Fryeburg Academy - Academy Bell Yearbook (Fryeburg, ME)

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30 THE ACADEMY BELL The first night out I was taken to the wheel house and taught the secrets of steering a large steamer. I learned very rapidly, and after an hour or so I could handle it alone. I soon became quite skilled in this art and had a steady wheel watch while at sea. I had the first mate's watch which gave me a wonderful opportunity to observe the functioning of nature at sea. I saw the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, which would have been lost to me if I had one of the other watches. I ap- preciated the sunrises at sea, because each day was exactly like the preceding one except for the weatherg and the sun was a prophet for the weather that was coming. I also saw the rain storms sweep across the broad ocean, but then, you have to be a sailor to appreciate that sort of thing. To me the Working of nature at sea is always a perpetual source of wonder. One of my duties as helmsman was to ascertain the temperature of the water we were in. This was done to de- termine our position in regard to tidal runs. One day, after reporting the temperature to the mate, the officer told me to be on the look out for marine life as we were crossing the Gulf Stream. I relieved the man at the wheel, and soon afterwards saw my first school of porpoise. I also saw black fish, sharks, dolphins, whales, and turtles Q there Were, besides, many strange sea birds, which were feeding on different types of small fish which abound in these Waters. I asked many questions that day, but the men were very patient with me, telling me many strange things about the great fish. I am inclined to believe they stretched the truth a little at times. We were at sea nine days when one of the men re- ported land in sight. I rushed on deck and beheld far down on the horizon a dark, grey cloud which finally developed into hills covered with tropical trees and a stretch of sandy beach. After sailing a few hours, I was able to see the masts of the government station at Colon. We finally reached Colon and dropped anchor beside the entrance to the canal. Nine hours later we were steaming into the broad Pacific, headed for San Pedro. GORDON CUTLER, '30. OUR TRIP ON CARTER DOME On September 22, 1928, the Dormitory girls of Frye- llgurg Academy made their memorable expedition to Carter ome.

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THE ACADEMY BELL p 29 have to eat my hat, by any means, because bad luck came right along and disposed of it so I couldn't. Even before I'd reached Mrs. Berglund's a gust of wind came along and blew my hat clean off, right into the middle of a mudpuddle! Of course it was ruined, and my second best hat, too! But the worst of it was that I had to go the rest of the way to Mrs. Berglund's looking like those summer boarders that haven't the decency to wear a hat once in a while. Nothing else happened that day, but the next day bad luck began coming thick and fast. The first thing, I burnt the toast that I was fixing for breakfast, and as my husband won't eat burnt toast I had to toast some more. I dropped and broke three dishes while I was wash- ing them after breakfast. When I started getting dinner I thought I'd get some of my blueberry preserves from the cellar for dessert. My husband likes blueberry preserves and I thought it would pacify him after his late breakfast. When I was coming up stairs with the blueberries I slipped and fell the Whole length of the stairs with those blueberries on top of me. I wasn't hurt much, but it's a wonder I wasn't killed with that hoodoo hanging over me. But you had ought to seen me with those blueberries all over me. Such a time as I had getting those blueberries off of me. Of course that made dinner late and my husband was crosser than before. And to make matters Worse I forgot the cake I had in the oven and it burned to a crisp. When I'd finally got the dishes washed it was two o'clock. Then I thought I'd Work on a dress I was making as I was behind in my spring sewing. Before I knew it I'd cut two sleeves for the same arm and I had to send for some more cloth before I could finish my dress. If ever I see a black cat within a mile of me again I'm going to turn right around and walk the other way so that awful cat can't walk in front of me. KATHERINE HARNDEN, '32. MEMORIES OF A SEA VOYAGE The sea was a deep blue as we left the pilot boat astern and headed for Panama. The yellow sand of the Delaware Capes certainly looked homey to me, realizing I would not be back for three months. ,I had just passed my fifteenth birthday and was rather young to be a deck hand on a huge freight steamer. I had gone to sea on a bet and was rather sorry at the moment that I had.

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THE ACADEMY BELL 32 We put up lunches enough for fifteen, and after supply- ing Mister's truck with gasoline and oil and filling the back part with old mattresses, we finally started off at 9:30 A. M., from the dorm, singing Hit the line for Frye- burg. Those who went were as follows: Betty Rundlett, Eleanor Chase, Maggie Harmon, Irma Fehlandt, Miriam Chase, Ruth Pratt, Bill Gannon, Marion Barker, Char- lotte Wentworth, Priscilla Wilkinson, Betty Andrews, and I. The teachers were Miss Mildred Smart, Miss Ruth John- son, and Miss Ruth Piper. Mr. Hinie Heartz was our chauffeur. Our first mishap was just a few miles out of Fryeburg. The steering gear was very loose and we were going about twenty-five miles an hour, when, as Hinie tried to steer the car one way it went another. We nearly got ditched, but luck was with us and we did not meet with any serious accident. We stopped both at Char1otte's and Ruth's house at Jackson for a few moments and then started on again. The trip was very pleasant until we reached Jackson. Here our trouble began. We were going down a little grade when something came off the under part of the car and dragged on the ground. Hinie stopped and found that the exhaust pipe had dropped down. He took it off and tied it to the run- ning board. By the time we had substracted part of the truck I do not wonder that it would not go right. Soon we came to a hill which we could not make, so all the girls got out and walked up. By the time we had