Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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The condition of the streets and sidewalks, this past winter, is another feature which will long be remembered by the people of this city, especially by those who were unfortunate enough to slip and fall, adding much to their own discomfort and to the amusement of passers-by. Last Winter was not only old-fashioned as regards the cold and amount of snow, but those who had to venture out, abandoned all thoughts of style. Fur coats, caps, muffs, gauntlets, .and the old-time red flannels were brought to light, many of these having previously supplied rich dinners for moths. Almost any garment, regardless of fashion, that would help to keep the owner warm, was to be seen on the streets when the cold weather became almost unbearable. Dorothy Brown, Form Up. Vi. The Fate of the Jolly Toper It was a stormy night at sea, The wind was howling ' round; The waves, they dashed against the shore. The thunder did resound. The Jolly Toper rocked and swayed, Out on the foaming sea. Upon the deck the captain stood. And faced the wind with glee. Inside the ship with trembling mien. The crew was cowed in fear. Oh! Save us Lord, they cried in fright, As they the rocks did near. Upon the deck, the captain saw, A lighthouse through the gloom Alas ! the ship cannot be saved. The rocks will meet us soon. I 19 ]

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while we were too stunned to move. It looked as if we were doomed to remain on the bank for the rest of our natural lives. But while there is life there is hope, .so we tried again, but this time, we included the reversing, rocking, pushing and shoving at the same time. And it was these combined forces which filially brought about our happy release. Twenty minutes later the Petrel could have been seen chugging nonchalantly up the river towards Ottawa. Our adventure was over. Patricia ue Merrall, Form Matriculation II. An Old-Fashioned Winter T ONG before the Winter Season of 1933 arrived, many of the old settlers m the rural districts ' of Canada, had predicted that it was going to be one of the coldest ever experienced. Their statement they confirmed, by the way Mother Nature had supplied the trees and shrubs with great quantities of nuts and berries. The squirrels also, must have sensed the severe weather about to come, for large numbers of them migrated to warmer countries. For many years past, our winters have been moderating, and people thought our climate had changed for good. This year has proved differently, for the first cold spell arrived in the middle of October, bringing with it a heavy snowfall, which caused tremendous damage to trees, as the leaves had not then dropped. This low temperature continued and navigation was stopped, earlier than usual. Finally, at the end of December, this district experienced one of the coldest spells on record, when the thermometer registered 43 degrees below 7,ero. Bli?2;ards swept the Dominion from coast to coast, covering the land with huge banks of snow and in many places making travel by road and rail impossible. The Winter of i933 ' 34, could not be better described than by a few lines written by Long- fellow, nearly eighty years ago: O the long and dreary winter! O the cold and cruel winter ! Ever thicker, thicker, thicker Froze the ice on lake and river; Ever deeper, deeper, deeper Fell the snow o ' er all the landscape, Fell the covering snow, and drifted Through the forest; round the village. Zero weather continued for several weeks, and many people found out for the first time, what a tricky fellow Jack Frost was, when he gave them a gentle nip, which in some cases proved very painful. Many of these victims resorted to old ' time precautions, such as mufflers and ear muffs, while others were clever cnougli to invent a muff for the most prominent part of their face. I 18 I

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Help man the boats, the captain, cried, Too late we may not be. Men ' s sturdy courajije and their strength May save us from this sea. The mighty wind kept howHng round; The ship did rock and reel, Men ' s hearts with renewed life did beat, They worked with arms of steel. And closer, closer drew the ship Unto its certain end. The captain with both calm and poise His last command did send. And then, oh joy! the light revealed, Some lifeboats in the foam. Quick, throw a rope, the captain cried, For we may yet reach home. The ropes are caught, the boats arrive. The men are safe inside; When all at once a noise goes up, The ship has met the tide. The sun arose both bright and clear. And on a shimmering wave. With tear ' dimmed eyes we saw the cap. Of our old captain brave. Ruth Mallory, Form IIIa. A Trip Round the World a Hundred Years Hence VT TE WERE invited to a party in Tokio on Friday, so we decided to spend the week ' endona tour around the world. We had just bought a new ' plane, as it used to be called, equipped with all modern conveniences. It had a better television set and we could keep more easily in touch with home. The ' plane was absolutely storm ' proof and of course, ran itself with only a little help now and then with the steering. It had also a telescope, through which we could view the scenery easily and comfortably. We started on Friday morning from London and proceeded leisurely to Switzerland which we reached in half an hour. We spent a few hours there skiing. Skiing is not at all like it used to be. I have heard that people long ago, had to drag their skiis themselves up the hill, which must have been very tiresome. To ' day we slide up by electric current. We lunched at an air-drome in the Indian Ocean and met some friends who were going to a dinner in New York. We reached Tokio in time for the party. After it we went to bed and crossed the Pacific Ocean. A rather severe storm sprang up in the night but we did not know about it until we awoke. Finding ourselves at San Francisco we decided to have lunch there. It is a very noisy city, for it hao automatic speaking advertisements which shout about the merits of their products from morn till night. But the city has a very convenient means of transport by air railways. You get into a little carriage, press on a button the name of the street you wish to go to and the carriage very rapidly takes you there. We spent the afternoon crossing the United States very enjoyably, watching on our television set, a play which was being acted in London. New York is very fascinating with all its skyscrapers, theatres and stores. So, meeting some friends, we were only too glad to stay with them for the day. That night we crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in London in time for breakfast, having completed the journey in just three days. Peggy Tyndale, Form IIIb. [ 20 ]