MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON
TUESDAY, JULY 2. 19S3
Small
Worlds
Around
Us
By
lynn W.
Watkins
(fceglstftr & Tribune Syndicate, 1363;
Ever Been Chased by
A Speedy Blue Race?
"Blue racers - man those
critters were fast! A man had
to be pretty fasti A man had
to be pretty spry on his feet
to outrun one.
"I remember the time I
was chased. It was in haying
time, and I was a young man.
The blue racer was hiding un
der a haycock. I uncovered
him, and he started for me.
We went across the hayfield
and along the road for a good
mile, with me running as fast
as I could.
"Yes, sir, those blue racers
were fast babies."
The man finished the story,
tapped his fingers on the
chair arm, apparently glad
that he had escaped and had
lived so long.
The Amazing Chase
It still lives, that old super
stition . . . the tale of the
chase between man and snake.
And, of course, it is as un
true today as it was when the
legend started. The man who
told the story really believed
it had happened, back a half
century ago.
This gentleman was no ex
ception. It's not difficult to
find others who tell the same
story; that it either happened
to them or to someone they
knew real well.
Those must have been wild
times, when a man working
in a field had to be ever on
the alert and ready to spring
away at full speed whenever
a blue racer was encountered.
And the wide distribution of
the racers was such that just
about anyone, anywhere
might meet one sooner or
later.
Funny that such a ridicu
lous superstition should have
persisted, but there are many
things regarding snakes that
people insist on believing.
Snakes seem to generate su
perstitious feelings, perhaps
because so few folks take the
trouble to understand them
Reversed Chase
Perhaps one reason the
gullible swallow this wild
tale, is the name of the snake
- blue racer. This conjures
up in minds cluttered with
superstitions a speedy reptile j
than can move like a "blue
streak," and the name "racer"
suggests something pretty
fast.
Some folks elaborated on
the already ridiculous story
by claiming the racer would
be the one doing the chasing
until the one being chased be
came tired of the game, and
turned around and started
chasing the snake. This re
versal of the chase put the
shoe on the other foot and
both snake and man ran until
total exhaustion overtook
them both and caused them
to fall into the dust of the
roadside.
Most of us. never having
been chased by a blue racer
- or never having chased one
- still might believe a snake
is pretty fast on its stomach.
So, as someone once said,
"Let's look at the record."
Seven Miles an Hour
Granted, the blue racer
with the blue-black body and
white chin and throat, is prob
ablv the most aggressive and
active American snake. But
out-running a man would be
somewhat beyond its greatest
efforts, unless the man were
crawling along on his stom
ach, or even on his hands
and knees.
Even if a husky, four-foot-long
blue racer were in fl
hurry and running downhill
with a strong tail-wind, he
could not exceed a speed of
about seven miles an hour.
Even then he couldn't main
tain this breakneck speed for
much over a few hundred
feet.
This may explain why
there is r.o record, or even
soundly based superstition, of
any of those old boys ever
being overtaken by a blue
racer. The stories always end
with a dull plop.
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ADMIRED BY TOURISTS - The wax effigy of playgirl
Christine Keeler, arms raised as if in horror at the wicked
ness of the world, is admired by girl tourists at Promenade
Waxworks at Brighton, England. The statue went on display
recently following the scandal involving Miss Keeler and ex
War Minister John Prufumo, which is continuing to cause
a sensation. (UPI)
Quotes From f he News
BY UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Miami A 34-year-old refugee from Cuba who said he
had played hooky in Cuba to escape Communist indoctrina
tion in school:
"I guess I'll have to start packing ihe books again."
Los Angeles George Waegell, of Elk Grove, Calif., when
asked by a House subcommittee on un-American activities
whether he would fight for Cuba in the event of a war:
"If there is another war, we're through. I don't care which
side I'm on. I'm dead and so are you."
Couple Honored at
Retirement Party
William R. Crawford, Med
ford, who Is retiring after
more than 12 years of gov
ernment service, was hon
ored at a party given by the
bureau of land management
recently, Honored with htm
was his wife, Grace.
Nearly nine years of Craw
ford's service wim the gov
ernment were spent with the
BLM.
Mr. and Mrs. Crawford
plan to continue their resi
dence at 515 West Second
St., Medford.
S-o-o Pretty
The Medical Roundup
by
ft
Dangers of Acute Sunburn
Now with summer here, H
is well to warn persons who
are headed for the mountains
and the sea
shore to go
slow when
they start surt
bathing. Espe c t a I I y
when a per
son has a fair
skin, and does
nnt tefri well
tanned alt the
time, he or
she can burn badly in. a few
mmutes, in the tropics, as in
Hawaii, 1 have seen people
get so badly burned on their
first day on the beach that by
night they were ill and run
ning a fever.
I have seen fair-skinned or
red-haired people who, when
Jackson, Miss. Circuit Judge Leon Hendrick, deploring
recent Supreme Court decisions on Bible reading:
"We can't do without the Bible or God. We need all the
help we can get to get along in Shis life."
Chicago Executive secretary Roy Wiikins of the Nation
al Association for the Advancement of Colored People, con
demning "southern diehards" for allegedly holding up the
administration's civil rights .bill:
"These people have never cared about anything except
the right to kick Negroes in ihe ieeih without federal interference."
Cool seooped-neck pinafore
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ford Mail Tribune, Needle
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11, N.Y. Print plainly NAME,
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Promotional Plan
Will Be Outlined
Details of Faeifie Power &
Light company's "Sell Big T
in '83" program for promoting
total eleetrie-iiving will be
presented tonight to electrical
contractors and suppliers for
the company's Jackson coun
ty system area.
Frank Benesh, PP&L's Meci
ford district manager, report
ed the promotional plans will
provide guidelines for the al
lied trades of the electric serv
ice industry during the forth
coming months of the year.
Slated to participate in the
district presentation are Frank
Reis, Portland, general sales
manager for PP&L, and Sam
Smith, the company's Copco f WOrk chemical injury to fluids
Emeritus Consultant tis Medtctn
Mayo f'linie
Smerttttt ViQtetmt ot Hedtctft
Mayo Clinic
(Register anS Tribune Syn&este,
they . got themselves badly
sun-burned, were left with big
freckles which did not please
them, and which never entire
ly cleared away.
Skin specialists hate to see
people tannins; themselves -they
know that this ages the
skin; it tends to bring wrin
kles, and it invites the forma
tion of cancer. And yet this
warning from skin specialists
is not likely to do any good,
because today the fad of sun
bathing is so popular.
According to a recent edi
torial in the New England
Journal of Hedtcme, some
people feet unusually well
after their first day on a
beach, while others are made
sleepy and tired and slightly
nauseated.
Recently, physicians have
grown Interested in the harm
ful effects of strong light on
the skin. In some persons, it
can bring out nodules and
blebs. It is worth noting that
a number of now commonly
used medicines can sensitise
the skirt to light, sa that it can
even more easily be burned.
Also, a number of diseases
have been found such as
porphyria - in which the skin
is abnormally sensitive to
strong light - sometimes so
much so that tittie ulcers
form, which leave scars. Labo
ratory workers are finding
out what happens chemically
in the skin that makes It so
sensitive.
Enthusiastic sun bathers
should know that with repeat
ed injury from sunlight, the
skin of some persons cart be
come more and more sensitive
rather than less sensitive, It
is possible that the light can
Subsidy Asked for Supersonic Plane
Washington - (BP - U. S.
plane manufacturers have told
Congress they cannot dfeveiap
a supersonic airliner without
Loan Applications
From Vets Accepted
Satem - (t - The state de
partment of veterans affairs
has started accepting farm
and home loan applications
under the new higher loan
amounts approved by the 1963
legislature. Director H. C.
Saalfeid announced today.
The legislature increased
ihe maximums from $13,588
to $15,0tt0 for homes and from
$30,000 to $48,008- for farms.
While the increase don't
become effective unit! Sept.
2, applications will be accept
ed now so the loan closings
may be completed as soon as
possible after Sept. 2, Saalfeid
said.
a a
government aid.
The Aerospace Industries
association presented a state
ment Monday to the House
Commerce eommittci showing
it would cost nearly $2 billion
to develop, btttlcS and test a
2,000-miie-per-bour transport
by !&?&.
The organisation of air
frame and engine makers
pointed out that the totai net
working capital of the five
airframe companies interested
in the project is only $?& mil
lion. Federal Aviation Adminis
trator Najeeh E. Hataby has
outlined a plan which calls tor
the government to pay 15 per
cent of the estimated $t bil
lion costs for development
alone. The AIA statement I
hinted that the industry might !
be unable to foot ail of trtej
remaining 25 per cent.
The association reminded
the committee that the air-
craft industry lost more than !
$&50 million building subsonic
jets. Now !t said the. United
States must fouiid the super
sortie jet unless it wants to
"declare itself out" of the nexs
stgrrff tcartt sni logical step irt
commercial aviation.
SAMBO'S
OPEN
24 HRSe
Rivaniria
division sales manager. The
group will meet at Kim's res
taurant. "Although the southern
Oregon area enjoys the bene
fits of electric living to a
greater degree than most oth
er parts of the nation, the con
tinued advances in the ap
plication of electricity to pro
vide comforts and conveni
ences for the households are
going to see more and more
power used m the future trt
our homes, Benesh an
nounced. The PP&L district manager
reported the program in
cludes promotional plans for
greater use of electricity for
commercial purposes in of
fices, stores and cafes and mo
tels as well as by residential
consumers.
which constantly are flowing
through the blood vessels ist
the skin.
TO MUCH PUSH
Kansas City, Mo. - BPS -When
Sawnie Alexander ask
ed a friend, Horace Watson,
to give his stalled car a push
Monday, the friend complied
with his own automobile. The
stalled vehicle struck a parked
ear and a tree, went through
a fence, under a clothesline
filled with clean wash, and
then into another fence, where
a steel pole brought it to rest.
4a
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4
Amelia Earhart
Missing 26 Years
Atchison. Kan.-tlW-Amclta
Earhart and her navigator,
Fred Noonan, disappeared
somewhere in the Pacific 26
""years ago today.
The famed aviatnx and
Noonan were on a leg of a
round-the-world flight.
Miss Earhart .was born
here July 24, 1898. On July
24, the city will salute the
"first lady of aviation." The
program will include the
iirst-day issue of a commem
orative air mail stamp, and
U. S. Postmaster Gen. J. Ed
ward Day will be the main
speaker.
The ceremony will be at
Amelia Earhart Stadium.
Atchison's municipal airport
also is named after Miss
Earhart.
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