The Bluffton News

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1946

Spring—unpredictable and coy—is staying longer than anyone had anticipated when she breezed in a week ago ... and Bluffton had every appearance of mid-April the first of the week with farmers busy in the fields and lawn mowers being limbered up—fact is Lawrence Zuercher mowed the Methodist church lawn a week ago which probably is the record for this spring . . . and brisk demand for onion sets—and believe it or not one optimistic soul has already planted potatoes ... and Bluffton's streets getting their first patching and crushed stone top dressing after last winter's havoc .. .. there's George Carmack's new theatre building with walls up to the second floor—but not much stirring as yet in new residence construction . . apricot trees in full bloom and a few more days of this spring weather will see the early cherry trees in blossom . .. all of which may not augur too well for a bumper fruit crop with heavy frosts the rule of April . . . but perhaps it doesn't make too much difference, the way everyone jumped the gun to cash that canning sugar stamp. There'll be little of that sugar left by time canning season rolls around ... speaking of sugar, believe it or not grocers will tell you that sugar, rationed, is in sufficiently ample supply to cash all stamps being presented, while laundry soap and washing powder, not rationed, are definitely on the scarcity list. . .. congratulations to the David Rissers who celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary Saturday which Dave announced with a flourish to the lunch counter regulars . . . and Sunday is the last day to joyride on the 1945 tags . . . so exits March 1946. And speaking of joyriding—you don't have to pay for those new 1946 road maps which the state highway is issuing this spring. Some folks who sent in nickels and dimes, together with 3-cent stamps to cover postage are getting their money back. The maps are free. And another sure sign of spring—snakes sighted in Orange township. Elmer Anderson reports having killed a blue racer measuring five and one half feet in the Cal Ewing woods last Wednesday. It was in the early morning and the snake was too sluggish to flee. Strangers coming into Bluffton are frequently confused because streets are not laid out east and west, or north and south. Fact is, according to Street Commissioner Lee Coon, Bluffton has only one thoroughfare—Huber street, running due north and south. You know, perhaps that this street runs from Jefferson to Cherry street. There are no streets running due east and west. Reason for this is that Main street follows the Lima - Findlay road which originally was an Indian trail running northeast and southwest thru Bluffton. The trail followed the high ground, with no consideration for the niceties of points of the compass as the redmen picked the most advantageous natural travel route from Lake Erie to the Ohio river. The town will have several streets running north and south and east and west when some thoroughfares shown on the town plat are opened. Just in event you did not know it, the Legion of Merit awarded by the Army to Col. Rene Studler, Bluffton native and son of Mrs. Paul Studler of South Jackson street, is the nation's highest military award for non-combat service. The more familiar Congressional Medal is awarded for combat action only. An article appearing in last week's issue of the Bluffton News told of the honor conferred on Col. Studler who's connected with Army Ordnance department in Washington. Safe drinking water—so common that one scarcely gives it a thought—is not at all common outside of this country. Fact is, that America's almost universally safe drinking water, everywhere available in virtually unlimited quantities is one of the marvels of the rest of the world. Charley Lora, just returned from Greece where he accompanied a ship-load of cattle for relief says that dirt and filth everywhere prevalent have polluted water so that it is unsafe to drink and they drank only water provided on board ship.