Ttoyd
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB
HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES
OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF!
“Playing With Dynamite”
By FLOYD GIBBONS
Famous Headline Hunter
Hello everybody:
The old phrase, “Playing with dynamite” has come
to mean about the same thing as doing something fool
hardy. That’s the figurative meaning of the expression. But
literally speaking, the man who monkeys around with high
explosives is usually one of the unsung heroes of our age.
Over in France, twenty years ago, millions of men were playing
with dynamite, and T. N. T. and just about every other explosive known.
We didn't call those fellows foolhardy. In those days, it was generally
considered that they were doing a brave and noble thing. This is a
story of another such lad who toyed with danger in a good cause.
Herman Beaver of Chicago wasn’t juggling explosives in and
out of some sort of firearms over in France. He was taking an
even longer chance with the dangerous stuff. On a hot day in
July, 1917, he was working in a munitions plant on the northern
outskirts of Milwaukee, Wla., on the banks of the upper Mil
waukee river.
Grinding Salvaged Powder.
Over in France, millions of men were crouching in trenches, avoiding
the explosives that the enemy was hurling at them, but Herman Beaver
had no way to avoid the explosive that he was dealing with. His job was
to handle the stuff—and to handle it roughly, too. He was grinding
salvaged powder that came in to him in chunks and long tubes that
looked like spaghetti—grinding it in a machine that looked a lot like an
old-fashioned, hand-operated coffee grinder. That powder, when it had
been reduced to bits, would be used to load rifle grenades.
In only one way did that machine differ from a coffee grinder.
Between the handle that he turned continuously and the hopper into
which he fed the unground powder, was a steel plate fixed so as to shield
his body in case anything happened while he was grinding. On this day,
while Herman ground away, his eyes wandered out the window and down
the row of a dozen or more wooden buildings where the work of loading
the grenades was going on.
They were little better than shacks, about twenty-five by fifty feet,
built about fifty feet apart, in among trees, so as to obscure the plant’s
* -i
A terrible concussion threw him backward.
position from the air. Even in those days they were concerned about
airplanes. Those shacks were filled with men and women, and even boys
and girls—all taking long chances, to supply our soldiers with ammunition.
Blast and Deadly Flames.
But Herman wasn't thinking about the chances. The view
from the window was pleasant. The trees outside swayed in a
gentle breese. "I was at peace with the world.” says Herman.
And then—
Without warning, there was a deafening blast. Acrid choking smoke
filled the air and fire bit into Herman's flesh. He felt the earth rock
beneath his feet—felt a terrible concussion that threw him backward.
It happened so fast that only when he was on the floor did he realize
what had happened. The powder thtl he was grinding had exploded.
Behind him were benches covered with pans of powder. In rapid
succession they were catching fire. Then Herman saw that his own
clothing, heavily saturated with powder dust, was afire too. If they
had been soaked with gasoline they couldn't have burned any more furi
ously. "The flumes shot many feet above my head." he says. "I was a
living torch.”
He was stunned for a moment, but he managed to stagger to
his feet. His whole body one mass of flame, he ran to the
door—and out of it.
By that time people were pouring out of all the buildings in the group.
Herman dashed out of the door and kept right on running. He had
lost aU power of reasoning. All that moved him now was a blind,
gripping panic. He wanted to run, and keep right on running until he
dropped. And in his terror he was headed for another building—a build
ing that was filled with powder.
“Lie Down und Roll.”
If he had run into that building, this story might never have been
written.
But suddenly, through his panic, he heard a voice. Out of all the
shouts and yells of that mob of screaming humanity that was watching
, lhat one voice- and that alone, penetrated his consciousness.
Roll, it was shrieking. “Lie down and roll!”
Suddenly, Herman remembered. That was what he should be doing
That was the only way to save himself. He dropped to the ground and
began rolling. The pain was unbearable, as burned, smarting flesh
CifmeL.in contact with the hard earth. He rolled over once—twice and
then he stopped. It was all he could stand. A workman ran over
and tried to beat out the flames.
His apron caught Are and he stopped to tear it off. Then the superin
tendent ran up He ordered the crowd back, and he himself began roll
ing Herman over and over. He burned his hands severely, but he stuck
at the job until the fire stopped blazing.
When the flames were out. Herman’s clothing—what was left of it—
glowed and smouldered like one large, live coal. They rushed him into
one of the shacks, sat him down on a box. and began tearing the charred
cl off. off his body.
lhat shack was Ailed with powfler,” Herman says, "but in
their excitement they never thought of that.
“There was powder in the very box I was sitting on. The Lord only
knows why the whole place didn't blow up. I know 1 don't. And I have
two large scars, one on my right hip and one on the front of my left leg,
that remind me every once in a while of what a close call I had.”
Nobody will ever know how that explosion started, but Herman thinks
a percussion cap might have found its way into the powder he was grind
ing. "I was working with the lid of the grinder open,” he says. “If it had
been fastened down when the explosion occurred, the whole machine
would have shattered to bits—and I don't believe I'd be here to tell the
story.”
Copyright.—WNU Service.
Furnage or Chimney Tax
The fumage or chimney tax is
mentioned in Domesday as paid to
the king for every chimney in the
bouse. Edward, the Black Prince,
is said to have imposed a tax of a
florin for every hearth in his French
dominions. The first statutory en
actment in England required a
tax of two shillings on every hearth
in certain houses to oe paid to the
king. The tax was abolished in 1689
Nature Builds a Bridge
Nature is making a bridge in the
Kleinwals valley in the province of
Vorarlberg, Austria. The ••struc
ture,'’ which spans the Schwarzwas
ser river, consists of chalkstone fur
rowed by the rushing water. Re
ports received in Vienna say it has
a span of 30 feet and this is grow
ing. The arch of the bridge is car
ried by three pine trees which have
grown into it from underneath.
Answer to What-to-Wear Problem
Uy CHERIE NICHOLAS
1~\EAR, oh dear me, here’s that
tantalizing, baffling between
season "what-to-wear” question
bobbing up again! Cheer up, for
the problem is all nicely solved.
Fashion gives the answer "just as
easy as that” in two short words—
dark sheer.
The four costumes pictured will
smartly apparel a "best dressed”
woman way into autumn and then
it’s a safe guess that you will be
wearing these pretty frocks under
winter coats now and then until bliz
zardy weather sets in.
Should it be that your budget lim
its choice to just one of the cos
tumes pictured we would recom
mend the dressy silk sheer tuxedo
jacket dress shown at top to the
right. For all-around about-town
practical general wear you will find
that it will prove very near perfect.
The jacket with its smart, new
bracelet-length sleeves will serve as
a mid-season wrap and look as
smart over your colorful silk print
frock as it does with its own match
ing dress. As here ensembled the
white lingerie touches give a flat
tering neckline. Pink doeskin gloves
and a salad bowl hat trimmed in
pink add eye-appealing contrast.
You will derive infinite satisfac
tion wearing an afternoon dress like
the model worn by the stylish young
matron seated to the right in the
foreground. It is styled smartly of
sheer black crepe. Lots and lots
of tucks form a front plastron to
the blouse. Tucks in profusion also
embellish the sleeves and add hem
interest to the skirt. A pink clip
finishes off the low neckline. Gloves
of matching pink and a bonnet that
is faced with a mass of pretty pink
posies carry out the color scheme
most intriguingly.
You'll be wanting a dinner dress
for special invitation affairs, and to
our way of thinking the model to the
left gives satisfactory answer. This
gown of navy blue silk sheer is so
conservatively styled it will “fit in
to most any niche”—will prove
wearable for afternoon as well as
informal night occasions. A softly
pleated bodice extends from a yoke.
The fact that latest news from
abroad places special emphasis on
the importance of yokes in the ad
vance styling program stamps this
gown as of last-minute origin. A
gay corsage of flowers and a slim
skirt that has graceful pleats re
leased below the hipline give to this
costume definite style prestige.
Centered in the background we
show an important afternoon dress
of black suede-surfaced heavy silk
sheer with the new vertically shirred
front that achieves a flattering slen
derized figure line. It ranks among
the best examples of draping. It is
this type of draping that character
izes the new and muchly heralded
daytime dresses of sleek figure-re
ducing rayon or better still pure
silk jersey. For a mid-season or fall
fashion-first dress this is the sort
that is selling at sight. The draped
silk jersey turban worn with the
model pictured is unusual good
style.
New fall types just arriving stress
fringe-trimmed black silk sheers.
The fringe is so worked into the
plan of things that it seems an in
tegral part of the dress and It is
manipulated to accent slenderness.
Cl Western Newspaper Union.
SILK DAY COATS
By CHIC It IE NICHOLAS
A fashion that is proving most
welcome and timely for midseason
wear is the long coat of handsome
black silk, either crepe, faile or otto
man weave. The model pictured
gives the new corseted waistline via
vertical tucks. Note also the flared
skirt, with the new full-at-front
silhouette. The baroque * patent
leather belt and the white pique bou
tonniere add swank to this out
fit. Worn over the midsummer fa
vorite print frock you have a cos
tume that “carries on” triumphant
ly through the between-season in
terval.
Short Tennis Dresses
The most popular tennis dress is
that with the skirt two or three
inches above the knees, store ex
perience reveals.
Sheer Housecoats
The movies are responsible for a
trend toward sheer housecoats worn
over ruffled petticoats.
PEASANT FASHIONS
CONTINUE POPULAR
By CHERIE NICHOLAS
The spirit of “let's be gay” per
sists throughout sports attire that
flashes bright peasant colorings and
amusing silhouettes that are quaint
ly picturesque. Dirndls? Yes, they
answer “present” in the fall collec
tions. The newest and smartest ver
sions are done in lively wool challis
prints. Some are girdled with black
velvet ribbon and flaunt metal but
tons—enough to strike any style-as
piring schoolgirl’s fancy.
The Swedish motifs, with their gay
embroideries, are popular as ever,
and tall crowned alpine hats flaunt
ing gay feathers are the milliners’
pride for fall. The fascination of
the peasant outfits lies in the fact
they are often exact replicas and
the more-young girls look like gaily
attired peasants “just landed” the
smarter they are attired according
to fashion's verdict.
Street Length Clothes Go
Picturesque for Fall Wear
Paris dressmakers are seeing to
it that informal and street length
clothes are every bit as glamorous
and exciting as evening gowns.
Bruyere answers the challenge
with picturesqueness—a full skirted
taffeta dress worn over a starched
petticoat. White stockings and a
poke bonnet complete the old-fash
ioned picture.
Paquin solves the problem with
sophistication in a series of dressy
afternoon suits with draped jackets
and small but rippling collars of
fox.
Purple and Plum Shades in
Ofling for Early Autumn
The injection of purple and plum
shades into midsummer costumes
is merely a hint of an important
fashion that will be featured by ear
ly autumn.
Everywhere in fashion circles
there is talk of purple tones for day
time dresses, for sports costumes
and for accessories. In addition
to the general interest in the shade
for informal daytime occasions,
many velvet afternoon dresses and
evening gowns are to flaunt this roy
al hue.
I AT EVENING J, ^ I
I TIME © McClure Newspaper Syndicate. H
I! WNU Service.
The "Briny Toyshop” was closed
for the day. Its tiny show win
dow still displayed an enticing ar
ray of delightful playthings, but
the latch was hard down on the
door, and its little lady propri
etress had retired to her favorite
low rocker by a rear window fac
ing the sea.
The most persistent youth in the
small sea-faring village rattled
the door, but in vain. Miss Ma
tilda Bell did not even hear.
There seemed more than ordi
nary magic in the glowing spell
cast by the sun at this close of
day. The old-fashioned garden
sloping to the rocky shore seemed
a fairy place. The sea was'many
hued, dusky, wondrous, and its
melody came pleasantly to Miss
Matilda. There were dreams in
Miss Matilda’s eyes as she
watched; not the happy, hopeful
dreams of youth, but the deeper,
sadder dreams of one who has
lived long.
Miss Matilda was so much a
part of her surroundings that she
had ceased to notice them in de
tail. Her mind had floWn back
nearly 50 years, to the time when
she had not the faintest thought
of ever being a little, elderly,
sweet-faced lady sitting by her
self in the twilight.
To the time when she was a
young, adventurous girl pledging
her troth to a dashing young naval
officer. Even now her eyes grew
dim as the memories came drift
ing in on the breeze. Dream pic
tures blotted out the garden, the
rocks, the sea itself, and Miss
Matilda felt herself in the arms of
her young lover, so tender, so
dear—
And he had sailed away, full of
hope and happy anticipations of
the day when he should return to
make her his wife. Miss Matilda’s
eyes blurred. That day had never
come. There had been a fire
aboard the ship—and the young
officer, who belonged heart and
soul to Matilda Bell, had given
his life for another.
Years had taken away that first
tragic grief, but Miss Matilda had
loved too deeply to forget. How
she wished she had been with
him! Sometimes he seemed to
speak to her in the voice of the
sea, and she would say that she
was coming—some day soon, very
soon—coming to be with him.
On the rocks below Miss Ma
tilda’s cottage two figures were
silhouetted against the dull red
sky.
“But, dear girl”—the man’s
voice was tender, serious—“you
don’t know what the life is. I
do—and I wouldn’t condemn any
woman to it, least of all—you. It
will be a torture without you—
but it wouldn’t be fair to take
you.”
The girl’s straight, sweet gaze
held his steadily.
“But, Tom, don’t you see I
want to go? It may be years
before you come back. Our mar
riage-that-is-to-be is going to be
Wise and Otherwise
— A —
“A child must have a chance
to express its ideas,” says a
psychologist. Yes, but not on
plain wallpaper!
“Girls were quicker in their
movements eighty years ago,”
says a writer. They got a bus
tle on then.
“And they call America the
land of free speech,” said the
disgusted Scot when the tele
phone operator told him to put
a nickel in the box.
The best husbands are those
who marry young. If a man
waits till he has money it hurts
more to pay it out.
true partnership, Tommy boy, and
it must begin by my going to
South America with you now. I
can face anything—with you!”
The two silhouettes suddenly
converged into one as Tom said
huskily:
"Bless you, sweetheart, you’ra
coming with me. We’ll play the
game of life squarely—together.”
And up in the little dusky win
dow above the garden, with the
sea still crooning a low love song,
Miss Matilda had come into her
own.
See by Mirrors
Tapestry weavers are obliged to
watch the progress of their work
in mirrors, as a tapestry has to
be woven from the back. The
weaver checks his work in a mir*
ror facing the front of the fabric.
Collier’s Weekly.
Requests for reprints of the interviews
between Everett Mitchell and Champion Farmers
evidenced so great an interest that these
entertaining and instructive programs will be
resumed beginning the week of August 14.
In addition to the interviews conducted by
Everett Mitchell the Firestone Orchestra and
quartette complete a pleasant and instructive
fifteen minute program.
The list of stations with days and times over
which the broadcasts can be heard appear below.
TWICE WEEKLY AT THE NOON HOUR
(j/y Station Kilocycles Days lime
Abilene.K.FB1 1050 Wed. & Fri. 11:30 A.M. CST
Amarillo.....KGNC 1410 Tue. & Thur. 11:30 A.M. CST
Adanta.WSB 740 Tue. A Thur. 12:45 P.M.CDST
Bakersfield.KPMC 1350 Tue. A Thur. 12:13 P.M. PST
Baltimore.WBAL 1060 Tue. A Thur. 12:30 P.M.EDST
Billings.KGHI. 780 Tue. A Thur. 12:30 P.M. MST
Birmingham.WBRC 930 Wed. A Fri. 12:13 P.M. CST
Bismarck.KFYR 550 Wed.AFri. 12:30 P.M. CST
Boise.KIDO 1350 Wed.AFri. 12:30 P.M. CST
Boston.WBZ 990 Wed. A Fri. 12:15 P.M. EDST
Buffalo.WBEN 900 Tue. A Thur. 12:15 P.M.EDST
Burlington.WCAX 1200 Tue. A Thur. 12:43 P.M.EDST
Charlotte.WBT 1080 Tue. A Thur. 12:00 N. EST
Chicago.WLS 870 Tue. A Thur. 12:13 P.M.CDST
7ftn (Saturday) 12:30 P.M.CDST
Cincinnati.WL5V 700 j Sunday j 2:00 P.M.CDST
Clay Center.KMMJ 740 Tue. A Thur. 11:45 A.M. CST
Cleveland.WTAM 1070 Tue. A Thur. 11:00 A.M. EST
Corpus Christi... .KRIS 1330 Tue, A Thur. 12:00 N. CST
Dallas.WFAA 800 Tue. A Thur. 12:15 P.M. CST
Des Moines.WHO 1000 Tue. A Thur. 12:15 P.M. CST
Detroit.WJR 750 Wed.AFri. 1:00 P.M. EST
DodgeCity.KGNO 1340 Mon. A Wed. 12:13 P.M. CST
El Centro.KXO 1500 Tue. A Thur. 12:30 P.M. PST
El Paso.KTSM 1310 Tue. A Thur. 12:45 P.M. CST
Eugene.KORE 1420 Tue. A Thur. 1:00 P.M. PST
Fargo.WDAY 940 Wed.AFri. 12:15 P.M. CST
Fresno.KMJ 580 Wed. A Fri. 12:30 P.M. PST
Ft. Wayne.WOWO 1160 Wed.AFri. 12:45 P.M.CDST
Gainesville.WRUF 830 Wed.AFri. 11:30 A.M. EST
Great Falls.KFBB 1280 Tue. A Thur. 1:00 P.M. MST
Greeley.KFKA 880 Wed. A Fri. 12:15 P.M. MST
Hartford.WT1G 1040 Tue. A Thur. 1:15 P.M.EDST
HotSprings.KTHS 1060 Wed. A Fri. 12:15 P.M. CST
Houston.KPRC 920 Tue. A Thur. 12:15 P.M. CST
Indianapolis.WIRE 1400 Wed. A Fri. 11:30 A.M. CST
Kansas City.KMBC 950 Tue. A Thur. 12:13 P.M. CST
Klamath Falls_KFJI 1210 Mon. A Wed. 12:00 N. PST
LaCrosse.WKBH 1380 Wed. A Fri. 11:45 A.M. CST
Litde Rock.KLRA 1390 Wed.AFri. 12:15 P.M. CST
Lubbock.KFYO 1410 Wed.AFri. 11:45 A^L CST
ijtv station t^itocyctes uays i ime
Medford.KMED 1410 Wed.AFri. 12:35 PM. PST
Memphis.WREC 600 Wed. A Fri. 12:15 P-M. CST
Miami.WQAM 560 Wed. A Fri. 12:45 P.M. EST
Milwaukee.WTMJ 620 Tue. A Thur. 12:30 P.M. CST
Minneapolis.WCCO 810Wed.AFrt. 12:45 PM. CST
Nashville..WSM 650 Tue. A Thur. 12:30 P.M. CST
Newark.WOR 710 Mon. A Fri. 12:15 P.M.EDST
New Orleans.WWL 850 Wed.AFri. 12:30 P.M. CST
Oklahoma City...WKY 900 Tue. A Thur. 12:00 N. CST
Omaha.WOW 590 Wed. A Fri. 12:00 N. CST
Phoenix.K.TAR 620 Tue. A Thur. 10:30 A.M. MST
Pittsburgh.K.DK.A 980 Wed.AFri. »2:30 g.M.
Plattsburg.WMFF 1310 Mon. A Thur.t2:15 P M. EDST
Pocatello.KSEI 900 Wed. A Fri. }*«?•»}•
Presque Isle.WAGM 1420 Tue. A Thur. 11:45 A.M. EDST
Pueblo.KGHF 1320 Tue. A Thur. 12:15 P M. MST
Richmond.WRVA 1110 Tue. A Thur. 12:30 P.M. EST
Rochester. Minn..KROC 1310 Tue. A 1 hur. 12:30 P.M. CST
Rapid City.KOBH 1370 Wed.AFri. 12:00 N. MST
Salem 7.7..KSLM 1370 Wed. A Fri. 12:35 P.M. PST
San Antonio.WOAI 1190 Tue. A Thur. 12:00 N. CST
San Bernardino..-K.FXM 1210 Tue. A Thur. 12.45 P-M. PST
San Francisco... .KPO 680 Mon. A Thur. 1:00 P.M. PST
sJnta Ana ..... KVOE 1500 Wed.AFri. 11:45 A.M. PST
Schenectady..1”.WGY 790 Sat. A Sun. 12:15 P.M. EDST
Scottsbluff........KGKY 1500 Tue. A Thur. 7:15 P-M. MST
Shreveport.KWKH 1100 Wed. A Fri. 12:30 B.M. CST
Sioux Falls.KSOO 1110 W ed. A Fn. 12:30 P.M. CST
Spokane.KHQ 590 Tue. A Thur. 7:15 A.M. PST
Springfield. 111.... WCBS 1420 Mon. A Wed. 12:45 P.M. CST
Springfield. Mo... KGBX 1230 Wed. A Fri. 12:00 N. CST
Springfield. Mass.WBZA 990 Wed. A Fn. 12:15 P.M. EDST
St. Joseph.KFEQ 680 Wed. A Fn. 12:20 P.M. CST
St. Louis.KMOX 1090 Wed. A Fri. 1:00 P.M CST
St. Petersburg....WSUN 620 Tue. A Thur. 12:45 P.M. EST
Syracuse.WSYR 570 Tue. A Thur. 12:30 P.M. EST
Tulsa.KVOO 1140 Wed. A Fri. 11:45 A.M. CST
Twin Falls.KTFI 1240 Tue. A Thur. 1:15 P.M. MST
Weslaco.KRGV 1260 Tue. A Thur. 12:00 N. CST
Wichita.KFH 1300 Mon. A W ed. 12:30 P.M. CST
W ilmington.WDEL 1120 Wed. A Fri. 12:30 P.M.EDST
Yankton.WNAX 570 Wed.AFri. 11:45 A.M. CST
York.WORK 1320 W'ed. A Fri. 12:30 P.M.CDST
Listen to TUB YOICB or riHBSTUNB iraiunnR tticnara t.rooks ami Margaret Speaks ana tne ya-niecw
Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Alfred Wallenstein, Monday evenings over Nationwide N. B.C. Red Network