The Seaforth News, 1952-02-28, Page 3When Fate Plays
Strange 'Tricks
Among the thousands of acci-
dents recorded every year are
some strange examples of the ca-
pricious tricks that Fate can play.
At Dartford a man fell in front
of a two -ton streantroller, which
passed over him front head to foot,
His companions were astounded to
• see the man get up and walk away.
The machine had pressed hint into
soft, newly dug earth, and he suf-
fered no after effects,
Just as strange a case occurred
in a United States hotel, where an
employee stepped into, an open lift
shaft and was killed. No such acci-
dent had ever happened before, but
a few minutes later another work-
man stepped into the same shaft
and landed on the body of his com-
panion, thus escaping any serious
injury.
Sometimes the tricks that Fate
plays are terrible ones. Take the
case of the United States Richard's
family—father, mother, and six
chi 1 d r e n, Mathematically, the
chances are a million to one
against any two people being killed
In motor accidents in a four-year
period,
But one day three children were
killed in a level -crossing accident.
Within the year their father was
hit and killed by a passing car.
Two years after that the four re-
maining members of the family lost
their lives in another level -crossing
accident.
A man who narrowly escaped
death was the motorist who decid-
ed, one cold morning, to warm his
engine in a closed garage. Over-
come by fumes of carbon mon-
oxide, he slumped'against the steer-
ing wheel.
A few moments longer and he
would have been dead, but his body
was leaning against the horn but-
ton, sounding a steady alarm. His
family heard it and arrived in time
to rescue hint.
Many accidents have their lighter
side. One hospital had so many
patients brought in to have billiard
balls removed from their mouths
(after betting they. could get them
in) that they invented a special
apparatus for dealing with the
problem.
This contrapion was in constant
demand.
In one record week, no less than
four ball - swallowing gentlemen
sante to have them removed.
How Horace Greeley
Took To Printing
Mary (Greeley) sent Horace over
to her father's broad farm in Lond-
onderry to board there during term -
time, since the Woodburn place lay
!sparer to a schoolhouse than Zac's,
There he saw a more ample life
than at home. The Woodburn
patriarch showed off the grandson
to his valley neighbors. A retired
sea captain across the way lent
Horace books and tested bim be-
fore company on his reading: "I -Tow
do you spell Nebuchadnezzar? Who
fought the battle of Eutaw
Springs?" The boy was now ac-
cumulating an audience. One day,
when a girl arrived in the village
bearing the name "Asenath," the
elders asked themselves wherever
she could have gotten it, and the
seven-year-old Horace piped up
"Small for its age, isn't it?"
Operation Excavation—Road crews, working in deep crevice cut in the snow, prepare to dynamite
more packed snow near Donner Summit. The scene is near where a crack streamliner.xecently was
snowbound for several days. •
with the answer that the name was
to be found "in the forty-first
chapter of Genesis, verse forty-
five." So, at least, the elders re-
counted it, checking their Bibles
and discovering that the astounding
youngster was right..
One day when the was eleven,
having heard that a newspaper
printer in Whitehall just across the
New York State line was looking
for an apprentice, he had trudged
eight hilly miles to confront him
and be told that he was too young
for the job. Four years later another
opening occurred on the weekly
Northern Spectator 'over in East
Poultney, a handsome Vermont
valley town that boasted of two
thousand people, six sawmills, and
a stately green. Zac Greeley was
just then on the point of pulling out
for Pennsylvania. Hurriedly, be-
fore it might be too late, Horace
tramped the dozen miles down the
Rutland road to the white gate of
Amos Bliss, East Poultney's town
clerk, drygoods merchant ansi news-
paper manager. Bliss was out back
of his house planting potatoes in the
spring sunshine.
"Are you tate man that carries on
the printing office?" said a high-
pitched voice close behind hint.
Antos Bliss looked up from his
hoe. .
Restraining himself front laugh-
ing at the sight, Bliss admitted he
was the man.
"Don't you want a boy to learn
the trade?" asked the stranger.
"Well," said Bliss, "we have been
thinking of it. Do you want to
learn to print?"
"I've had some notion of it," said
the backwoods boy.
Bliss gazed at him with astonish-
ment, "Well, my boy—but, you
know, it takes considerable learning
to be a printer. Iave you been to
school much?"
"No, I haven't had much chance
at school. I've read some."
"What have you read?"
"Well, I've read some history,
and some travels, and a little of
most everything."
"Where do you live?"
"At Westhaven."
"How did you come over?"
"On foot"
Bliss who,. among his other ac-
complishments, was also on the
side an inspector of common
schools—gave him a quick exam-
ination on his general knowledge
on the spot, and then sent hint over
to the foreman at the Northern.
Spectator shop across the green.
After a quarter Hour Horace
sauntered back to Bliss' garden,
waving a slip of proof paper bear.
ing the foreman's notation: "Guess
we'd better try him," From
"Horace Greeley: Voice of the
People," by William Harlan Hale.
OA @fY•I
HAROLD. 1
ARNETT
•
READING WITHOUT YOUR GLASSES N AN
EMERGENCY CAN SE ACCOMPLISHED SY CROOKING
THE FINGER AS SHOWN, AND READING THROUGH
THE HOLE, WHICH MAGNIFIES "THE PRINT,
T EFARM FRT
1 Joktasset.
I don't suppose many farmers
are regular readers of The Finan-
cial Post—a journal designed to
appeal more to the Bay Street
crowd than to those of us on the
back concessions. Still, in a recent
issue, under the heading "THEY
DON'T PLAY FAIR" there is
an editorial that should strike a
responsive note in the mind of
every Canadian who tries to make
a living by growing things and
trying to sell them at a reasonable
price. Here it is:
* * *
A United States Senator from
Indiana has introduced a bill ask-
ing Congress to protect the Ameri-
can farmer from imports of Cana-
dian feed grain.
* * *
With a big crop of coarse grains
and large quantities of winter -
damaged wheat, Canadian farmers
were counting on a . substantial
market for feed in the United
States this year. And with more
than normal numbers of livestock,
American feeders would have been
glad tib get additional feed sup-
plies from Canada at moderate
prices. But a U.S. Senator from a
grain -growing state objects a n d
undoubtedly he will be able to ral-
ly a pressure lobby in Congress
to back him up.
* * *
This sort of thing has become
very frequent in recent months.
Almost every attempt of the U.S.
authorities to revive international
hl ade through easing tariffs and
either restrictions has men with
'opposition from special interests.
At Havana, Torquay and other
trade conferences, official negoti-
ators of the United States Gov-
ernment have signed solemn agree-
ments to lower barriers. Then, as
s o o n as new trade starts, some
group in Congress, with a special
bill or some other trick, starts to
block it.
4: 5
This happened with potatoes,
with cheese, with aluminum and
several other commodities`,in which
Canada has a direct and important
interest. Now grain is threatened.
* * *
Under the General Agreement
on Trades and Tariffs, Canada or
an y other signatory nation can
take retaliatory action When any
agreement h a s been violated,
Wisely, Ottawa has hesitated to
make this drastic move in the hope
that saner counsel would finally
prevail at Washington. But we
cannot go on hoping forever. In
some way, Canada must make it
clear that when we open our mar-
ket, we expect the other fellow to
do the same.
*
So muck for The Financial Jost;
and I will only add the comment
that, in a whole lot of his dealings
with other nations, Uncle Samuel
is something like the wealthy old
farther who complained, "in spite
of what folks say I'm not a land -
hog, All I've ever wanted all my
life is just what adjoins nine."
Now, here's sews about a "some-
thing -for -nothing" offer; and un-
like most deals of that nature the
"something" seems to be really
worth while, From the Ontario
Agricultural College at Guelph
conies word about two of their
publications, one new and the other
revised. The first is entitled EX-
HAUST FAN VENTILATION,
and the Q.A.C. Department of
Publications has the following to
say about it.
* * *
"The dairy cow produces from
one to two gallons of water per
day in the form of water vapor,
and unless sufficient air is circu-
lated through the stable to remove
this moisture it 'condenses on the
walls, ceiling, and windows. The
removal of excess moisture keeps
the stable dry, and helps prevent
the bard, the peeling of paint on
the building, and the corrosion of
metal and electrical fixtures.
"In a new circular entitled "Ex-
haust Fan Ventilation for Dairy
Stables", Professor C. G. E. Down-
ing, Head of the Department of
Agricultural Engineering at the
College reveals how such moisture
can be removed by fan ventilation.
He discusses the amount of ven-
tilation required, the various types
and sizes of ventilation, the lo-
cation of fans and fresh air inlets,
and also supplies directions on mo-
tors and wiring. Photographs and
simple diagrams are used to assist
in the understanding of the direc-
tions."
irections."
* * *
The second of these publications
is a revised circular on TRENCH
SILOS, and replaces the one is -
Sued by the College last Summer.
It deals specifically with the lo-
cation, construction, initsg, filling
and covering of trench silos, be-
sides supplying measurements for
trench silo construction depending
on the size of your herd.
* * *
I have received copies of both
these circulars and they are very
well gotten up, highly readable,
and really worts while having.
You can get copies of either—or
both—from your local agricultural
representative, or by writing direct
to the Ontario Agricultural Col-
lege, Guelph.
* * 5
Some Canadians think we are
producing as muds as we can and
that most of the arable land in the
country is in use. But increased
production does not necessarily re-
quire more soil. it may be achiev-
ed by getting more out of the ex-
isting farms acreage. An announce.
nhent by the National Association
verifies this. The Association said
that if grasslands in the United
States were fertilized as recom-
mended by the nations agricultur-
ai colleges, the additional fertilizer
would have nsade possible the pro-
duction of almost 3,000,000 extra
tons of beef. Moreover, if adequate
amounts of fertilizer had been ap-
plied to land devoted to field
crops, U.S. farmers could have in-
creased their corn output by 22
per cent, wheat by 13 per cent and
cotton my 28 per cent.
5 *
If this could be clone across the
border, the same should be possible
in Canada where facilities to pro-
duce fertilizer and other agricul-
tural chemicals have kept Pace
with increased demands in recent
years.
Paved Streets With
Platinum Ore
Ever since platinum has been
found essential to the manufacture
of guided missiles and atom bombs
its value has steadily increased. To-
day it is almost four times the
price of gold on the free market.
Yet this rather dull -looking metal
was once considered worthless.
When the Spaniards went to South
America they found, in the region
of the River Pinto, Colombia, that
the Indians made a metal they call-
ed "white gold" by mixing gold
with grains of grey, untarnishabl*
material, They christened this
Platin del Pinto, or Little Silver
of the Pinto, and eventually the
phrase was corrupted into platinum.
The Spaniards considered plati-
num a nuisance. And where they
found ore of gold and platinum
mixed they relined it and t'arew
away the platinum, until the town
of Quibdo, capital of the Choco
district, was disfigured by huge
dumps of the stuff.
When passing mule trains churn-
ed the streets of Quibdo into a
quagmire during the rainy season,
the Spaniards salvaged this plati-
num ore and paved the streets with
it:
In time, platinum became the
plaything of chemists and scientists.
In the eighteenth century the
French scientist, Chabaneau, enter-
tained the Spanish nobleman, Count
Arenda, in his laboratory.
"My dear Count," he chuckled,
"just hand Inc that tiny block." Ile
indicated a four -inch cube.
"Delighted," volunteered the.
Count, eager for some scientific
adventure. But when he found that
the cube would not budge, he ex-
claimed testily: "Conte, come,
Chabaneau, it's a poor sort of joke
to screw it down,"
World's Mad Scramble
When Chabaneau assured him the
metal was not fastened, the Count
grasped at it with both hands and
placed it on the bench. "This,"
explained the scientist, "is pure
platinum and weighs about sixty
pounds." He could hardly have
dreamed, however, that it would one
day be worth some $150,000; for
he considered it of such little value
that he used it as a doorstop and
scraped his boots on it 1
About a century and a half after
the Spaniards had used it as build-
ing material, the new metal be-
came rare. Scientists realied that,
like gold, it did not lose lustre, rust
or corrode, was proof against most
chemicals, and had a very high
melting point. They found it very
useful as a catalyst; a substance
that assists a chemical process
without altering its own nature.
Up zooined the price. All over
the world began a mad scramble
for platinum. Then someone re-
membered the dumps at Quibdo.
Owners knocked down their houses,
ground the walls and refined the
material to extract the platinum flat
was in then. The authorities dug
up the streets and salvaged the
ore. Those who once lived in plati-
num -walled hovels became rich
overnight,
One country bitten badly by the
platinum craze was Russia. Tito:
astute ]Peter the Great sent hit
pet metallurgist, Ivan Dimino% ttD
the Ural Mountains to search fou'
mineral deposits, The cunning Mus..
covite discovered immense deposits
of platinum, but reported that the
mineral was worthless.
Peter, who knew more about
wood than metal—he was an ex-
pert boat builder—had a miserly
streak in his nature. "For alt youhe
trouble," he told Diminoff, "1
award you a life concession of the
platinum deposits," and he tossed
in a couple of high Russian orders.
For tate next twenty-five years
Diminoff and his associates dug
like beavers, only to find that
the Tsar had learned that platinum
was a valuable mineral and re-
voked the concessions he had made
theta. Diminoff was not unduly up-
set, however, or he had already suet -
ted a cool twenty million dollars.
A later Tsar minted coins of
platinum, at that time worth about
a sixth the value of gold. But
his subjects hoarded these hardly -
come -by pieces, And when in 1920
the price of platinum soared, the
families unloaded their platinum
roubles, and for every dime's worth
harviceted something like four dol -
lard
Because of its indestructibility,
our standards of weights and mea-
sures are made of platinum.
Make -and -break contacts in alt
electrical machinery are tipped with
platinum; radio, television, artificial
silks, synthetic fertilizers, and a
thousand other materials could not
be produced without it.
Happy — Helen Keller, world-
famous blind and deaf author,
beams her happiness at recover-
ing her cherished watch. It has
raised gold bars on the face and
other special construction to en-
able her to tell time by touch,
Miss Keller says it has beets
"part of her" ever since she re-
ceived it as a gift when she was
14 years old. Her recent "appeal
to the public' brought it back
from a pawnbroker, at whose
shop it was pawned.
Home Owners Far From Their Native Canada—A trifle displeased
over the prospects of spending the rest of their Korean tours of
duty in a fox -hole, these two enterprising Canadian soldiers built
themselves this cozy cottage near the front lines. They are putting
the finishing touches on the landscaping around their home built
of ration boxes,
Gtr DOWN SOMG PLACE MOM r]4IFT
Ot'ti v.ONTBRNOYOU NAV ussrTIMS
x eo nrnvt vte.
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