ADVENTURERS’ CLUB
HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES
OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELFI
“Mountain Doom ”
By FLOYD GIBBONS
Famous Headline Hunter
Hello everybody:
Samuel Johnson of Brooklyn, N. Y., has two hobbies,
and one of them was bound to get him into trouble sooner
or later.
Sam's hobbies are skiing and mountain climbing and two more dan
gerous sports I don't know of. You know what sort of a game skiing is.
Anyone who has ever seen a news-reel of a bunch of ski Jumpers doesn’t
have to be told it's a good idea to pay up your insurance before you try
it. Mountain climbing is a little more than twice as dangerous as skiing.
It’s a yam of mountain climbing with which Sam busts into the club
as a Distinguished Adventurer. For a good many years. Sam has lived
abroad, chiefly in Italy.
And one day in July, 1931, way up in the Italian Alps, he had
a little adventure that almost culminated In his living nowhere—
neither in Italy nor anywhere else.
Climbing the Doufoure Peak.
On that July day. four Italians—a doctor, a lawyer and two engineers
—along with Sam, himself, set out to climb the Doufoure—the highest
and most difficult peak in the Monte Rosa chain of Alps. They started
out without professional guides, for all of them thought they were suf
ficiently expert at climbing to get along without them. That, says Sam,
was the first mistake.
Sam takes time out here to explain that it was absolutely necessary
to reach that peak before eleven a. m. For from that hour to one in
the afternoon the sun is at its height, melting the snow and letting loose
great avalanches that come crashing down the mountain-side carrying
thousands of tons of rock, dirt and ice along with them.
The five men climbed until daybreak. "And all at once,” Sam says,
"the strenuous work we had done climbing to this point, was well re
warded by the magnificent spectacle that unfolded before our eyes.
The early sun was shining on Monte Rosa and because of some phe
nomenon the whole mountain chain became a deep rose color—the hue
that gives those peaks their name. We kept on going. By seven o’clock,
after trying to make headway in snow two or three feet deep in places,
we seemed still to be a great distance from the peak. That didn’t worry
us. From the position we were in it was next to impossible to judge dis
tance—or even our direction. But by nine o’clock—”
Lost and Cut Off by Avalanche.
By nine o’clock that peak didn’t seem any nearer than it had at
•even. They knew they were lost then—and they were thoroughly fright
ened. They were at an altitude of about twelve thousand feet, and a
night spent in the intense cold at that level was pretty sure to be fatal.
r—-aw* t—- 1 .vi: -- 1 1 .1 r. -im————
A terrific avalanche roared past them.
“To build a fire," says Sam, “is Impossible. There is nothing to burn.
Nor is there any other protection from the sub-zero temperature, or from
the icy blasts of wind that sweep the mountain all through the night.”
Tb**v climbed for two more hours—and by that time they
were all but exhausted. They stopped to rest on a ledge of rock,
and suddenly a terrific avalanche roared past them not a hundred
yards away. It was eleven o'clock—the deadline for mountain
climbers—the time when they ran for cover If there was any
cover to run to.
“The slide,” says Sam, "crossed the path of the trail we had made
coming up. If we had been delayed just a tew minutes I rather believe
our bodies would now be reposing on some glacier under that thousand
tons of rock and ice. We didn't dare travel after that. From then until
three o’clock we sat huddled on the ledge expecting every moment to
be carried away by another avalanche. At three we started out again,
trying to find the lost trail. We didn’t find it—and to make matters
worse, the sun was sinking rapidly and it was getting colder by the
second.”
Took Refuge in a Cave.
The situation was serious. Sam and his companions decided some
thing certainly should be done about it. But what? None of them knew.
They held a consultation and agreed to hole In for the night—take a
chance on being alive in the morning. Three men rose to find a suitable
place to dig in, but two of them lay still on the ice—too exhausted to
move on.
With difficulty the others got them to their feet. Practically
carrying them, they moved on across a glacier, looking for a cave.
Although they didn't know It then. It was that move that saved
all their lives.
They found a cave and huddled into it. They didn't dare go to sleep.
They’d freeze to death. Their food supply had run out by that time, and
the gnawing pains of hunger added to their intense misery. The suffer
ing of that night, Sam says, no one could ever describe. But at six in
the morning they saw five black figures moving across the ice toward
them.
The black figures were five professional guides. Down in Macugnaga
someone with a pair of powerful binoculars had seen them as they
pushed across that last stretch of glaciei. The guides—men of remark
able endurance—had climbed all night long to reach them before it
was too late. They literally carried the five men down the mountain and
rushed them to a hospital, where one member of the party had a leg
amputated, another a hand, and a third, all the toes off both feet. But
luckily for Sarif Johnson, the sawbones didn't have to do any work on him.
Copyrlfht.—WNU Service.
The Eternal
Over the triple doors of the Milan
cathedral there are three inscrip
tions spanning the splendid arches.
Over one is carved a wreath of
roses: "All that which pleases is
but for a moment." Over the other
there is a sculptured cross, and
underneath are the words: "All that
which troubles is but for a mo
ment" While underneath the great
centra) entrance to the main aisle
is the inscription: •‘That only is
important which is eternal."
Guarding the Inca Capital
Guarding Cuzco, the Inca em
pire's capital, is the cleverly
planned and skillfully constructed
gigantic fortress of Sacsahuaman,
with immense stones fitted together
like pillows, without the use of mor
tar or cement. Cuzco is a medie
val Spanish city built on the ruins
of the buildings of the ancient capi
tal. Inca stonework is topped with
stucco residences built with bal
conies and grilled windows.
Surf Riding and Aquaplaning
An aquaplane is a plank drawn
along the surface of the water by a
line from a power boat. Attached to
it are ropes or a rope with which
the rider can lift the front end of
the aquaplane from the water, ana
to some extent control its move
ments. The surf rider merely takes
his plank to sea and upon it rides
the waves that bring him back to
shore. Surf riding is an old Ha
waiian sport, while aquaplaning is
of comparatively recent origin.
Derivation of Color Names
Some color names have curious
derivations. Magenta, for instance,
was named after the color of shirts
worn by soldiers at the battle of Ma
genia. Carnation, the color, comes
from the Latin carneus. meaning
flesh color, and was used in Eng
land as far back as 1535. Green,
says Pearson’s London Weekly, ig
one of nature’s most amazing
colors. There are about 3,000 dif
ferent shades of green.
SEEN
and
HEARD
ardund the
NATIONAL
CAPITAL
By Carter Field ^
WASHINGTON.—It is not only the
secret hope that even the remaining
two Tennessee Valley authority di
rectors may get so thoroughly
smeared with mud that they may
have to resign which encourages
Democratic members of the con
gressional investigating, committee
to be indifferent about defending or
protecting David E. Lilienthal and
Harcourt A. Morgan. This hope is
very pronounced. The Democratic
congressmen would like to have
plenty of jobs available next Janu
ary for their lame-duck friends who
will go down to defeat either in
primaries or elections this year. And
incidentally the pickings down
through the Tennessee Valley au
thority look very sweet to the in
vestiga tors.
tjut mere is a more partisan
phase. It explains why they let
Arthur E. Morgan run on and on
without checking, with only the com
paratively ineffectual efforts of the
committee’s attorney, Francis Bid
dle, to check his attacks. Biddle,
curiously enough, is far more anx
ious to protect Lilienthal and H. A.
Morgan than any Democratic mem
ber of the committee. He works at
it earnestly.
In the case of A. E. Morgan’s tes
timony, however, most of Biddle's
attempts to controvert Morgan's
statements merely resulted in their
more forceful restatement, for the
benefit of the press and the small
audience. But the amazing part of
the picture was that no Democrat
on the committee went to his aid in
defending the TVA directors.
The answer to this, in so far as it
relates to a willingness on the part
of the Democrats on the committee
to open up new Jobs for their col
leagues who may not come back to
the next congress, is simple. But
there is also the point that the Dem
ocratic members of the committee
believe firmly that much of the pub
licity resulting from these attacks
is good for the project, as a whole,
nnd for the Democratic party, for
having started it.
Three Top Jobs
"Sure, we will let Arthur Morgan
talk all he wants," a Democratic
member of the committee said to
the writer. "What do we care if he
blackens Lilienthal’s reputation?
What do we care if he makes Har
court Morgan out a boob? What do
we care if he convinces the whole
country he is right? What do we
even care if he convinces the Presi
dent he is right?
"What would be the answer? The
President would throw Lilienthal
and H. A. Morgan out. But he would
never reinstate A. E. Morgan. Mor
gan made the President too sore for
that. So there would be the three
top jobs and a few others for our
fellows.
“But meantime, Arthur Morgan,
with a tremendous reputation for
honesty, and with an audience of
believers that no New Dealer could
possibly get—the folks who became
Morgan fans the moment it ap
peared that he was defying the
President and differing with the
New Deal—is preaching our gospel.
"He is never on the stand ten
minutes but he gets in something
about how fine the TVA is, and how
magnificent its concept was. Ev
| ery now and then, because it helps
his cause against Lilienthal and
Harcourt Morgan as well as because
he believes it is true, he gets in
something about what the President
wanted.
"It’s the best Democratic propa
ganda, or perhaps I should say New
Deal propaganda, in the world, and
[ it is going straight to people who
would never read it or listen to it
from any other source. Meanwhile
none of us have heard yet of any
witnesses we may have to put on
the stand whose testimony might
actually undermine public confl
j dence in the project itself. If that
happens you will see a different at
titude.”
All a Mystery
Just what the congressional com
mittee which is investigating the
Tennessee Valley authority expects
to prove is as much a mystery to
its five senators and five representa
tives. not to mention its staff of ex
perts. as it must be to the general
public.
Arthur E. Morgan knows what he
wants to prove: that he was very
badly treated by the two other com
missioners; that the majority, large
ly as a result of ignoring his ad
vice. has wasted considerable mon
ey (though only a small fraction of
the half a billion spent or about to
be spent); that the majority has laid
down various policies, particularly
with reference to the sale of elec
tric power, which are unsound and
are apt to plague the whole cause
of government ownership; and that
the majority is temperamentally
unfitted to rule the vast empire the
| government has set up in the Ten
! nessee valley.
I David E. Lilienthal and Harcourt
I A. Morgan know what they want to
prove; that Arthur E. Morgan is
a fanatical zealot; that he is im
possible to get along with; that he
runs after wild ideas and is imprac
tical; particularly that he is a pest.
Proving that, they will justify their
own treatment of him, and, more
important so far as the public and
their own standing at the White
House is concerned, that President
Roosevelt was justified in throwing
him overboard.
Most of the Democratic members
of the committee are actually very
little interested in the whole TVA.
and accepted appointment on the
committee only as a duty. They
admired the magnificence of the
project on their recent five-day tour.
They admired the construction of
the dams and wondered if they were
worth the money they cost, admit
ting the first and being very dis
creet about the second. They are
bored to tears with the testimony
and wish to heaven it was all over
and that the writing of the repoit
could be delegated
Morgan Splita Hairs
On the second day of the hearing
at Knoxville, after the inspection,
only five members of the committee
were present. For hours during the
afternoon only the four Republican
members were listening to the testi
mony. Although Sen. Vic Donahey,
chairman of the committee, did ap
pear later.
Not that this was of political sig
nificance. The two Republican house
members seemed willing enough to
ask Morgan questions which would
help his side of the case, as was also
Sen. James J. (Puddler Jim) Davis
of Pennsylvania, but Morgan made
it embarrassing for them every time
they asked a question. He seemed
afraid that somehow or other he
might be drawn into some statement
which reflected unfavorably on pub
lic ownership, or which went just a
little further than he wanted to go.
Committee members. Democrats
and Republicans alike, all agree
that he splits the thinnest hairs of
any witness they ever saw in ac
tion.
Sitting Senators Win
Sitting senators have been fairly
successful in winning renomination
against “upstarts” so far. which is
a great comfort to those senators on
President Roosevelt’s “purge” list
who are still facing primary or con
vention battles.
As a matter of fact the score
stands 7 to 1 in favor of sitting sen
ators at this stage of the campaign.
Senators winning renomination were
James J. Davis, Republican, of
Pennsylvania: Guy M. Gillette of
Iowa: Gerald P. Nye of North Da
kota, Republican: Claude Pepper of
Florida: Robert R Reynolds of
North Carolina: Elmer Thomas of
Oklahoma, and Frederick Van Nuys
of Indiana.
Of these Davis and Nye, both Re
publicans, opposed the President on
the Supreme court issue. Gillette
and Van Nuys were definitely on
the “purge” list. Gillette won a
straight out primary contest despite
endorsement of his New Deal op
ponent by Jimmy Roosevelt and
Harry L. Hopkins. Van Nuys was
renominated by a convention be
cause the McNutt machine in Indi
ana was afraid that otherwise a
Republican senator would bg elect
ed.
Pepper, Thomas and Reynolds are
pro-Ncw Deal Democrats and the
first two won against candidates
critical of the New Deal.
The one sitting senator so far who
was not renominated, and who did
not even get a chance to run for
the simple reason that the two op
posing organization groups would
have none of him, is Sen. William
H. Dieterich of Illinois. This was
an administration setback, because
Dieterich has a 100 per cent record
for voting for every New Deal pro
posal, whereas Rep. Scott W, Lu
cas, nominated in his place, had
opposed the President on the court
and several other issues.
Townsend Plan Scores
It is also worth noting that the
Townsend plan has scored three
spectacular victories so far. The
first of these was that of Pepper in
Florida, who made advocacy of
old age pensions his paramount is
sue in his fight against Rep. J. Mark
Wilcox.
The second was a runofT primary
for Wilcox’s seat in the house. No
other issue was important in this
runofT. both candidates being New
Dealers. The winner, Pat Cannon,
advocated the Townsend plan. His
opponent did not.
In Oklahoma Senator Thomas was
endorsed world without end by Dr
Townsend himself. The head of the
old age pensions crusade made a
stump tour of the state, approving
Thomas in every speech, and de
nouncing both Rep. Gomer Smith, a
former Townsend plan official who
criticized the doctor, and Gov. E.
W. Marland.
Townsendites naturally claim that
this was what renominated Thomas.
New Dealers assert just as positive
ly that it was the President's en
dorsement that did the trick. Some
cold observers point to the fact that
Thomas was t>e sitting senator, and
therefore had s tremendous advan
tage.
Friends of Sep. Alben W Barkley
of Kentucky, while being very dis
creet in commenting on other pri
maries, take great satisfaction from
the high percentage of victories by
sitting senators. They are especial
ly pleased with the result in Okla
homa, in that the governor of the
state made such a poor showing
against the senator. Senator Bark
ley's opponent, of course, is “Happy"
Chandler, the present governor of
Kentucky.
• Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service.
WHO’S
NEWS
THIS
WEEK
By LEMUEL F. PARTON
\ TEW YORK.—The playing fields
of Eton have been given due
credit for Britain’s power and dura
bility. We seem to have overlooked
the playing fields
Army to Ape 0f West Point. A
Strategy sweeping techni
Of Football cal ^organization
of the army is
news this week. It might not have
come off had it not been for a cer
tain incident on the West Point foot
ball field. Gen. Malin Craig, chief
of staff, is the reorganizer. He is
preparing the army for the open
game—swiftness, mobility, adaptive
ness, as in modern football.
It was an instant of inspired open
football, back in the juggernaut
days of the guards back and the
side-line buck, that saved young
Malin Craig for the army and the
current reordering of tactics and
equipment.
Just Dctore ine game wun
Trinity college in 1897, the West
Point scholastic command had
decided to retire Cadet Craig.
Of an ancient army line, with
many relatives in the service,
he had been visiting around
army posts. His marks had suf
fered. The ax was to fall just
after the game.
Craig was a brilliant backfield
player, but somewhat given to un
planned maneuvers. Carrying the
ball at a critical turn of the game,
he lost his interference in a broken
field. He shook off several tacklers,
but, somewhere around the 35-yard
line, a stone wall of Trinity play
ers loomed head.
Ducking a hurtling body, scarcely
checking his stride, he booted a per
fect field goal—
Young Craig winning the game,
Boots Goal with appropriate
On the Run Frank Merriwell
trim m i n g s. Of
course, the faculty couldn’t fire a
hero. The ax was put away, a tutor
was found, and Cadet Craig finished
creditably—to establish the open
game in the American army.
He was a baseball star, also,
and old Pop Anson tried to sign
him for the Chicago National
team. Born in St. Joseph, Mo.,
he was the grandson of a Civil
war general. His father was a
major and he has a son recently
out of West Point.
In the Spanish-American war, the
Philippines, France and in minor
mixups, he was a quick thinker and
a self-starter, heavily garlanded
from the first and known as a “pro
gressive” tactician.
* * •
A FEW years ago, Richard j
Strauss was in trouble with the
Nazis. The libretto of his opera,
“The Silent Woman." had been writ
ten by Stefan
Strauss Is Zweig, a “non
Restored to Aryan." The op
Nazi Favor era was a floP and
Herr Strauss was
ousted as president of the Reich
Culture chamber and chairman of
the Federation of German Compos
ers. He is now restored to official
favor.
His librettist for his new op
era, “Her Fridenstag,” is a cer
tified Aryan. Joseph Gregor, a
Viennese poet, and its world pre
mier at Munich is a brilliant
success, with new garlands for
the seventy-five-ycar-old com
poser.
So apparently all is forgiven, and
the traditional rebel of the musical
world is rebelling no longer. He
had decided to save the world at
any cost, but turning sixty, he con
cluded he was doing well enough by
merely keeping out of Jail.
When “Salome" was presented in
1905, puritanical New York was
shocked, and the
*Salome Was mere idea of its
Cause of being given here
Famous Row cause<f a row its
presentation in
New York in 1921 was taken calmly.
Strauss’ “Murky Psyehographies,”
as the critics called them, didn’t j
bring any riot calls. These muddy !
phantasmagorias of his earlier j
years got him into many battles,
but he settled down to writing and
—being a good business man—to
money making. Once, when he was
quarreling with Berlin, he was j
asked if he would play there. "I
would play on a manure pile if they
pay me for it” he said.
He is no kin of the famous
waits family of Vienna. In mel
low and beery old Bavaria, his
father was a horn-blower and
his mother a brewer’s daughter.
He has prospered through his
later years, the owner qt a cas
tle in Vienna and an e.tate in
Bavaria.
In 1930, German cities we;e fight
ing for him as their leading citizen,
1 with chambers of commerce com
peting and making offers. Then
came the brief eclipse over the
“non-Aryan” associations, ana now
the full effulgence of his restored
career.
6 Consolidated News Featursa
WNU Service.
Here's a Play Outfit
And a Basic Dress
■ F~\0 YOU need something new to
dawdle in or to dress up in?
Here are two new designs, one for
play and one for afternoon, that
are so smart you really should
have both. It costs so little, in
time and trouble, to make them
for yourself, with these simple de
signs that even beginners can fol
low with no difficulty. And of
SLitl 1557_»H8a 1
course you can splurge on some
really luxury fabrics, when you
sew your own.
Play Suit and Sports Frock.
This new design gives you both!
The play suit has beautifully cut
shorts and a nice bodice top with
the sunniest kind of sunback. The
frock is created merely by fasten
ing that straight skirt around you,
and the bolero goes with both!
Notice how cleverly the ricrac
braid is used to simulate a square
yoke in the front. The smartest
thing for this design is linen in a
dusty pastel shade; calico, per
cale and pique are good, too. Be
sure to trim it with ricrac.
Dress With Bodice Detailing.
Here’s a design that brings a
breath of fall smartness in the
bosom detailing that you’ll see in
expensive models this coming sea
son. Also in the Victorian sleeves,
high at the shoulders and fitted to
the arm below. The straight pan
el in the back, the gathers at the
waistline in front, give you a love
ly figure-line. Although it’s so dis
tinguished looking and subtly de
tailed, this dress is easy to make.
Just six steps in the detailed sew
chart. Make it now of silk crepe,
linen or georgette. Later in sheer
wool, satin or velvet.
The Patterns.
1557 is designed for sizes 12, 14,
16, 18 and 20. Size 14 requires 5%
yards of 35-inch material. 10
yards of ricrac braid to trim.
1482 is designed for sizes 32. 34,
36, 38, 40, 42 and 44. Size 34 re
quires 4% yards of 39-inch ma
terial with long sleeves; 4V4 yards
of 39-inch material for short
sleeves.
Success in Sewing.
Success in sewing, like in any
other field, depends upon how you
approach the task in hand. To
help you turn out clothes profes
sional looking in every detail, we
have a book which plainly sets
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* ... selected Pennsylvania crude oil is
freed of all impurities. Every drop of
Quaker State is rich, pure lubricant.
Retail price, 35^ a quart. Quaker State
Oil Refining Corp., Oil City, Penn.
OPPORTUNITY
Build your own bumineos. Local represent
ative for full or part time work wanted
by progressive, growing Old Line Legal
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MISCELLANEOUS
FARMS FOR SALE
Write for your copy of Illustrated Ne
braska and Western Iowa farm catalog.
The Travelers Insurance Co., Omaha, Neb.
SCHOOLS
I
WRITE FOR CONTEST
PARTICULARS AND FOR
ILLUSTRATED PAMPHLET
forth the simple rules of home
dressmaking. The beginner will
find every step in making a dress
clearly outlined and illustrated
within its covers. For the ex
perienced sewer there are many
helpful hints and suggestions for
sewing short cuts. Send 15 cents
(in coins) today for your copy of
SUCCESS IN SEWING, a book
every home dressmaker will find
of value.
Send your order to The Sewing
Circle Pattern Dept., Room 1020,
211 W. Wacker Dr., Chicago, 111.
Price of patterns, 15 cents (in
coins) each.
© Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service.
Uncle Pkil
We Don't Wish to Be Judged
No man’s life is an open book,
and it shouldn’t be. We have all
made wretched mistakes.
Never judge a man’s action, un
til you know his motive.
Aladdin may have had a hunch
of what the push-button would do
some day, when he was rubbing
his lamp.
They Want It Protected
Conservatism generally wins in
America because more people
have a stake in its wealth.
We like some hateful people.
They say the things we don’t dare
to.
Hope is an obliging grace. She
always comes when invited.
■ | ] f, I fl
I iTjJil Hni III *•’ ' - OUR=
"Cap-Brush"Applicator ,
JUST "BLACK LEAF 40*;
MUCH FARTHIR
PASH IN FEATHERS..\_/
