Wells High School - Crimson and Gray Yearbook (Southbridge, MA)

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NOVEMBER 1933 my way once more. Their hospitality was given me because Mrs. Hollowell has had two sons on the rozd in the past, and she believed that some kind lady would do the same for them. From Canandaigua I rode through Syra- cuse, Utica, and on to Albany where I stopped for lunch. As I was walking along the bridge toward Renssalaer, a car stopped and the man driving asked if I was going his way. Since that was the first time anybody on the road had invited me to ride, I was rather suspicious. But it happened that this was another Samaritan in the form of a news- paper man who owned the Rensselear paper He brought me to his office where I made my- self comfortable with three chairs and two overcoats. Next morning he woke me up at eight o ' clock, bought me a good breakfast, and offered me a job as truck driver which I declined. Leaving Albany I went through Pittsfield, over the Ladder to Springfield. I arrived in Southbridge at three, Wednesday, after cover- ing 2600 miles, in sixteen days, through eight states, and spending less than the last figure in dollars. Paul Benoit ' 34. TO THE WORLD ' S FAIR ON $4.26 Everyone asks how I liked the World ' s Fair. The Fair was great. Half of my thoughts, however, go back to the kind people who gave me rides; some of these rides were long with much to see and nothing to worry about, while others were very short. They were a help but, meantime, I might have missed a good ride. Cherry ' s stories of the Fair started me, so on August 28 I started from our famous town at 8 o ' clock with two World War veterans who were very interesting and very good sports. We arrived at Albany at one o ' clock. I walked through the city and stood on a corner where I thought would be a good place for getting a ride. The lights had just changed. The gentleman in the third car, a Buick, gave me about a thirty-five mile ride. This gentleman ' s son had gone to the Pa- cific coast in the same gentleman-like style and he considered the experience valuable as an education. I got as far as Sangerfield, N. Y. that day, about three hundred miles— not bad! But I slept in a barn that night and awoke with the cold about five-thirty. The next couple of nights were more comfortable, for I dropped in on relatives, before I hit the Honeymoon Trail to Niagara Falls. There, two college fellows from Colorado, going back to college, picked me up. We dropped in to see Niagara Falls and went on down to Erie that night. I could have had a ride all the way to the Fair but I had to wait for mail. It was disappointing to think I missed a 600 mile ride. The next day, however, I got a 280 mile lift out of Erie from a man with a load of machinery going to Columbus, Ohio. It wasn ' t a very comfortable ride because he had about five tons of machinery on the truck. Everytime we came to a corner I thought we were going off the road we were going so fast, but we got to Bucyrus safely. It cost me 65 cents to eat and sleep in Bucyrus, about 320 miles from Chicago. The whole 320 miles I covered with one driver in a day during which we picked up a brother and sister who were hitch-hiking to the Fair. On Saturday, then, we arrived and enjoyed the day along with 300,000 other people. The boys who had picked me up palled with me while we were at the Fair. After spending almost five hours at the Travel and Transport Building I was glad to get to sleep. My bed was the rumble seat of the boys ' car. It was just like a spring mattress but I had to stick my feet out and every-one going by made sly remarks. Otherwise I had a com- fortable night. I stayed at the Fair till Labor Day, and left the boys about eleven o ' clock Monday night, after thanking them for the wonderful time I (Continued on Page 16)

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THE CRIMSON AND GRAY possible. Outside, however, I noticed a sign which read 10c a meal. I jotted down that address and for six consecutive days I was at that place three times a day. I had found good places to eat and to sleep for $3.30. Following my theory of economy I in- tended to go through every free building. Among those which I liked immensely were the Hall of Science, General Motors, Travel and Transportation, and the States ' Build- ings. In these buildings everything a fel- low could imagine is there to be seen. He can examine things at his leisure and find out the how, when, where, and what-for, of nearly everything that we see in our daily lives. Other buildings that I also liked were Sears Roebuck; the Firestone, where you can see a tire being made every ten minutes; the Indian Village, where buildings of original material and type have been brought from the Far West to illustrate their life; Days of ' 49 Camp, where I paid to see illustrated a contrast between a wedding of then and now; Fort Dearborn, a really old fort where can- nons, chinks in the walls where guns could be set, log-cabins— all that usually seems local color of a Western thriller to us— was re- vealed as authentic; Streets of Paris; the larg- est thermometer, 150 feet high; the Electrical, Federal, and Agricultural Buildings; the Planetarium; and Sinclair ' s Prehistoric Group. Seeing just the outside of hese buidii took me all day Sunday, however. When I had started out for the Fair, with my back- ground of experience the Sturbridge Fair, I had been prepared to spend the day in Chi- cago and come home satisfied. But a whole week later, after fairly steady work, found me still interested and with my curiosity still unsatisfied. That first night I stayed to see the fire- works—to see $10,000 go up in smoke in some of the most beautiful displays imaginable. Wednesday of that week was very warm, so, for variety, I went swimming in Lake Michi- gan all day long and at night took in a show. Thursday I spent trying to visit places I had not seen before and I succeeded in finding many, I assure you. The most important sights were the A. P. Gypsies, the New and Old Railroads, Byrd ' s Ship, the Blue Ribbon Malt Cafe (with Buddy Rogers, Ben Bernie and Guy Lombardo. I paid 15c for a glass of beer which I sipped very slowly in order to enjoy the music as long as possible). I also decided to look around the city itself while I was out in that part of the world. I visited the Times Building, three Y. M. C. A. ' s (there are seventeen), the Wrigley Build- ing, and the Public Library. At the Stock Yards I got a sandwich and a cup of coffee, free of course. (That ' s a courtesy that they extend to every visitor and, if I may say so, 1 think it ' s a very good idea.) About three o ' clock I visited the Field Mus- eum of Natural History. The arrangement of various animals and, especially birds in their natural habits, shown on the first floor, are of unparalleled beauty. The Museum Library confined to its own subject, is twice as large as our local library. In the Shedd Aquarium one can study water life as no- where else in the world. When I got to my room Friday night I de- cided that I had seen enough of Chicago and the Fair and so I started back to Southbridge the next morning. That night I spent at Elk- hart, Indiana. Early the next morning I got one through trip to Cleveland, Ohio, where I arrived after an all-day and night ride. I reached Cleveland about three in the morn- ing and by three-thirty had made connections for Buffalo. I reached Lima about eight that night. At Lima I met some very hospitable people. A Mr. and Mrs. Hollowell and their son picked me up at Lima. They were well-to-do and kind-hearted. When I told them I was going points east to Boston from Chicago they talked matters over and finally brought me to their home in Canandaigua. They gave me a late supper, let me have their guest room, and woke me up at six in the morning. After a breakfast which consisted of three eggs, seven slices of toast, and two cups of coffee, I was on

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LITERATURE F. I. D. IT IS Monday morning in Lake City; the clock in the Fire Department 1 is striking six. Only a few of the twenty-five men who sleep there are dressing. Among them is Ser- geant Trenton. He quickly dresses and is the first to go downstairs. The sight which his eyes beheld was puzzling. He pinched himself to see if he were still asleep. No! he was awake. He ran quickly upstairs and sum- moned the rest of the men. Some had just awakened and the rest were roughly awak- ened by Sergeant Trenton. Chief Blake asked, What ' s the matter? What ' s the matter? Say, do you know that every single piece of apparatus in this build- ing is gone? answered Trenton. W-W-What do you mean? Just what I said, came the answer. Come and see for yourself, Trenton said, as he went down the stairs. In one minute, everyone was downstairs. Chief Blake ' s eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw the empty building. He and Sergeant Trenton searched the building and in a back room they found Officer Dugan who had been on duty that night. He had been knocked unconscious by a blow on the cranium. On his chest was pinned a note which read as follows: Fire when under con- trol is the servant of man but it will be loose soon. It was signed with three fatal letters, F. 1. D. Officer Dugan was quickly revived and all he knew about what had happened was that about three o ' clock in the morning he heard a footstep, and was about to turn around when he was hit on the head. By this time the police had arrived, and as Lake City had two fire stations, the other sta- tion was called and they answered, Seven bells and all ' s well. Tick-tick-tick— The news was telegraphed to every state. Every policeman in every state was on the lookout for wandering fire trucks. By eight o ' clock these cries could be heard all over the streets in many cities. Extra-Extree— Lake City Fire Dept. has ap- paratus stolen from under their own noses. Extree-Extra. Meanwhile Chief Blake, as red as a ripe to- mato, is answering questions shot at him by Gus Lance, Chief Detective of the Lake City Police Dept. Now let us see what the rest of the firemen are doing. Pat Dodd, who is considered the comedian of the Fire Dept., is all a-twitter. He is an amateur detective and is engaged to Rose Belton, whose hobby is asking ques- tions. At this moment he is offering solu- tions of the robbery to his friends. By this time part of the Station 2 appar- atus has been sent over to be used until the stolen property is found. All the firemen were asking for action: action by the police, action by the Chief, any sort of action. Lit-