This week in…
1903: The Gazette made a call at the canning factory of Messrs. Owens and Beringer, Bloomfield, a short time ago. The careful observer could readily discern the completeness of the establishment throughout. They have instituted the most up-to-date machinery, which gives the factory a capacity of from 50,000 to 75,000 cans per day of 10 hours. A large boarding house for the accommodation of women helpers has been erected this season, where these people can find superior accommodation. This, and other industries at Bloomfield, are much appreciated by the progressive people of that section, and they are to be congratulated in their efforts to inaugurate so important an industry in the good, old Quaker village.
1933: “Petty thievery, taking place in an increasing number of places, is revealing to a considerable extent the pinch of the depression. Apparently fearing the coming winter, certain persons of doubtful morals are replenishing their supplies of foodstuffs by nightly visits to local gardens, potato patches, barns and poultry houses. A report from the bay front community states that boat-loads of visitors are coming nightly from Trenton to steal from the potato patches near the water’s edge. Many small vegetables are being taken from gardens of the second concession. It is to be hoped that these crimes will soon cease, as few farmers are so fortunate as to have anything to spare.”
1963: Douglas Alkenbrack, M.P., lobbies Ottawa for a local nuclear power plant, explaining “the merits, physical and geographical, of Prince Edward-Lennox as the location for a Nuclear Power Thermo-Electric Generating Station.” These include “a solid rock foundation”; “a deep and limitless supply of cold clean water”; “an undeveloped area sufficiently isolated to be of a minimum hazard to persons and property, and an area not likely to soon become crowded by urbanization”; proximity to the power grid; “a suitably developed and well-serviced housing area in convenient and safe proximity”. “Facing directly on Lake Ontario, the Townships of Ameliasburgh, Hillier, Hallowell, Athol, South Marysburgh, and North Marysburgh could all readily qualify to accommodate this type of utility.”
2003:– Project Longarm made its largest harvest ever from a Cressy/Waupoos area farm last week beginning on Wednesday when 9,000 marijuana plants were pulled out of the ground and destroyed. Street value of the plants was estimated at $10 million. Three Scarborough adults – two men and a woman – were arrested and charged in a subsequent investigation.
— A fire last Thursday morning at the Kleinsteuber Parks Road farm of Kevin and Sandy Hicks sent at least 450 round bales of hay valued at $15,000 up in smoke. Once the fire was noticed at about 1:30 a.m., neighbours mobilized their tractors and helped the Hicks move the balance of the 600-pound bales out of harm’s way.