Cabin 21 at Valley Forge, A Boat Ramp on the Maumee, More on the Eagles and Snowy Owls, The Lobo Tank Busters
The Lobo Tank Busters
By: Stan Jordan
Then entire continent of Europe is socked in with a dense fog.
It didn’t lift, it just stayed all day. The weather man for England said that fog might last a couple of days. Col. Bainbridge came over and he said that the ordinance mechanics was coming over for a couple of days to work on our airplanes.
They received some more new parts for the Merlin Engines, and some other supplies that were flown in by a C47 cargo plane from England. The Mustang P51D is an American plane, but it is equipped with the England Merlin Engine that performs better at all altitudes. This combination makes it the best propeller plane in Europe.
The mechanic said they received a new type of hotter spark plug from Novi, MI that works well with racing engines, and they want us to try them out with the Merlin Engine.
Well, they done their work and installed the new plugs and tried out each plane for top speed. No rockets, no extra fuel tanks, just the rocket holders and full load of ammo and gas on the P51.
Two of the planes top speed were 428 mph but the other top speeds were right at 400 mph, but that is an increase all around.
That heavy fog was still hanging around Northern Europe. It was December 18, 1944 and we just got word that the Germans have made a big push with over ten armored divisions out of the Natural Forest called, The Snee Eiffel.
They caught the allies at a bad time and they have a big push over sixty miles wide and it is headed for our gasolines dumps and on to the port Antwerp, Belgium.
The weather is cold and snowing and some of the American boys were called out and never got back to get their overcoats and galoshes. This break out had been dubbed the Battle of the Bulge.
The fog had covered all of Belgium and the Germans could not have picked a better time to make a big push. Our airplanes and bombers are grounded and can’t see to fly any missions. We were tearing our hair out because our Mustangs, armed with four inch rockets, are just what we needed. Oh, how I wished the fog would lift. I just can’t stand doing nothing, our planes were loaded with everything and ready to go.
See ya!
CABIN 21 AT VALLEY FORGE
By: Stan Jordan
Well, we got the bear clean and the hide taken care of. It was quite a job and we gave some of the bear meat to our civilian neighbors. We have been here a couple of months now and we’re getting along pretty good. We have a lot of wood cut for the fireplace, and we have plenty of meat from the woods. The post bakery does a fine job baking our bread. Our neighbor ladies give us a dish of dessert pretty regularly.
#7 Trooper had been working at the mill ever since our first day here. They had a lot of action there the other day and it was good thing that Trooper #7 was there.
He told me about it that evening in the cabin. I guess it was about noon that day and trooper #7 and the mill man, Mr. Billingham, generally called Bill for short, was busy as usual. A man came running in and shouted, “There is smoke coming out of that window upstairs.!
Mr Billingham ran outside and looked up to see where the smoke was coming from, he said it came out of the east window and he promptly fell down and didn’t move. He must have fainted, suffered a small stroke or a heart attack, Trooper #7 tried to revive him, but he figured his job was to get the fire out. The neighbor man was there with Mr Billingham, anyhow. Trooper #7 went back inside, taking the ladder up to the 2nd floor to the loft to the east side. There was a lot of smoke, no flames, but a lot of smoke. Trooper #7 knew enough that when he came in from the outside he turned off all the belts and machinery off. The main wooden lever is at the bottom of the stairs and that will shut off everything.
#7 looked to the east, but didn’t see any flames, but had an idea that the old wooden pulley would be the problem. “But, how do I get there?” he asked himself. #7 was a tall skinny kid and had to push and pull himself around, down, and under the big beams that held the building together and the roof rafters, also. He pulled and pulled, and grunted and groaned a little, but finally got to where the main pulley was. He saw a few small flames, but a lot of smoke. He wondered how long it had been since Bill has greased and cleaned the pulley. He took off his coat and wrapped it around the pulley and cut off the oxygen to the fire, so the fire went out.
#7 went down to the outside and Bill was sitting on the ground and talking to the people who had gathered around, but he didn’t know what happened. He said, “Everything went black and I woke up and I was on the ground.”
#7 went back upstairs with some tools, rags and a bucket of grease. He had to take the pulley apart and put a lot of grease on the axle rod. Enough to last for a long time.
Bill was very appreciative, and said so. Then Bill went on home and #7 started up the mill and finished up the man’s load of grinding.
See ya!
Antwerp in the 1800
By: Stan Jordan
In 1845 Parker and Hinkle had a grocery store at the south end of Main Street. Gen. Curtis had a store at the same time, also. I imagine all their products came in by canal boat. They were the first grocery stores in town.
There was a story in an area paper a few weeks ago about the house on the corner of East River Street and Oswalt Street known as the Dr. Bazali’s house. It said that house was moved in there in 1841. I have never found any information for that to be true or not to be true, but I don’t see how that could have been done. In 1842, this whole area was big timbers, and swamp. There were no roads, maybe some narrow lanes and some inner city streets, maybe, but no road was wide enough to move this house. In 1841, those three deep ravines would make moving a house about impossible. There was a bridge across Main Street, where the pharmacy and hardware store are now.
I can remember when US 24 east of the UM Church was a good 10 to 15 feet lower than it is now and it would have been impossible to move that house in from the east. Oswalt Street was just as low and that ravine north of Town Hall hadn’t filled in yet, making moving that house from the north impossible.
The Saylor Hoop Mill operated from the early 80’s until 1891 when it was moved to Michigan.
Gays Bucket Factory, started operation in 1882, about where Pudge Kennedy’s house is now. It operated until 1887, they turned out hundreds of buckets.
Munson’s Hoop Factory was across the canal in the west part of town in the 1880’s. There was the Oar Factory that operated in the late 1880’s and early 1890’s. The Hub and Spoke Factory was started on E. Canal Street on the north side of the road a little past the Cinder Road. It operated from 1873 until 1895. There was a Hand Shave Hoops Factory that operated mostly in the winter until 1910, when it was destroyed by fire.
The Antwerp Furnace operated from 1864, it used the local timber for making coal used for smeldering iron. It used both, the railroad and the canal. It ceased operation in 1880 when all the timbers were gone.
The Grist Mill was started in 1872 here in Antwerp on Erie Street. It changed hands a number of times and later the Carr brothers owned it and they were noted for making good flour called Snowdrift flour. The building burnt down in 1928.
See ya!
A Boat Ramp On The Maumee?
By: Stan Jordan
As I understand there is talk of getting a ramp on the Maumee River here locally. I am glad to hear that and I hope it can be done. It has been discussed before but not much was ever done of it.
We have all this water in this area, but no good place to put in a boat or raft or kayak.
The lane to the river at the east end of the park is not a good place to launch a boat for a number of reasons. An ideal marina or boat ramp should have an easy access with plenty of parking for cars, trucks and boat trailers. Now that is easier said than done. I grew up on the Maumee river and there is no ideal place for a boat ramp. With the rise and fall of the level of the water it makes it darn near prohibited of a good site. I cannot think of a good place in this area for a launch site, can you?
See ya!
More On The Eagles And Snowy Owls
By: Stan Jordan
I have heard of a number of eagle sighing lately. I saw one myself, right here above E. River Street a few days ago.
Jack DeLong called and said that if you cross over the Cecil bridge and turn right there is an eagle’s nest that you can see now that the leaves are gone. He said that pair is pretty active and have three young ones with them that still have the black head.
I have a report of eagle sightings by the stone quarry north of Oakwood along the Auglaize River. That area would be and ideal place for a pair of eagles to raise their young.
I also have a report of adult eagles eating road kill on CR 220.
I have heard of some people seeing a Snowy Owl over by Haviland some time ago, but my local bird watchers have not seen any around Antwerp.
Carl and Linda Baumert tell me the owls probably stayed in northern Michigan since the weather has not been so bad this year.
Please keep me posted.
See ya!
