Read a story the other day about the mystery of the missing captain of a ship.
The sea has many mysteries but it's no mystery when a passenger or sailor gets washed overboard. He's just plain had it. Sea rescue is fine, but durng a storm it's about like plucking bubbles in a dish pan.
A few months ago I was walking down an aisle at a newspaper printing equipment show in Chicago and spotted an ex-Navy man who was my overseas partner for 34 months.
That night we swapped stories at a pub.
I had forgotten an experience we had about halfway between Tokyo and Honolulu one winter. Our ship headed into a storm and as typical Navy—the shortest distance between two points is a straight line—we ran smack dab into it.
My friend who now is production manager at the Amarillo Tex., daily newspaper, recalled the weird sound as the bow of the ship plunged into the sea and that "t-h-r-u-u-m-p" threw hundreds of gallons of cold salt water onto us and a third sailor. (Ex-chief Gordon Forsberg can give a better description.)
We were about midships, below the superstructure.
The wave knocked all three of us to the steel deck and washed us to the port side. That was the day they didn't need to give any instruction in what a "lifeline" was on board ship.
We were a bit bruised, shaken, soaking wet and colder than blazes, but . . . alive.
Ironically, I had been topside during the storm to take pictures of the waves as they lashed the side of the ship . . . for some dumb reason or another.
And when it was all over . . . my trusted little camera was still with me . . . and I've got the pictures today.
Welcome to Jerry and Bev Hall and to the retail business. The Halls have taken over the Sears catalog store in Nebraska City.
The Halls are a happy and well-liked family. They should do well in their new venture.
Jerry is also full of jokes. Stop in and ask him:
"Hi Jere, what's the word?"
The Osborne's from Talmage are including more of the Cook community in the Talmage Topics newspaper since the schools have merged . . . and last week the tabloid Topics published a 16 page newspaper, a compliment to the communities.
Mrs. Arthur Whyte received a letter recently from Judge James Cowles, Grove, Okla., a member of the Class of 1903 at Nebraska City in which he said drunk drivers there get a $250 fine, $15 court costs and 10 days in jail.
The judge, at 84 years young, says it's time for someone younger to take over the bench.
If you will consider the hip, shoulder, leg and rib pads, plus the helmets and face masks, where do you slug a football player to hurt him?
That must be like kicking a board . . . with your bare foot.
I asked a few boys after the game what they thought about the scrap on the field . . . and they said it was the most fun they had all night.
It's doubtful the fight was disturbing to the parents seated at the sidelines at Parents Night . . . 'cause if anyone can stop a fight between boys, good ole' Mom can do it!