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Elmira, Ontario, Canada | observerxtra.com | Volume 27 | Issue 29
280
Living Here | 23
Lost cane finds its way home to owner
Peggy Nitsche with Armand Schaefer, who found the handmade cane belonging to her father, John A. Weber.
Leah Gerber
When Peggy Nitsche got the call that the cane belonging to her father, John A. Weber, was found, she was in line for a pastry at the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market. “People around thought I had won the lottery,” she said. The cane was found by Armand Schaefer, who was driving on New Jerusalem Road last Saturday when he saw it. He said he drove by it at first, and then wondered, “what the hell is that?” and went back. When he found the ornately carved cane, he thought, “holy mackerel!” “I could get a lot of money at a flea market for that,” he said. He said he kept the cane in the trunk of his car. Then on Tuesday he was in the Elmira Deli and Donuts, and read the article in The Observer about the family looking for the cane he found. He called the family, and Nitsche went and picked it up. “Everybody needs to be reminded that miracles can happen,” said Nitsche.
Latest plan for covered bridge restoration favours timber Steve Kannon Observer Staff
A REHABILITATED COVERED BRIDGE IN West Montrose will feature heritage-friendly wooden trusses under the latest design option favoured by the Region of Waterloo. That’s a shift away from the steel trusses that had been favoured previously. The preferred alter-
native was the topic of discussion Tuesday evening at a special meeting of Woolwich’s heritage committee. Ongoing studies and public feedback, coupled with what were found to be only small differences between the wood and steel options, tipped the scale in favour of timbertruss reinforcement in providing longer-term
repairs to the bridge. The structure, built in 1881 and the only remaining covered bridge in Ontario, has seen many repairs and alterations over the years. Most recently, the span has faced several closures in the wake of damage done by heavy vehicles crossing it despite longstanding prohibitions. Both the steel and
timber options would provide a lifespan of 75-plus years, with the wood option requiring more frequent maintenance to ensure its longevity, said Kevin Li of Doug Dixon & Associates Bridge Engineers, which did an assessment of the structure. The preferred option would involve removing the Bailey trusses added
to the bridge in 1950s in favour of a wooden option there too. Also slated for removal are the wooden splash guards inside the bridge that currently cover parts of the trusses. In the new design, the trusses would be visible from the interior. Restoration materials and plans to eliminate the sag now visible on the bridge could raise the
height of structure by up to a foot, though there would be no changes of elevation at the roadway on either end. The increased height would see longer timbers used as part of the re-cladding of the exterior timbers. Li noted the bridge has been modified many times throughout its history. The three-tonne load → BRIDGE 7
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