The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1947-03-06
DR. ED,ICY ROADS
ISOLATE rs
AND SHUT SCHOOLS
Virtually All North-South Sec
ondary Roads Blocked BY
Deep Snow
Biuffton Schools 0pe Yednes-
day After Two Days
Closing

Wind-whipped snow which blocked
all north-south roads in the area
with fence-high drifts and left a
treacherous coating be ice on main
highways and streets gave the Bluff
ton district this week its most severe
taste of wintry weather in three
years, following heavy snow storm
that began on Saturday and contin-
ued through Sunday.
With many rural areas isolated by
drifts piled high on roads by a strong
wind that came up Sunday night and
continued thru Monday, school buses
were unable to make their usual
rounds and BIuffton High and grade
schools were closed all day Monday
and Tuesday.
Classes were resumed Wednesday
morning altho the buses were unable
to make their complete rounds be-
cause number of north and south
roads are still impassable.
Parents Bring Pupils to School
Some pupils living in areas where
roads are still blocked with drifts
were brought to school by their par
ents. However, absenteeism was sur
prisingly low in the high school We'd
nesday morning, only II being listed
as not present according to an at
tendance checkup.
Even with warmer weather which
came Wednesday, it will be the end
of the week before all roads in the
district are passable, Richland town
ship trustees estimated.
The township road scraper has been
at work since Monday, but progress
has been hampered by a hard coating
of ice which has formed over the
snow. Some time also was lost Tues
day, bcause of a mechanical break.
No Pay for Hand Labor
Township trustees which have al
ready earmarked money in the high
way fund for road improvements this
summer, have no balance available
to pay for hand labor in opening of
roads, it was stated Wednesday.
Center of the heavy snow storm,
which brought white blanket near
ly six inches deep in 24-hour period,
was in this immediate area, with
nearby schools in Hancock and Har-
din county also forced to close be-
cause of impossible roads. Among
other schools closed were those of
Mt. Cory, Rawson, Beaverdam and
Ada.
Beaverdam, Lafayette and Bath
township schools remained closed
Wednesday, but expected to resume
classes on Thursday. All north and
south roads in Beaverdam school dis
trict were reported closed Wednes-
day.
State Highway department crews
worked day and night to keep main
highways open, but county and town
ship workers lost out early in THEN
battle to prevent drifts from block.
ing secondary roads. For nearly "a
hours snow was drifting back onto
north-south roads as fast as it coulc
be removed, adding to the difficulty
of trying to keep traffic moving.
Thruout Monday and Tuesday, the
Dixie highway was glare of ice II
many places, and what little traffic
there was on main highways movet
at a snails-pace to prevent accidents
County Line Road Blocked
The Allen-H Hancock county lint
road north of the Dixie highway wa
blocked early Monday afternoon, cut
ting off one of the main travelled
roads in this district, and those wht
ordinarily use the route to come t,
Bluffton were forced to go thru Mt
Cory.
North of Mt. Cory, Route 50 wa
blocked by drifts, and virtually al
north-south country roads We're i'm
passable, one of the worst stretche
being reported on the Phillips road
south of Gratz crossing, where ther
were drifts more than four feet higl
in two places.
Treacherous roads were blamed TO
a three-car collision that occurre
one-haif mile east of Bluffton o.
Route i03, at 10 o'clock Saturda
night.
Car Skids
There were two phases in the mis-
hap, the first occurring when an al
tomobiIe driven by Max Nonnamak
er, IT, skidded into car operated b
John Koch, Is, Route 2, Bluffton whe
Nonnamaker attempted to pass tn
other car.
As the occupants stepped out t
survey the damage, third auto dris
en- by Harvey Bame, IL, Jenera, skic
ded into the Koch car Ollie Nor
namaker, father of Max, who was
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