Cochran Junior High School - Yearbook (Johnstown, PA)

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CLASS OFFICER ZSV,

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COCI-IRAN AERIAL DOWN THE RIVER If anything happens to this ferry, we're out of luckg for we are right above the falls, said someone pleasantly. It was a gray foggy afternoon in Buffalo. We were waiting for a place on the ferry which was to take us to Canada,-from there we were to continue to Niagara. In half an hour our car finally squeezed on the ferry. The lower deck was jammed Withvehicles. We were flanked by a grocery truck and a Ford from Pennsylvania. Our bumper extended under the fender of a Lincoln ahead. A bell rang, the gang plank was drawn in, the moorings were cast off and the boat started across the rough water. A small motor boat shot by. Far up- stream, tugs and dredges were at work. On shore again everyone had a good laugh when a large Irish- man mistook a small English chauffeur for a custom officer. We left the custom house with a damaged fender. The English flag floated out red against the gray sky. The road followed the river very closely. A fine mist was rising from the water and covered the wind-shield. A few shambling houses bordered the river. Skiffs and canoes floated in front of these abodes. Beyond the park around the road I could see an overgrown, uncultivated country. The river di- vided and widened into a broad basin. Jack bet I couldn't swim across it. He was right but I didn't say so. Frequently large mansions ap- peared among the trees on the American side. A white yacht glided from a cove and started to tack up the river. The downcast sky was reflected in the smooth water. We passed thru a small village and crossed a large creek. On the creek men were unloading some blunt nosed scows. A houseboat swung at anchor in mid-stream. A small flotilla of motor boats were warped to the pier. Small craft of every variety lined the shore. The river had now united and was rushing on at a terrific speed. The roar of the distant falls boomed above, the swirl of the rapids. A bank of spray indicated the falls. We had a glimpse of the shredded wheat factory across the water. We stopped to look at the large turbines in the power plant. A barge was stranded in the rapids, and below it a small lake steamer was wrecked. A quaint old monastery, perched on a hill, was silhouetted against the fading light. We arrived at the falls as the lights in Niagara began to twinkle. WILLIAM WESNER, Term VIII. 10 THE OLE SWIMMIN' HOLE Looking down from the old covered bridge I saw it. There it was, a cool wide space of rippling water under an overhanging oak tree, whose long branches reached to the surface of the water. The bright blue sky was reflected in the clear cold water. Its depth was about six feet but on the sandy bottom were sharp stones, pebbles and water weeds. Swiftly on the surface of the water long-legged mosquitoes and insects darted across. Suddenly a minnow came to the edge of the pool and then darted away. Down a crooked path, where pointed stones shot up, and on which many a toe had bee11 stubbed, trotted a group of barefooted boys. On all sides, hidden among the brushes, patches of cow-itch sprung up. Down into the old blue hole they went. Last feller in gets a derned good duckin. There was a scramble of feet, shouts of laughter, while clothes, one piece at a time, were being thrown roughly on the mud trodden path. Splash! They plunged into the cold blue water. The tapping of a woodpeceker on a locust tree nearby could be heard distinctly. One last duckg all out! Last fellow dressed got ter treat. OLGA AND GRACE HENNING, Term VIII. Ctifty ninej

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COCHRAN AERIAL A GOOD DAY'S FISHING SPOILED Every time I go fishin', somethin' always turns up to keep me from havin' a good time. That pesky little brat of a Jack spoiled my plans last week. One evenin' after supper when dad was in a good humor, I asked him if I could fishin', and take his new pole. He finally allowed me to go if I would be very careful of the pole. I had dug all my worms that afternoon, and Jacky must have seen me and suspected I was goin' f1shin', because I certainly hadn't told him, and no one but dad, mom and sis knew. Well, I laid my plans to start at five o'clock the next morning. When I woke up, I dressed and went down cellar to get the worms and dad's rod. After cookin' and eatin' breakfast I took my pole an' lunch, and sarted off. I didn't expect to be back until late in the afternoon. I went to the cross- roads an' then cut across the fields to Simpson's fishin' hole. It sure was a grand mornin', and I whistled as I walked along. When I got to the fishin' hole, I sat down an' threw in my line. I had caught three good-sized fish, when suddenly I heard a splash an' a scream, Oh, Jim, a whale cotched me! The little scamp had followed me, an', sittin' down to fish, caught his line on a snag. He had pulled too hard, lost his bala11ce, and fallen in the water. Well, I ran along the bank to where he had fallen in, jumped out of my coat an' into the water, an' pulled the little rascal out. We were both soaked to the skin, an' so when we got back to where I had been F1shin', I wrapped my coat around him. I didn't want him to get sick, even if he was such a nuisance. He was still holdin' his pole, but my lunch an' fish an' dad's pole were gone! I certainly didn't enjoy the long walk home, for part of the way I had to carry Jack. His mother was so glad to see him safe that she didn't even scold him. Dad was as cross as Z1 bear when he heard about his pole, but it really wasn't my fault. That afternoon a man who works for the newspaper in town came to our house and asked to see me! A farmer had seen Jacky fall in and had told him. I told the whole story and felt mighty proud to see my name in the paper the next clay. He asked me a lot of questions, and finally gave me my lunch, fish, an' dad's rod. The farmer had seen a boy steal them. When dad saw his rod again, he sure was glad, a11d went around the whole day talkin' about his brave son Jim. KATHARINE MILLHOFF, Term VI. loiti AUNT BELLE Sitting in a large and comfortable rocker by a window through which the last rays of sun are peeping, Aunt Belle is taking one of her daily naps. Her graying hair is pulled tightly back over her head and coiled in a large knot. Her chin is buried deep in her neck and her large, dimpled hands are folded placidly in her lap. A kindly smile spreads over her rosy face. Even in her sleep she is planning some kindness. MARION REITZ, Term VIII. . , A JUNIOR LIFE SAVING TEST A Junior Life Saving Test is no easy task. I practiced mine a month before I attempted it. The first thing I did was the clothes swim. This is done by jumping in the water with a pair of tennis shoes, a middy, and a skirt over your bathing suit. These you must take off under water and then swim a hundred yards. The second thing is a surface dive. You must dive from the surface of the water and bring up a ten-pound weight and three other articles. The next things are the grips. You have a victim who, first, grabs you around fsixty on el