Lowe High School - Towers Yearbook (Windsor, Ontario Canada)

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—-- THE TOWERS 1948 I tl 4 9 PACiE SEVENTY-SEVEN them potatoes and onions and thus arrested the progress of the dread disease. As the ship neared the home port, great preparations went ahead to make her trim. The rigging was set up and tarred, the masts stayed, tlie ship scraped and painted inside and out. fter a voyage of one hundred and thirtv-fivc days they came up the harbour and by night lav snug, with all sails furled, safe in Boston Harbour, the long, perilous voyage ended. In those days the life of the common sailor was very hard. The captains had absolute power and many were brutal and cruel. The members of the crew could do nothing in self- defence while on ship, and except in a case of unprovoked murder, their complaints on shore had little effect. In the story we find many in¬ stances of the harshness which sailors were compelled to endure. Sick men were neglec¬ ted. or set to work when too weak to stand. Everything in the way of clothing the sailor bought from the ship was charged to him at a very high price, and lie was lucky if he had any of his wages left when the ship reached the home port after a long voyage. It is not sur¬ prising that tlie common sailor was careless and reckless. Letter to Doris -- (Continued from Page 25) and later in the Alumni. Last spring. I telephoned a number of former graduates in regard to the reunion. It was amazing how This is Edna Smith of Tech Alumni opened the way for easy con¬ versation. There was a common interest even though I knew some of them slightly or hadn ' t seen them for years. In June, several of the Alumni journeyed to Port Carling to attend the wedding of Bill Tom¬ linson. it was like old times when the crowd gathered to go places. The associations made in the Alumni have lasted through the years. Writing to you about the Alumni prompted me to glance through my Tech N ear Books of l ' )27-28-29. Made me wonder what had become of many of tlie students. Their work, families, joys, and sorrows. While walking through Hudson’s store I met our former classmate Mardie Holding. I nodded, -aid Hello, Mardie and continued on my way. Of a sudden it occured to me I hadn ' t seen Mardie for at least fifteen years and yet I -poke to lie- a s if I was accustomed to meeting Iter. I retraced my steps hut was unable to locate Iter. An opportunity lost. Thus tlie years retreat into tlie past and we lose touch. February marked tile 20th anniversary of the Alumni and it is to lie hoped the spark can he kept alive ail ' d that the Alumni will become a- strong as it should he with so many graduates leaving Vocational School each year. O dear! Talking about time, my family is due in one hour and I haven ' t prepared dinner. Bye now. Doris, and please write soon. As ever. EDNA. (Edna Smith Jackson). □! :□ N N N N N S S N N N N N ' S 11 .s ' Jxepchhon ' ' Ilia! Counts in Printers of “The Towers” For Third Consecutive Year - Minting- Jcri’ice, C iialihj anil hl erji’ilu. r l 11 128 KERRY STREET i order Press w indsor. Ontario s N S N N S s s N s N N » S N S N N S } T. F. FLOOD. Proprietor Phone 3-3951

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PAGE SEVENTY-SIX THE TOWERS -1 I 9 4 8 — 19 4 9 RICHARD HENRY DANA By JUNE SPICER. C3A Probably you have read or seen the pic¬ ture of Two Years Before The Mast but do you know what lead the author. Richard Henry Dana, to write this wonderful book? Dana, when a student of Cambridge University, de¬ cided to take a long sea voyage in order to cure a weakness of the eyes which threatened to spoil his career. Accordingly, he shipped on the brig Pilgrim, bound front Boston round Cape Horn to the western coast of North America, a long and tedious voyage. Dana knew nothing of the sea. and felt very keenly all the discomforts of a sailor ' s life. By degrees the steerage names of things on board became familiar to him. and front then on he was a new being. He soon realized what a busy life this was. The discipline of the ship required every man to be constantly at work when he was on deck, except at night and on Sundays. When the ship was not actually sailing it was being overhauled by the men. licr running gear had to be kept, at all times, ready for any emergencies. Through the late summer and autumn the ship ran on with few adventures upon her southerly course towards Cape Horn. They were now in the region of Cape Horn and saw the Magellan Clouds and the Southern Cross, livery thing was prepared ior the dreaded Cape vvea titer and it dtd not delay its onslaught upon them. A fine specimen of it appeared in a great cloud of dark slate-colour which drove upon them from the south-west: in an instant the sea was lashed into a fury and it became almost as dark as at night. The sailors did their best to take in sail, but a cold sleet and driving hail almost froze them to the rigging, while the sails were stiff and wet, and the ropes and rigging covered with sleet and snow. Day after day passed with little change in the weather. The men ' s clothes were all wet through and they had no means of drying them, and could only change from wet to wetter. They could not read or work below, for the hatches were closed and everything black and dirty. Their only relief was to come below when the watch was out. wring out their wet clothes, hang them up and turn in and sleep until the watch was called again. At night and morning they were allowed a tin pot full of hot tea. swee¬ tened with molasses, which, had as it was. was the only warm food they had. and which with their sea biscuit and cold salt beef comforted them somewhat. The brig expected to trade upon the coast of Upper California, hut instead of going first to Monterey, the seat of government and only cus¬ tom house, where the cargo had to be entered, the captain had orders to put in at Santa Bar¬ bara and wait for the agent, who lived there and transacted all business ior the firm. After they had picked him up they set off for Monterey. After some delay they entered the Bay of Mon¬ terey and found good anchorage where they could lie safe from the Southeasters . which were the chief difficulty on this coast. Trading then began. The ship ' s crew was busy front daylight until dark in the boats, car¬ rying goods and passengers. As soon as the trade slackened at Mon¬ terey. the brig left for Santa Barbara, and there the crew had their first glimpse of what taking up their own cargo would mean. They had come for hides, and had supposed when they left Bos¬ ton that it was on a voyage of eighteen months or two years at the most. It was found that the hides were scarce and yearly becoming scarcer, and it would take a year at least to collect their own cargo; in addition, they learned for the first time that they had also to collect a cargo for a large ship belonging to the same firm which was soon to come up coast. The gloomy prospect of two cr three years at the end of the earth, on a coast almost solitary, and in a country where there was no law. hung over the ship and the men became miserable and in¬ different. Dana was now becoming very anxious as to his own future. If he had to stay with the the Pilgrim for four years, his chances of an¬ other career would he gone forever, for lie would be a sailor in tastes and knowledge, and his companion at college would have gone on and left him far behind. He became eager, as in¬ deed were all the crew, though for different reasons, to get home. But if the worst came to the worst and he was forced to stay at sea. the best lie could do was to qualify himself for an officer, and for that purpose he must learn prac¬ tical seamanship on hoard ship, and must leave his hide-curing and join in the cruising up the coast. When the Alert arrived he obtained per¬ mission from the captain to change with one of the crew and accordingly entered upon a new life at sea once more. The new ship was better in many ways than the Pilgrim, in order and cleanliness, in discipline and good feeling. Dana had mended and generally overhauled his wardrobe during his time ashore and in spare time now had no¬ thing to do but read when he could find a rare hook among the chests of the crew. But this was too good to last and rough weather came on. So the winter through there was little dif¬ ference in the seasons, and the months were given up to collecting the talc of hides that the company expected and taking them down to the hide-house to be prepared for the voyage. With March came the first assurance that the voyage was really drawing to a close. The captain gave orders for the ship to go down to San Diego, to discharge everything from the ship, clean her up. take in hides, wood, water, etc., and set sail for Boston. There followed six weeks of the hardest work they had yet seen, from the gray of the morning till starlight, with only just time to swallow their meals. The crew was a cheery one now. and filled with the hope of home, and songs rose and fell in tune with the work. With over forty-thousand hides, thirty- thousand horns, and barrels of otter and beaver skins, the Alert pulled up anchor and set sail. The ship was only half manned, and loaded so deep that every heavy sea washed her fore and aft. the forecastle leaked, and the journey round the Horn had to he made in the depth of winter, yet the men made the best of it: though drenching rain kept them in a state of discom¬ fort. and scurvy made its ravages upon the crew. All fresh food soon gave out and things were beginning to look bad when they hailed a brig outward hound from New York which gave

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PAGE SEVENTY EIGHT THE TOWERS 9 4 8 — 1 9 4 9 Jean Fraser: I can ' t get this window open. Mr. Jennings . Mr. Jennings: I challenge your brains, Shirley . Shirley Queen: I ' ll bet you can ' t open that other window . Mr. Jennings: I wouldn ' t think of trying. I might break it . Jean: I challenge YOl ' K brains. Mr. Jennings -ah M . Jennings, quit hitting me. . • • • Mr. Seguin: “Have you a question. Ken? Ken: Oh. I ' ve changed my mind . Mr. Seguin: Does the new one work better? • Barbara Weepers: Jeanne ' s got a bad ca se of pttppv love. Marlene Pastorius: ' What is puppy love? Barbara: The beginning of a dog ' s life . • • S. Acer: Sir. would you give me a sentence for the word influenza? Mr. McManus: She opened the window and In-flu-enza. • • • Mersch: ' I called on my girl last night . Peifer: What happened?” Mersch: She turned out the lights . Peifer: What did you do? Mersch: I can take a hint; I went home . • Parent: Why do you say your report card marks are under water? Ann D: Because they ' re below “C level . • • Johnny Murray: Hey. there, get on your feet . George Turner: What! Have they come off too? • • • Customer: May I try that dress on in the win¬ dow ? Beatrice Starling: We ' d prefer you to use the dressing room. Madam . • • Dan Banda: I have a terrible conscience . Andrew Archibald: What ' s wrong with it? Dan Banda: doesn ' t keep me from doing things —it just keeps me front enjoying them . Betty F.— He ' s always a perfect gentleman when he ' s with nte.” Caroline P.— He bores me. too. • Mr. Bennett: “Strachan. is your homework completed? Jim Strachan: “No Sir . Mr. Bennett: Why not? Jim Strachan: The question didn ' t work, sir . Mr. Bennett: You mean you expected the ques¬ tion to work? Jim Strachan: No sir. I only expected it to co-operate a little more. Mr. McManus: Why did you miss a word in spelling ? Mary: I bad to sharpen my pencil . Mr. McManus: ' You should sharpen your wits . • • • Chuck: What would he the first thing you would do if your were bitten by a mad dog? Mac : I ' d ask for a piece of paper and a pencil . Chuck: ' To make your will? . Mac: No, to make a list oi the people I ' d want to bite . • • • Doctor: Your left ankle is swollen, but I wouldn ' t worry about it . Patient: ' I wouldn ' t worry about it either if your left ankle was swollen . • • • Question: Why is your neck like a typewriter? Answer: Because it ' s Underwood. • • • John Filhnan: ' I put my arm around my girl six times last night. Marco Voin: My goodness, what a long arm vou have. • • • Miss Gignac: Waiter, what ' s this in my soup?” Waiter: Gosh. Miss. I don ' t know one insect from another . • • • Pat Lowe: Stop that sailor, he tried to kiss me . Officer: Aw, don ' t get nervous. There ' ll be another one along in a minute . • • • Mi ke Sozenchtick: We certainly had a won¬ derful time last night for 10 cents. Pat M.: “Yes, it was fun, wasn ' t it? I wonder what my little brother did with it? • • Joan G: Watcha do to your forehead? Jean G: Bit myself . Joan G: Ah. you couldn ' t reach it . Jean G: “I stood on a chair . • • • Miss Stevens: “What is pigskin used for? Joyce Wood: To keep the pig together . • • Mrs. Brown: Whenever I ' m in the dumps I get myself a new hat.” Mrs. Jones: I was wondering where you get them . • • • Miss Gregory: Where can you find cross- references? Gene ICrentz: In a phone hook. Miss Gregory: That ' s true, but where can you find more?” Gene Krentz: In two phone books.