed in Abe Waterworks building, spoken of in later , years as the old waterworks. The plant was sold to Scott Bros., James and Archie, in 1894, after the rate- o by oyev-.a do4en tanks judiciously located throughout g capacity, � these were all of a large capacx - ,>' each; �t`o�, t l .,728 cubic feet of water. The 'value of the fire .equipment, exclusive of the tanits, was arntkri $2,200. When Seaforth took .on the status of ,u, too in January, •1$75, a new fire brigade was formed,with: the following 'officers. First officer, Thomas Bell;; , se- cond, John Curry; third, Dennis Hogan;. secretary, William Hill and treasurer, "Robert Willis. In '1Vtarcb, the new equipment for the fire apparatus arrived, George A. Sills was a charter member of the brigade and served faithfully for . sixty years. He retired in 1935. Ever since 1875, there has been a ,Sills in the brigade. The present one is D'Clriean of the third gen- eration. In May, 1878, the origirfaI .brigade changed its name to Phoenix Co. No. 1, and from then the Hook and Ladder Co. was known as Rescue Co. No. 1, the whole forming the Seaforth Fire Brigade. The ..Wein- begs' new uniforms, in 1885, were said to be very hand- some. The jackets were scarlet and the pants blue,'' with a red stripe. In 1889, the brigade won the International Hose Reel Race, at Mount Clemens, 1V1ichigan, in 'Sixty one and a half seconds. The team still retained ;its, title, but, failed to equal the world record of fifty-six and a half seconds which it won, for running and coupling a hose in 1888, at Sarnia, Ont. George A. Sills was the one Who did the running and coupling that day. Thio world record is still unchallenged.. In 1891, in spite of their world record, these champion firemen had to. stand idly by and watch their own market building burn to the ground, simply because all their fire fight- ing equipment, hose, hook and ladder carriages, etc., was stored in the building. Their gold braided uniforms also• went up in smoke. However, all was notlost, one brass . condenser from a hose nozzle was in George E. Henderson's Saddler Shop, being fitted with a new leather washer The following were fire 'chiefs' through the years and a few served more than one term, These chiefs were: James A. Cline, Dennis Hogan, George A. Sills, James R. Wright, George Murray, William Cline, Wil-, lam Reid, John P. Bell, Parker Oughton, Frank Sills, Alfred Box, R. G. Parke, John .Cummings, John Mc- Kenzie, E. J. "Pat" Box, A. W.tDick, Norman Scoins, Allan' Reid and John F. Scott, who has served from 1951, till the present time ' a longer period than any f the others. payers by vote, decided to have it run privately. The enterprise had not been a paying proposition, nor was it satisfactory to the council nor the people. Up to this time the power was used only for street and store lighting. It was produced at this small steam driven plant with two generators to supply light and one t supply current for arc lamps on a few streets. When James and Archie Scott purchased the plant for $5,000., they also bound themselves to add an incandescent -plant. The system at this time was not too satisfactory. When the lights flickered, people would say jokingly, "Jimmy is putting in another stick of wood". . This Seaforth Electric Light, Heat and Power Co., immediately arranged for the construction of a large brick building on land where Vanstone's had a lum- ber yard and Patrick Keenan a grocery store, in the early days. Charles Barber, in 1914, converted the building into a creamery and it is now used by Orval,.. Cooper as grocery store, with a' cold storage plant attached. Scott Bros. installed in this new building the latest in generating equipment and had power ready to be. distributed by September 1, 1894. Other additions were 'made as home consumers, industry and street lighting increased. After much discussion, for and against, the tate- payers gave a majority vote in August, 1910, to author- ,. ize council to contract for Hydro, and to issue deben- tures for $25,000 to cover the costs, Shortly after this, the contract was signed for 400 H.P. at $41.25 per H.P. per year. ,In May, the poles reached Seaforth and in June, a contract was let to Henry. B. Edge, to build the -substation on Victoria Street. On. December 1, 1911, the first Hydro power was distributed .in the town, and on December 3, the power was on for the full twenty- four hours and the street lights, for the first time, all night. By this time, the pessimists, who predicted the power would never . reach beyond Kitchener and that it would kill all bird life in the country, began now to see some of the benefits of Hydro, and to look more favorably upon this new fangled idea. After . Hydro was in use for a time, there was a steady reduction in the cost, and as cost decreased, de- f mond increased. In 1911, the power cost 8.6 cents per Kilowatt .H'our. The average. monthly peak used was 84 t Kilowatts and the number of customers served was 293. In 1965, the average' power rose to 2,143 Kilowatts, . t and. the number of customers increased to 916. c The names of those on the Commission on Decelh- f ber 1, 1911, were D. J. McCallum, chairman ; William a E. Kerslake and J. F. Daly, commissioners; J. C. Greig,. d mayor and 3d. Mole; superintendent. On January 1, 1912, the Public Utility Commission 2 was. formed. From that time, the waterworks and sew- S age, which had been formerly in charge of a commit- tee from council, became the responsibility of the o Public Utility Commission. One large project, a town a sewage system, was started in 1954, and gradually is d being extended to all parts of the town. Other Hydro Commission chairmen after D. J. McCaIlum left town in June, 1912, have been J. F. c Daly; John J. Cluff ; William H. Golding; Ernest L. 0 Box ; Andrew Y. McLean; George D. Ferguson; Ken- 2 neth Campbell; D'Orlean Sills; Frank Kling; and again D'Orlean Sills. R. S. Box is the present chair- man: The managers, since Ed Mole, have been E. L. Box, 'A. J. Calder, and for short periods, W. V. Brown, W. R. Thueli and J. R. Mason, then R. B. "Jake" Holmes and' since his death in 1958, the manager has been R. J. "Gus" Boussey. The hydro system in April, 1951, was changed from 25 to 60 cycles. New substations have been built because of the increase in the use of power. One was built on Chalk Street, in 1951, which was expected to supply.'all requirements for twenty years. The de- mand ;increased tb such an extent that another had to be built' iii 1962, in the north-west part of the town, Like the hydro, the coining of natural gas to the. town .has ,Peen a befit: The cereniony to celebrate its coming, Was, held. in September, 1958. FIRJ, BRIGADE Aa earl as 13,74, Seaforth had.a fire brigade wit a ' Gr file, the Mrd Wet Phj big' d .cnnsMMt- oc , R ate hd dri lid crtlrly" o POST OFFICE The Seaforth Post Office was established on De- cember 1, 1859. Alfred M. Patton, brother of James Patton, was the first postmaster and carried on till March 29, 1861. There is no record of the location of the Post Office at this time. Other postmasters have been George Inglis, 1861-1862; Archibald Dickson, 1863-1865; Samuel Dickson, 1865-1913; J.. Vii. Williams, 1913-1923; Charles P. Sills, 1924-1954; Fred E. Willis, 19544960; Orville Oke, 1960 till the present time: Miss Ruth Cluff was acting postmaster, for a time in both 1954 and 1960.. In 1862, :,Postmaster Geogre Inglis' amount of commission and allowance for stationery amounted to $187.20. No money orders were sold in this office at that time. James, Dickson, M.P., in 1863, built a small brick store for his son Archibald, at the corner of Main and St. John Streets, and the Post Office was here till Samuel Dickson's block was completed in' November, 1869. The office from then was in the north store, the one now used by Phillips Bros. as a storeroom. In these early days, Postmaster S. Dickson had difficulty in.. getting uncalled for letters delivered to people unknown to him, especially when they were insufficiently addressed as many of theta were. As a means of locating.these people, he frequently, in the 1870's, had the names' published in the local paper. Handwriting was another problem of Postmaster Dickson. Some writing was notoriously illegible, even, that of Division Court Clerk, Ludwig Meyer. On one occasion, Ludwig handed in a few letters that took considerable deciphering to decide in which direction to send them. With one, Mr. Dickson was baffled com- pletely.Ludwig had to' be consulted. After 'examing t closely and looking at it from -every angle, he finally tossed it back, saying as he did so: "Bah! Send it East. In July, 1911, the contractor, J. B. McKenzie, of Georgetown, commenced to build the new Post Office, on the east side of Main Street - the present red brick building with a clock in the -tower. The clock was in- stalled by J. F. Daly. This new Post Office opened or business on December 3, 1913. It was not till June, 1913, that twelve street Tet- er boxes were erected in different parts of the'town. Various stage routes carrying mail from as early as he 1860's were discontinued gradually as conditions hanged. One, of the earliest. daily stage routes was rom Seaforth to -Wroxeter. Mail that left Seaforth t 4 p.m., reached Wroxeter at 10 p.m. ' Rural mail elivery also made changes in the mail delivery. Sea- orth and Harlock R.R. • 1, was inaugurated August , 1909. There are now five rural routes serviced from eaforth Post Office. Till the 1950's, a row of sheds stood at the back f the Post Office, as a shelter for the.delivery horses nd vehicles that weathered the elerrients in the mail eliveries along the rural routes.. This mode of travel was discarded in the 1930's in favor of motor vehicles. W. M. "Marsh" Stewart, who for several •years, had the ontract to deliver mail from the train to the Post ffice, made his last delivery on Saturday, September 9, 1956. The new mail bus service commenced on the followifiik Monday, October 1. (To be continued) Cline aa,.cap <°> 4 cR rt 004 Ad�ulta: woicome fib' M ` e i a r: apply wa8 p ed .we e' eel.' - ger sa �p CLASSES NOW FORMING on Steel, Spanish GUITARS and DRUMS Guitars Rented For 20 Week Trial ENROLL NOW FOR FREE,SUMMER LESSONS HENRY 'PUSIFER. INSTRUCTOR Far lnfor,natiore and Appointment.. Phtn a 482 7166 •F.. CROMAPT • N..S OF T Mr. and Mrs Gordon Scott, Mrs. Sade) ;S,eott,, Miss Jean Coi . Olive Speare visited rday with Mr. and Airs, Fluter Colc,uhown,, Clinton. lVir. and, Vis. Vi.glAier,; ;nd Mrs. Grace Scott Were Sunday visitorsA, . with 'Mr.std Airs. E. H. Grabill:of d on, Mr. Lindsay ;McKellar and Mr. Ken ' McKellar attended the Spring Fair at Clinton on {Satur- day. Mr. William Hulley, who is a patient in Seaforth Communi- ty Hospital is progressing fav- orably. Mr. and Mrs. Reber Shute oft Kirktpn visited on Sunday, with Mr. and Mrs. Ale); Gardin- er. Master Billy Rulley is holi- daying with his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. James Ramsey, Listowel. Mr. and Mrs. George Wallace accompanied , by Mr. and Mrs. Donald Wallace of Carlingford, visited on Sunday with Mr, and Mrs. Percy Adams of Blyth. Mrs. John Wallace and Mrs, 1Viervin Dow as census enumer- ators, are busily engaged .in their work on the Southern concessions of Hibbert Town- ship. The pupils from several classes ' of Cromarty Sunday Used car dealer, 'driving up a hill: "This is the opportunity of a.lifetime." Customer. "Yes, I can hear it knocking." Classified ads pay dividends. -- NOTICE -- For Co -Op Insurance Call W. ARTHUR WRIGHT Phone 527-1464 - John St. SEAFORTH Complete Coverage For: •• Auto and Truck • Farm Liability • Employer's Liability. -,.• Accident and Sickness • Fire, Residence, Contents • Fire, Commercial • Life Insurance & Savings. • Huron Co-op Medical Services . • Wind Insurance 'School With 'their teachers, 1t tend d morning mass at Dub, listicitholic Church on Sunday. h*it Miss Olire peare< was.,'hos- tess for the ,lune 41rieding of the "WAS, ,;tfaingt1,,iiree e s, idThe ts' h re ipSrs WO read Mfs.Graceetan1►4rs, Carter tsy,who 'conduoted the tudy, d , Miss Spaare read • the Glad Tid- ings prayen,°The roll call thenie "Iigllt" was answered by 12 members and one Visitor, Mem- hers took part in reading an article in the.. Glad Tiding, , "A' Tested 'Formula for a Rappier Life". A film strip was Shown. by =Mrs. T., L. Segtt, The hostess° was assisted by 'Mrs. F. Allen and Mrs. R. Dodds, ASK FOR el INVITATIONS 0) ANNOUNCEMENTS fa ACCESSORIES COME IN AND ASK .. FOR YOUR FREE BRIDAL GIFT REGISTER THE HURON EXPOSITOR Phone 527-0240 1965 AMBASSADOR 1965 ACADIAN . 1965 CLASSIC SEDAN 1962 RAMBLER 2 -DOOR 1961 CHEV. BISCAYNE-6 Cylinder, 1959 FORD • See the New 1966 Models Now on Display MILLER MOTORS Phone 527-1410Seaforth e `wstii 15fp: Lraiwc #fir " ++�h +Mai► � >�171!!itr0J►. JOHN ;J./ wALsH' Phone 271-3000 - 48 Rebecca St„ STRATFORD Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. WANT ADS BRING QUICK S 1. 7'S . Vial #2T.6t4q- Read the Advertisements - It's, a Profitable Pastime! I was chatting not long ago ivith Some of the people responsible for planning the Telbphuhe Association of Can- ada Pavilion for Expo 67.,And, I was fascinated with the pro- ject. The major -telephone 'companies in Canada are. work ing as a team in this project. Site of the pavilion, which is now nearing completion; will be next to one of the ex-° hibition theme buildings, "Man The Explorer" on Be Verte, the manmade extension of St. Helen's Island in the St. Lawrence River. The main external feature of the pavilion, a' large "drum" in the centre of the building, will house a theatre Specially built to show a• spectacular film of Canada and its people. The Walt Disney Circle Vision 360° tech. • nique will be used for the first time in Canada. The huge . screen completely surrounds the viewer, who will feel part of the unfolding panorama: Children will not be forgotten -and special attractions- are being planned for them in the - Enchanted Forest. Visitors will also have a chance to see communications services of the future. I hope you are plan- ning now -,to visit our Telephone. -Association of Canada'Fav- ilion when you're at Expo 67' ... I am. • . * • Before you start on your summer vacation, wheth- er it's for two weeks or two months, please be sure to phone cancelling all deliveries to your home,. Milk bot- tles and newspapers on the doorstep tell burglars that there's no one at home. • It sounds incredible now, but back in the early days of . the telephone, people had to shout to be heard at the other end of the line. And telephone lines didn't cover many miles in those days either! Today, you can phone all the way aroundthe world, talk in a natural voice, and be heard clearly and easily. This kind of improvement doesn't happen by accident. It's the result of constant research and development in the communications field. In fact, improve- ment in telephone communications is a continuing process. Talking directly into the mouthpiece helps give your voice greater clarity.. and just the right volume. You can talk in a natural voice and make the most of the wonderful con- venience and -dependability of- your telephone. • • PASSEPORT POUR l.A TFRRI Of', HOMN/IK 4 *AI,* expo67 PASSPORT TO MAN AND HIS WORLD Pick yours up now WHILE ' OFFICIAL. DISCOUNT PRICES APPLY at your neighbourhood. chartered bank branch! Open and build a ) Pan* Expo 67 Tour Account. Be sure your family sees ESS g'j'-ecru`g$ to Wit; la at 'Lab C1 AR'1`ERED BANKS SERVING riot- AND .OUR.C2ylt MUN1T • �wwwitM Y YriiiNw•IYi� �iii�Irri ,ove :N • ,• • s • • • • • R A • •