Presque Isle High School - Ship Yearbook (Presque Isle, ME)

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Can anyone imagine our joe writing detective stories about murders and such? After reading his selection Seniors as Sleuthsu you may form your own opinion as to whether or not he will become a writer. We'll keep tabs on you in the future, joe. and we all wish you the best of luck. SENIORS AS SLI:lU'l'HS It was one of those beautiful autumn days which could be classed as one that was too nice to go to school, when jimmy and I were watching those sleek, silver, mam- moth C-54s of the Air Transport Command land at our local air base. H Oh. those ships, said jimmy with wide-eyed wonder. Every time I see one I just wish that I were up there flying it or at least enjoying the ride. Me too! I confirmed. But I've decided that it's no use wishing that any more. We can buy rides in those tiny Cubs over at Caribou ali we want, but it's just im- possible for civilians, especially at our age, to get a ride on an Army airplane. You're right, I suppose: but anyway let's hurry or we'll be late for school- and that wou'd be disastrous. Dismissing the thought from our minds, we hurried to school on the double. as they call it in the Army. The day wore on and finally I met jimmy in the study-hall as he came in for his regular study period. Each of us took a chair at the same table and talked the day's events over until the come to order bell. After the teacher came in and restored law and order, we all settled down to various tasks in our studies. Suddenly, a huge roaring of aircraft engines with frequent sputterisg blasts pierced the very atmosphere. Not a hundred feet o er the building flew a four engine C-54, whose nose was pointed directly toward Hardy Hil' which loomed straight in its path. Violent jerks and bounces shook the ship as it tore onward. By now. everyone in the study-hall had noticed the airplane, which was still head- ed toward unmistakable destruction. After the airplane c'eared the tall poplars of Hill- side Avenue, the nose dipped again. The ship flew straight and level. You sensed that the pilot and co-pilot were doing their utmost to gain altitudb. You. knew that by some freakish or mechanical disability the plane would not respond to its contro's. You knew that it was going to crash into the irregular pattern of fields on Hardyl Hill: and as you realized all this, a co'd chill ran up and down your spine, making every nerve in your body twitch with fear. Seconds seemed like hours, but - there - now - it was all over. The giant skybird, robbed of its controls. and failing to respond to man's will and strength. crashed into the hil'side with an ominous cracking and tearing. At the same instant as the propellers clawed up the rocky soil, sheets of vivid real flame leaped skywardf. The here enveloped the whole ship in a matter of seconds. The high octane gaso'ine burning with terrific heat and force, was slowly disintegrating the plane. For the rest of the period. different Questions were passed from table to table and person to person in muffled whispers. All these concerned the accident we had just viewed. Finally the bell which ended the period rang. Everyone rushed to his home room, for school was over for the day. As soon as we were dismissed, Jim and I grabbed our books and made our way out through the north door. Let's go home and get our cameras, joe, and we'll drive up to Hardy Hill and try to take some pictures! said Jim anxiously. Anticipating the wonderful photographs we could make, I immediately answered in the affirmative. We drove to our respective homes and obtained our cameras and flash equipment. Armed with these, we cautiously drove up Hardy Hill, where many people had already assembled. The air base fire department hadl ext'n'xuished the fire and the Anny personnel so'diers along with the men of the medical department were removing charred bodies from the wreck. Wasting no time, we brought out our cam- eras and proceeded to take pictures of various human-interest shots of rhe people and their different duties.

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When you ask Milton what his hobby is, he just gives a long, lon: whistle. Brunettes are preferred but a cute, little blond will do, and those redheads! Eating ice cream runs a close second, though, and as for sports ---- he likes them all. When does he jind time lo write themes lilge this, we ash. . ON THE BUS I Tickets, please! Push to the rear, ladies and gentlemen. Lots of room for every- one, groans the bus driver. By the time you are able to get on, al' the seats are taken and most of the aisle is filled. You hand him your ticket, sharpen your elbows, lower your head, and push to the rear. You are packed like sardines when he is ready to leave. Your hopes rise high be- cause there are no more people to get on. He is about ready to start when two ,enormous people come running out of the statfon. They have decided they want to go too. lmmediately he starts to groan again, Push to the rear, folks. Lots of room. Lots of room for everyone Push to the rear, p'ease. You exhale, reduce yourself to a size smaller than before, and pack in still tighter. The only way the driver can get the door shut is by someone on the outside pushing xt. That packs us in still t'ghter. He gets the motor staxted after churning it for about hve m'nutes. We are at last on our way. We are going along too smooth'y. Something has to happen. My fears come true. Someone who is sitting by a windiow opens it. C'ose that window! Don't you use that head of yours for anything except a hat rack, yells someone behind me. Leave it open! It's hot up here. That blockhead back there doesn't know what he is talking about. yells another from the front. Immediately, a chorus of yells rise. The fellew by the window throws his hands in the air, pul's his hat over his eyes, and sinks down into his seat. After my ribs have been poked a thousand times and my feet constantly stepped on by the fat lady in front of me, we arrive at our destination. Again the groaner starts in, All change for bus to New Wade. Watch your step. Take your time. You start for the front. Someone pushes you in the back so that you hit the lady in front of you. She looks at you with a murderous gleam in her eyes. You are just getting ready to apologize when she pushes you in the other direction. You become a rubber ball bouncing back and forth between them. After a half-hour, you finaly get to the front. You climb off the bus and? start for the other one. Of course, it has its seats full before you get there. You begin to wonder if you can go through it again. You hand the driver your ticket, take a deep breath, lower your head again, and start pushing to the rear! ' Milton Daggett '47

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Come on, joe, let's get closer and take a few pictures of the ship itself, sug- gested jimmy. Ho'ding our cameras high, we breezed past the guard and walked directly towards the airplane skeleton. Whew, whispered Jimmy in a relieved tone. We got by him, anyway! After taking pictures at different angies, we turned to head' back: but a gleam- ing object near where the door used to be caught my eye. Approaching the smoulder- ing ruins, I found that it was wedfged between the floor frame and door casing. It was some sort of medal or emblem that had an oblong hook on it. It seemed to have come from a watchfob. On it were different insignias, and on the reverse side, it had some wo'ds which seemed to be from the German language. Sensing that this might lead to the cause of the accident, we ran over to the Army Colonel's staff car. Pardon us, sir, I exclaimed as I reached the door, but we just found this wedged in a section of the plane where the door of the ship used to be. Maybe 1t'll lead to something and maybe not. The colonel's eyes lit up as he reached for the object, and he said', Leave your names and addresses, plus telephone numbers, with the lieutenant here. Yessir, we gulped, thinking that maybe we'd involved ourselves in some situation that we'd never get out of. After giving the lieutenant the necessary information, we hurried to our auto and silently drove home with not a wordf spoken by either of us. See you in the morning, I to'd Jimmy as I closed the car door. Yeah, if we're still around, he laughingly rep'ied. - At school the next moming, Jimmy and I hardly spoke to each other. Then dur- ing one of mv periods, I was called out to the office by the principal. Upon arriving there, I saw jimmy with a worried look on his face. . Boys, said Mr. Cunningham, the colone' at the air field called me and asked me if Id excuse you for a while this morning. There's nothing I can do, but let you go - and you better hurry, it's important. Yessir, we said as We went out. At the main gate, the colonel had an esco there to meet us. He was the very same lieutenant who had taken our names the da before Upon our being ushered into the Air Corps Colonel's office, he happily shook hands with us and offered congratulations at the same time. Would you mind telling us what this is all about, sir? inquired Jimmy. Well, that ornament you boys found yesterday o-nly led to the arrest of a large network of saboteurs, disguised as aircraft mechanics. They've been operating through- out the whole Ndrth Atlantic Division, and we've never been able to lay a finger on this fifth column work. Is there any little favor that you boys would like to have done, just out of appreciation? asked the colone'. Well-well, I mean-could- Anything, name anything, cut in the colonel. Well, suggested jim. If we got our parents' consent, cou'd we have a ride in one of your locally-based airplanes? Positively! I'm sure after what you youngsters have done for the pilots here that they would give vou a ride, he answered with a twinkle in his eye. Joe Barresi '46