Clinton News-Record, 1966-08-11, Page 3Page 2—Clinton News-Record—Thurs,, Aug. 11, 1966 Rambling With Lucy
(LMcy Rt Woods!Clinton News-Record
THE CLINTON NEW
Established 1865
Amalgamated THE CLINTON NEWS-RECORD
1924 Established 1881
Published Every Thursday At The Heart
Of Huron County
Clinton, Ontario, Canada
Population 3,475
A. LAURIE COLQUHOUN, PUBLISHER
El i® ®
Signed contributions to this publication, are the opinions
of tha writers only, and do not necessarily express
the views of the newspaper.
Class Mall. Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for Payment of Postage In Cash
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Payable In advance — Canada and Great Britain: $5.00 a year;
United States end Foreign: 6.50, Single Copies: 12 Cents.
ERA
Motorbikes Demand Common Sense Driving
Clinton and district appears to have
its quota of two-wheeled traffic menaces
—the new fad of motorbikes. We have
not had a death in our immediate area
caused by motorcyclists, but they are
creating a nuisance on streets and high
ways.
In Monday’s Globe and Mail, three
of the weekend traffic deaths reported
were operators of small motorcycles.
They ranged in age from 16 to 25.
While attending the Canadian
Weekly Newspaper Association conven
tion in Saint John, New Brunswick, last
week, a former editor of this newspaper
clipped the following editorial from The
Evening Times Globe of that city; it
should be a, warning to cyclists in our
own area.
* * it
, “MQTOR CYCLISTS would be wise
to take to heart the safety messages
issued by police this week in the wake
of many accidents in Saint John and
district.
“The two-wheeled vehicle is harder
than the four-wheeled to drive — or
drive well, anyway. For a start, you
need to maintain proper balance, par
ticularly with a passenger.
“It is also obviously more risky.
Skidding is more liable to happen. With
out a windshield for protection, rain can
be not only uncomfortable ibut can cut
the driver’s visibility seriously. Goggles
are a must in order to 'avoid sudden
blinding by an insect or dust. A pot-hole
that merely jerks the steering-wheel of
a car can hurl a bike into the ditch
along with all aboard. And in a collision
bike riders are at an obvious disadvan
tage.
“On top of all this the motorcycle
operator must face all the hazards of
modern highway travel that everyone
else does.
“There’s only one answer, and it’s
quite simple: Use commop sense. That
means handling the machine with the
utmost respect for its power and obeying the riiles of the road even more
closely that the average motorist.
“With the right attitude, the motor
cyclist can expect to enjoy for a long
time the freedom and pleasure his ‘set
of wheels’ gives him. Without it, he
might just ;as well drive directly to the
nearest cemetery.”
From Our Early Files ' •
History Of Salt
In Clinton Area
SUGAR
AND SPICE
by Bill Smiley
LAKEVIEW CASINO
Grand Bend
A Visit To
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12
THE
COMMANCHEROS
75 Years Ago
THE CLINTON NEW ERA
Thursday, August 14, 1891
A certain young lady used
rather expensive kindling to
start a fire the other morning.
A relative, was visiting her and
wrapped' up $15 in some old
paper for safe-keeping. The par
cel got dropped on the floor,
and the lady of the house,
thinking it was nothing but a
ball of old newspaper, used ilt
to start the fire with.
The White Star steamer, Ma
jestic, has broken ia record from
Queenston to New York. Time:
5 days, 18 hours and 18 min
utes.
United States Secretary of
Agriculture Rusk has been' in
■ New York trying to run down
certain firms said to be ex
porting horse fleslh to France
as prime Texas or Montana
steer meat.
It is said that Mr. Crews,
hotel keeper at Benmiller, has
rented the old Ilrancestown
hotel, Exeter north, and will
shortly take- possession thereof.
55 Years Ago
CLINTON NEWS-RECORD
Thursday, August 10, 1911
Sir Wilfred Laurier will open
the Federal campaign at the
town of Simcoe, Norfolk
County, on Tuesday afternoon,
August 15th, and will be accom
panied by the Minister of Cus
toms and the Postmaster-Gen
eral.
“If the Amerioan flag does
not go to London, Ont., next
week the Detroit-London Old
Boys don’t go”,' declared George
Moore, president of the London
Old Boys Association of Des
troit, when asked what action
would be taken as a result of
the removal of the United
States flag from the street dec
orations.
The town of Seaforth has
purchased the 13,000 volt elec
tric equipment from the water,
light and .heat Commission of
St. Mary’s for the sum of
$1,000 .The sale was made by
the Hydro-electric Commission,
and. the equipment will be
transferred to Seaforth, by the
Canadian General Electric
Company.
............................................. .........~ "
Years
*
CLINTON NEWS-RECORD
' Thursday, August 12, 1926
Devotees of golf, and indeed
those (interested in sports and
sportmen generally, will be in
terested' in knowing that Wal
ter Hagen, the world famous
golfer, and at one time world
champion, was -a visitor last
Friday at Bluewater Golf and,
Country Club, Goderich.
The paving .on the Huron
Road has been almost finishod
as far as the 4th concession,
where the contractors will leave
this end of it and go back to
Goderich, working from .the
town back to the 4th.
On Monday morning Chief
Stong was notified that one
of tine inmates from, the Houis’e
of Refuge had left the. place
and started into town, that he
had stabbed another inmate, in
flicted. .severe injuries and was
believed to still have possession
of his knife.
10 Years Ago
CLINTON NEWS-RECORD
Thursday, August 16, 1956
A special class in the domes
tic Section of the Bayfield Fall
Fair has been added this year
since 1956 is the Centennial!
year of the fair. This is for a
three-tier fruit cake, suitably
iced for the occasion and enter-
•ed in the class.
A bank account has been
opened under the name of
“Clinton Community Swimming
Pool Fund”. The Kinsmen Club
of Clinton and the Huron Fish
and Game Club, Clinton, have
already pledged $1,000 each to
the fund.
Harold s E.
known in
this week
certificate
announced
with. regard to his work as an
insurance salesman.
-----------o-----------
Hartley, better
Clinton as “Hal”,
received his framed
recording an award
• early this spring
25 Years Ago
CLINTON NEWS-RECORD
Thursday, August 14, 1941
The War Services Committee
have opened a Recreation Room
over the hank of Montreal for
all members of the Radio
School, Air Force', Navy and
Militia. They are invited to
make it their home while in
town.
Reports have been circulated
quite frequently during the
past number of months concern
ing a fourth airport to be. es
tablished in Huron County. It
is generally agreed now that
a 900 acre tract of land in the
Crediton and Centralia districts
of South Huron will be the
scene of a new air' field.
Weekend Specials advertised
in local stores: Cresia, 3 lb.
tin, 65c; Aylmier Veg. or Tom.
soup, 2 tins, 17c; Maple Leaf
cooked ham, per lb., 60c; Maple
Leaf fresh cheese, per lb., 30c;
Ivory Flakeis, lg. pkg., 25c; Van
Camps Tom. Juice, 48 oz. tin,
25c.
OMSIP Questions
and Answers
QUESTION’: How does an
individual who ;has just moved
to Ontario obtain OMSIP cov
erage? What are the require
ments?
ANSWER: An applicant must
have resided in Ontario for a
continuous period of 90 days
immediately prior to the date
of application. Persons applying
within 30 days of meeting this
residency requirement will re
ceive coverage and benefits on
the first of 'the month, following
the initial premium payment.
Should a prospective subscriber
not make application within 30
days of completing residency
requirements, coverage will
start three months after the
first premium is paid.
Salt was discovered at Goderich 100 years ago. The Sifto
Salt Company (a division of Dam- Tar Ltd.) the largest pro
ducer of salt in Canada which owns and operates the salt wells
and hard rpck mine, will erect a cairn opposite the jail in the
County Town to mark the event. It will overlook the spot
where it was discovered and mounted on it will be a one-ton
block of rock salt.
Reading about this prompted Lucy to make enquiries about
Clinton and Seaforth. She could still recall the row of chem
ist’s bottles containing ^samples of salt in John Ransford’s office
window back of the Molson’s Bank.
Fred Sloman was interested in history, she was told he
might know when the first salt well was drilled. He' didn’t
know but he volunteered to make enquiries, but he could .only
obtain guesses as to dates,
“Clinton salt has somewhat lost its, savour,” he remarked.
In the end, after putting Mr. Sloman and others to con
siderable inconvenience, Lucy got Carl to “burrow” through a
drawer containing old newspapers wherein was the desired
information — much to her surprise!
It was in 1870 that the .first salt was brought in north west
of the CNR station behind what is now F. Hudie’s mill. It
was known as McGarva’s Salt Works.
Three men were interested in it: a Mr. Combe, a druggist,
who came to Clinton in 1858 from Wakefield, Yorkshire, and
bought out la Mr. .Smith. (He operated the drug store until
the salt boom.); John McGarva, sand associated with them a
Mr. Laycock, editor of the local weekly paper, but the day
they struck salt was very .hot-—it was in July—.and he got a
sunstroke and died.
Shortly/after this, John Ransford who had .been born in
England and emigrated in 1868 to Clinton, and his brother
Richard established the Stapleton Salt Works. They were
adjacent to the house built by their father, Henry Ransford,
now owned by Mrs. Willis.
By 1879, .according to the Huron County Atlas, the Rans-
fords operated both the McGarva and Stapleton salt works,
producing 300 barrels per day.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred .Sloman and Lucy’s husband Cart are
.amongst the many who recall the towers of both works. When
a young man, Cart went to Stapleton for salt to use in storing
the hay in the mow. /
After Goderich .and Clinton, the salt boom hit Seaforth,
Coleman and Gouinton employed 60-75 men; Grey, Young and
Sparling, 20-25 men, and there was also a Merchants’ Salt
Company, But in time these industries petered out in Clinton
and (Seaforth.
Lucy was browsing through some old cook books recently.
She enjoyed the recipes in imagination—even extra, salt is
prohibited on her restricted diet. How many housewives ever
stop to think of the importance of salt in thear cooking? And
in pioneer days with limited refrigeration it was even more
important.
Salt is necessary for man and .beast. In the early days
the deer gathered at the “salt licks” near St. Marys. The
cattleman sees bis .herd rush for salt put out in their pasture
op certain days — sometimes in- troughs, sometimes in small
heaps on the ground. Generally used in conjunction with the
loose salt .are the salt blocks.
In days gone by, salt was sown sparingly as fertilizer
with wheat and peas.
Lucy was reminded of Inspector J. Elgin Tom, Goderich,
giving the scholars a little lesson on control of the larvae of
cabbage butterflies when he visited Bayfield Public School.
“Sprinkle the cabbages with a watering can of water to
which salt has been .added (Lucy has forgotten the proportion).
It will .kill the caterpillars and run down the cabbage stem
.and act as a fertilizer for the plants,” he explained. And went
on to add how much better it was to use that than any poison
which would be injurious to man.
Lucy tried it once but as she recalls, it had to be applied
fairly frequently. And she never was able to grow such .great
• big healthy looking cabbages such as envisioned by Inspector
Tom — but perhaps that was due to the light sandy soil of
the vegetable garden. >
In keeping winter roads open to motor traffic, the On
tario Department of Highways is perhaps the largest single
consumer of salt today. It keeps the roads open but is the bane
of the automobile owner today in its propensity to rust bodies.
This (area is fortunate in having a generous supply of both
salt and water available in case of shortage.
In the area of Clinton and Seaforth, drillers for oil ,and
gas invariably encounter salt. In 1954 the Imperial and Sun
Oil Companies joined in a deep drilling project for gas or oil
, on the farm of George Wilson, Concession 4, Stanley Town
ship, opposite Baird’s Cemetery. They struck .granite at 3,490
feet and were forced to stop. They went through three dis
tinct layers of salt (300 feet in all) and between the 500-550
foot level struck .pure crystal salt 100 feet in depth. The dril-
• lers sprinkled it on their sandwiches. About the 700 foot level
they got into an underground river and for three days their
grindings were washed away by the current.
In the analysis there was a trace of iron but no oil or gas.
The rust on the stones in the river shows and iron content in
the soil, Mr. Wilson told Lucy.
The Hometown
Spent a week in the old
■hometown recently, and, as
usual,* it was anything but a
rest. The weather was per
fect, but tiie hospitality was
exhausting.
It’s not really my home
town. I didn’t grow up there,
physically. But I spent a dec
ade there in the newspaper
-business, and maybe I grew
up there in other ways. Any
way, when you walk down
the main street, and every
second person stops to shake
hands and ask about your
family, and 'tell you what
their kids are doing now, it’s
your hometown.
A small town changes and
yet remains the same. A few
businesses have changed
hands. Some of the stores
have.new fronts. The paint on
the hotel has been changed
from passionate purple to
ghasitly green. The shady,
tree-lined street on which you
used to live has been raped:
the stately trees cut to ugly
stumps, as the street is to1 be
widened.
But the biggest changes
are the people. The young
men you used to work and
play with are grizzled or as
bal'd as eggs. The young
•women you used to look at
with Some interest because of
their big eyes are sagging and
dentured. The lovable kids'
that your kids used to play
with 'are hulking adolescents’,
some of them delinquents'
with police records. And your
old partner, once apparently
indestructible, is taking eight
different colors of pills.
Despite the changes, there
is continuity as comfortable
as an old fishing hat. The
Chamber of Commerce is still
fighting over store hours. Thie
Industrial Commission is on
the verge o<f announcing a
huge new industry. The fire
brigade races periodically to
the town, dump, where the in
cinerating process has got out
of hand because the caretaker
has bagged off for a beer.
Some of the local charac
ters have gone to their' re
ward, but many are still a-
round. The* local lawyer still
plays his electric organ be
tween clients. The local mil
lionaire. still lugs bags of salt
and feed into the back of his
’66 model, and lugs it out to
feed his cattle. The barber,
with whom you once shared, a
riotous Legion zone rally, still
quips with his customers,
though he went off to1 fight in
a war over 50 years ago. The
canny Scot chortles' as he
tells you his shore lots ate
now going over $4,000. The
same' waiter insults the same
customers, in the pub. The
same beer barrel in human
form sits fin the sarnie seat in
the same pub.
The same people still come
to 'the- same cottages. Except
that the pregnant young ma
tron was a skinny kid in bare
feet last time you saw her.
And the handsome young
chap who works at the sum
mer store was 'a tyke called
Johnny-Cake last time you
, Saw him-
However, it's good to get
back for a visit. And it's
never uneventful.
Kept my hand in by writ
ing a few new stories for the
paper. Took the family to the
Indian reserve; same1 beauti
ful view and easy-going in
habitants. Dropped in on old
(Continued on page 6)
-.- ............................
V
Wedding Pictures
JERVIS STUDIO
Phone 482-7006
OIL BURNER
SERVICE AND
SUMMER
CLEANOUTS
Make Your Arrangements Now
Before The Fall Rush
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13
THE BRITISH
MODBEATS
LET'S 60 KIDS ..
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14
THE ROOTS OF
ALL EVIL
Vacation Bible School
For ages from 5-13 years
CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
BIBLE STORIES
CLINTON
SONGS CRAFTS
A Good Time For All
GUARANTEED
TRUST CERTIFICATES
• issued in amounts from $100
upwards for 3, 4 or 5 years.
• earn the above indicated' interest,
payable half-yearly by cheque.
• authorized investment for all
Canadian Insurance Companies
and trust funds.
z
V 'J\STERLING TRUSTS/
\ CORPORATION /
35 Dunlop St.,
Barrio
872 Bay Sk
Toronto
73 Mlssissaga B.,
Orillia
Business and Professional
SUNSET DRIVE-IN
GODERICH
Thursday Is /'Buck Night *
For A Carload
Directory
OPTOMETRY INSURANCE
STREET CARNIVAL
On Albert Street between
Main Cotner & Ratten bury
CLINTON LIONS CLUB
Annual Summer
Main Street — Clinton
Wednesday, August 17
Carnival Games
Games of Skill
ENTERTAINMENT
FOR EVERYONE
CASH BINGO
DRAW
Phone 482-9411 Clinton
Contact Us For All Your Fuel Oil Needs
20tfb’ ......................... ....................................................................................J
RIBESf
FOR ALL
CHILDREN
1966 Silver Dollars
1st Draw: 75 Silver Dollars
2nd\DfdW: 25 Silver Delldts
Tickets: 25c each or 5 for
$1.00
from Lions Club MembersREFRESHMENTS
Proceeds For Lions Club Welfare Work in Clinton District
■h *
THURS., FRI., SAT.
August 11-12-13
HOT - COOL & COUNTRY
"LAS VEGAS
HILLBILLYS"
Ferlin Husky, Jayne Mansfield
Mamie Van Doren
In Color —
J. E. LONGSTAFF
OPTOMETRIST
Mondays and Wednesdays
20 ISAAC STREET
482-7010
SEAFORTH OFFICE 527-1240
K. W. COLQUHOUN
INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE
Phones: Office 482-9747
Res. 482-7804
JOHN WISE, Salesman
Phone 482-7265
Mara of the
Wilderness"
— In Color —
MONDAY - TUESDAY
August 15-16
SCREAM THROUGH EVERY
SECOND OF THEM!
(Adult Entertainment)
Ladies’ Man - And Lady Killer!
"RASPUTIN — THE
MAD MONK"
Half Wotnan - Half Snake!
‘■THE REPTILE"
Bbth Shows in Color —-
TUtSDAY - WEDNESDAY
August 17^18
(Adult Entertainment) x
Two Meh Are One Man On
"THE THIRD DAY”
George Peppard
Elizabeth Ashley
—• In Color •—
"The Hound That
Thought He Was
A Raccoon"
G. B. CLANCY, O.D.
— OPTOMETRIST —
For Appointment
Phone 524-7251
GODERICH
H. C. LAWSON
First Mortgage Money Available
Lowest Current Interest Rates
INSURANCE-REAL ESTATE
INVESTMENTS
Phones: Office 482-9644
Res. 482-9787
aluminumproducts
R. W. BELL
OPTOMETRIST
The Square, GODERICH
524-7661
For Air-Master Aluminum
Doors and Windows
and
Rockwell Power Tools
JERVIS SALES
R. L. Jervis i—68 Albert SL
Clinton — 482-9390
THE McKILLOP MUTUAL
FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY
FIRE INSURANCE M
.. COMPANY ' . '.J|
Office —* Main Street
SEAFbRTH
w/ mithoTlwiiLi
If--
__I’?* < ’
iiisuresi
Town Dwellings
All Claiss of Farm Property
Summer Cottages
Churches, Schools, Haiti
Extended coverage (wind,
smoke, water, damage, falling
objects etc.) fa also available*
Agents: James Keys, RR 1, Seaforth; V. J. Ho-ne, RR 5, Sea
forth; Wm. Leiper, Jr,, Londesboro; Selwyn Baker, Brussels;
Seaforth.