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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1972-05-25, Page 1Volunteers removing appliances from Knight house Front view of MacDonald house during fire All that was saved in the MacDonald fire Clarence Knight and Don Case carrying out belongings Ruins of house at Clarence Knight farnv Ninety-eighth Year EXETER, ONTARIO, MAY 25, 1972 Price Per Copy 20 Cents Dense smoke hampers firemen at Knight fire Two homes, most contents destroyed Smoke surrounds Knight house in early stages of fire Retarded youngsters to stage track event Ten persons were left homeless when fires destroyed two homes in the area this week. Monday afternoon, a fire fanned by a steady breeze raced through the farm home of Clarence Knight in Usborne Township, about two miles north- east of Exeter. At noon, Wednesday, fire levelled a frame home occupied by Mr, and Mrs. Ted MacDonald and their five children, one mile west of Hensall. The home is owned by Harold Elder. No one was home at the time, RAP appoints summer crew The staff members to handle S the swimming and playground programs in Exeter for the coming summer were named this week by RAP. Donna Doidge will return for her second term as chief swim instructor at the pool. Also returning to duty will be Susan Tuckey and Cheryl Sweet. New additions to the pool staff are Debi Wooden and Cathy Sim- mons. Lynne Farquhar will be in charge of the check room and snack bar at the pool. Diane Adkins will be in charge of the summer playground program and will be assisted by Anne Pinder and Sandra Shap- ton. Thieves strike Hay gas again Thieves made off with about 20 gallons of gasoline from the Hay Township garage in Zurich early Saturday morning. A board had been removed from a broken window to allow is access to the switch to engage the pumps. The board had been covering a window broken in a previous theft, Later in the week, another attempt was made, but em- ployees had pulled the fuse to the switch. On Sunday, a flag was stolen from the roof of the Ontario Water Resources plant on Lake Huron at the end of Highway 88. The subject was chased by plant employees but eluded them. Mr. MacDonald is a salesman for Tuckey Beverages and was on one of his rounds and his wife was working at Hall Lamp at Huron Park. Four of their five children, who range in age from seven to 16, attend Hensall Public School, while the fifth is at South Huron District High School. The fire was spotted by Hensall fire chief Dave Sangster, who with his brother, Jim, were just leaving a nearby home on their way to dinner. They drove to the house and while Jim raced into the house and searched all the smoke-filled rooms to make certain no one was home, Dave drove to call the Zurich fire department. He attempted to make the call from Harold Elder's but finding no one home, had to go to the home of Ken Elder. Although the Hensall brigade has no agreement with Hay Township, Sangster summoned his men and their truck in fear that someone was in the house. The brigades had the blaze almost under control at one stage, but they ran short of water and it soon engulfed the home. Neighbors and passersby at the scene managed to get only a few items out of the house. A TV, refrigerator, some chairs and a sewing machine were saved, along with the food from a freezer. All other belongings of the family of seven were destroyed in the blaze. Owner of the house, Harold Elder, said he had no estimate of his loss. He was one of the first on the scene, although he was working on one of his farms on the Paar Line,' about four thiles away, when the blaze broke out. His wife had just delivered lunch to him, and he saw smoke which he noted appeared to be coming from the direction of his home. When he heard the Zurich fire siren, he jumped ,in the truck and discovered the inferno. Only member of the Mac- donald family to see the blaze was 14-year-old Terry. He was at school and village children returned from lunch to tell him his house was burning down. When the lad became upset, Principal Robert Raeburn drove him to the farm. The younger children stayed in class. The McDonald children are Tony, Terry, Trudy, Teresa and Tracy-Joe. Severe loss Monday's fire at the Knight home caused damage in'excess of $15,000, not including all the possessions lost in the blaze. Exeter fire chief Gary Mid- dleton said it was one of the most stubborn blazes he ever en- countered. The local department spent eight and one-half hours at the Knight farm Monday and were ready again Wednesday noon when flames were reported coming from the back of the kitchen of the house. The Exeter department fought the blaze for more than four hours in the afternoon and were called back at 9.30 p.m. when flames again broke out. They stayed on the job until midnight on the second trip. Cause of the fire remains unknown. Both the owner and fire chief Middleton said the blaze originated in the upstairs. The Exeter department was first called to the Knight farm at 2,18 Monday afternoon when the owner saw smoke rising from the roof while he was loading fer- tilizer at a nearby shed. He quickly went to the neigh- bouring farm of Robert Down to call the fire department and get a fire extinguisher. On returning to his farm, Knight tried to get upstairs and was pushed back by dense smoke and flames. He said he was in the 449use only 15 minutes before the break having a sandwich and iretip of coffee and was unaware of any trouble. A strong east wind fanned the blaze and by the time firemen and other assistance arrived it was im- possible to save anything from the upstairs. Furniture, appliances and clothes belonging to Mr, Knight were removed by volunteer help and firemen but clothing and personal items of his two sons were lost. Allan is a grade 12 student •at South Huron District High School and John recently completed his first year at the University of Western Ontario and was home for the summer months. The farm is located at Lot 26, Concession 3 of Usborne township and has been occupied by Mr. Knight since 1951. Shortly after arrival at the scene, chief Middleton called for the Crediton tanker truck to bring additional water. Hoses were also taken across the township road to a pond on the Down farm. The Crediton tanker brought more than 5,000 gallons on three trips and Middleton said several thousand more gallons were obtained from the Down pond. The loss was partially covered by insurance. No plans have been made for rebuilding, A barn on the same farm was destroyed by fire in 1962. Area drivers came through the first summer holiday weekend with a comparatively good record, with only four accidents being investigated by the Exeter OPP detachment offices, However, six persons were injured in those accidents. Shortly before noon Saturday, a bicycle rider was injured on Highway 83 just east of Exeter when he was involved in a collision with a car. The rider was Richard Gehl, Stratford, and the car was driven by Bernard Rifleman, also of Stratford. The youth was taken to South Huron Hospital for treatment of lacerations and bruises. OPP Constable Bill Lewis set damage at $85. Constable Arden Maclntyre of the Exeter PD assisted at the scene. Later in the day, cars driven by Suzanne Wilson, Crediton, and Kenneth Nadon, St. Marys, collided on the Crediton Road in Crediton, A passenger in the Nadon vehicle Alice Parr, Missionary speaks here This weekend, members of the Exeter United Church congregation will personally meet a man whose missionary work they have been aiding for the past two years. Rev. Don Raffan, a missionary home on furlough from Brazil, will be the guest speaker for the church anniversary service Sunday morning. He and his wife, the latter being a native of Brazil, will also be special guests at a Brazilian party being staged in the church Saturday evening. Decor and foods from Brazil will feature the party to which the public has been invited. For the past two years, one of the special mission projects of the local church has been Rev. Raffan's work in Brazil. He has two sons, both born in Brazil. His wife is a specialist in teaching retarded children. A native of Lindsay, Rev. Raffan attended the University of Western Ontario and resided at McKinnon house at the same time as the Rev. Glen Wright, minister of Exeter United. After completing his theology training at Queen's University, Rev. Raffan went directly to Brazil. He plans to return in August of this year. On' Sunday evening at the church, the Huronia Male Choir will present a program. Crediton received several bruises. Damage was estimated at $650 by Constable Lewis, At 9:00 Monday three persons were injured in a two-car crash on the 14th and 15th concession of Hay Township. Drivers involved were Alphonse Robert, RR 2, Zurich, and Cornelius Devereaux, RR 4, Seaforth, Both drivers sustained cuts and bruises as did a passenger in the Seaforth car, Nancy Miller RR 1, Dashwood. All three were taken to South Huron Hospital. Damage in the crash was listed at $800 by Constable Al Quinn. While on patrol at 1:20 a.m. Monday Constables Ed Wilcox and Bill Glassford spotted an overturned car in a field beside Highway 84 about a mile and a half east of Zurich. The driver, Charles K. Dox- stater, Hensall was unconsious, He was revived by the officers and transported to South Huron Hospital for treatment of chest and facial cuts and bruises, The car, which flipped end for With two weeks to go, plans in the making since March are being finalized for the first Invitational Games Day for the Mentally Retarded, June 3, in Exeter, for Region II of the Ontario Association for the Mentally Retarded. Mrs. Vicki Wild, Wingham, regional recreation chairman for Region II says entries have already come in from Guelph, Palmerston, Wingham and Exeter. This one day event is geared to end, was completely wrecked and damage was estimated at $2,000. During the week, the officers charged 10 persons under the Highway Traffic Act and issued warnings to another 15. There were five charges under the Criminal Code and two under the Liquor Control Act. In their weekly press release, the Exeter OPP point out that motorists often forget that non- vehicular traffic has a right to be on the highway also. With the increasing number of bicyclists taking to the highways, motorists are reminded to be on the watch for them. The police also urge extreme caution when encountering horses being ridden on the roads. The animals can be easily frightened by an approaching vehicle. A thoughful gesture to be considered by motorists would be to slow down when meeting bicycles or horses because the clouds of dust and flying stones can injure the riders and the animals, include children over 11 years from schools for the retarded and those attending adult workshops. A mass parade, after the 10 o'clock morning registration, will march down Exeter's Main Street and unto the playing grounds of the public and high schools to get the program under way. Young people in YACMAR (Youth Across Canada for the Mentally Retarded) have been busy organizing the parade which will be enlivened by several bands and floats, Track and field events will include the 50 and 100 yard dash, standing broad jump, high jump, ball throw and a 400 yard run. Demonstrations by skilled persons in certain sports will, be given. These experts will en- courage the retarded to try the sports themselves. Gymnastic displays, tram- poline, horse back riding, soccer, baseball and hockey are some of the demonstrations lined up. Assisting Vicki Wild, chairman of the games day committee, are Lauretta Siegner, Exeter, sub- chairman; and Murray Hill and Don Weber, University of Waterloo students, who are ac- ting as consultants. Alvin Willer t, Exeter's recreation director, and Jim Ward, municipal recreational director for Wingham, will set up the sports demonstrations. Ron Bogart, physical education teacher for South Huron District High School will be in charge of the track and field events. A banquet at Exeter United Church, convened by Mrs. Carfrey Cann, will bring the much looked-forward day to a successful close. Prizes, ribbons and trophies Will be presented at the dinner. The public is welcome to attend this first Invitational Games Day ever to be held and sponsored by the Wingham and Exeter Associations for the Mentally Retarded. Fire started in the rear portion of the M cDonald house Holiday crash total is low, but six people are injured