Verhovayak Lapja, 1940. július-december (23. évfolyam, 27-52. szám)
1940-10-31 / 44. szám
October 31, 1940 Verhovayak Lapja Page 11 CHILDREN’S PAGE One day Harry found a bear trail. He wandered until he came to an open sunny spot where the sun was bright and warm. Here and there grew blackberry bushes that showed where the bears had eaten. Harry wanted to find a bear and keep him for his own. He moved forward quietly and anxiously peered into the bushes, hoping to find a grizzly; but he looked in vain. He was puzzled because he knew they were there, for few berries were left on the bushes. Summer was still young, so they could not have gone back to their caves where they hibernate through the winter months. Harry the Hunter doesn’t seem to be able to see any bears, but I am sure you can find a number of them in this picture. How many can you find? Little prizes will be awarded to the first ten children sending in the correct number of bears in the picture. Cut out the picture, put x’s or check marks on the hidden bears you found, and tell how many there are; then send in the answer in a letter or paste it on a penny postal card. In sending your answers to us be SURE to include your complete address and state your age. Address your answers to: THE VERHOVAY JOURNAL, 345 FOURTH AVENUE, PITTSBURGH, PA. THE PANAMA CANAL By MICHAEL WACE Officer on a British Merchant Ship Few eight hour trips are more interesting and impressive than a passage through the Panama Canal. It is a wonderful example of what man can do against nature, but one can’t help thinking of the thousands of lives men gave in vain against Panama’s toughest opponent—the mosquito. Approaching the locks, from the Atlantic, the steamer passes a big ditch which the French engineers started. It does not follow the course of the present canal, as De Lesseps hoped to reach the Pacific all on one level. There are three sets of locks at each end of the Canal, which lift the ship some 85 feet above the ocean. All locks are in duplicate so ships can be passing in opposite directions at the same time. It takes some 3,000,000 cubic feet of water to fill the lock chambers every time a ship passes through. The water is from Gatun Lake, I one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Gatun is 85 feet above the sea, so the water for the chambers flows by gravity. Passage through the locks is an almost noiseless affair. The engines are stopped and the ship is pulled through by electric locomotives called a mules. These run on tracks on either side of the canal. Gatun Lake is fringed by green jungle. To traverse the 50 odd miles takes about seven hours. Ships only pass through in daytime, dredging and any other work being done at night. Speed has to be reduced in Culebra Cut, where the Canal is cut through great cliffs. This alone cost nearly a quarter of the $375,000,000 spent to build the canal here. Landslides have at times completely disrupted + + + Conducted by AMELIA NYERS traffic. Canalbound ships have had to steam ten and a half thousand miles around Cape Horn to get up the West Coast. Safety comes first in the Canal. When a ship is in one chamber, ehains are stretched across the lock ahead and behind the craft to prevent drifting. This chain is enormously heavy. Each link weighs 110 pounds. A double set of lock gates are always ready and there is an emergency dam at the entrance and at the upper locks. The Pacific end of the Canal is East of the Atlantic terminus! Canal dues range from $3,000 for a cargo ship to $20,000 for a large passenger ship. The smallest “item” to pass through the Canal was an American author, — Richard Halliburton, who swam the full length of the canal escorted by an armed soldier in a small boat. Mr. Halliburton paid canal tolls, scaled down to his size and weight!--------------------O-------------------ABOUT A VERY CROSS LION NAMED JOHN ADVENTURE AND MISADVENTURE The Bottle of Dust By ANWORTH RUTHERFORD | Caxton Printers, Ltd.. 12 mo—244 pages Price $2.00 He’s a black-maned lion, Cross as sticks. He eats a horse Right while he kicks. He eats a rhinoceros; (All but the horn) And he gobbles zebras As sure as you’re born. He eats a great Long-necked giraffe, And looks around for the other half. Maybe you think He’s only John; But you’d better keep Your running shoes on!-OWeighing but 15 ounces, a four cycle gasoline motor has been designed for model builders that fits into the palm of a man. The Bottle of Dust was the gold Bob Chaney’s grandfather hid years ago in an old abandoned mine, eighty miles from home. Bob’s chances for entering college were very small unless the precious dust could be found. Bob and his cousin Marshall, pretending to be science students in search of rare butterflies, pushed off; Bob in his open canvas canoe and his cousin in a wooden skiff. They made little progress, for Marshall’s skiff became leaky and had to be left behind. In the other canoe they made better time. After making camp for the night, the boys discovered some hobos in the vicinity, but were too tired and sleepy to move on. During the night they were awak- I ened, bound and robbed. Their only means of transportation, the canoe, was sent drifting down the river. In spite of the loss, their spirit remained unbroken, and they continued the rest of the journey on foot. Food problems were solved for the time being. The countryside was covered with blackberry bushes. “Living off the country,” Marshall said. Their carefree trip ended too soon. They were arrested for taking a turkey abandoned by a fox. Farmer Loots was an old miser who needed help in his orchards. He put the boys to work to pay for the turkey, which, he said was worth fifty dollars! While working for Loots the boys made the acquaintance of a boy called Clumsy Joe, because of his awkwardness. He proved to be a jinx not only to the newcomers, but to himself as well. Joe claimed this was due to his eyes being so terribly crossed! The search for the precious bottle was delayed, and to make matters worse, they had to contend with much abuse and imposition from Farmer Loots. One day there was a terrific battle with the miserly Loots, in which many of his highly prized peaches smacked on his person. Then they made their escape. They did not enjoy their freedom long. Soon they were lost in the woods. It was only after they met poor Clumsy Joe that they were able to find the right road and move on. Hungry and penniless, the three boys got work in a sawmill. To their surprise they learned that one of the men had in some mysterious way obtained knowledge of The Bottle of Dust and was planning to search for it. Another misfortune overtook them when a saw was broken through no fault of theirs. The boss’ son and Joe had a fight. Bob and Marshall pitched in to help their friend. They took the road again, worried about the Bottle oi Dust. As though this were not enough to harass them, they became fugitives from justice, accused of blowing up the boiler at the sawmill. A five hundred dollar reward was offered for their capture. To avoid tangling with the law, and further delay their quest for the bottle, the boys took refuge in the home of the kindly Robinsons, who are friend’s of Bob’s parents. Here they worked for their meals, doing odd chores around the old farm house.
