Cochran Junior High School - Yearbook (Johnstown, PA)

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COCHRAN AERIAL 69 hand holding over the fire was a forrest ranger. He looked up and said, Hello and asked if I would eat with him. He said, My name is Angus McDougal of the forest rangers. He asked what I was doing away up in the mountains. I told him I liked the woods and was taking a walk with my dog. He told me I had a fine dog and a smart one too. I saw two horses, a gray and a black, eating grass. He told me they were furnished by the government. In his pup tent was a bed on the ground and on the pole of the tent was a large ham. By the tent was a large saddle. On the ground a few feet above me were two feed bags for the horses, and a shovel. Spread on the ground by the fire was his table and on it was a can of baked beans and a couple of tin plates. I asked, Have you fought any fires latelyn, and he said he had fought a big one. About one o'clock M1'. McDougal began to pack. I helped him and he let me ride the gray horse until I was nearly home. I thanked him, and watched until he was hidden from view by the trees. Often afterward I visited his camp and we became good friends. -Frank Campbell WHAT THE SEA GULL SAW A sea gull was still following a ship the second day of the voyage. After what seemed like ages to him the usual garbage was thrown out. Breakfast was over on the ship. As he neared the ship after his feast, he heard a bell. Immediately the crowds on the decks disappeared except the crew who were lowering life boats. The bird was puzzled, he stayed near. Maybe the ship was going down. He did not have long to wait, for soon another bell rang, the people came out on the deck again with life belts around their waists. Everyone seemed to be looking for something or following something. What was the matter with the ship? Why were the people looking on the lower decks? In a few seconds the people had reached the upper deck and had assembled about the life boats. Why don't they get in? Poor sea gull, he doesn't understand all this. Every one is ready to sinkg why don't they? Oh! he sees,-a life boat drill. -Polly Barnhart, Term VII AN AIRPLANE WRECK After the inspector had looked at my plane, I climbed in and signaled to him. He jumped up and pulled the blade of the pro- peller to the ground. As soon as he swung it, two men released the blocks. They then fell flat so that the wings would not touch them.

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68 COCHRAN AERIAL Tom happened in that afternoon to tease Dick, but the joke was on him when Dick told him he was getting paid for his work now. -Mardell Gundaker A GOOD SPORT I think Mr. Hill is a good sport. One time I was out in the hall and I dropped an agate. He picked it up and I thought he would keep it. He asked me if I had any more. I said yes, and he said he would play with me. He played a couple of games and I was scrapped. Then he gave me them back. Another time I went for a hike when he was along. VVe played baseball and he was the umpire. One time he called a strike for our side and knew it was a ball. When their side came up he called a strike to even it up. When we came home he told us about tin and trees all along the way. He's just as good company and just as square as any boy I know. -Curtis Horner, IV MY GRANDMOTI-IER'S SALE Last Saturday, my mother and I went to my grandmother's sale. The auctioneer was a rather large glib tongued man, who has been auctioneering sales in that community for many years. My grandmother's home and personal property were sold. There were some very old pieces offurniture and dishes put up for sale. Two antique hunters were there, who make it a point to go far and near to buy antiques. My grandmother had two small, blue glass dessert dishes. The antique hunters both wanted these dishes and they quickly ran them up to four dollars apiece. There was an old zinc table, and we thought it would bring a very small price, but one of the antique hunters bid until the price reached nine dollars. After he had bought it he took off two little handles that were used to pull the drawers open, put them into his pocket, and said to my aunt who lives in that neighborhood, Now, you may have the table. I do not want it. If I ever have a sale and have any antiques to sell, I hope these people will be on hand. I -Illary Elizabeth Wertz A VISIT TO THE RANGER What a savory smell of bacon! My dog was sniffing the air for he had noticed it too. I walked on a little way and saw a camp with a fire burning brightly. Sitting with a skillet in his

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70 COCHRAN AERIAL When I reached the speed of sixty miles an hour, I turned up the elevators and left the ground. I was now off for a two weeks vacation, which I had planned to spend at Philadelphia. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the plane, so I did not think of using or trying out the elevators or rudders. When I got up to five thousand feet, I tried to turn the eleva- tors back to a normal position so that I would not go up any higher, but they refused to move. I could not go down or fly level at full speed on account of this, my only chance was to fly on. At last I decided to fly as slowly as I could. If I flew slowly, I knew I would not go any higher. I tried my plan immediately and found it worked. All of a sudden the air became bumpy and I had some hard work keeping the plane level with the aerolooms. After a little while I noticed that it was necessary to make a landing because a storm was coming up, but there was no place to land. Then I learned that the plane must be flown more swiftly or it would stall in the air. That would have been worse than ever because the plane could not be voloplaned to the earth without the use of the elevators. These thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the plane stalled and ran into an air pocket. It fell toward the earth like a rocket so that a wreck could not be prevented. My only chance was to use my parachute. I jumped out of the cockpit and pulled the ring which opened the parachute. Slowly I came down moving with the wind all the time, till the parachute caught in a tree, suspending me in mid air with the nearest limb fifteen feet up. Climbing up the rope I cut the many tangled ropes that held me a prisoner. The rest of the way to the ground was very easy to cover for it was only a job of swing- ing down from one limb to another to the ground. After reaching the ground a report to the commandant, under whom I was flying, was a duty I must perform. Then all of a sudden a man came out of the woods and said, I saw the wreck of your plane from the fire tower and reported it to your commander by radio and he said that a plane was being sent. You must make a report to him if able. I followed him to his station at the fire tower and made my report. -Ialarry I-Iavnilton MARY'S MISTAKE Say Jim, you shoulda been here this morning. A farmer girl came into our room yesterday. Gee! she looked funny, but she was