McCormick messenger. (McCormick, S.C.) 1902-current, January 07, 1937, Image 6
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McCORMICK MESSENGER, McC(
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FAMOUS
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The Entrance Sign
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By FLOYD GIBBONS
M EET Evelyn Kerr of Somerville, who is pinch hitting for her
dad, George R. Kerr, of the same address.
Evelyn says she has never had any adventures—not yet,
anyway. If she had, she’d be glad to tell us about them.
Her dad, on the other hand, has had one of those rip-roaring ex
periences that make your hair stand on end for a week afterward, but
somehow or other he never gets around to writing us about it. So Evelyn
is writing that story up for him.
All right, dad. That makes you a Distinguished Adventurer,
and a full fledged member of the club.
A lot of good yams begin with a man in the driver’s seat of an auto
mobile. This is one of them.
In 1918, Evelyn’s dad, George Kerr, was working as a truck driver
for a company in Medford, and one trip he made in his truck he’ll never
forget in all his life.
George’s Truck Had a Heavy Load.
It was a warm day in September. George was driving a five-ton
truck loaded with corrugated paper boxes.
There's one thing that ought to be explained here—that is,
j that those boxes were heavy. A truck load of paper boxes doesn’t
sound like much weight, but these boxes were folded flat and
piled high on George’s gas buggy.
It was a five-ton truck, but that load of boxes weighed every ounce
of six tons.
That load of boxes was to go to Salem, and, although George had
been in the nearby town of Lynn a good many times, he had never driven
to Salem.
George got to Lynn in good time, and drove right on. To get to
Salem, he had to cross the marshes that lie between the two towns—
had to cross them over the floating bridge.
*T don’t know whether that floating bridge is still there, or whether
it has been replaced by a more modern—and more solid—structure.
“That bridge was built of 137 layers of board placed on the
top of the swamp, and those boards kept sinking so that they had
to be reinforced twice a week," Evelyn says.
It was said around those parts that nobody had ever been able to
find a bottom to those marshes. But that’s something George Kerr
didn’t know about.
If he had, he might have traveled from Lynn to Salem by an en
tirely different route.
Another thing Qeorge didn't know much about was that floating
bridge.
The Sign That He Didn't See.
There was a sign at the entrance to it that said:
“Nothing over 6,M0 pounds allowed on this bridge. Anyone
driving a vehicle weighing ever f,0M pounds proceed at their own
f risk.'*
But George didn’t see that sign as he rolled onto the bridge approach.
So, with a load alone that weighed 6,000 pounds, and a truck that
weighed almost as much again, he started across.
It was George’s helper who first noticed that things were going
wrong. The truck was halfway across—IN THE DEAD MIDDLE OF
THE BRIDGE—when suddenly he cried out:
“For Pete’s sake, George, look. The bridge is sinking!’*
GEORGE DID LOOK—-AND HIS SCALP BEGAN TO CREEP AND
FUNNY, CHILLY TWINGES BEGAN RUNNING UP AND DOWN HIS
BACK. THE BRIDGE BENEATH THEM WAS OUT OF SIGHT UNDER
MUDDY SWAMP WATER. AND THE WATER ITSELF WAS UP OVER
THE RIMS OF THE TRUCK’S BIG WHEELS.
The next thing George heard was the helper’s voice again “Come
on, George. We’ll have to jump for it!’* That’s the last George saw of
his helper for a while. He was over the side of the truck like a monkey,
and George was left alone on the seat.
From somewhere behind, he could hear his helper’s voice
calling to him—telling him to get off that truck before it was too
late. But George didn’t get off.
That truck and the load it was carrying had been entrusted to his
care. It was his responsibility.
He’d heard about those marshes—heard people say that anything
that went down in them never came up again. But that applied to the
truck as well as himself, didn’t it?
Hard Decision for Him to Make.
Was he going to abandon that truck* -the property of the people who
handed him his pay check every week—while there was still a chance of
getting it across?
On the other hand, George had a wife and five small kids at home.
He owed a duty to them, too, didn’t he?
What would happen to them if he went down in that swamp and
never came up again?
It was a tough decision to make, but George made it. He
threw his truck into low gear, fed it the gas gently, and started
crawling along toward the other side.
It seemed as though he’d never make it.
The bridge sagged beneath the weight of • the heavy load.
The truck was moving at a snail’s pace, but he didn’t dare make
it go any faster.
Nothing to do but sit tight, hold his breath, and pray that everything
would be all right.
The water rose higher and higher. It was almost up to the hub caps.
What if it got into the engine and stalled the motor? George didn’t
want to think about that.
What if the flimsy foundation of floating planks broke out from
beneath him altogether? He didn’t like to think about that either.
Out of the Water to Safety.
Then, suddenly, he noticed the truck was rising higher out of the
water. He was almost at the end now. Another minute and he’d be
across.
George didn’t breathe while they were crossing those last few
yards.
Then he was on dry land again—truck and all—and he stopped and
sat there a few minutes to get control of his jumping nerves.
His helper, back on the other side of the bridge, saw him get across
safely, then followed on foot.
After awhile they continued on their way and delivered their load,
but it wasn’t until they were on their way back and passed the
bridge approach that they saw the sign that read: “Nothing over 6,000
pounds allowed on this bridge.”
“Then,” says Evelyn, “Dad nearly collapsed when he realized just
how close a call he had had.”
e—WNU Service.
Robert Adam Styles
Among the most distinguished de
signers during the latter part of the
Eighteenth century was Robert
i Adam, favorite of George III, bache
lor king of England. Son of an
architect, he and his brother James
gained considerable fame as archi
tects under the partnership legend
of the “Adelphi.” Most of Adam’s
furniture shows his architectural
leanings, the pieces being well bal
anced and comparatively severe in
outline. Some of the loveliest fur
niture Adam made was of mahog
any with delicate carvings and
dainty inlays. He originally intro
duced the shield back chair, but
abandoned it in favor of the wheel
back chair.
Coastlines
Michigan has a total of 1,715 miles
of coastline on the Grc-.l Lakes,
905 miles in the Upper Peninsula
and 810 miles in the Lower Penin
sula. The U. S. Coast and Geodetic
Survey lists only seacoast. Florida,
with a coast of 399 miles on the
Atlantic and 798 miles on the Gulf
of Mexico, a total of 1,197 miles,
leads California with 913 miles and
Louisiana with 397 miles. In tidal
shore line (including islands), Flor
ida has 2,276 miles to California’s
1,190 miles. According to the meth
ods used by the Coast and Geodetic
Survey, Maine has only 228 miles
of coast (not including islands); if
all the indentations are measured,
it would have about 3,000 miles.
'Twas This Way
By LYLE SPENCER
O Western Newspaper Union.
New Ways of Gambling
H ORSE racing may not much
longer be the favorite Ameri
can way of gambling. It takes a lot
of time and money to follow the
ponies regularly. So a group of Cal
ifornia professors have invented a
new racing sport where anyone can
own a whole stt ble of racers with
out it costing a cent. They have
conceived the idea of racing snails!
On latest reports a history pro
fessor had just won the “Kentucky
Derby” with his champion thorough
bred “Slimy.” Pedagogues who
never before showed the slightest
interest in gardening may now be
seen out in their back yard on sunny
afternoons, peering diligently under
cabbage leaves. Who knows, any
one of them might turn up another
“Man O’ War!”
Seven or eight members of the
group regularly maintain racing
stables, and several have seriously
undertaken the business of breeding
snails. One is said to be developing
a giant slug who can outsquirm by
two to one any ordinary snail.
The races, usually run on the
back of tilted ironing boards, vary
in length from six inches, for juve
niles, to two feet, for experienced
veterans. Half-inch handicaps are
sometimes given noted sluggards.
Every formality and regulation of
orthodox turf procedure is carried
out in these races.
The snails are even tested for
possible doping, because a drop of
alcohol noticeably increases a snail’s
speed and vitality, and a tl-in film
of salad dressing in his lane has
helped many a snail to gallop home
to a smashing victory!
Origin of Oyster Cocktails
T HE oyster cocktail is usually as
sociated with expensive dining
rooms and exclusive social gather
ings. Like many members of the
social register, it has come a long
way from its humble beginnings.
* Records show that the oyster
cocktail was invented in a shabby
waterfront saloon in San Francisco
about 1866. Its concocter was a
drunken gold miner who had reeled
into town to spend his month’s
wages.
He appeared at the bar and or
dered a stiff whiskey cocktail and
a plate of California raw oysters.
After gulping the cocktail, this tip
sy guest placed the oysters in the
same glass. The bar flies shuddered
as they watched him fill it to the
brim with tomato catsup Worces
tershire and pepper sauce. To their
further amazement, he ate the mess
with evident relish. When finished,
instead of getting sick, he called
for another plate of oysters.
The bartender was impressed. He
seized the idea, put on an adver
tising splurge, and was soon doing
a land-office business selling the new
product for “four bits” a glass.
Other people experimented, and
found that it worked equally well
with shrimps. When society took it
up the success of the oyster cock-
tail was assured.
Lady Nicotine
pHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS dis-
V* covered tobacco when he dis
covered America in 1492. He car
ried back to Europe fantastic tales
of how the barbaric natives “per
fumed themselves by swallowing
the smoke of sweet-smelling herbs.”
Other early explorers reported
that Indians smoked tobacco by in
haling it, not through the mouth
as we do now, but through the
nose. Their pipes were shaped in
the form of a Y, the two points
of which could be inserted in the
nostrils.
When first brought to Europe, the
tobacco plant was supposed to have
miraculous healing powers, and
physicians forced people to smoke
it for their health. Later, as the
practice grew more common, clergy
and kings professed to see traces
of immorality in it, and passed the
most stringent laws to stamp it out.
It even became a crime punishable
by death to smoke tobacco in sev
eral European countries.
It was not until smoking became
fashionable that it really gained
popular following. Sir Francis
Drake brought back a complete
smoking set from America in 1586
and presented it to Sir Walter
Raleigh. Just before he went to
the scaffold for political treason,
Raleigh smoked a pipe full of Vir
ginia blend.
This immediately impressed the
courtiers as a gallant gesture, and
smoking was soon rife in the Eliza
bethan court. Even Queen Eliza
beth is said to have enjoyed a sur
reptitious puff or two in the privacy
of her boudoir.
Diphtheria Ancient Disease
Diphtheria is an acute infectious
and communicable disease found
more frequently among children
than among adults. It is character
ized by the growth of a false mem
brane on a mucous or abraded skin
surface and is due to the presence
and proliferation of certain bacilli
and the toxins elaborated by them.
The disease has been known since
antiquity, but is has been only with
in comparatively recent times that
men have learned just how to com
bat it with success.
r , JANUARY 7, 1937
It's Harder to Lose Pounds Than
INAL
All jj
r F\
He—Are you at liberty, Misi
Sweet?
Miss Sweet—Do I look like I wa
under arrest?
CALLING ALL PAPAS
<
“If I refuse you, you say you
have nothing to look forward to?”
“No, Miss Rich, nothing but my
monthly bills.”
YES, FINISHED
“I suppose you’ve finished your
Saturday shopping?”
“Yes, and it’s finished me.”
THE LEFTOVERS
“We’ll have to economize this
year, my dear.”
“Yes, blit how?”
“I’ve an idea. Let’s give your
relatives the same kind of leftovers
we always give my folks.”
A TRYOUT
Wifie—What are you taking that
medicine for—you are not sick, are
you?
Hubby—No, but the advertise
ment of this dope is too attractive
not to give it a trial.
DANGEROUS OUTLOOK
IT
wm ** m
Boss—Why didn’t you close that
deal with old Moneybags?
Salesman—He sail that he found
that an auto license almost invari
ably leads to a marriage license
later on and he decided not to buy.
SOMETHING FOR PAPA
“I hope we have snow this win
ter ”
“Why?”
“I gave my husband a new shov-
ei.”
It Is to Gain More of Them
Overweight GeneraHy Has But
One Cause and That
Is Overeating.
<sv
“The slim, the irritable, the
hungry woman takes on the pro
portion of one of our minor men
aces,” says Fannie Hurst in her
amusing little book, “No Food
With My Meals.” Miss Hurst is
writing frankly from her owr ex
perience in attempting successful
ly to lose pounds. She admits
herself that although she under
took her reduction program under
the direction of the doctor, she
was not content with the com
paratively slow results and cut
still further the low calorie diet
which the physician gave her.
It is one of the mysteries of
life that it is much harder to
lose added pounds than it is to
gain them. The bathroom scales,
which are now so general a part
of equipment, enable us to keep a
check on weight. It is not so
easy for those extra pounds which
creep upon us unaware as it was
once upon a time. A few days
of dieting in time will save the
slender figure. Remember, how
ever, that, in general, the addi
tion 3f a few extra pounds with
the years is an asset. They are
usually needed to balance those
lines which the years write.
Unless there is some glandular
deficiency, overweight has but one
cause, namely, overeating. The
avoidance of more calories than
are needed for use by the body
for its own processes and for the
activity of our lives may usually
be a simple matter if there are
no between meal sweets and no
over-indulgence in bread, butter,
other fats and rich desserts with
meals. Not complete avoidance!
It is only the second helpings that
are usually responsible for undue
weight gain. Looking out for that
pound in time will actually save
nine. Just one word of warning,
however, don’t advertise publicly
your diet program.
Coffee Jelly.
% tablespoons granulated gelatin
Vt cup cold water
8% cups hot strong coffee
cup sugar
Soak gelatin in cold water, add
fresh hot coffee and the sugar.
Stir until disspolved and pour into
molds to set.
Mineral Oil Mayonnaise.
% teaspoon mustard 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt 1 cup mineral ofl
Cayenne Lemon juice
% teaspoon sugar Vinegar
Mix dry ingredients and add
yolk of egg. Mix well and add
one-half teaspoon vinegar. Add
mineral oil gradually, drop by
drop at first, then more quickly*
beating with egg beatei. As mix
ture thickens thin with lemon
juice or vinegar and continue add
ing oil. When finished mixture
should be very stiff. Keep cov»
ered in the ice box.
® Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service.
Bunyan Created Lakes
Elk and Torch lakes, the beau
tiful finger lakes that stretch par
allel for miles along the shore of
Lake Michigan near Elk Rapids,
date back to the days of Paul
Bunyan, according to the old lum
berjacks.
Lake Michigan, they say, was
scooped out by the mighty Paul,
to be used as a log pond. Instead
of skidding the logs into a stream
and floating them down to his
pond Paul would hitch onto a
section of land and drag it over
to the lake, log off the timber,
and then haul the section back.
One day Paul hooked onto a
particularly heavy timbered sec
tion near the Boardman and
started Babe, the blue ox, out to
haul it over to the lake. Thera
had been a heavy rain, t h a
ground was greasy, and Babe’s
feet slipped.
Torch and Elk lakes remain, an
eternal testimonial to the blue ox
and the time his feet slipped.—
Detroit Free Press.
Here's Simple Way
to Ease a Cold
Two Quick-Acting, Quick-Dissolving
Bayer Aspirin Tablets with a Glass of Water
The modem way to
ease a cold is this: Two
Bayer Aspirin tablets
the moment you feel a
cold coming on. Then
repeat, if necessary, according to
instructions in the box.
At the same time, if you have a
sore throat, crush and dissolve
three BAYER tablets in one-third
glass of water. And gargle with this
mixture twice.
The Bayer Aspirin you take in
ternally will act to combat fever
and the pains which usually ac
company colds. The gargle will act
as a medicinal gargle to provide al
most instant relief from rawness
and pain. It is really marvelous; for
it acts like a local anesthetic on the
irritated membrane of your throat.
Try this way. Your doctor, ws
know, will endorse it. For it is •
quick, effective means of combating
a cold. Ask for Bayer Aspirin by tbs
full name at your druggist's — not
for "aspirin” alone.
15c FOR A DOZEN
2 FULL DOZEN FOR 25«
VIRTUALLY 1e A TABLET
Sit in Your Chair f
at Home > > > and Shop*
The things you want to buy •• • at the time
you want to buy them • • * at the price you
want to pay* You can find these right in the
paper* Your newspaper advertisements make
it possible to do your “looking around" right
at home • • • and then go downtown to do
your buying • • • saving you time and energy*