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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-04-14, Page 17t all paid ft 1 am o see °coast spry k on rhat ely, the its toWq in hi 'd abo ostia noney opt p rega erect fonday d 01 andt tan f d all iow es be ts, in the „G o 'et* aken s of 'y se tt Drivk work rn Jui/ OYEAR—l5 obettrlj SIGNAL STAR THURSDAY, APRIL 1 1, 1977 SECOND SECTION eter MacEwan's drill arted salt "industry W. E. ELLIOTT t township, council authorized Yefy of salt at the its treasurer "to pay to well has caused, Treasurer Charles Fletcher, y enough, much Esq.,of the Goderich ent," the Huron Petroleum & Salt Company, eported on May 31, the sum of $1,000 in ac- ough mainly con-cordance with a resolution at the time, with passed at a previous meeting raids — real and to encourage boring for oil ed — the Signal and salt, the Goderich well he salt excitement being now bored toa depth of indulged in double 996 feet and salt water having ion marks as the been found of 100 percent itinued: strength." ur pleasing duty to The newspaper report left that the shaft has something to be desired in rough 40feet of solid regard to, basic details of 1! The work of tubing "who, when and where". mence immediately, Mention of two men, rprise need be felt if especially, would seem to egion is found equal have been due: Samuel Platt, and importance to head of the stock -company f Syracuse and financing the boring at The opening of Maitlandville, and «Peter salt works here MacEwan, who sank his drill an event of national into the salt bed, tapping the. ce." first marketable quantity In council, in session Canada, and later, as a urthouse, promptly manufacturer, operated d on a promise to three salt plants. ration company. On By November 30, when the f Horace Horton, report of Dr, T. S. Hunt, , and David Patton, chemist and mineralogist, 1 "more satisfactory than the most sanguine could hope for", the Signal declared: "Goderich is undoubtedly destined to become the great salt emporium of Canada, if not a still larger portion of The story of Peter MacEwan's early years has never been adequately told. This narrative represents an attempt, to place on record the events of those years. YOUNG PIONEERS Alexander Graham Bell was 29 when he produced the first telephone. Thomas Alva Edison had reached 21 when he engaged chemicar ex- periments that changed the way of life for millions. Peter MacEINan was 21 when he left a Hibbert township farm to engage in drilling and became so expert that. many problems of the trade came to him for solution. The Bell homestead in Brantford is maintained as a m'useum. In Stratford CNR station a plaque com- memorates Edison's early 0 ely old residence MacEwan residence on Cambria road north. Mr, MacEwan came to Goderich from hey in 1873 and lived first near the west -end International well, but acquired in 1885 bria road property, the family home for many years. 0 AR ey banquet speaker warns employment there as telegraph operator. A shaft of Domtar salt, glass -enclosed, stands at the north end of Goderich, overlooking the river valley, and on a plaque beside it an inscription praises "the diligence of the pioneers who discovered the salt in Goderich area which has since been one of the mainstays of the Goderich economy". • Directors elected by the shareholders of The Goderich Salt Company 'after * it droped "Petroleum" from the title _were J. V. Detlor, Robert Gibbons, M. C. Cameron, T. B. van Every, William Campbell, W. A, Moore and Sam Platt. John Valentine.Detlor, who came to Goderich in" 854, had a store on 'The Square where the Breckenridge hardware is , now, and was mayor in 1 865- 67, The others mentioned were members of town council at the time or soon "after. Malcolm Colin Campbell, a councillor in 1867, became Member of Parliament before the year ended. T. N. van Every and George Rumball were in partnership as "forwarders and com- mission merchants". William Campbell, a councillor about that time, was later postmaster and subsequently town clerk. Robert Gibbons was mayor, 1853-55, and afterward deputy reeve or reeve during an unprecedented term of office as warden of Huron. Bell, Edison and MacEwan set themselves on the road to fame and 'fortune within a relatively small area of Western Ontario. It was at ,Paris that Bell first spoke over a telephone. Edison, while working for the Grand Trunk Railway in Ontario and Michigan, grappled with chemical experiments from which the world was to benefit. - His parents moved from Ontario to Milan, Ohio, before he was born, but he often returned to the village df Vienna to visit an aunt. MacEwan, like Bell, was -born in Scotland. He came to Canada in 1852 with his parents, Peter and Isabella MacEwan, who settled in Hibbert township, Perth The new petroleum in- audience dustry in Ontario created a new trade for youths with a mechanical knack and a desire to get ahead, and young Peter MacEwan was drilling for oil, fOr the Goderich Petroleum Com- pany, when he struck the salt bed which meant so rnuch to Goderich then and thereafter. When Prof. T. Sterry Hune,s report in November, 1866, showed the salt to be of highest quality. the Huron Signal declared: "Goderich is undoubtedly destined to become the great salt em- porium of Canada, if not of a still larger portion of America," "THE GREAT FIGURE" The late Victor Lauriston, himself a God.erich old boy, wrole thht "among the pioneers of the salt industry the great figure was Peter MacEwan, Many of the ticklish problems of the in- dustry came lo him, He was one of thOse men who, un- taught in modern science, yet possessed an uncanny faculty of knowing just what to do.- ; When the Signal newspaper many years later recalled 'MacEwan's early activities (continued on page 11A) The young pioneer Peter MacEwan, born in"Scotland in 1840, came with his parents to Canada at the age of 12, the family settling in Hibbert township, Perth county. Peter had become a noted oil driller when he was called by the Goderich Petroleum Company in 1866 to drill at Saltford and discovered the salt bed. Mr. MacEwan operated at ,different times three salt wells, including the "discovery" well. He was a member of Goderich town council, and at other times of Colborne council. He died here in 1904. (Photo by R.R. Sallows). Relics of the Saltford plant were still around as recently as 1960. Barrels were important measure Interior view of the cooper shop established to produce four employees. The barrel, containing about 275 pounds barrels for the Saltford salt plant. Evidently there were of salt, was the principal marketing unit for many years. Idiers.worry over St. Hubert central supply depot day, April 9, Royal Legion Branch 109 Ladies Auxiliary Mrs. Cleve the 60th Anniver- Coombs, Comrade Howard he Battle of Vimy Carroll and Comrade Evelyn er 100 Legionnaires Carroll Mgr is Honorary Provincial Treasurer of the t at a banquet in Ladies Auxiliary. ee Room of the pay tribute to 20 Other guests of the branch af World War I, were Mayor Deb Shewfelt, Judge F.G. Carter of the hom saw actionet Jubilee 3 committee and • n of the banquet Legion officers of the district t President Bob and zone. who p guest speaker The roposd the Comrade A.B. Conron who t men of Vimy. ave McMillan, a was introduced by Comrade replied to the toast. Bert Such- is a former at the head table chairman of' the English rade Barney DaviS, department of Western of the Ladies University in London. In June , Mona Davis, 1944 he landed in Normandy COnron, Comrade mander with the First ,.:D.S.0„ Croix de Hussars and taw action later ale kuest speaker, in .Belgium.. Holland and Germany. The guest speaker adre G.L. Royal, chose as his topic, "Ws a king one Cmdr. of the t, In his introductory remarks Corprade Conron stated that he 'was happy to celebrate with local Legionnaires the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Legion Branch 109 and the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy. Vimy Ridge had defied the best efforts of the French and British armies for more than two years. On Easter Mon- day, April 9, 1917, Canadians from four divisions of the First 'Canadian Corps, in a well rehearsed assa,ult, secured the Ridge, after severe fighting, in less than three days. Four Canadians won the Victoria Cross at Vimy and 10,600 of the attrickTfiRforce of 100,000 -were either killed, wounded or missing. Virtually over night a young and little recognized nation of seven million had emerged to command respeq. "Tonight, .we pay tribute to the courage and fighting skill of the soldier of that day," he said. Sixty years later, continued the speaker, many Canadians have either forgotten or are completely unaware of the heroism and sacrifice which Legionnaires still com- memorate. Today even World War II and Korea receive only token recognition in many segments, of society. ”Those who have ex- perienced the tensions, un- certainties'and discomforts of battle recall more frequently the comraderie, sense of adventure, and humorous aspects of service life, the speaker said. One can, hardly blame .those who were never in combat if they don't want to be reminded of the gruesome details of war. Every major conflict in modern times has been followed by periods in which the mi.litary has been Mobile Command,heart and neglected and even scorned. nerve centre of all Scenes of brutality in Viet- operational activity at home nam ha v'e reduced the or abroad, is in St. Hubert military to an all time low, just east of Montreril," he To illustrate his point the went on, -where aro also speaker mentioned Canada located the major Canadian as an example of this trend. ordance depot with virtually Canada's arme.d forces in th% all weapons, ammunition, past ten years has been vehicles, spare parts, reduced from a strength of clothing and other supplies. 130,000 to 78,000: a force as well as the central which is over tasked and workshops for any extensive ha mpored by obselete vehicle or weapon repairs," equipment and eroded the speaker pointed out. morale. "The possibilities of this "Many aware anglophones vulneratle disposition in the are rightly concerned about present . political struggle the contentra Hon in the between the federal gover Montreal area_ of , vital,.tac- nment and Quebec may not tical and logistical elements frighten , our armchair which militant separatists brigade in Ottawa, hut it might cont em p la te surely. ought to scare anyone neuyalizing or, exploiting in with combat experience." the ,event of a frustrafed bid Conron told his audience. for Quebec's independence.- Countering these facts is a the speaker warned. recent Government plan to ''The headquarters of beef up Canada's vrather ludicrous contribution to NATO, Conron said. Continuing on a new tack, Comrade Conron stated that today many of the things which veterans thought they were fighting for have changed or been completely "It is ironical that since 1?)ti; former allies have become political adversaries and former enemies like Japan and are now rarm friends,'' he said. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are now regarded by the new generation as more dastardly,„ acts of in- famy than F,'earl Harbour," "But it was not all in vain. Hitler was a malignant power which had to he dwroyed if Europe was to r..ain its liberty. Each generation must rediscover the Meaning of freedom and oppose those forces of evil which threaten it," Con ron noted, Veteran organizations like the Legion t preserve that perspective which younger • generations often need to have called to their attention in a rapidly changing world - a world today that since Vimy technology such as the jet aircraft, the intercontinental iyiitems which have com- pletely altered the scope of modern warfare and made the world a global village," he continued. , The last six decades have produced equally startling political economic and social changes. Government itt- tervention in every aspect of our lives, unemployment insurance, mediCare. women's lib, and child -care (continued on Page 3A )