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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1956-03-07, Page 6.dazve Andrews. The Island That Wasn't There WHAT DID THEY fitt91R/ITH THEITA PS? p(L-shacrelik e straws for summer are going to be "the thing," if thAe'chapeatix are stra;Willin'fashin's I'Sp'r'mg lareeze. Shown recently they are, from left: Yellow 'straw with "small bOW;"wbite• straw with draped, printed silk trim; untrimmed " ^ • beige 'strawa e• GENUINE :"PERCH' SPECIMENS — Fish, join the r'an'ks of bird watchet:s 'for perhaps the first time, in this unusual. aquarium in London, England. Canaries are in a bubble-like cage, sus- pended in the water. Display was a feature of the 12th annual National Exhibition of Caged. Birds and Aquaria. While eggs are among the easiest of all foods to took, it le surprising how many women And Men, too — manage to Visnse them, Whether they are ateeked lo water, in a frying pan, or in the oven, the flatt- tatuneetal rule is to use low or moderate heat. Eggs cooked at bigh temperature have a way Of becoming tough and leaths my, So now for a few egg reeis ltess * OMELET 4 Eggs 4 tablespoons milk or water 34 teaspoon salt aas teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon butter Plain Beat eggs slightly, Add milk tior water, salt and pepper and blend thoroughly. Melt butter in, frying pan. Pour mixture into hot pan. Reduce heat and eodk omelet very slowly, until firm, and brown on the bottom, about a minutes. During cook- ing lift edges with a spatula to allow uncooked mixture to run underneath. Crease omelet through centre with spatula, fold over, serve on a hot plat- ter. Yield: 3 - 4 servings. * * Fluffy Separate yolks from whites of eggs. Beat whites until stiff, but not dry. Add milk or wat- er, salt, pepper to egg yolks. alliteat well. Fold yolks into 'whites. Melt butter in frying pan. Pour mixture into hot pan. Reduce heat and eook very slowly until omelet is browned underneath, well puffed, and be- ginning to shrink from sides of pan, 10 - 15 minutes. Then place omelet in a slow oven, al00°F., until top is dry, about 10 minutes. Crease omelet Through centre with spatula, fold over, serve on, a hot plat- ter. Yield: 3 - 4 servings. "Variations: Before folding: Spread omelet with jelly or jam, Cover omelet with grated cheese. Cover omelet with 3/a io cup, creamed chicken or ham. Spread omelet with fried or creamed mushrooms. Add 1/s cup chopped ham or bacon or cooked mushrooms to omelet beforemixture is cook- ed, * * FRENCH TOAST 2 eggs' 1 cup milk I tablespoon sugar (optional) how the island, which an, hour beforehand lOwnPd. large and, safe in the distance, had vanished while we were fishing. We discussed it fervently but Were baffled, Night came and it got colder- September is springtime in the Antartie, but it is always cold, Our seamen's jackets were no proof against it and 1 could hear the fish crackle, freezing already, as I shifted my feet. It was, useless to try to sleep. If nothing happened by morn- ing, it was decided, we would Start to row towards the many uncharted islands spreading out from the South Shetland group. I remembered what Rojez had said about the island appearing and disappearing. "Maybe we'll see the island again in the morning," I said, I began to feel uneasy about. Mora. He was an Argentinian from Buenos Aires, This was his first trip, and, in feet, the first time he had ever left his native city during the whole of his life. Obviously he was badly frightened by what had hap- pened, and had now begun to sing in a cracked voice, Once Rutz slapped him to shock away his hysteria but Mora didn't even notice it. "He's going crazy," said Ruiz, and I agreed. Mora kept at it, louder and louder, and finally many hours later when it was near, morning, he gave a great cry, plunged' over the side of the gig and disappeared. Morning came at last. Care- fully, we scanned the horizon.. There "was nothing in sight. We rowed for some" time. At least we managed to 'get our- selves warm again. I held the bow° oar and Ruiz was in the stern, our backs to the bow it- self. He turned to say, something to me. Suddenly his face went white. "Look!" he gasped. "Ahead of us!" I turned and saw it. A ship began to emerge into sight. First the bow, then the mid- ships, and finally the whole vessel. It was like an appari- tion inaterialiaing. There was• no' fog out of which it could emerge, yet it just seemed to appear slowly out of nowhere. It was the "Bejar." The skipper came down and asked us what had hap- pened. We told him, ust as I have recorded it here. "The island disappeared?" he said, and he bit his lip and looked at us suspiciously once again. "Come up on deck," he said at last. We followed him, and then he pointed off the stern quarter, ,and I could see the two mysterious pinnacles of mountains anc4 the ranges ex- tending from them. I rubbed my eyes. "It's unbelievable," I said, "but I tell yru that's exactly what happened-the is- land disappeared." 'A ' little lated Rojez, the ship's' bo'aun, spoke to me. "I heard your story," he said, "and frankly I can quite believe it. Don't assume that you've merely lost your mind and were imagining th'ngs out there. They say that if you approach the island from a certain angle you won't see .a thing. It's like the shimmer set up in the desert When you see a mirage. The horiZon just seems to continue and there's nr island visible." Even to enter the harbour at Deception Island was an eerie experience, I was an able sea- man on the Argentine cutter 'Beier" whose patrol rutty ex,- tended from. St, Cruz, i11 South. Argentina,• down to the South Shetland Islands in the Ant- arctic, It was late September when We put into the mysterious har- bour, which was entered through a gap between two pinnacle mountains, Two ran- ges extended from them, like pincers, These ranges were covered with, snows sight down to within six feet of the beaches. "Why does the snow end like that-so abruptly?" I 'asked Ro- jez ' the bos'un. ,."Look at the. beaches," he ex- plained. "They are .made, up of volcanic ash.- Dig, a foot down and 'yeu'll bliaaer your hand." The harbour was filled with ice drifts, and we picked our way through them to a rickety pier which is sometimes used as a base for whaling ships. "But they never stay long," said Rojez, "Nobody does. ThetOsay it' Wouletake only a earthquake td callapse those two mountain peaks, and if they did.collapse we'd be caught in, the middle and crushed to. death?' 'As he Spoke the two pihn'acles seemed to totter 'in the Sky. "Decentionla Island," Rojez added,:,. "is • well-named. The whaling,..men say that some- times it's not here. It vanishes one year and' reappears the next." Thereacertainly seemed to be something s ,mysterious ,about the island. It just didn't' stand still. ,I a said there was drift ice in the harbour when we 'Steam- ed in,''Two hours later there wasn't one piece of ice, there. The 'tide rushed in and out with the swiftness of a mill run. The beaches lengthened and everywhere steam rose from them. Through the vapour ' the mountains seemed to tremble and waver. Ghostly music followed the wind out n - the ravines and into the harbour. I had been detailed with two others, Able Seamen Ruiz and Mora, to take the ship's gig and catch some fish outside the harbour for the eevning meal, writes Roderick Bentz in "An- swers." It was noon, when we rowed away from the ship. We rowed aboat, three miles then threw our lines overbdard,. By late afternoon the gig was filled to the gunwales with our catch . Time had gone swiftly as we hauled in the fish, and we. had been too busy to notice our drift. At last we called it a day and got ready to start back to Deception Island.' Mora and I grabbed the Oars and Ruiz went to the stern and took the tiller. We started pull- ing, and then I heard Ruiz give a startled gasp. "Look," he said in an awed voice. "Where. in heaven's name is the island?" I looked around. I scanned every. inch of , the horizon through the 300 degrees of the ompass., There was nothing on 'the horizon; no island, ;lotting a't Ruiz ;c1Cdased himself: Mora •sat transfixed, just staring, at nsaeitah,ing, a "We are cursed:',-he We —then tried to fitted out Raiss's cousin gave the ring to the man whorls he knew had been Russ's best friend, the singer Joe Casino. He; too, was in, his heyday of popularity — and,taking no chances on the ring's evil reputation. Instead, he kept it under glass on his mantelpiece as a memento of his dead friend. At one time he was pressed to do.. nate the ring to a museum of Valentino relics, but Joe Ca- sino refused, insisting that he treasured it on sentimental grounds. Perhaps with the passing of time the aura of wickedness around, the ring became for- gotten. He wore the ring and a week later, with the tragic circlet on his finger, he was killed by a truck. The newspapers' were imme- diaely hot on the trail of the • tragic coincidence. Joe's bro- ther asserted that if only Joe had given the ring away he would have been alive and well. But he decided that he could not be intimidated by a ghost and at last he wore the ring. Nothing happened. The ring was lent to a collec- tor of Valentino relics, He, too, seems to have escaped un- DEATHLY BEAUTY— , Conditions' which produced'1 this "Swam Lake on ice in'London, England; ore responsible ' for' over 300 deaths, Cold, 4natav ,tind storms; worst in, a; century', liar te whip ped England' and the cOntinen!. this winter. Swans -!and roasting on the surfacei /WIrribledon Comniena ke,taisualty,lan ope haven, fart thed3ird aaa teaaPoon salt Pepper s 0 Winch slices bread 3 tablespeons batter Blend together slightly beat- en eggs, milk, sugar, salt and pepper, Dip both sides of each Slice of bread into the mix- ture, Melt butter in frying pan, brown slices of bread on both sides in hot Sat Place on a hot platter and serve at once. Yield: :0 slices. * Variations; Serve with butter and salt and pepper, jelly, jam, honey, maple syrup, applesauce, bac, on, sausage or ham. * r* SOUFFLE 'at cup butter V.3 cup flour Pa cups milk 1 teaspoon salt Few grains pepper 4 egg yolks 2 cups cooked vegetables, meat, poultry or fish, minced or finely chopped or 2 cups grated cheese 4 egg whites Melt butter. Blend in flour. Gradually add milk. Cook, stir- ring constantly, until sauce thickens. Add seasonings. Add slowly to beaten egg yolks. Cool. Mix vegetable, meat, fish, poultry or cheese into the sauce and fold into the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into a buttered six cup casserole and oven-poach in a moderate oven, 350°F., until firm, about 1 hour, or use six individual baking dishes and cook about 40 min- utes. Yield: 6 servings. • * * Variations: Use 2 cups cooked diced as- paragus. Use 2 cups minced chicken, turkey or ham, Use 2 cups cooked minced lamb, add 1 'teaspoon curry to the sauce. Use 11/2 cups minced chicken, turkey or ham with ta cup chopped celery. * * CUSTARD 4 eggs 3,ft cup sugar VI teaspoon salt 3 cups milk 3/2 teaspoon vanilla Beat eggs slightly. Add su- gar and s a 1 t, blending well. Scald milk and add slowly to mixture, Add, vanilla. Stir custard mixture until well blended. Pour into custard cups or large baking dish. Yield: 6 servings, * To Bake: Place in a pan of hot water and oven-poach in a moderate oven, 350°F., until custard is firm and silver knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Bake large custards lila hours and small custards 1 hour, To Pressure Cook: Cover each custard cup with two layers of waxed paper and tie securely with string, Place 1/2 cup water in pressure 'sauce- pan and place custard cups on rack. Cover and allow all air to escape. Cook at 15 pounds pressure for 3 minutes. Cool cooker quickly, * Variations: Add fruit flavours, cocoa- nut, cereals, coffee, chocolate, marshmallows, rice, honey, maple syrup or caramel. * SOFT CUSTARD (Custard Sauce) 2 eggs or 4 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 1/s teaspoon- salt 2 coos hot milk 1/2 teaspoort Beat eggs slightly, Add su- gar and salt. Gradually add hot milk. Add vanilla. Cook in a double boiler, stirring con- stantly, until mixture thick- ens and Coats a Silber spoon, about 5 minutes, Y.ieldt 31/2 cups custard ,sauce. k , 11 ,d scathed. But one 'night the Los Angeles Police shot and killed a buaglar named James Willis— and the prited Valentina ring was found in his loot. A curse—or .coincidence? It was noted that all the act- or's exotic costumes, which were carefully ,stored by a mo- vie studio for • years, brought nothing but bad luck to actors who wanted them for pictyres of their own, Then Hollywood producer Edward Small decided to make a film based on Valentino's life. His choice was Jack Dunn, formerly the skating partner to ice star Sonja Henie. Like Russ Colombo, Jack Dunn bore an astonishing resemblance to Valentino. To show just how great that resemblance was, he dressed up in Valentino's clothes for a film test ... and wore the hoodoo ring. He was only twenty-one years old, and ten days later he died of • a rare blood disease called tula- ramie. This,is a disease of rabbitsi but infection can be spread into .the hands by persons skinning rabbits.. With this clue, scientists examined the jinx ring ... but it bore no tularemic traces, Jack Dunn was the last man to wear the Valentino ring. After 'the tragedy it was rushed out of sight. But still there was a sequel. It came in a daring daylight raid On a bank in Los Angeles when. the thieves succeeded in getting away with a record $200,000 haul, Three people were injured in a subsequent shooting affray when two of the hold-up gang were caught. The ringleader, Al- fred Hahn, was ultimately jailed for life. He couldn't hope to be lucky, For among the valuables stored in the bank's safe deposit Was the Valentino ring. FLYING SNAKE Was . It A COrse Or Coincidence? His real name was Rodolpho d'Antonguolla. He was an Itali- an immigrant to the U.S.A. who at one time worked as a dish- washer and found Ms way into police records as a petty racketeer. He is remembered to-day as Rudolph Valentino, famed through the world as the' per- fect lover in the era of the si- lent screen. He became a dancing partner, a chorus boy, a Hollywood ex- tra; and for his part in the film that brought him fame he thought himself well paid, at $15 a day. When he died, aged thirty- one, nearly thirty years ago, some 100 people were injured in hysterical riots at the funer- al parlour. Because of the fear that harm might be done, a wax effigy, it is rumoured, was, sub- stituted for the corpse. Now, amid the legends that have gathered around Valenti- no's name, one strange story survive and seems to have' a sinister and murderous life of its own. Addicted to superstitious bau- bles, he always wore a platinum slave bracelet on his wrist and one day noticed in the window of a San Francisco trinket shop a ring that closely matched it, With a semi-precious^stone sur- rounded by beaten silver of fa- miliar Oriental pattern, the ring' exerted a peculiar facsination on the sleek-haired star of the silent days, The shopman told him it was a lucky ring that had, brought fortune and fame. But he warned him that the ring might prove equally unlucky and al- so had a record of murder and assault. This gimmick undoubtedly put up the price — for no doubt the shopman recognized his custom- er as Valentino, then at the height of his fame. He bought the ring and wore it in his next film, "The Young Rajah," and the movie was such an appal- ling flop that it resulted in a two-year absence from the screen for him, He scarcely wore the 'ring again until he used it as a cos- tume prop for "The Son of the Sheik." This was to prove the last pictuie he ever made. Three weeks after he finished it he went to New York for a holiday —s and he was wearing the ring when he suffeted an acute attack of appendicitis from which he subsequently died. Weeping hysterically, film Star Pola Negri collapsed by the coffin \ She chose the aring as a keepsake from ambhg Vaiena titiVs personal trinkets; vowing she would cherish it until they met again, There fellowed for Pole a spetiod of ill-health' and this fortune that threatenec1,1 her fame in the ,:movie .firmainent. But she 'het a Valentino, sooti- er than she thought. Or at least she 'het Ituas Co- . loinbo, who was almett the 'dead film :stet's double. Russ, too, was wit-Ming the aeminine hearts of Atheriea, running neek : and Sleek with Bing Cisishy and Rudy Vallee in the. crooner Oakes, And when Pala was in- * educed to hint iii person it :Was With thrill of recognition- that she saw another Vafen,, tin& it They were tdatisect.lcigeihet picture Work and fife abtresat tried to take the newcomer Wider her wing, coaching hitt' through the laellansaoad maze. She gave him Itudelph'S ring with the reinark, "Froth one 'Valentino'to another" . s but the. link Was listening!. that 'tame Week itttSs ColOrti- bo ryas killed in a motoring cc- tidefit. Again the, Morbid eroWdt 'attempted ki Make a Valentine libliday' Out Of hit funeral, Again. Pela wept. Amiga CARGO 'COPTER--,This Weird-looking craft is the world's largest helitopiert The_ pressureiet, tingle-rater 'aver Can tiff and transport cattgoe of lb totes Or More iltiAtiNfiNES- FOR. bG131E- '1.—.Frve-year-ckf.bebbie I-Verdi/se la Cite' featured attraction at Cr' "Valeimines foe' Debbie, fa? Heart'" ciorceett; Debbie SuCcetsiuily trAderwent a ra re hedet operation Co Dec. S, 1955, Apparently recovering nrcely, tlsatit shown :01 the' Heart Fund show with 'Lynn Tetley, comic conductor cif child; en's pro-drat:KS in rdnsttcolti: The Pichaqtiate is a light greeh snake that inhabits the wild Yaqui Indian Country of Sonora, Mexico. The venomous reptile lives in trees and sails through the air like a flying squirrel, The little triake is not equipped With wings but flat- tens itself out like a ribbon be- fore sailing froth one tree to another, The: reptile has a hook or fang oh the end of its tail resembling the stinger of satirpiOn. Yeettli Indians, when traveling through that part of their then- fay, carry a short stick With which to ^ ward off the snake, The Indians travel tingle file along the hatrOW paths and *hen a Snake IS Sighted sailing through the air, they paaa the Vail deft the line by shout. ,STEPS TO STARDOM — Pi)qish Shirley Matto:lie& as singer, clan, ter, attress -- •has reached star-, dertt the fairy-tale way. she's One of thote Understudies who repleteed the Star only to becorne One herself. And she did it twice. The first time she re- placed star Card! Haney, who broke her ankle Orr the third night of Broadway's "Pajama darne," MoVib oodutet tlal wat In the ducifence, and Shirley Was seen signed' by hrro to a movie contract. then she stepped Into Oetty Geoble's sheet for a bfo TV 'hew when faliewect, Bitty became iff, iferder4 1,11t10.67“,14.4.1.141-1/.1