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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1945-03-22, Page 9
THE T1MES-ADVOCATE, EXETER ONTARIO, THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 22, 1945 “LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT” CHAPTER XI ARLES SPALE^l PTIS* CARNEY/ Most of the training took place on the ground in an electrically operated apparatus that resembled a stubby fuselage mounted on springs. Inside it was the duplicate of a cockpit and instrument panel complete with compasses, artificial horizon, rate of climb, altimeter, and air-speed indicator. Such was the Link trainer. There was just rom enough for the pilot who squeezed himself inside and pulled a lid down over him. When the in structor, who sat at the control table, turned on the power, actual conditions of instrument flight were reproduced. The problem, of course, was to keep the trainer in a nor mal attitude solely by reference to a batch of gadgets. The instructors for this Laputan business were taken from the en listed personnel—fine, kind-hearted men for the most- part. Among them, however, were scattered a few asps. The title of instructor raised the sailor to temporary au thority over the cadets who as com missioned officers would soon crack the whip themselves. The op portunity was too good to be miss ed. I won’t way that Machinist’s Mate Briggs, to whom I was assign ed, abused the privilege, lived on it. His welcoming blast peacetime you couldn’t the Navy.” I muttered something ing fishing in peacetime and per suaded him to explain the instru ments to me. trainer inside out. went over everything, occasionally dropping a remark that clarified his position in regard to cadets. “I know you, ain’t listening,” lie said in a sarcastic voice. “It’s too .much to expect.” “I’m listening,” I said, “Don’t look like you're listenin’ to me,” he said “I am.” “You’re all want to learn, talk my bloody never found a cadet yet who lis tened. Jeez, when I think how the calyouber of officers has dropped lately, . I wonder if we’ll pull through. Well, ' it ain’t for me to question. I’m just a sailor talcin' orders, doin’ my job. I’ll go on talkin’, knowin’ damn well you ain’t payin’ the slightest attention.” It took some time to get through the lecture. Before we finished, Briggs arrived at the conclusion that I was “just like the -rest of ’em. Got nothing but Sammy Kaye on your mind.” “I'm not very mechanical,” I said. ‘Brother, you better get mechan ical,” he snorted, preparing to start me on the familiarization hop. I climbed uncertainly into the trainer, put the earphones on, and pulled the hood down. It was hot inside. One dim light illuminated the instrument panel. Briggs called over the radio, “Are you calm-?” He insisted that his pupils keep calm. ' “I’m calm,” I said, fighting down ’ the hysterical feeling that seizes me when pillows are clamped fully over my head. “You don’t sound calm,” Briggs, and before I was _ ready he turned on the electricity. “Hey!” I shouted. “Keep calm in there,” called Briggs. “Remember the standard climb is five hunderd feet a min ute. Watch your instruments.” I looked at the instruments. They seemed to be watching me. “C’mon, take off,” called Briggs impatiently. I heaved back on the stick and jammed the throttle all the way forward. At this the instruments, which had been twitching in ex citement, went hog wild. The whole panel went into a sort of Disney dance. The altimeter spun around . dizzily. The rate of climb soared. “You’re climbing straight up all over the place,” called Briggs in Rather he was, “In get into about go- Briggs knew the He earefully sullenly. alike. You don’t I stand here and heart out, and I play- said quite alarm. When, nothing else worked I beat both fists on the panel, remember ing the classic cure -for faulty ra dios. It seemed to prick the in struments on to even madder rev els. “Straighen out!” bawled Briggs, who had never seen anything like this before. It was out of my hands. I sat helpless, fascinated by the flitting, spinning mechanical ballet, All this time the air speed was being gov erned according to certain inexor able laws. It fell back and back and back until the. trainer lost fly ing speed, and the entire cast plunged violently into a theoretical spin. Now all the instruments fran tically reversed themselves. The artificial horizon momentarily came out of hiding, zipped across the glass, and went out of sight below. The altimeter drunkenly peeled off feet by the thousands while the rate of climb dropped as if it had been shot. The compasses reeled ecstat ically, gay to the very end, and the afr speed so recently shrunk to forty m.p.h. was now fat at two hundred and fifty. “You better recover,” called Briggs weakly. “According to the altimeter you are now eight hun dred feet below the earth’s sur face.” Coincident with that crushing an nouncement the light on the instru ment panel went out, leaving me in complete darkness. For a minute I hung peacefully suspended and undisturbed between two worlds, Then for no reason an image of the hellfire-and-’brimstone sign that stood for years on a familiar road at home issued up where the instru ment panel had been. I opened and closed my eyes. It was pitch-black, but the image of that sign stayed and grew brighter _and larger until the red painted message filled the entire cockpit. THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END. ARE YOU READY? The letters flowed filmily over me. I felt a giddy detachment. It didn’t matter any more. The flight that was not a flight didn’t matter, and the crash that , was not a crash didn’t matter. According to science I was whirling eight hundred feet underground, but what the hell! If you don’t understand your environ ment, go beyond it. I picked up the microphone and called to Briggs in a low, pulsing voice: “The world is coming to an end. Are you ready?” “I’ll be damned!” “Tell Buck and Wilma,” I on. “Buck who?” cried Briggs, ing face to face with his first tross. “Buck Rogers in the twenty-fifth century,” I blared. Briggs quickly snapped off the power and let me out. I started to apologize for my poor showing, but then I thought better of it. I walk ed off without a word. Briggs just stood and stared. What he had wit nessed would "never be spoken of with Lindbergh’s crossing or Ame lia’s feats, but he was well aware it had a significance of its own. He never mentioned it again as long as I was there. When I got to the point where I could keep the instruments under thumb. Briggs took a deep brea.th and proceeded to explain the basic principles of the radio range. He was ankle-deep in the subject when he stopped, pushed his sailor cap back on his5, head, and said bellig erently, “Somehow I get pression you’re _ working me.” “That’s funny,” I said. I understood a word of what he was saying. • “Teachin’ this stuff to you is. like hollerin’ uP a pipe,” said Briggs, went com- al ba the im- against had not dis- Highland Cedar FENCE POSTS LARGE run Sound, Straight and Peeled A. J. CLATWORTHY We Deliver Phone 12 Granton ______ .. , he said. He wanted to get angry. "All the ca dets is ox dumb, but I can beat that by just sayin’ the same thing sixty times over. They’re goin’ to be officers, y’ know, so they get it by the sixtieth' time, but With you it’s like blowin’ up a balloon with a hole in it. What’s wrong'with you?” he asked in despair. “Come on, just once more,” I coaxed. Finally it came to me that a radio range may be considered as the compass field quadrants, two of which quadrants, and two of which are N. You had to believe this because you can’t see it. It is all done by radio, and anything done by radio you have to take on blind faith. The A quadrants are designated by the Morse signal dit dah, and the N quadrants by the Signal dah dit. Tlie volume of ’the signals increases as you fly toward the center of the range, so that you can. tell in which Quadrant you are the range is called tlie cone of silence. That is where everybody wants to be; at least that is Where everybody on a radio range wants to be. You wouldn’t be seen dead divided into four are A The center of No Happiness in the Home When Mother Is Sick The tired, worn out mother cannot make a happy home if she is sick and worried by the never ending household duties.She gets run down and becomes nervous and irritable, downhearted ahd discouraged, oan’t rest at . night, And gets up in the morning feeling as tired as when she Went to bed. Women suffering iti this Why may find in Milburn’s Health arid Nerve Pills a remedy with which to help recuperate their healthy build up the run down system, and assist them back to health—happinessU By a Will, IUIU IWOWV moui uava w uwuvm again. Price 50c a box, 63 pills, at all drug couhters.. . Look for out trade mark a “Reel Heart” on the package. Tha T. Milburn Co., Limited, Toronto, Ont. there otherwise, To prevent a _J| orderly stampede of aircraft to the cone of sjlence, 'from which point you let down to land, much compli cated procedure has been set up. I don't like to think about it. It re minds me of the time our cook married a Mormon. Besides this while you aio locat ing yourself on the range, you’re in comunication with the radio, tow er. This conversation is carried on along highly conventional lines, “F’r instance,” said Briggs, “aft er you’ve received my message, you acknowledge it by saying, “Wil co,” That finishes everything.” “I say ‘Wilco’?” I asked incredu lously. “Yeah. Used to have to say ‘Roger’, but they changed it.” “What was the matter with ‘Rog er’?” I asked, failing to see quite what motivated the revolution. “I don’t know. Just one of them things,” said Briggs, accustomed to impermanence. “There was a big shake-up last winter.” I was never taken behind the scene, but I. imagine that when Rog- er went, he dragged a lot of big names down with him. The day I had my radio check I was particularly alert. Even the most complex features of the range stood out clearly in my mind. It was the insight that comes once in a lifetime. Briggs gave me an easy problem, and I sailed through the first part, “Corpus Christi radio from Navy one-twenty. I have orientated my self in the southern N quadrant and am proceeding to intersect your western beam with an inbound heading of two hundred forty-eight degrees. I request the use of that beam. ;Go ahead.” “Navy from Corpus Christi radio. Permission granted. Go ahead.” “Wilco.” “Atta boy,” called Briggs, who was pretty anxious to get me off his hands. “Keep it up. The graph looks great.” On his table was a recorder which traced the problem on paper. The paper was then handed in and ■marked. I was doing beautifully when a sudden jar threw the train er completely off" its course. The stick whipped over to one ^ide. I 'jerked, but it was frozen. With a howl I tore open the lid and looked angrily for the oppressive influence. Resting against the wing, quietly admiring the room, was a dark and .handsome South American officer, mustache and all. He had appar ently just arrived and was com pletely engrossed, by the ingenuity of the Northern Hemisphere. Many ■South Americans .went through the station as part of the Good-Will Program. I never knew what his government told him, but I had my orders. “Amigo!” I cried warmly, hold ing out both arms. Before he could reply, I slammed 4 down the hood and called to Briggs on the radio. “Corpus Christi radio from Navy one-twenty. Get that gaucho off my wing, Briggs, before the whole prob lem is wrecked!” “Navy from Corpus Christi radio. Yi'ou know what Sumner Welles said,” moaned Briggs. “Wilco,” I bawled, jamming up the hood again. This time the South American saw me burst through the hatch. “You moss coom to my country,” he said with a toothy grin. “We can supplement each other’s economy, amigo.” “No habla ingles,” said Manuel, grinning from ear to^ear. “There must be-'''Pan-American solidarity, amigo 'mio,” I jumped from jthe trainer., “We have roobah,” Said Manuel. “We have dinero.” “Amigo!” cried Manuel. “Amigo mio,” I said,. going to Brigg’s desk. The problem was scratched and blotched. I could not possibly pass. “Sorry,” said Briggs sadly. “Forget it. We’re just interna tional pawns.” Manuel grinned incomprehensive- iy. .“Como along, Manuel,” I urged fraternally. Briggs, wlio was crumpling my paper, looked up at this and said in a way that was bound to ensure better intent - American relations, “Manuel is a pain in the . . .’’ “Wilco,” I said. “Amigo, you moos coom to my country,’.’ the South American call ed over his shoulder, ahd we walk ed away together like Good Neigh bors. Silver Wedding Anniversary .Saturday evening March 10th, being the: silver wedding anniver sary of Mr, and Mrs. James W. Balfour of Cromarty, R, r, Nq, 1, their brothers ahd sisters gathered at their homo ip honor of the oc casion. Early in the evening the guests, gathering around the happy couple, sang “Silver Wedding Bells” a song composed for this event, after which Robert Dalrymple read the following address": Dear Jim and Ethel;-— There’s quite a crowd here tonight, But we’re all your relation Gathered here to honor you On this special occasion. The haPPy memories you have Must surely make this day, A day to be remembered In a very special way, So here’s congratulations And the best of wishes, too, For lots more happiness to come, In the days ahead of you, We ask you to accept these gifts As. tokens of our esteem, And long many your windows glow With a bright and friendly beam. —from the Dalrymples. Mrs. Hugh Dalrymple and Mrs. Alex. James presented them with a beautiful electric table lamp and a silver cream and- sugar set on a silver tray. At this time Miss Ethel Mahaffy, a niece and namesake of the bride presented her gift, a love ly cup and saucer of English china. Mr. Balfour in a very fitting re ply, expressed their appreciation and the crowd joined in singing, “iFor They Are Jolly Good Fellows.” Mrs. Balfour J. Dalrymple, Mr. and Mrs. Mr. Balfour is and Mrs. David Balfour, The evening was spent in games of euchre, Court Whist and Lost Heir, with refreshments served dur ing the midnight hour when Nelson Howe and James Dalrymple favored the company with bagpipe music. ‘Lang may their lum reek.’ MNMaHRHHNNMRMMERRHMBMMMaBaanGRGaanBMStHRRRRNnaHRnRRMMi is the former Ethel daughter of the late Wm, Dalrymple and a son of the late Mr. „f h7/1 ('To Be Continued) FAJMILY ALLOWANCES Question:—How much will each child receive? Answer:—Children under 6 years of age, $5 a month; 'Children from 6 to 9 years of age, $6 a month; children from 10 to 12 years of age, $7 a month; children from 13 to 15 years of age, $8 a month. In families of more than 4 child ren, there will be a reduction of $1 a month for the fifth child, $2 for the sixth and seventh child and $3 for each additional child, In other words, the four oldest child ren tinder 16 receive the regular allowance, and additional younger Children tin a reduced scale. Examples: 1, TWO children aged would get $6 plus $5 — month. 2, Fou& children agoa and 2 ■would get $8, $6, $6 and $5 -—$25 ger month. 3, Eldf-tT? children aged 15, 14, 11, 10, 8, 4, 3, 1 WOuld get $8, $8, $7, $7, $5, $3, $3, $2 — $43 per month, 7 and 5 $11 per 13, 9, 6 ESTABLISHED Caven W. M. S. A FINISH FOR EVERY SURFACE K£l HURON LUMBER COMPANY The regular meeting of Caven Auxiliary Women’s Missionary So ciety was held on Thursday after noon, March 15th, at the home of Mrs. Dow. The devotional exercises were read by Mrs. Kydd, after which Mrs. Fuke read interesting current events from the Glad Tid ings magazine. Mrs. Sillery address ed the meeting on the topic “Enterr ing the gate,” the third chapter on the gateway to freedom from the Study Book. Russia under Lenin made good progress in educating her people and also provided books and literature, Other foreign coun tries are also educating the illiter ate and the Missionary Societies have a duty to provide good litera ture at a small cost to the people. FIRST CANNING SUGAR COUPONS FOR 1945 ARE NOAV VALID _ The Prices Board have reminded Canadian housewives that the first two of the 20. extra preserves cou pons for the purchase of canning sugar became valid March 13 th. A press release said the coupons remain valid until further notice, and need not be used immediately. An additional eight coupons become valid in May, and the remaining 10 on July f'9. Each coupon will be good for purchase of one-half pound $Ugar, the same as in 1944. though intended primarily foi’ purchase of canning sugar, coupons may be used instead buy maple syrup or any othei' pre serves. registration for DOESTHE TRICK,’ F' VW i fi'^5 every child under 16 must be registered PARENTS: Through the mail, shortly after March 22 nd, all families will receive a Family Allowances Registration Form. Fill in this form as soon as it is received and mail it back in the envelope in which it came. Please do this promptly —it is in the interests of your children; The form you will receive is very simple. There are only seven questions and only a few minutes need be required to complete the form, but be sure to answer every question. Family Allowances are being provided to assist parents in the raising of their children. This monthly allowance is to be used for health protec tion, for doctors, dentists and nurses; to provide better food, adequate clothing and shelter, and to help equalize oppor tunities for all children; the of Al- the the to 9^ Bray Chicks have done well lot others—why not for you? 100% live delivery guaranteed. Just let me know what you want. Bray Chick Hatchery H. Keith Mitchell, Manager Exeter Hatchery Phone 246 s ^•^11170. I INCOME TAX: No one will benefit from both Family Allowances and a foil income tax deduction for their children. Parents have the choice of applying for their Family Allowances or not claim ing the allowance and claiming the foil deduction for their children under Income Tax. If they claim the Family Allowance, the amount of deduction from tax allowed for children under the Income War Tax Act will be reduced by the amount of any Family Allow ance received. Anyone who is uncertain whether or not he or she will benefit from Family Allowances more than from Tax Deduction should register for the Family Allowance and in this way be on the safe side. Incomes may change during the course of a year • •■? 4 ! I Polished under the authority of HON. BROOKE CLAXTON Minister department of national health AND WELFARE. OTTAWA Y©U ARE HELPING YOUR CHILDREN WHEN YOU REGISTER FOR ft