The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1959-02-05, Page 1..,aarrrmr•T
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BABY PIES IN FIRE—Charred window of bedroom in which one -year-old Mary
Crossman died during fire at Huron Park Tuesday morning is seen in this view of the
duplex, Fire damage to the building wasn't great, but it was augmented by smoke
and water injury. Women's auxiliary of the park is making a drive for clothing
and furnishings. —T -A Photo
Move To Develop Park,
Purchase Two -Acre Plot
Steps toward the first expan-
sionsion of Riverview Park in
over half a century were taken I
by Exeter council Monday night
when it agreed to purchase twoj
and three-quarter acres west of!
the .present park.
Council will pay $14,000 for the
Ray Frayne property over a
period of two yea,l'S. Part pay.i
ment of $2,000 will be made this;
year, the balance in 1960.
Council indicated itwould set
up a reserve fund this year to!
-spread the cost more evenly•over
the two-year period, There is
some hope that financial assist-
ance may be available in the'
form of government grants.
The purchase is subject to the
approval of the Ontario Muni-
cipal Board but officials antici-
pate little difficulty here.
HS To Pick
New Queen
SITDHS students are currently
making up their minds — with
some prodding — which of 10
candidates they will choose as
queen of their annual "At Home"
dance next weak,•
Two girls from each of grade
13, special commercial and three
grade 13 classes have been nom-
inated, With the extra grade 12
class this year, there, are two
more candidates than usual.
Students in grade 13, probably
piqued by the supremacy of spe-
cial commercial girls during the
See Pictures On Back Page
past two years, have launched
a. campaign to promote their
candidates, Eleanor Hodgins and
Marion Yungblut.
Special commercial, which
elected Helen Down last year
and Nancy Fahner the year be-
fore, has nominated Ram Mac-
Millan and Margaret Masse.
The grade 12 candidates in-
clude ;rano Horton, Paula Bou-
lianne, Kobin Smith, Patsy
Cooper, Tanet Gascho, and Mar-
lene McBride.
Voting will take place on
Thursday, the day before the big
Valentine fall. Paul Cross and
his orchestra will provide the
music.
Mohawk Fans
Escape Crash
Two town hockey fans escaped
injury Tuesday night when their
car turned over after hitting the
snowbank beside No. 4 highway
south of Exeter.
Ward Kraft, 38, Senior street,
was driving home from the game
in Lucan when the car went out
of control in the wet snow. Dam-
age was estimated at $800 by PC
Hank Reid.
Fog was responsible for a $625
crash near Farquhar Thursday
when a car driven by Ludder
Dykstra, 31, R.R, 1, Kirkton, ran
into a parked truck owned by
James Gardiner, 47, R.R. 1,
Kirkton,
The Gardiner vehicle was trav-
elling west when the driver
stopped to clean his windshield.
Dykstra, also westbound, failed
to see the truck because of the
fog. PC Reid investigatd.
A road described as a'"skating
rink" contributed to a $95 crash
at Centralia Wednesday, Jan. 28,
involving Seth Winer, 52, Exeter,
and Gordon Wilson, 64, Rat. 1,
Crediton.
The two vehieles met rounding
a blind corner. Ice prevented
them Haim stopping.
Where To
Find It
Announcements „ ....tdt til 2 s. 11
Church Notices 5
Coining EVeliti . 5
Editorials 2
Entertainment 13
Farm News 9, 15
Feminine Facts 7
Nensall 6
Lueart 12
LoOking In With Lit , 14
Sports 4, 10, 15
Want Ads , 11
ZuNdti S
Commit's move came just in
time to forestall private develop.
ment of the arca. Preparations
were being made for the pur-
chase of four lots on which
homes would have been built
this spring.
Mr. Frayne offered. the pro-
perty to the council last year but
members appeared lukewarm
toward it, partly because of the
apparent red tape involved in
purchasing land held under De-
partment of Veteran's Affairs
jurisdiction. The move met with
strong support Monday night,
however. None of the councillors
opposed the move.
:Reeve McKenzie felt the area
should have been surveyed first,
indicating the price was too high
if the plot didn't measure two
acres. Deputy -Reeve Mawhinney
also thought the cost was high,
Neither objected to the vote,
however.
Mayor Pooley pointed out that
an OAC landscaping expert re-
commended five years ago that
the town purchase the property
even if it had to pay $25,000 for
it. He pointed out the excellent
scenic possibilities of the area.
as well as the requirement of
more land for PUC and recrea-
tion purposes.
PUC Chairman L. 3. Penhale,
who discussed the area with
council, recommended counci'
give "serious consideration to
the .purchase". He pointed out
that in one to three years. the
PUC may need land for a filtra-
Car, Feet Fail,
Skates To Work
Skates came to the rescue
of John Kingma last week.
Starting out from his home
in Usborne, a mile west of
town, he lost control of his
car and it went into the
,ditch.
He tried to walk on the ice
but found it impossible'.
So he donned a pair of
skates and skated to work at
Cann's Mill Ltd.
tion plant,
• Sup't Hugh Davis quoted fig-
ures indicating water consump-
tion had increased from 83 mil-
lion gallops in 1950 to 131 mil-
lions in 1958. If the canning
plant operates, and requires an-
other 17 millioa gallons a year,
he doubted if the present system
could supply it.
This meant water from the
Morrison Dam in Ushorne would
have to be filtered for town use.
D e p u t y -R e e v e Mawhinney
asked what proportion of the
purchase price the PUC was pre-
pared to ..ontribute. Chairman
Penhale said the commission
could not afford to invest at the
present time but it would be pre-
pared to pay council a propor-
tionate amount to the purchase
price for land it would need for
a filtration plant.
Councillors George Rether and
Bill Musser moved that purchase
be made. Councillor Ross Tay -
tor supported the move, staring
"we've been putting it off for
two years."
Street Complaints
Review of the town work force
and its managemerit resulted
from the airing of complaints re-
garding condition of. streets and
sidewalks during the past two
weeks.
. Councillors were reflecting -the
views of citizens who have aired
objection to icy roads.
CouncilL,r Rether felt people
on. back streets deserved better
service and felt both roads and
sidewalks should have been
sanded and salted earlier.
Road chairman Glen.n Fisher
said several serious drain prob-
lems had taken the men off
street work. "You can't do
everything at once."
Councillor Musser reported
that after the roads had finally
been sanded lie noticed one of
the employees sweeping off the
sand at the corners,
Reeve McKenzie felt Exeter
did a good job on -roads consider-
ing what was done in other cen-
tres. He also felt the council
— Please Turn To Page 14
Eighty -Second Year
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EXETEK.ONTARIO, FEBRUARY L 19A9
Price Por ;opy 10 ,COntOr
aby, Barn, Shop Lost
In Three District Fires
Barn Loss
$15,000
A 30.year•old Usborne farmer,
Harry Squire, of R.R. 1 Wood-
ham, suffered a crippling blow
Monday when fire destroyed his
big 44 x 80 barn and mast of its
contents.
Destroyed were 20 pigs, 2,00.0
bushels of oats, a large quantity
of hay and a manure spreader.
Loss was unofficially estimated
at $15,000.
Neighbors helped to get 13
head of cattle out. of the blazing
barn and the fit. Marys fire
brigade kept the driveshed and
hen house from burning.
The owner was away at the
time. He didn't arrive. home un-
til the building was nearly down.
Brothers Ross and Reg Mc-
Curdy, who were driving by,
spotted smoke coming out of the
barn aand notified Mrs, Squire,
who was in the house.
"When I looked out you could
see just a little bit of smoke
coming of the gangway
door," said Mrs. Squire. "The
next time 1 saw 11 it was a mass
of flames."
She gave the alarm to the
Kirkton operator, then rushed to
the barn to help neighbors 'get
the cattle out,
The blaze appeared to start in
the upper section of the north
end where the hay was stored.
The owner said some pigs
were saved but 20 died in the
blaze, ranging 'fromfat hogs to
wieners. He said there was over
2,000 bushels of grain in the barn
but he wasn't sure as to the
quantity of hay.
The farm is about one mile
and one-half east of Woodham.
The Squires purchased •it about
five years ago,
Mooresville Fire
Initiates Truck
Early Sunday morning about
4.30 a.m. ' fire was discovered
near Mooresville at the wood-
working shop on the property of
Mr. 'and Mrs. •Wm. Cornish., ...
The new Liman fire truck made
its first run and assisted in sav-
ing the stucco house but all that
was left of the shop was the
chimney.
It once belonged to the late
John Gilmour who worked there
for many years. Mrs. Cornish
is a patient in the Pines Haven
Nursing Home, Lucan and Mr.
Cornish was visiting his brother,
John Cornish, at Merton.
Furnishings Stolen
Police reported theft of $200,
worth of furnishings from the
cottage of Norman Walper, Exe-
ter, at Port Blake, near Grand
Bend,
The cottage was entered some-
time between Christmas and Sa-
turday. when the loss was dis-
covered. •
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TRIED TO REACH BABY FIVE TIMES—Mrs. Frank Crossman, seen above with the
two children who were with her in the basement when they smelled smoke corning
from the upstairs, tried five times to reach her one -year-old baby who finally suf-
focated in an upper bedroom at Huron Park Tuesday. Johnnie, three, and Phyllis,
four, above, were enjoying a swing in the basement while their mother was doihg
laundry. —T -A Photo
New Development
Plan Lots Inside Block?
A plan to open up enough land
for about eight building lots in-
side one of the town's larger
blocks was presented to council
Monday night by Wilson Morley,
Andrew street.
Mr. Morley revealed that near-
ly 60,000 square feet of land was
available inside the block border-
ed by Andrew, Sanders, Edward
and Victoria streets.
He proposed that a 35 -fool lane
be opened up between his pro-
perty and that of Emerson Cor-
nish on Andrew street to pro-
vide access to the ground.
"We could provide four good
building lots there immediately
and possibly extend it to six,"
he told council. "I already have
a number of people who are in-
terested in putting up houses in
• "
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He was accompanied by Mr.
Cornish and Arthur Whilsmith,
local builder.
Council said it would approve
the plan providing it met regula-
tions established by the Ontario
Department of Planning and
Development, and the require-
ments of health authorities.
Call Tenders This Week For Construction Of New Central Public School In McGillivray
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McGILLIVRAY TOWNSHIP'S NEW CENTRAL. PUBLIC SCHOOL This
sketch by architects, Blackwell and Ilagarty, London, shows modern de-
sign of new central school which will be erected near the West McGil-
livray corner, Debentures were sold by council last week to a brokerage
firm and the architects have called foe tenders for construction this
Week. The eight -classroom school features a sliding door between two
rooms which Can be opened up into ati assembly hall, At the end of this
)
hall there is a raised teachers' room with ilartitions which can be re
moved to make a stage, 'Me school will be of brick and block construc-
tion with a steel roof deck and metal windows. All •glass on front, shown
above, will be double -glazed, a feature which should save enough on
heat to pay for itself in three years, according to the architects. Pluores-
cent lights will be used throughout.
• Blackwell and Itagartyr London
Officials pointed out there
were a number of large blocks
in the town in which the length
of the lots was far too long for
the average homeowner. This
meant there was considerable
land wasted in these areas.
Arena 'Broke' Again
Reeve McKenzie, reporting for
the centres board. said the board
had spent all of the grant of
$1,500 approved at the last meet-
ing and was again without funds.
This led to a discussion about
plans of the curling club, which
is reported to be considering a
drive to raise funds to erect a
rink of its own.
Councillor Rether asked the
reeve if the board had met with
the curling club in an effort to
,see if accommodation couldn't
be provided in the arena to avoid
the erection of another building.
With the arena already costing
the town over $10,000 a year,
Rether felt the loss of curling
club revenue might sink it fur-
-Please Turn To Page 14
"I tried to get up to the bed-
room five times but the smoke
kept driving me away," a dis,
tressed mother described the
tragedy Tuesday morning f,,t
Huron Park.
Baby Mary Grace Crossmans
only three days from her first
birthday, died of asphyxiation in
her crib front a fire which it
still a mystery.
PC Cecil Gibbons announced
Wednesday there would be no
inquest. Investigation is beins
conducted by air force authori-
ties, however. Fire marshal's
O from training command at Tren-
ton have arrived on the scene:
Appointed president of the
board of inquiry is F/L Connor
O Gilligan, Centralia.
Mrs. Crosman described the
tragedy this way;
"I had dried the baby and she
was nice and •clean and happy m
her crib. The other two kids
came downstairs with me to have
breakfast and then we wept to
the basement.
"The kids were having A
swing ancl I was doing the
laundry when I smelled smoke.
I tried to get to the bedroom
but I couldn't.
Coroner Dr. J. G. Goddard,
Hensall, pronounced the baby
dead at the station hospital,
Mary Grace was the youngest
of five children of Sgt Arthur
Crossman and his wife 210 Ale
gonquin Drive. They came to
Centralia in June, 1957.
Arthur, 10, Linda, eight, were
at school and Sgt, Crossman, a
food services attendant, was at
work when the fire broke out.
Two children at home were Phyl•
lis, four, and Johnnie, three.
The family is now staying with
a neighbor, Armand Ratte, while
authorities are attempting to
find quarters. Ladies groups on
the station are collecting cloth-
ing and furnishings to replace
those damaged.
Fire damage to the building
, was confined to one bedroom but
smoke and water affected the
balance of the building.
Fire department was under
the acting fire chief, Sgt, J. S.
St. Louis. They entered the bed-
room both from within and by
the window.
Authorities confirmed that a
cigarette lighter had been found
near the child's crib but felt it
could not have been responsible
for the blaze because there was
?no wick or packing in it.
Cold Establishes
'Another Record
1 The coldest temperature of the
week was recorded on Monday
with 11.2 degrees below zero.
This is a record for February ac-
cording to the Met section
R.C.A.F. Centralia, who have
been recordingtemperatures
since 1948. The high for the day
was 16 degrees.
If the ground hog ventured out
!from his winter quarters
day he could definitely see his
shadow for for the sun shone all
1day. So Exeterites can pull up
1
; their coat collars and prepare
for another six weeks of winter.
1 Heaviest snowfall of the week
was reported on Tuesday with
3.1 inches falling mostly in the
early evening.
Lows and highs were: Friday.
; 23 and 31; Saturday, -6 and 16;
! Sunday, -3.4 and 12.5; Monday,
j -11.2 and 16; Tuesday, 5 and 25.
Spelling Champions
Meet Here Tuesday
Fourth annual championship
spelldown in this area will be
held Tuesday night, February 10
at Exeter Public School,
...latc. competition, sponsored by
The Times-Advocate.,will form
part of the Exeter Home and
School Association meeting
which is open to the public.
Public School Inspector G.
John Goman is again in charge
of the spelldown which will de-
cide the successor to Margaret
Elgie of Hensall Public School,
who won the championship
shield in 1958.
Over 30 local school cham-
pions are expected to compete
for the district title.
At stake is over $1.00 worth of
prizes and The Times -Advocate
championship shield which the
winner wilt keep for one year.
In addition to the shield, the
district champion will receive
for rermanent possession a
, world globe valued at $11.95
' along with a 96 -page booklet en-
titled "See the -World on a
Rate Reduction
Heralds Week
Reduction itt the rates
for flat rate water heater
was announced by Exeter
PUC Wednesday to herald
National Electrical W k,
February 8 10 14.
Sup't yogi, Davis said
the reduetion Will mean a
saving up to 20 percent for
Electrical Week features
offered by merchants ap-
pear off pages S, 6, and 7.
Globe."
Runner-up will receive a
copy of Webster's Dictionary, an
illustrated 1,200 -page abridge-
ment of Webster's New Interna-
tional Dictionary.
All school winners who enter
the competition will be awarded
a sleek black -and silver Seripto
push-button ball point pen with
the engraving, "School Cham.
pion, The Exeter Times -Advo'
ego Spelling Competitien,"
Inspector Goman =enticed
the competition in a membrane
dum to all 'principals in the clise
trict last week, in which he in-
vited entries to the monster bee.
In order to simplify adminise
tration, the ttire competition
will be:confined to one big .eVes.
ning. No elimination contest
will he held prior to February 10
except in the individual schools.
If entries are heavy for the
"Champions' Spclldown," there
will be a •written competition. at
7:30 p.m. February 10 to trim
the number of -contestants10
manageable size.
Schools competing including
those in the townships of Ste,
Oen, Usborne, Hay Tuckce-
smith, Stanley, Ilibbert, Bide
dulph and McGillivray and as
Well as those in Exeter, Hensall
Grand Bend, RCAF Station Ceti*
Italia and Lucati.
Winner Of The Timet -Advocate
shield itt 1056 was Carol Gib'
bons, Exeter, Whe. was sate
eeeded by John tthoringtoni
It.11. 1 Hotta. These two ebtile
peted in tli Me flea's vliiit
were sponsored by the °MOW'
Eiludatiotal Association at part
of a peoVitteeetVide competition
which has Shied beets disotttl
tined,
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