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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1957-04-11, Page 2There Really Was A "Moby Dick" Herman Melville's savage white sperm whale "Moby Dick," from which thefilm takes its title, was no myth.^He actually existed and his real name was "Mocker Dick." He was first reported off the coast of Peru in 1837, when he attacked an American whaling ship with such appalling: ferocity that it sank almost immediately. Not long after this the Mocker turned up a thousand miles from the scene of his first as - =lilt and sank an English brig. The terrible white whale's at tacks seldom varied. Thunder- ing up from unimaginable depths, he leaped from the wa- ter as agiley as a salmon, deal- ing his victim shocking blows with his monstrous head until even the stoutest timbers shat- tered like egg -shells and the ship plunged to the bottom. His third attack occurred off the China coast where he wrecked an American timber - carrying schooner. The crew took to the boats and signalled to three whaling ships. The three whalers lowered all their available boatc and .the chase was on. But little did the whalemen know of the capabili- ties of the deadly monster whose name was soon to be- come legend, causing the tough- est harpooners afloat to shud- der with superstitutious awe, The Mocker dived when the fleet of whale -boats approached, then he hurteld to the surface like a thunderbolt directly be- neath the nearest boat. So dreadful was the blow that the boat exploded into a mass of splintered timbers. Dealing with each boat in a similar manner, Mocker Dick then turned on the swimming survivors and crunched them to death, one by one, In his great jaws, a report said. Seeing their boats destroyed and crews slaughtered in such a fearful manner, the three whaling ves- sels fled from the scene in ter- ror. Whales are said to be second only in intelligence to man, and in his next attack the white whale indicated this. Three months after defeating the three whaling ships the Mocker was attacked by the boats of an American whaler in mid -Pacific. SPECS APPEAL — One gall with glasses who's likely to draw passes is comely Marilyn Meyer, "National College Queen of 1957". She is a law student at Baylor University. This time the greatbrute did not attack the boats; he turned on the mother -ship at full speed and dealt it . a shattering blow with his mighty head so that spars fell and block came crash- ing from aloft. A sperm whale's head is well adapted to absorb punishment, for inside it is a huge spongy mass of oily cells which acts as a buffer., But so terrible as the head-on collision that the Mocker .withdrew for a moment, dazed but far from defeated. Then, summoning . his mighty strength he swept in again, the stout timber caved in like card- board and the vessel sank swiftly. The boats' crews were left to face a ghastly ordeal, for the nearest land was several thous- and miles aw:.y. Mocker Dick, so aptly named, watched them go, and then vanished and there- is no record that he was ever caught. The intelligence of whales is an astonishing thing. At a shore- based whaling "factory" in New Zealand the dreaded Orcas, or killer whales, which kill the largest whales by seizing their tongues and dragging them down, used to swim close in to the shore regularly to queue up for the whale offal discraded. Soon the whalemen were aston- ished to find that they no long- er needed to go to sea to hunt their prey. The intelligent killers were deliberately herding their vic- tims to the factory, knowing that they would be 'killed and a good feed would be the result. Yet in spite of their intelli- gence and fury when roused, whales are good parents and faithful, even in death to their mates, which makes whaling, though necessary to world eco- nomy, a very sad business. The grey whale which inhab- its the North Pacific and the strange humped -back whale, which swims the remote waters of both arctic and antarctic re- gions. will travel incredible dis- tances in response to the cry of a wounded comrade — the humped -back whale's cry of dis- tress resembling the shrill pip- ing whistle of a small gauge locomotive. And they will not desert a wounded mate even though fired at by harpoon guns, staying faithfully by its side until killed themselves, Not pnly are whales devoted to each other but to their off,. spring as well. On one occasion the captain of a fast mail steam- er of a famous steamship line stopped his vessel in order that the passengers might see a titanic struggle. A pair of sperm whales were defending their "calf" against a pack of killer sharks. The whales crushed the ravenous sea -wolves to pulp with their mighty tails, which can beat a stout boat to kindl- ing. They ripped the life out of them with their terrible jaws, tossing them aloft like rats from the muzzles of ter- riers. Finally, unable to face such a monstrous fury, the kill- er pack fled. • But to -day, when up against man, whales can no longer hold their own as they did in the days Of Mocker Dick. Huge factory ships with their attend- ant fleets of powerful "catch- ers," electric harpoons, radar, and helicopter "spotters" have made it a one-sided struggle. International whaling com- panies are already concerned about the depletion in the whale population. And if man does restrain his ruthless hunting the whale will soon be extinct. When measuring a room for carpeting, multiply the number • of feet in the length of the floor by the number of feet in the width and divide by nine. This will give the square yardage ne- cessary. SANCTUARY IN A STABLE—Stable into garage into church is the story of the Fairmont Church of God church. in Cincinnati. In 1955, the church had only 86 members, but the congresgo- tion grew fast. It then occupied one floor over an aban-. cloned grocery store, which soon became too cramped for com- fort: The members bought the old barn, :filled with old junk and dirt. They cleaned it up, put In new floors, walls, ceilings, electrical fixtures and heating equipment. A piano was bought and an intercom system installed. Photo shows how the church looks today. BOXER REBELLION—The cap being worn at a ,jaunty angle by the big Boxer belongs to 14 -Month-old Bobby Stell, And Bobby wants it back since he hasn't very much hair to protect his scalp against' the chill. The dog, left in charge of his young master at the back of a downtown department store while Bobby's parents were shopping, wants no questions as to who's in charge. TA•BLETALKS eJam Bread puddings are dessert favorites with many families, and I'm sure yours would like this one, made with almost any kind of cooked berries. Some- times,, to make this pudding especially delightful, plain left- over cake is used instead of buttered bread. • BERRY BREAD PUDDING 4 slices of yesterday's bread Soft butter 1 pint berries i cup sugar Cook berries and sugar to- gether over low heat until done. (If you use canned berries reduce sugar about 2) and cook only until sugar dissolves. If you use bread, cut crusts off and discard. Spread bread with butter and cut into bite -sized pieces, Place a layer of but- tered bread in bottom of casser- ole and pour some of the hot berries on bread; repeat with layers until bread and berries are used. Chill at least 5 hours in refrigerator. Serve with whipped cream. * * * Here's another fine dessert that can be made in the morn- ing and chilled until serving time. Other fruits, of course, may be substituted for the pine- apple. RICE -PINEAPPLE CREAM? ?Ye cup heavy cream 1 cup diced freshor canned pineapple, well drained 1/2 cup sugar I?_ cups cold, cooked rice 1/ teaspoon vanilla Whip cream until stiff. Com- bine with pineapple, sugar, rice and vanilla. Chill thoroughly. Serves 6. * * * Another dessert to be chilled is applesauce whip. Spoon this in sherbet glassess before put- ting in the refrigerator, if you like. For a spicy taste, sprinkle with a little nutmeg or einna- mon. FLUrrY APPLESAUCE WHIP % cup chilled evaporated milk I tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice I cup chilled, sweetened applesauce Beat chilled evaporated milk DON'T TOUCH From the pre- datory look the Persian cat is giving the two parakeets, it would seem that the birds are. about to breathe their last, But there's no need for worry as the three Paris, France, resi- dents all live together in har- mony. The owner of the feline, which, by the way, is a prize winner, says ithas a passion; for fennel, a plant of the car- rot family. until it holds a peak; add lemon juice and whip just to blend thoroughly. Fold in chilled ap- plesauce lightly but thoroughly, * * * Packaged puddings — choco- late, coconut, caramel, straw- berry, and many others are a real help to the busy housewife. They can be served plain some- times with whipped cream, sometimes on cookies. FLUFFY LIME PUDDING 1 grapefruit 2 oranges In cups fruit juices and water 1 package lemon pudding and pie filling R!t cup sugar 2 egg yolks 3 tablespoons lime juice Dash of salt 2 teapsoons grated lime rind Few drops green food coloring • 2 egg whites 14 cap sugar Peel grapefruit and oranges, section, remove membrane and set aside. Save any juice from fruits and add water to make 13 cups. Combine pudding mix, 'a cup sugar, 34 cup of the liquid and egg yolks in sauce- pan. Blend well. Add remain- ing 12 cups liquid, lime juice, and salt. Cook and stir over me- dium heat until mixture comes to a full boil and is thickened — about 5 minutes. Add grated rind and food coloring. Beat egg white until foamy. Add the 1 of cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beat- ing well after each addition. Continue beating until peaks form. Very gradually fold the hot pudding into the meringue. Next, fold in fruit sections. Spoon into individual glass serving dishes. ChiII. Top with sweetened whipped cream or garnish with twisted lime slices. Serves 6 to 8. * * * As spring brings fresh rhu- barb, cherries and apples re- member the fruit crisps that are simple to make and good for the family dessert. Try these two on your own family.. RHUBARB CRISP 4 cups diced rhubarb 1/ cup sugar 1 cup flour 1/ cup butter 14 cup sugar Mix rhubarb and 114 cup sugar and place in greased baking dish. Mix flour and 1,6 cup sugar and cut in the butter for the topping. Sprinkle toppine mix ture over frut. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 4. • * * APPLE CRISP 1 quart sliced cooking apples 1 teapsoon cinnamon 1/can white sugar 1 cup water 1/ cut. flour 54 min brown sneer 3 tables"oons shortening Core and slice apples; place in buttered baking dish. Mix white sugar and cinnamon .and sprinkle over apples. Add water. Blend flour, brown sugar and shortening together until cram bly and sprinkle over top of apples. Bake at 350° F. until brown (about 50 minutes), If apples are not tart, add 1 tea- spoon lemon juice. Broadloom is a term for width, not style or quality. It means seamless carpet for any width produced on broad -loomsfrom six to 18 feet wide. Caro of Carpets The frequency with which car- pets need to be cleaned depends, of course, on the '.amount of family traffic they receive and also the amount of dust and dirt. in your neighborhood. Carpet, cleaning means three kinds of care,daily, weekly and special cleaning. ,Daily cleaning helps prevent dirt and , grime from working down into the tufts of a carpet. It is advisable to clean areas that receive off - the -street traffic, every day. Your carpet sweeper . will not wear out your carpet but dirt will. At least once a week,a carpet should be thoroughly vacuumed, behind and under all big pieces of furniture and in all corners. Don't use a broom on a pile car- pet. It scratches the tiny fila- ments from the carpet yarns. For the . occasional special cleaning, consult the best carpet cleaner in your locality. He will recommend the type of cleaning best for your carpet and will tell you whether it can be cleaned on the flooi. Never attempt to shampoo a carpet yourself, for carpets must be thoroughly rinsed and care- fully dried and it is very dif- ficult to do this at home. Never use ammonia- on spots or stains. It is Liable to damage both colour and carpet fibres. It also sets many stains, Alkaline detergents are also liable to damage colour and carpet fibres. Remove spots on your carpets before they have a chance to set. Liquids can be taken up with an absorbent cloth and solid matter should be scraped off with a dull knife or spatula. Flush out the spot with clean warm water. If necessary use a commercial cleaner with a car- bon tetrachloride base to remove a stubborn spot. Dry the carpet thoroughly and as quickly as possible using a fan or blower to speed the action. Good protection against wear for any carpet is provided by a carpet under -padding. A pad smooths out slight irregularities' in the floor and prevents grind- ing the carpet backing against the floor boards. A good cushion contributes to the luxuriousness and comfort as well as the long life of your. carpets. For best results use a good felt Or hair - padding or a sponge rubber un- derlay. Modern Etiquette . By Anne Ashley Q. Some of my girl 'friende, who have become engaged re- cently, have given their fiances engagement presents. Is this a new custom - and proper? A. This is neither a new cus- tom nor necessary. There is nothingimproper about it how - 'ever, if ow-'ever,°if the girl wishes to do so. Q. How should one remove cherry pits from the mouth at the table, by dropping them into a spoon or into the cupped hand? A. Either is proper, although it would seem that dropping. them into the hand is better, since it is less conspicuous. Q. I have been invited to spend two weeks with a good friend and her husband who live in anether town. Would it be proper for me to, offer them some money to cover any extra expenses my visit might entail? A. It would be much better if you did not offer them any money. A nice useful gift Of some kind would be much more in order. Q. Is it all right for a left- handed person to hold his knife in his left hand at the dinner table? A. He can just as easily learn to use his knifein his right hand. Using it in his left hand could prove awkward, especial- ly to the person seated at his left. SALLY'S SALLIES, 'This is what happened to your last week's pay check, darling.' FASHION HINT