Benson Polytechnic High School - BluePrint Yearbook (Portland, OR)

Page 19 text:

The POLY TECH 17 On the Other Side of No-Man's Land The news of the declaration of war on Germany by the United States had just reached Alaska and there was great ex- citement around the postoffice in one of the prosperous towns on the coast of Alaska. Recruiting of men had begun and it looked as though every man in Cordova was determined to get into the service. Big jim Moran was one of the first to be accepted, and was sent to Camp Lewis for training. jim had been in the army only a short time when he was promoted to a cap- tainey ancl won the good will of his fel- low soldiers for his endurance in all branches of athletics and the ease with which he trained his comrades. Several months later Jim was among a large group of soldiers who entrained with great secrecy and were sent to an eastern port where a temporary camp was erected. The following day every one was required to fill out a card, stat- ing that when the person it was addressed to received it the soldier would be in France. Captain Moran was the only one among the hundreds who did not address one of the white cards as they were called among the soldiers owing to a reason he did not want to disclose. jim had a brother who had lived with him in the states both working in a bank. An investigation at the bank one day disclosed a shortage of funds and the blame fell on 4Iim's innocent brother, who was holding a position of very great resnonsibilitv. Jim, taking the blame unon himself, was convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of twentv years. thereby clearing his brother from the false charge. Y Serving several months of his term, he made his escape unnoticed bv the guards .and ha'l made his way to Alaska. While working un in that rugged coun- trv he developed his great physical ability. The soldiers boarded the transports a few days later, and just ten days after they were scheduled to sail the fleet and its convoy started across the forbidden waters. No one being allowed to go ashore for three days upon arriving in France, after an uneventful trip across the Atlantic ocean. After landing, many weeks were spent in training the ready-to-fight sol- diers, before sending them into action. The trenches were wet and muddy after the winter snow had melted: and jim with his many new and old friends had become seasoned soldiers. One day a raiding- party was planned and volun- teers were called for. It seemed as if all the Yankee soldiers were intent upon cleaning up the scouting German soldiers who had been bothering the American soldiers for some time. Captain Moran and a selected com- pany of men were chosen for the adven- turous trip into No-Man's Land that night. The soldiers had covered half the distance to the German trenches, when a rat having been disturbed by the soldiers plunged into a puddle of water, and alarmed the German guard. The American soldiers were now forced to stop their progress and seek shelter in one of the advance German trenches for several hours to avoid the enemy's guards. After having been in the trench for several hours it was nec- essary then for some one to go ahead cautiously and make sure of the raid- ing party's safe advance and Big Tim, as the soldiers called him, took upon himself this dangerous task. He had gone brut 'ya short distance when a shot rang out in the still night air and Tim felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Crawling carefully into a deserted trench Tim found a slight flesh wound in the calf of his left leg which he ban- daged with little difficulty. The Ameri- can raiding party was ordered back to their own trenches by the lieutenant in charge when the shot had been heard. 'ffiig Tim made himself comfortable in the dugout where he was safely hidden. The next morning several German soldiers came out to bring back the body of the daring Yank who had been fired at during the night. But unable to find a trace of him they started back, to the ioy of Tim. who had been watching their progress from his hiding place. tContinued on Page 363

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16 The POLY TECH JUNE ,IQ CLASS Left to Right, Lewis lloseh, Fred Rauscher, James Fletcher, A. Lind. The june '19 Class The June, '19, class has had a very eventful social season since school began in the fall. Before tl1is time the june, ,IQ members did not have much pep, but since the girls of the Girls' Polytech- nic school have joined, all is well. It takes girls to start things, and boys to keep them going. The first party of the season was held at the girls' school. A large majority of thexclass were present, and a very de- lightful evening' was spent, playing games. after which refreshments were served. A month later another party was held at the girls' school, but not nearly the attendance was present as at the first party. The Ircys then invited the girls b to their school for the next social affair, and a nice evening was spent inspecting the shops anfl playing games. A hike was taken during the Easter vacation, but only a few turned out, on account of the bad weather. Thoseiwho went, about I6 in number, had a good time, while it lasted. Another hike is being planned for the future, but no definite plans have yet been made. Albert Follete, the class president, left school, so a change of officers was nec- essary. Lewis Hosch was elected presi- dent, Fred Rauscher, vice president: 'Ianwes Fletcher, treasurer, and .-X. Lind. secretary.

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18 The POLY TECH T SQUARE CLUB The T Square Club Owing to a desire on the part of the students of the architectural department to promote the interests of their work and also to become familiar with the several branches connected with Archi- tectural Drawing. they have organized a club expressly for the students of this department. Several senior students suggested the formation of a club to their lower class- men and calling to their attenion the ad- visability of more extensive study in an- cient and modern architectural history. A meeting of the students was called and the club was organized under the name of the T Square club of Benson Poly- technic School and a constitution adopted. The following officers were elected for the term ending blune 'IR' Mr. lf. lYilliams. Faculty ,-Xdvisor: lf. R Gibson, l'resident: Michael Renter, Vice President: Klalcolm Rasmussen, Treasurer: Kenneth llarvey, Secretary and hlessc Green, Sergeant-at-.Xrms. At each regular meeting members are assigned to special topics for research work on which a paper must be pre- sented and read at the next regular meeting. After being discussed the papers are filed for reference. This not only makes the meetings more interest- ing but has a great educational value. The T Square club has taken up the work of selling Vlfar Saving Stamps in their department. It has also taken up the work of collecting books for the soldiers and sailors. Several trips have been taken to man- ufacturing establishments to make a first hand study of building materials and manufactured products. Recently a trip was made to Oswego. where the students visited the Oregon Portland Cement Company's plant.i The club also has its social features. Recently a trip up the highway was taken, which was greatly enjoyed. A service flag is to be presented by the club to the architectural department in honor of the former students now in the service. lt is expected that next term the club will be better represented and will carry on more extensive work in connection with architectural research work.