Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
SALES and SERVICE Published lo promote Friendship and Good Will with its cus Offices and Warehouses tomers a nd friends and lo advance the interest of its products of the by th e Lufkin Foundry & Machine Company, Lufkin, Texas. VIRGINIA R. ALLEN. Editor LUFKIN FOUNDRY & MACHINE COMPANY BROOKHAVEN. MISSISSIPPI P. 0 . Box 526 Phone 1812 Volume XXV SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER Number 5 Val Gallia CASPER. WYOMING P. 0. Box 1849 Phone 5253-J R. S. Miller CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS 434 Wilson Bldg. Phone 3-1881 Edd Terrill, Jr. DALLAS. TEXAS CANADA-VACATION LAND UNLIMITED ...... 4-7 1317 Magnolia Bldg. Phone Central 5834 This Friendly Nation on Our North Has Many Different A. E. Caraway-R. C. Thompson EDMONTON. ALBERTA. CANADA Meanings to All Visitors, but the Country's Travel Lufkin Machine Co., Ltd. 14321 l08th Avenue Charm Beckons Unceasingly Phone 8-6412 Charles Dyer El'FINGHElM. ILLINOIS LUFKIN'S CANADIAN DIVISION ...... 8 P. 0. Box 6 Phone 667-W On November 19, Lufkin Celebrates Its First Lewis W. Breeden Birthday in Canada EL DORADO • .RRKllNS.RS P. 0. Box 748 Phone 3-4155 Ben Sargent, Jr. SNAPS FROM AN A.I.M.E. GATHERING ...... 9 GRE.RTBEND. KllNSAS 935 Washington When a Group of Engineers Get Together, P. 0. Box 82 Phone 5622 No Holds are Barred and Everybody Has Fun Byron Robbms-). D. Bradley HOUSTON. TEX.RS 2106 Second Nat'! Bank Bldg. LUFKIN INSTALLATIONS ...... 10-11 Phone Capitol 0108 Bill Miner-Tom Bowers Whether in the Tropical Climes or Where Pumping Billy Burnette KILGORE. TEX.RS Is Necessary at 60 Below, Lufkin Is on the Job P. 0 . Box 8'/l Phone 3-875 W. T. Crowder, Jr.-Vernon Glenn SNAPSHOTS BY THE LUFKIN CAMERAMAN ...... 12-13 T. fl. Bomia LOS .RNGELES. C.RLIFORNl.R Canadian Oil Men in and Near Our Edmonton Office 5959 Sou th Alameda Phone Lafayette 1201 V. J. Fawcett Al McConville HONEY ON WHEELS-Sam L. Jones ...... 14-15 Robert R. Spaulding A Most Unique Experiment Has Turned into a Wonderful Glenn E. Henderson NEW YORK. NEW YORK Business Enterprise Worth 100 Million-Bees 149 Broadway Phone Barclay 7-0562 fl. V. Simonson-Alan T. Lockard GALAPAGOS-ISLANDS OF MYSTERY-J. Norman Heard ... 16-18 ODESSfl. TEXflS P. 0. Box 1632 Phone 5662 A Story of the Taming of-not the Shrew- Elvin Read But Land Iguanas on Seymour Island Ernest Slaughter OKLflHOM.R CITY. OKLflHOM.R 537 Commerce Exchange Bldg. Phone 7-7480 LET'S LAUGH ...... 19 Cooper Richards COVER: Ewing Galloway. N. Y. SEMINOLE. OKLflHOM.R 312 Eighth Street Phone 34 Newell Lynch TULSfl. OKL.RHOMA ;l,~J~o3".'d2a'4n Bldg. D. fl. Reid WICH!Tfl FflLLS. TEXAS 256 Allison-Duncan Bldg. If some of the days ahead are hard, remember that life deals P. 0 . Box 2465 with us on the instril ent plan. We never buy all of failure Phone 2-1967 Jack Gissler or success at any om~time . We buy a little day by day, and EXECUTIVE OFFICES AND F.RCTORY the trick is to mc·:ee sufe that day by day we buy a little more Lufkin, Texas P.!>one LD.r5 success than we do fr ire.-Paul SpoiCher. ' 4 L. fl. Little , Vice Pre~ident & General Sales ~ana~ \. .. Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
Modem trailer camps await visitors to Canada's ma?y cele brated national parks. License plates may be seen in these parks from all parts of the United States as well as Canada. CANADA ... U
Bow Falls in Banfl National Park never fails to awe ~isitors. Autumn is considered one of the best seasons. for seeing ~e parks for the slopes of the Canadian Rockies are a not glorified ice field. They couldn't help r~ l~ s hing the of color. occasional heat wave that speeded v1s1tors and home folks alike to the mountains and _cool green lakes which lie so near to many of Canada's cities. The legend has pretty well had its day, thanks to CANADA is a lot of things to a lot of people. the personal visits of so many tourists. Actually To the fi sherman from Ohio who tries New the Canadian climate ranges from the year-round foundland waters for the first time, it's the splash roses of Victoria, British Columbia, to the admit of a rising trout in North Arm Brook. tedly severe winters of the p,rairies. So u ther~ On To the Montana hunter stalking big game in the tario is tobacco country, and each year migrant mountains of British Columbia, it's the chilling U. S. workers help harvest its crop. Bananas have snarl of a nervous cougar. been grown th ere too, just to prove it can be done. To the Detroiter taking a fast weekend trip to Toronto, it's the superb four-lane surface of the Each of the ten Canadian provinces offers its Queen Elizabeth Way. own kind of vacation setting. In British Columbia the scenery is on the majestic scale, a happy com To the New Yorker who fli es to Montreal for a bination of snowy mountain ranges, rugged coastal business-pleasure call, it's a galaxy of eating p l a ~es inlets and quiet countryside. It is a land of special offering the kind of meals that gourmets wnte delight for hunters and fishermen, and the country's books about. most equable climate is British Columbia's finish Canada has different meanings to all th ese vis ing touch. itors, but each interpretation increases a vacation In Alberta there are Reservation Indians and reputation that each year brings an invading arr~ y cowhands, as of old, with the Calgary Stampede of recreation-minded Americans more th an mil as the summer's highlight attraction. The province lions strong. has over a score of dude ranches offering accom The country's travel charm is apparent enough modation, riding and entertainment. Banff and so far as scenery go es. Its less obvious attraction Jasper are magic names in Alberta, and both these lies in the character of its people, the leisurely national parks and resort towns draw many trav tempo of their way of living, and the stuff of his elers to the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Lake tory which to many U. S. visitors is somewhat Louise, near Banff, has been called the most beau unfamiliar and completely intriguing. tiful single scene in North America. There's not much talk about frozen northlands Saskatchewan presents a vacation picture dis- 1 any more, though in years past Canadiai:is had to tinctly Canadian. Fis •; ··., n1<- s high in the prov- battle the idea 1li at t11eir country was a sort of ince's appeal, and tJ· at areas of forest Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
9. skier riding the Mt. Norquay chair lift near the top of the lift at 6800 feet altitude in Banff National Park. Banff offers plenty of recreational facilities for both winter and summer vacationers. .·. . ; . .' .. -~.'·~ ... -·~ ; . ,, . . . •:· ; . ' alion J!anJ UnAmileJ I
Two skiers stand on the roof of a cabin at Mt. 9.ssiniboine Lodge in Banff National Park. 9.Jthough some of the talk about frozen northlands has died down. this picture would lands, lakes and rivers. Deer, hear, antelope and give rise for further discussion. wolves road the woodlands and brush country. Manitoba, Canada's Keystone Province, is bigger by far than the combined states of Minnesota, Wis and pictur.esque villages. There are hundreds of consin, Illinois and Iowa. The more adventurous lakes and rivers, and some of the world's best visitors can hunt belugas, the great whales of Hud salmon fishing. New Brunswick is one of the con son Bay, if they obtain a special license. Boats tinent's best hunting areas, and has more than and harpoons are supplied at Churchill, and the twelve million acres of woodland. big mammals weigh up to a ton. Nova Scotia is a land of legends. Practically About three-fifths of all visiting U. S. motorists every village has a story, and there is usually his- · first cross the Canadian border at Ontario. The toric foundation for the tale. Hundreds of sandy province equals the combined areas of the New beaches ring the province, and apple blossom time England states, of New York, New Jersey, Penn in the Annapolis Valley strengthens its inland sylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and charm. There are more white-tail deer per square Wisconsin. Within this great expanse lie two mil mile in Nova Scotia than anywhere else in North lion lakes and over a hundred million acres of America. Swordfish and tuna angling are bringing timberland. The province has 52 different vacation more U. S. sportsmen to the province every year. areas, and most every conceivable kind of holi Prince Edward Island, known for its specialties day fun. of potato growing and oyster farming, is getting a In Quebec, the New World's Normandy, there well deserved name for holiday hospitality too. is the appeal of a bilingual culture against a back This tiny island off the Atlantic seaboard is replete ground of ancient customs, handicrafts and com with history and adventure. Salmon inhabit nearly munities dating hack to Canada's earliest origins. all its rivers, and rainbow trout can he found in Quebec City, capital of the province, is the only lakes within 25 miles of the provincial capital, walled city in North America, and the Laurentian Charlottetown. Mountains are the oldest in the world. Quebec Newfoundland became the tenth Canadian prov offers the U. S. visitor the enjoyment of foreign ince in 1949. Many place names on the island arc travel without the usual complications. reminiscent of the days when Frenchmen, Span Historic New Brunswick, with its almost endless iards and Portuguese competed with fishermen variety of fish-laden wat,,,rways and game-filJed from the west coast of England for the rich fishing 1 forests, combines I' l'l with rugged cliffs, grounds off Newfoundland's rugged coast. The woodland lakes an •rn, rolling farmland inte for of the province is a .1 . et ork of rivers and Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
R canoe and a quiet Canadian lake are a perfect vaca a sentry stands on silent guard by a Martello tower at Fort tion combination. The setting is Smoke Lake in Rlgonquin Henry, Kingston, Ontario. Fort Henry was built following the Provincial Park, Ontario. War of 1812, when relations between Canada and the United States were still strained.
lakes where salmon and trout abound. Moose and dwellers of the animal kingdom are hustling about caribou are plentiful. collecting their winter food supply. That's the roster of provinces of Canada. Now By comparison there is little hustle on the high· for a look at her national parks which are among ways. Traffic at this time of the year has decreased her greatest tourist attractions. These areas of out considerably and sight-seeing is therefore much standing beauty and interest have been set apart more enjoyable. There is an exhilarating freshness by statute for public use. Originally established to and tang in the air which brings a healthful glow maintain the primitive beauty and wonders of the to the cheeks. Days, though getting shorter, are landscape, they are also conserving the native warmed by brilliant Autumn sunlight that seems to wildlife of the country and preserving sites of bring more and more of the wild creatures into the national historic interest. As recreational areas, open. Camera hunting, always a popular pastime, too, their value is immeasurable, for they provide, becomes more fascinating than ever and the re in ideal surroundings, unequalled opportunities for wards are rich indeed. the enjoyment of outdoor life. These great wildlife sanctuaries, the mountain Canada's national park system comprises 26 parks of Canada, provide a variety of animal units wi th a combined area of more than 29,000 studies, from the .lordly moose to the tiny chip square miles. Seven of these parks are located in munk. Because of the sanctuary conditions im the mountains of Western Canada. Banff, J asper, posed, most of the animals, small and large, have and W aterton Lakes parks are on the eastern slopes little or no fear of man. Few have heard the sound of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta. Kootenay and of a rifle and have come to regard visitors to the Yoho parks are on the western slopes in British parks as their friends, not enemies seeking their Columbia; and Glacier and Mount Revelstoke destruction. Late blooming wild flowers in the parks, also in British Columbia, are in the Selkirks woodlands, and gorgeous floral displays around the mountains. parks' townsites add to the charm and beauty of Autumn is perhaps the most glorious season of the scene. Truly this is an enchanting season in the year for holiday making in Canada's mountain the mountains. parks. After a few light frosts at night most of the The restless mood which characterizes the wild late lingering mosquitoes disappear until another creatures at this time of the year seems also to summer. Deciduous trees on mountain side and in stimulate the adventurous spirit in man and to the valleys change to a garment of brilliant foliage imbue him with the wanderlust. Mountain streams and there is a riot of color everywhere. and deep pools suggesting speckled trout call to Wildlife is in its prime and, sensing the ap him. Thoughts of winding trails and pack ponies proach of winter, is more active than usual. Big conjure up visions of moccasined Indians, tepees game come down into the valleys and are a common and log cabins deep in the forest. Stories of the sight along the highways. Migratory birds are early explorers who blazed ~he first trails through making ma "" new acquaintances for company on this mountain fastnesf ~re re ' alled and their ex their long r:. ·ey southwards. Little mountain ploits relived in im · Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
Beach ball is fun. says Jeanette With the Peace Tower of Canada's Visitors often view the eternal beauty of the many Ollericb. who bolds the Lady of the parliament buildings in the back lakes and woodlands with nostalgic remembrances of Lake beauty title at Kelowna, British ground. a Royal Canadian Mounted history stories about romantic pioneers and their ad· Columbia. Police constable gives directions to venturous trail blazing. visitors to Ottawa.
He pictures himself as a successor those hardy He may hear stories of the famous guide, Tom pioneers of bygone days and he has an impelling Wilson, whom the Indians led to "The Lake of the desire to emulate some of their achievements, Little Fishes," now beautiful Lake Louise in Banff without perhaps experiencing many of the attend National Park. Banff Park is a region of majestic ant hardships. He beholds in fancy the lofty, snow alpine grandeur. Range after range of lofty moun capped peaks, the hanging glaciers, the turbulent tains, many of them perpetually snow-capped, rise rivers, and deep canyons which formed the "Great one behind the other in parallel lines running gen Barrier" to the "Western Sea." erally from southeast to northwest. Sparkling gla He yearns for sight of the foaming waterfalls ciers hang from the sides of the mountains, arid in and jewel-like alpine lakes which make this a land some places reach far down into the valleys. of wonder and delight. He longs to follow the If he takes the Banff-Windermere highway down trails which lead into the primeval wilderness through Kootenay Park, it will lead him to the into the very heart of nature herself; to follow in trail of another noted explorer, Sir George Simp· the footsteps of Mackenzie, Thompson, Fraser, son, a former Governor of the Hudson Bay Com Simpson, and other pathfinders whose daring pany, and one of the most eminent pathfinders of achievements are recorded in the stirring events of a century ago. The "Big Bend Highway," part of a century or more ago. the Trans-Canada highway, will perhaps lure him And suddenly he realizes that thi s is not merely to Mount Revelstoke National Park further to the a day dream; it's real and within his reach. The west, a mountain kingdom literally above the mountain parks are now accessible over good roads clouds, clothed with forests of spruce and balsam and are within easy distance by car from his home fir, and wild flower gardens, and jewel-studded town. with alpine lakes. Through some of these national playgrounds he The traveller will be reminded here also of an can follow the trails blazed by David Thompson, other member of the famous Palliser expedition, the story of whose epic journey across the Rockies Lieutenant Thomas Blakiston, R. A., who crossed to the Columbia River by way of Athabasca Pass the South Kootenay Pass on his journey to discover thrilled many a school boy. He can motor down the a feasible route through the mountains to the Pa Banff-J asper Highway through Jasper into Banff cific Ocean. The park, with Glacier National Park National Park skirting on the way the great Colum in Montana, is known as the International Peace bia ice-field where at one point the tongue of Atha Park. basca glacier comes down almost to the roadside. And so the modern "pathfinder" takes the trail As he enters Banff National Park by this route that leads to the mountains, a trail now broad and he is following the trail blazed by Sir James smooth and easy to follow. Behind him he leaves Hector, geologist with the Palliser expedition. He the noise and turmoil of a busy world; before him can retrace without leaving his car much of Hec lies the peace, the mystery and the autumn charm tor's journey through! ffle Kicking Horse Pass into of the mountain parks with their perpetual gran the territory which IPW-f P.rms the Yoho and Koote- deur, their history, their romance an heir:eternal nay National Par' • ;.S. call to the adventurous. '· .;r t ' Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
' .
CHARLES DYER. Canadian Division Manager. with head· quarters at Edmonton, Alberta.
1949 ~ STERN CANADA is now experiencing an PRINCIPAL oil boom which has taken an great significance for OIL Fl~LDS the Dominion of Canada. Oil is not new to the IN ALBtRTA prairie Provinces since the first commercial pro Shown Thus Q ducer was found in Turner Valley, Alberta, in 1914. Again in 1947, the petroleum industry in Al prairie provinces since the first commercial pro Leduc field. This field was rapidly followed with fields at Redwater, Stettler, Golden Spike, Excel sior, Campbell and a number of other fields. The Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company registered on November 19, 1949, a Canadian sub sidiary-the Lufkin Machine Company, Ltd. This office handles the sales and service of Lufkin pump ing units in the Dominion of Canada.
Right. MaURICE WIGELSWORTH, member of Lufkin's Canadian staff. Below. Building in background is Lufkin's warehouse, while the foreground building is the sales and service office of the Lufkin Machine Company, Ltd. Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
These pictures, taken by Jess Adkins for the LUFKIN LINE. were made at the Petroleum Branch Banquet October S. during the Fall Meeting of the American In stitute of Mining 6. Metallurgical Engineers. The meeting was held October 4-6. at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans. Louisiana. Many friends from various sec tions of the country were brought together again for this meeting. For those who were unable to attend. we bring you these snap shots to show you it was not a ll work and no play.
I Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
LUFKIN TC-44-159, Standard Oil Company, La LUFKIN TC-33-22G with Lufkin H-333 Engine, Habra, California. Richfield Oil Company. Fellows, California. LUFKIU In S
LUFKIN TC-44S-15A, Imperial Oil Ltd., Red LUFKIN TC-44-159, Imperial Oil Ltd., Leduc water. Alberta. Field, Alberta. Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
LUFKIN T7-3fl. General Petroleum Company, TYPICAL scene of Lufkin Pumping Units being Taft, California. unloaded at Redwater, Alberta, Canada.
RLLRTIODS
LUFKIN TC-33A-22G, Imperial Oil Ltd., Leduc LUFKIN TC-44A-15A, Husky Oil & Refining Ltd., Field, Alberta. Woodbend, Alberta. Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
SNAPSHOTS • • • • •
\~' Texaco Exploration Co .•
JIMMY. GIBSON A. T. JACOBSON G. A. BANNANTINE V. J. MORONEY J. D. GUSTAFSON Imperial Oil Ltd., Redwater, Amerada Petroleum Corp., Imperial Oil Ltd.. Calgary Imperial Oil Ltd.. Calgary Imperial Oil Ltd.. Calgary Alberta Calgary, Alberta
JIM STATLER A. E. KELLAR PAUL ROTHWELL VERN HUNTER JACK TURNER British-American Oil. Calgary Texaco Exploration Co.# McCarty Coleman Co., Calgary Imperial Oil Ltd .• Redwater Imperial Oil Ltd.. Redwater Calgary • I . I f
HOWARD COMFORT MURRY HANNA A. J. MARTIN 0. W. WALL K! . "''Jf'"ON Imperial Oil Ltd.. Redwater Imperial Oil Ltd .. Redwater Texaco Exploration Co., British-American Oil. Edmonton Roy Edmonton Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
• • • BY THE LUFKIN CAMERAMAN
W. G. COLEMRN. Texaco
JOHN McKAY BILL MUGGLER BILL DERRICK S. B. BANISTER BOB WELSH British-American Oil, Calgary British-American Oil. Calgary Phillips Petroleum, Calgary Royalite Oil. Calgary Imperial Oil Ltd. • Leduc Field
F"ront row: Lufkin Engineer Louis Fincher and Gordon Connell. Royalite Oil Co., Left to Right: EVERITT MILLER. T. R. CRAIN, A. R. WELCH. ABE PERSINGER. W. R. KILPATRICK, and Calgary: back row, Ed Stevens, Royalite W. A. LUCAS. Union Producing Company. Big Island field. Louisiana. Oil Co.. Turner Valley, Alberta, and Lufkin Engineer Bayo Copper.
R ·itish-American Oil. and C. E. DYER. Lufkin 's Canadian representative. HENRY BOUNET H. F. NRLDRETT Edmonton. Imperial Oil Ltd.. Leclur Field Imperial Oil Ltd.. Leduc Field Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
IN JUST a few more days it will be movmg transported to the lower Rio Grande valley near time for 100 million bees. the towns of Mission, Pharr and Donna. The hives About the middle of November, the Hatch Broth are placed near the citrus groves whose pollination ers of Marathon, Texas, will load their 32-foot period lasts until early March. The hives are lo Lufkin van with 200 hives of bees and head their cated so that the bees will not have to travel more truck toward the Rio Grande Valley with a unique than four miles to the fruit trees. money-making idea that pays rich dividends. Howard Hatch explains that bees will fly as far The Hatch Brothers-Howard and Harvey-are as eight miles from the hive while working, but the identical twins born 20 minutes apart on April 30, yield of honey is greater when they travel less 1913. They were Marathon's first twins and caused than four miles. quite a furor in this small western town. After the hives have been robbed during the last They are causing still a greater furor today after week in March, they are loaded onto the van and 18 years of honey-making. They have brought taken back home to the Big Bend country for the something revolutionary into the field of producing blooming of the Catclaw and Whitebrush. They honey and have proved the idea to be 100 percent remain here until the hives are robbed about sound. May 20. A few years ago, the twins were talking together When the first of July comes around, the bees about the things that affect honey making, when are traveling down the highway toward Plainview, they hit upon the idea of transporting their hives Texas, for the pollination ·Season of Clover and to various parts of Texas during pollination sea Alfalfa. When the honey is gathered about August sons. They began immediately to make their idea 15, the van with its buzzing mass heads back to a n~ality. They purchased a truck and a standard Marathon for the blooming of the Kinnikinik Brush Lufkin cattle van with only a screen wire added and Whitebrush. After the robbing around Novem to the inside. ber 1, the cycle begins all over again. Next the brothers worked out a yearly schedule. The Big Bend Honey Company is 19.t'lni d in the
DJ.ring November d December, the bees are foothills of the beautiful Santiago Mo•tfmtain •, , on _,_ \ .• Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
92-acre ranch. Since the twins began to transport their bees around the country, their honey yield has increased to 100,000 pounds per year. The Hatch Brothers, who say they live a quiet, peaceful and happy life because they are bach elors, have pioneered in the field of honey on wheels, but their idea has spread throughout the country and is being tried by many honey pro ducers. Although we're inclined to accept this statement with a grain of salt, the genial twins insist that they would not exchange their 92 acres of Texas ranch land and their 100 million bees for the like amount in cold cash!
On opposite page. Howard and Harvey Hatch were Marathon"s first set of twins. Born in 1913. they went into the honey business at the age of 19. Their 92-acre ranch is located in the foothills of the Santiago Mountains in the Big Bend country. Rbove Right. The Big Bend Honey company. owned and operated by Howard and Harvey Hatch who are identical twins, was just an ordinary business in West Texas until the brothers turned up with a unique honey-making idea. Center. Since the twin brothers began to haul their 100 million bees around in Texas. their honey yield has increased to 100.000 pounds per year. They say they wouldn't trade their business for one dollar per bee in cash money. Below. This converted Lufkin cattle van is a home away from home for 100 million bees. With a fine screen wire on the inside, the van transports the honey bees to various sections of Texas during different pollination seasons. Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023
This iguana was tcxxte.d . 4 y FIRST sight of the mysterious Galapagos anyone unaccustomed to threading his way through M Islands came from above as the giant Navy crevices and over rock piles. I had not been ashore Seaplane circled and swooped down over Seymour ten minutes when I tried to leap between two boul Island. Then all was obscured in a sea of spray as ders and fell flat. Luckily I escaped being cut by our pontoons touched water in a sheltered harbor. the jagged outcroppings and I was about to get up Soon we cast a line on a buoy and made ready to when I found myself face to face with an iguana go ashore. Galapagos variety. The baggage was transferred to a motor whale I'd seen iguanas before, in Panama and Nica boat, I clambered in after it, and we sped toward ragua, but they were little fellows compared to this one of the great piles of volcanic rock that strad four foot giant land iguana, of a species found only dled the equator six hundred miles out in the in the Galapagos. He resembled a miniature pre Pacific from Ecuador. historic monster as he stared back at me. A coat of I had heard much of the islands, called World's scales entirely covered him and a ridge of ·Spines End, by the naturalist, William Beebe, and famil extended from his neck to his tail. Black and yellow iarly known as "the rock" by servicemen stationed splotches covered the greater part of his body and there during the war. I'd always wanted to see them his merged from gre(m to gold in color. He seemed and when Uncle Sam ordered me to the Naval Air to he classifying me as friend or foe and he must Station on Seymour Island, I liked the assignment. have decided I wasn't to he trusted, for he suddenly When I stepped ashore, I found a vast expanse turned and scurried frantically to his hole in the of hardened lava, topped here and there by a little rocks. pats;~ of dusty soil. I soon found that walking In the months to come I became well P ,.. ·minted ac os~ these lava fields was a tedious process for with several specimens of the breed, ge. ·ccau; .co. ·~ .• ! I \ . The largest tree on the islandCopied grows from on an originalthe beach at The History on the Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 west side. In the background. Daphnes Minor and Major rise abruptly from the sea. sidered untamahle. Strange as it may seem, the isolated Galapagos Islands are the last stronghold for these descendants of dinosaurs that roamed most of the earth many thousands of years ago. I also became acquainted with the smaller ma rine iguanas, the only marine lizards in the world. These black reptiles were often seen sunning them selves on the rocks along the west coast of the island. They get their name from their maritime tendencies, as they of ten plunge into the sea to During my stay at the island it did not rain a swim for hundreds of yards. drop. In fact, rain is a rarity for the region except Marine iguanas actually blow showers of steam in mid-winter when the equatorial front, the great into the air like drago ns of old. They have the abil dividing line between the northeast and southeast ity to inflate their bodies with air and once en trade winds, pushes that far south, bringing the trenched in a rock crevice they are almost impossi thunderstorm season. ble to dislodge. They refuse to travel further inland The only vegetation on the island consisted of than the high tide mark. bristling cactus plants and a few scrubby trees. It was a blasted out, fire-blackened region, clearly showing that it had been erupted from the sea by a series of terrific underwater explosions, centuries earlier. Seymour did not look like a hospitable place to live, and indeed before the coming of American troops all save the largest islands were deserted, and these .supported only a few Norwegian and Ecuadorian fishermen. The Galapagos have been called the enchanted islands and few stranger spots could he found any where in the world. Our island was about fi ve miles long and two miles wide. On the south it bordered larger Indef atigahle Island. To th e west tiny Daphne Minor and Daphne Major, each consisting of a single crater, jutted abruptly from the sea. Seymour Island wasn't the most pleasant place in the world to be. The only vegetation consisted of bristling The smaller of these islands has probably never cacti and a few scrubby trees. been visited by man, so abrupt and unclimbable are its slopes. Wild goats, the oniy form of animal life to The Galapagos Islands are full of surprises and thrive in the interior of Seymour, were plentiful. perhaps one of the greatest is the weather. Since They were too wild to approach hut I oft en saw we were located squarely on the equator, I'd ex them, led by some great bearded hilly, leaping pected to endure blistering days, hut during my from boulder to boulder, or pausing to munch on two months stay the temperature did not climb prickly pear hushes. The few pet goats at the sta above the 86 degree mark. Nights were so cool that tion, captured as kids, were domesticated with the we sometimes slept under two blankets. This phe aid of mess hall scraps. They and their wild hreth- nomenon is explained by the cold Humboldt cur rent that flows around the island. The current makes the water fifteen to twenty degrees cooler than oceans at corresponding latitudes, as I discov ered immediately on my first plunge into the surf. While swimmers in the United States were enjoying themselves in the warm summer water, I climbed out of t1 .equatorial Pacific with my teeth chat- .: rn.1g One of the. gr·, •.t est phenomena of the islands were the presen~e of the seals. Just what a seal could be doing at the equator is a question not easily answered. Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 ~"4 .e~ .eme ------[is J- ren caused lots of trouble tearing down our stone One form of life, commonly associated with the bird baths. They'd clamber up the sides, scattering islands, which I did not see ·was the Sea Turtle. rocks in all directions, to get at the water we'd These 400-pound creatures which gave the islands prepared for the birds. their name have become almost extinct. Ecuadorian hunters have killed thousands of them for their oil. Our birds, by the way, were so tame that you Land iguanas, too, have become a rarity, except could almost capture them by hand. The doves had on Seymour Island. Formerly they inhabited all never been hunted and it's likely that if someone the islands but they became a much-prized food by had been heartless to go shooting, the birds would the fishermen on the larger islands and thousands have lighted on his gun barrel. Once when I stood were trapped and plopped into cooking pots. still a bird came to light on my shoulder and Shortly after my arrival on the island, my com seemed perfectly content on his perch. panions and I began trying to tame some land Seals provided another of the mysteries of the iguanas. At first they resisted our advances, bob amazing island. Beebe believes that the animals, bing their heads furiously in perplexed fashion. normally residents of polar regions, followed the When we drew near them they broke into a sham cold Humboldt current northward. There seems to bling run, long spiney tails thrashing against their be no other plausible explanation of their presence legs. At last, however, we discovered their partial at the equator. ity to onions. With these as bait, we induced two A family of the amphibious animals made their or three to become regular visitors at feeding time. home on the west coast of Seymour and could be They never became vicious unless picked up by the seen any afternoon playing noisily in the surf. One tail, but they snapped so hungrily at their food day I surprised them basking in the sun and dashed that lots of nerve was required to feed them by into the water to capture a baby seal. The little hand. Some of my companions did so, one at the fellow gave me quite a tussle for a few minutes. cost of the tip of his finger, but I always preferred When I released the squirming creature he splashed to extend my hunk of onion at the end of a stick. rapidly to join his family which had been swim One of our "iggys" became our faithful pet. We ming warily in the vicinity. even broke him to harness, and a hilarious .sight On the ea.st side of the island, cliffs dropped he was, tugging a miniature wagon around the sharply forty feet into the water. The ocean was office, his long tail threatening to overturn it at perfectly clear at this point and I liked to spend every step. He soon became a favorite of most of hours sitting on the edge of the cliff watching large the men at the station. Visitors to the island never schools of fish below. Sharks were almost constantly failed to take time to view his antics, and he even in view, gliding rapidly in pursuit of brilliantly performed for Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt when she hued tropical fish. Once I saw a giant devil ray, toured Galapagos in 1943. By the time I left the his wings stretching at least ten feet from tip to tip, island he was firmly established as the number one battering the water as he plunged along. mascot of the Naval Air Station. fhis un amable giant land iguana Galapagos doves have never been Balanced boul~er ,.. ·s a deep was difl •ult to approach for this hunted. They don't object to being ravine on ~ island picture. lis four-foot monster re- · log1aphed, but they didn't like for clearly 11hows ·pted sembles ·iniature prehistoric dino- goats to tem down the bird baths from the sea bl ... .,o••eS of terrific saur. B' and yellow sp!?tches ·oared for them by the sail..1. undP-- ·tater explosions many cen- cover tt 1reater part of his body. turies ago. Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 - ( 19 )------<7"8 .e~ .EUie The lad thanked her and started to walk away. Suddenly, after counting the money in his pocket, he hurried back to the house and knocked again. The same blonde appeared at the door with a come-hither look in her eye, and again asked what he wanted. " Say," he replied, "is that draught An Englishman was very proudly rule book, to hang out a red light or bottle beer?" exhibiting to a Yankee friend, the when rear end ob de sleeper am pictures of his ancestors. Pointing to exposed!" Little Marion had received a tin y one of them, he explained that he alarm clock and a bottle of perfume was the fo under of the famil y. The There was a young lady from France for her birthday, and she was ex American had several times asked: Who thought that she'd just " take a tremely proud of both gifts. But the " What did he do?" chance ;" day her mother entertained her bridge For an hour or so, she just " let her Each time the Englishman had re club, Marion was warned not to dis self go." plied that Sir Archibald was th e play her presents. And now all her sisters are aunts! founder of the famil y. Finally, the All was going well until there was Yankee's patience was about ex a lull in th e conversation. Then little A chaperone is an elderly woman hausted, and he shouted: "Yes, you've Marion piped up, "If you hear any who accompanies young women to told me that over and over again, but thing or smell anything, it's me! " see that they do not indulge in any what I'm trying to find out is what of the things she wo uld have indulged did he do in the daytime?" in if she hadn't been chaperoned She had bedroom eyes-a pillow when she was a young woman. under each. Little Johnny wanted to kn ow what a honeymoon was, and his mother It's okay to tell a gal she has pretty The farmer's son wanted to go to explained " that it was a pleasure trip ankles ... but don't compliment her college so he could study obstetrics, taken by a new ly-wedded co upl e." too highl y. but Papa warned against it. "Why, "Was I along on yours and daddy's sure as shoo tin'," said the farmer, honeymoon, mamma ?" he asked. The glances th at over cocktails "you'll spend all that time learnin' "Well, Johnny," she answered, "yes seemed so sweet. about obstetrics and then somebody'll and no ; you went with yo ur daddy, May be less charming over a come along and find a cure for it." but you came back with your dish of shredded wheat. mammal" Mable: " Is th ere any difference be "Sir, I wo uld like to marry your tween a Camel girl and a Chesterfield "This check is undoubtedly O.K.," daughter." girl ?" said the bank teller, "but have you " I'm afraid, son, th at you couldn't Brenda: "Sure, honey, one walks anything about you by which yo u support her in the manner to which a mile; the oth er satisfies." could be identified?" she's accustomed." Maizie blushed: "Well . .. I have "Your daughter and I have talked Visitor: "Doctor, what can you say a birthmark just a little above here ;" it over, and she has consented to live to a girl who is so scary she jumps she faltered, as she slapped her side, on what I make." into the nearest man's arms every " it's the cutest thing !" "That's fin e. But th at's just one time she's frightened ?" problem. You kn ow th at after a Doctor: "Boo!" An aged Chinese servant proudly while, a little one may come along. displayed to his employer pictures and that will mean added expense." " Wh y do men have hair on th eir he had just received from China of a "That's true, sir, but we've been chests?" very nice looking Chinese girl and lucky so far!" "Well, th ey can't have everything !" two babies; his wife and two sons he boasted. The country boy in the big city "Don't think that every sad-eyed "Are you kidding ?" cried his puz was passing a row of rooming houses woman has loved and lost; she may zled employer. "You've been in this when he noticed a peculiar sign on have got him." country for the last twenty years." the door of one. The sign consisted "Yes, yes, me know," explained the of the letters " B-B-B-B." Some years ago a hotel in Louis oriental, "but me got velly good Curious about the meaning of the ville adopted the custom of naming Ai end in China!" sign, he knocked on the door. A a room in the hotel for each winner buxom blonde, clad only in a sheer of the Kentucky Derby. There is a Pullman Conductor : "Look here, negligee, came to the door and asked Zev Room, a Gallant Fox Room, a porter, what's the big idea of hang what he wanted. Whirlaway Room and so forth. But ing a red · tern on that berth?" He inquired about th e meaning of after the 1946 Derby the management Rastw (ti · new porter) ; "Well, the sign, and received this answer : decided to abandon the practice~'(h e on page seben ob de " Blondes, Brunettes, Beer and Beds." winner that year was Assault. , l "!' il· .-· - Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 •• • For the • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • COSTS . . . first costs . . . operating costs . . . . maintenance costs are going to be most important in the days ahead. Lufkin maintains that their equip you our newest ment has the lowest operating and maintenance record Commercial Gear in its field todc /· Our engineers will gladly give you the facts upon request to our nearest office. Why not Catalog. A card investigate today? addressed to our nearest office will bring it post haste,