Banner Graphic, Volume 11, Number 108, Greencastle, Putnam County, 8 January 1981 — Page 1

Snow, windchill provide reality of winter here

From Staff, Wire Dispatches Putnam County woke up Tuesday morning with its first hint of snow, but by late afternoon, those first few flakes turned into approximately three to four inches of snow, according to Grafton Longdon Jr., the official National Weather Service observer for Putnam County. Not only did county residents have to contend with hazardous driving conditions, but bone-chilling temperatures sent many persons scurrying to the warmth of their homes. LONGDEN SAID GREENCASTLE win dchill temperatures were recorded at 16 below zero by noontime Tuesday. He added Wednesday morning windchill temperatures for Terre Haute were listed at 24 below zero, while Indianapolis clocked in at a windchill temperature of 22 below zero. Clay County school administrators apparently took heed Tuesday afternoon as classes were called off when weather conditions worsened. Putnam County school administrators, however, rode the storm out. Although roads were slippery and icecovered and several travelers advisories were issued Tuesday, classrooms were still scheduled to be filled Wednesday morning as conditions improved in Putnam Countv The only exception was the Cloverdale Christian School which was closed. SEVERAL SURROUNDING counties, including Owen County schools, were treated to a day off Wednesday because of weather conditions. Surprisingly few accidents involving major damage or injuries were reported in Putnam County overnight. ABOUT THE ONLY MAJOR accident reported in Putnam County occurred about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, when a van struck the back of a school bus, left the road, went down an enbankment and struck an abandoned house in Putnamville. Apparently, the driver of the van struck a South Putnam School Corp. bus, causing only slight damage. Although school children were reported to be on the bus, no injuries were reported. The home is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Swartlev. Putnamville. and is reportedly just used for storage. The accident was investigated by Trooper Gary Salsman. STATE POLICE ALSO noted that hazardous driving conditions became more apparent Tuesday afternoon, when several vehicles ran off the roads due to icy roads. Trooper Harry Swank reported two semi tractor-trailers left the eastbound lane of Interstate 70 at its junction with U.S. 231 at

The world's a ski slope Clear and very cold overnight. Low 5-10 above. Increasing clouds Thursday with a slight chance of light snow developing. High low to mid 20s. Chance of snow 30 per cent. Indiana Extended Outlook Little or no snow Friday, Saturday and Sunday with extremely cold nights and bitterly cold days. Lows each day from about 15 below to near 5 below in the north to about 5 below to 5 above in the south and highs from near zero to about 10 above in the north to 10 to 20 in the south. Index Abby A 5 Bridge Br» Calendar A 5 Classifieds 8fi,87 Comics A 7 Crossword B 6 Horoscope B 7 House Call Bfi Obituaries AH Sports 81.82.83.84.85 Supermarket Shopper BO Theaters AH Worrv Clinic Bfi

Banner Graphic Putnam County, Thursday, January 8,1981, Vol. 11 No. 108 ★ 20 Cents

Cloverdale due to icy roads and came to rest in the median. “There were no injuries or damage,” Swank said. “The highway department was out doing all they could, but the roads were just freezing.” SWANK ALSO SAID ROAD conditions on U.S. 231, north of U.S. 40 were less than favorable. “About five cars left the road within an hour,” the trooper said, emphasizing the slick conditions. “Those persons driving home from work between 6 and 8 p.m. Tuesday got the worst of it.” Putnam County shared those reports of accidents due to icy roads with surrounding areas as these conditions were the cause of many accidents reported statewide. Northwestern Indiana was placed under a winter storm warning today by the National Weather Service, while snow piled up in other areas of the state. Fort Wayne had five inches of new snow Tuesday while Lafayette, Evansville and Indianapolis all had two inches. The new snow in Fort Wayne brought the on-ground total to nine inches. The new snow raised accumulations in Angola, too. in the extreme northeast section of the state. Angola had the highest reported accumulation on the ground with 11 inches, while LaPorte listed nine inches. The snow caused dozens of traffic accidents around the state and the Weather Service posted travelers advisories. One accident involving an Indianapolis city bus and a semitrailer truck injured 15 persons Tuesday. Police said none of the injuries was serious. The accident occurred on a one-way street on the city’s northside about 8:15 a.m. Police said three pregnant women were among the injured. It was one of more than 50 accidents reported in Indianapolis after snow made streets slippery. In Benton, Tippecanoe and Newton counties, children got a brief holiday when schools were closed because of icy highways. Drifting was bad in Benton County when 20 mph winds swept across the region. “We don’t have any hills or trees here,” said V.A Simmons, superintendent of schools. “We’re in trouble with an inch of snow sometimes.” Other new snowfall totals through Tuesday included five inches at Lafayette and Kokomo and four inches at Peru, Fort Wayne and Elwood Forecasters said lake effect snow would be heavy in the snow belt along the southeast shores of Lake Michigan. Lake effect snow in extreme northwest Indiana was expected to total 4-8 inches.

Postmaster John Bergen loves his 'appointed rounds'

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JOHN BERGEN Greencastle Postmaster

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'Blue flu' at Putnamville Post?

By BECKYIGO Banner-Graphic Area News Editor Discontent among some Indiana State policemen concerning the reappointment of State Police Supt. John Shettle may result in a job action which would include even the Putnamville District Post, according to Trooper Tom Bates, district representative for the State Police Alliance. The alliance is an organization formed by troopers and includes a statewide police membership of 650. “A LOT OF PEOPLE think that there are no problems with the State Police,” Bates began. “Our policy has always been not to air our dirty laundry in public. “We have met with Gov.-elect (Robert) Orr and his staff to try and get better working conditions and salaries. We have

Putnam Patter

Hoecake and honey diplomacy worked

By DAVID BARR Banner-Graphic Civic Affairs Editor Now that woodburning fireplaces are coming into their own, perhaps the time is right to reintroduce a cooking art that all but disappeared with the advent of the kitchen range and the microwave oven. Using ingenuity born of necessity, pioneer mothers fed their families on hoecake, so called because it was baked on the blade of a hoe held over fireplace coals. ALL OF YOU WHO have related the hoe to an instrument of torture, contributing to backaches and blisters, should be happy to

By BETS ( Y OAKES Banner-Graphic DePauw Intern Just starting his term as the district president of the Indiana Postmasters Association. Greencastle Postmaster John P. Bergen, feels he has the “best job in town.” “I feel very privileged and lucky,” Bergen smiled. “I like meeting people and being of service. It’s nice to know that your job is a needed function.” AS DISTRICT PRESIDENT, Bergen is responsible for formulating and coordinating the policy of the 103 post offices with 460-and 461- zip codes. Bergen doesn’t foresee any big policy changes for the district, however. "Basically. I’m satisfied with the (postal) operation as it is now,” he said. “For the dollars and cents it takes to mail a letter, the public is getting a bargain. "When I came to the Postal System stamps, candy bars and Cokes all cost five cents each. We’ve held our price to 15 cents since 1978, but just try to buy a candy bar for 15 cents! And Cokes cost 30 cents at least now. We’ve held the line very well. ” A GREENCASTLE NATIVE, Bergen has worked 26 years in the U.S. Postal System and has been Greencastle postmaster since 1974. “The Postal System has changed immensely since I started,” Bergen asserted. “In 1955 all the mail arrived and departed by 12 or 15 different trains. With trains coming and going all day and night, the post office had to be open 24 hours a day.

tried to do this on a professional standpoint, but it’s reached a point where we have been discussing taking ajob action on this.” Bates was quick to emphasize the request for better conditions has been an ongoing situation. “This did not spring up overnight. The citizens of Indiana are just not aware of what has been going on.” THE STATE TROOPER did say if the “Blue Flu” does reach the Putnamville Post, it ks not because the police are not concerned about the public’s safety. “We are concerned about the public’s welfare and needs. We know we don’t like to do these things and the public doesn’t like to see it. “But,” Bates continued, “we feel our backs are up against the wall. We feel that Supt. Shettle doesn’t feel that concerned

learn that the hoe had its happier side in our history. Genuine hoecake, not the on-top-of-the-stove variety, was made from corn meal spread thin, evidently for quick cooking, on the blade of a garden hoe. For those who were never sentenced to chop weeds from a garden or corn patch, some explanation may be needed. The tool had a four-foot handle with the chopping end attached at right angles. IF YOU HAVE BEEN able to follow this description, maybe you can picture how your great-grandmother could stand a hoe

100 registered so far at Greencastle's Post Office

All men born in 1962 have been ordered by the Selective Service to register for the draft between Jan. 510. They may go to any post office and fill out a brief information card and are requested to show some identification. President Carter resumed the draft after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan last year. After this Saturday, the system will resume under which each man must register within 30 days of his 18th birthday. Failure to register is a felony and

All mail is delivered by truck now, of course.” Another missing element in modern mail delivery, according to Bergen, is the laundry case. "STUDENTS USE laundromats today instead of sending it all home to mon and dad. I’m not glad to see my business decreasing, but laundromats are a change for good. I like to see progress coming.” In the future, businesses will switch more and more to the electronic transfer of messages, according to Bergen. The post office is already lobbying for the right to be the sole deliverer of electronic messages, he said.

about the trooper on the road. “THERE HAS BEEN a breakdown of communications,” Bates concluded. “The job action will be used strictly as a last resort.” Bates’ comments were pretty well echoed by Frank Cornelius, executive director of the State Police Alliance. Cornelius said the current low morale of the state troopers, who feel that Shettle’s adminstration is insensitive to the patrolman’s needs, has been the “biggest problem.” “WE HAVE ATTEMPTED to com municatewith (Supt.) Shettle on programs the officers would like to see instigated and tried to tell him the working man wants to have input. “But he has turned a deaf ear on us and Col. l.back page this section

handle’s length from her cooking and why she didn’t need makeup since her cheeks would take on the rosy glow of the fire. Supposedly, hoecake cooking was a southern specialty, but many southerners brought the art with them as they moved north, with a goodly number choosing to settle in Putnam County. Information provided to this column by Larry Burk relates to the Newgent family of Clinton Township and how hoecake improved race relations with native Americans already there. EDWARD NEWGENT AND his wife,

punishable by a SIO,OOO fine and five years in jail. More than 100 young men have registered for the draft at the Greencastle Post Office since Monday. This exceeds the number who signed up in the last registration in July due to the number of college student in town now. There have been no problems locally, according to Postmaster John Bergen. “Everyone has been very cooperative and cordial and things are running smoothly.”

“We may see the end to the written word for business," Bergen predicted. “And the post office would like very much to have the right to deliver electronic mail.” ASKED ABOUT THE PLANNED ninedigit zip code, Bergen replied. “Yes, I think it will be very effective. It will cut the post office's mailing costs, and. in turn, we can cut the individual’s mailing cost. Eightv-five per cent of our budget is for manpower. The nine-digit zip code will cut out one local clerk operation of sorting mail. Many jobs will be eliminated.” The first five digits of the new zip code, according to Bergen, stand for a city and

When these two Greencastle youngsters went sledding earlier near their Highridge Avenue homes in Greencastle, the lack of snow for good sledding was very apparent. But all that changed Tuesday as three to four inches of the white powder fell in Putnam County. That should make, Nancy Claar, (front), and Cristina Opdahl's future gliding a little easier. (BannerGraphic photo by Becky Igo).

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SUPT. JOHN SHETTLE Reappointment stirs discontent

Elizabeth, learned how to be neighborly with Indians when hoecake. lots of it. became a gift of appreciation. Edward got lost in the dense forest where wolves and bear were still prevalent. Indians came to his rescue and returned him to his cabin - but he wasn’t exactly home free. The chief asked to be paid and when asked what he expected, he replied, “Hoecake. Much hoecake.” To show her appreciation. Elizabeth went to her Col. 1, back page, this section

state. The next two digits stand for a certain area of that city and the last two digits stand for a street in each city block. The nine-digit zip code will go into effect in June for bulk mailers only, Bergen said, adding that individuals will not need to use the new zip code for two or three years. THE SENATE PUSHED back the date from January to June to implement the start of the new zip code, according to Bergen, because of a lawsuit against its use. Bergen is against allowing private companies to compete with the U.S. Postal Service in delivering mail because he believes that it will leave rural areas undelivered. “Everyone would want the city mail business,” Bergen asserted. "Who’d want to deliver to the Louisiana Bayou’’ The taxpayers would have to pick it up themselves.” ALL IN ALL, BERGEN is content with the system the way it is. "The post office gets a lot of bad press,” Bergen asserted "It’s a lot more exciting to find a letter that Abe Lincoln wrote just being delivered in 1980 and write about it, but I think that the post office works very efficiently-and does a very good job for the volume that we have to do. Six clerks here are working 300.000 to 500,000 pieces of mail everyday. “We require a lot out or each individual, and I'm proud to say that they do work hard.”