Hoover & Garneld

Sirs:

I quote you from the irrepressible Walter Winchell's column of Sept. 30:

''There's Hoover, frinstance. . . . He's a columnist at heart. . . . During his talk to the Legion in Detroit he never credited Garfield with a nod or bow . . . and Mr. H. practically used word for word of Garfield's plea to the G. A. R. Vets of 50 years ago--when he discussed pensions. . . ."

It would be extremely interesting to American Legion and other veterans if the above statement were confirmed by TIME with attendant circumstances as to place, etc.

HUGH T. A. JOHNSTON Brown & Lynch Post No. 9 American Legion Easton, Pa.

President Garfield, in office from March 4, 1881, to July 2, 1881 when he was shot, never made a speech of any sort to the G. A. R. While campaigning in 1880, he made a "Boys in Blue Speech." an "Army of Cumberland Speech," "Reunion with His Old Regiment" and "Inauguration of Soldiers and Sailors Monument" (Painesville, Ohio). In none of these speeches is there any resemblance however remote to President Hoover's Detroit speech to the American Legion.--ED.

Preserved Fish

Sirs:

In Oct. 12 TIME I see tale of two banks and one Preserved Fish who was President of Bank of America in 1812. My great-great-grandfather was Preserved Fish originally from Vermont. My great-grandfather was Leonard Fish, his son.

I am wondering if you could give me any information in regard to the above. I have been a subscriber to TIME for some years and consider I have read all that is necessary after reading each copy.

FRED E. KERRY Bangor, N. Y.

President Preserved Fish (1766-1846) of Bank of America was born in Portsmouth, R. I., son of Blacksmith Preserved Fish, whose father was another Preserved Fish, whose father's name was Thomas.

After a few years at his father's forge. Preserved Fish III shipped to the Pacific on a whaler, at 21 became its captain. Shrewd, he recognized a fortune lay in selling whale oil, not in getting it. He prospered as a merchant in New Bedford, had a political squabble, sold his property cheap, settled in New York. At the height of his business career he was one of the 28 brokers of the New York Exchange Board which later became the New York Stock Exchange. He controlled a potent shipping firm of Fish & Grinnell which had its beginnings in the attempt of Preserved Fish III to advance his whale oil market. After his resignation from Fish

& Grinnell and a brief retirement from business, he served until his death as President of the Tradesman's Bank. Of other Preserved Fishes TIME has no record, but of a son Leonard, by one of his three marriages, there is no mention in the archives.--ED.

Abandoning Army Posts

Sirs:

We are interested in knowing whether it is a fact that Congress has the final decision on the abandonment of various posts in the United States or is the War Staff the final authority as we have been led to suppose?

This is due to reading your article of Sept. 14. P15 in which it states ''Next winter he will have a chance to show-his real strength when he tries to get Congress to eliminate twoscore obsolete Army posts."

W. C. PEAT Missoula Chamber of Commerce Missoula, Mont.

Technical abandonment of an Army post rests with the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of War and the President; actual physical abandonment (sale of real estate) rests with Congress.--ED.

Akron to Washington

Sirs:

In your Oct. 5 issue you state in the article on the Akron's first flight that "The radioman flashes to the White House the Akron's first message."

This message was sent to the Navy's temporary station at Akron and from there went via Western Union to Naval Radio Great Lakes. From there it was sent to Washington by radio. A copy of that first message is one of my souvenirs, as I handled the message.

MARION E. PENCE, U.S.N.

Waukegan, Ill.

Real Stuff

Sirs:

Your summaries of the records of Congressmen are so excellent that we are wondering where on earth you get them. You manage to dig up more real stuff than any other source we have seen. It's just the kind of material we need in connection with congressional work.

Would you be good enough to put us in touch with the sources of your information, if you have general sources, so that we may have the benefit of whatever knowledge is already collected?

ROGER N. BALDWIN American Civil Liberties Union New York City

TIME'S Congressional biographies, which will shortly be resumed in Letters in anticipation of Congress' sitting, are compiled by a researcher specially assigned to the task in Washington. They aim at reproducing Senators and Representatives as their colleagues know them, for the benefit of constituents who see only the campaign posters, hear only the campaign speeches.--ED.

Curled Hair Cuffs

Sirs:

In the article "Misfortunes of a Monster" which appeared in your issue of Oct. 5, you mention that Primo Camera's fighting gloves, "specially made for him, are as heavy as those which ordinary heavyweights use for practice." This statement is incorrect, and as official makers of Camera's boxing equipment, may we supply the right information?

Training gloves for the usual heavyweight weigh 16 oz. Fighting glove weights are regulated by the various state boxing commissions and run between 5 oz. and 8 oz. Hence, it would be illegal for Camera to use 16-oz. gloves. Though his fighting gloves do require almost twice as much leather and canvas as ordinarily go into gloves, the weight is kept within the required limits by padding the cuffs with a sprinkle of curled hair and filling the rest of the glove with only enough hair to balance the scale at the weight set by the State in which the big fellow is to perform.

Incidentally, in our many years of specializing in boxing equipment, we have not found any other boxer with the proportions and bulk of Camera.

JULES GOLOMB Sales Manager Everlast Sporting Goods Mfg. Co. New York City

No. 201 to No. 671

Sirs:

"Two years ago, one of the first [cordial and beverage shops] to open was the shop at No. 201 East 44th Street. . . . Last week three 'For Rent' signs were all that remained in that original cordial shop." (TIME, Oct. 12.) But the three "For Rent" signs do not end the story of the much-talked-of bootlegger Mike.

For many months past Mike has conducted his ever growing business . . . at his new cordial shop at No. 671 Lexington Avenue. Neither the law nor depression of present business will down Mike. To go his competitors one better in the smart neighborhood of his new shop all gin has been reduced a quarter a bottle.

Upon placing an order some time ago and demanding prompt delivery service I was told that there were 36 deliveries that evening to be made before mine.

THEODORE WILLIAMS New York City

Frogs in Texas

Sirs:

I have right recently noticed where some of your subscribers had found that frogs swallow young fowls such as ducks and chickens (TIME, Aug. 31; Oct. 5). I am anxious to add to the scientific knowledge of the world and especially on frogs since they have been experimented with a great deal from the very beginning of time on to now. This causes me to encroach on your "Time" to write and tell you some experience I had with frogs when I was a boy. My father owned an immense dirt tank or pond as you call it in the North. There were frogs of many sizes in this pond and I liked to look at them. One day I began to feed a small frog and he was soon so gentle I could pat him on the back. He was not much larger than a walnut. Then I decided to get a size larger frog and after I gentled him I got a size still larger. I kept on at this until I had 20 and each accurately a size larger. The 20th frog was big as a ham.

I caught rose chafers for my pets. I would always start in by giving my little frog the first bug and then give the next size two bugs and so on up. I had these frogs trained so that when I went to the pond and rang a bell I carried in my pocket they would hop out of the water and arrange themselves according to size. The small frog would always be at the left end of the line and they would be like stair-steps with No. 20 at my right. One morning I failed to find but one rose chafer. I knew my pets would be disappointed. I rang my bell and they hopped out of the water and arranged themselves. Then I gave the little frog the only bug I had found. The next size frog waited very patiently a few minutes for his bug, then he seemed to become angered and turned and swallowed my little frog. Then the third frog became impatient and swallowed my second frog. Then the fourth frog swallowed the third frog. This kept on happening until the 19th frog had swallowed the 18th frog. When it got clown to the 20th frog he didn't even move, didn't seem to be hungry. I opened his mouth and looked down his throat: he had swallowed a wild goose.

JOE FITZGERALD Fitzgerald's Nursery Stephenville, Tex.

On Mesa Top

Sirs:

Last June Dr. Gile and I took a motor trip through the Great Southwest with Mr. & Mrs. Joseph McKibbin of St. Paul.

We went into the interior of the Indian Country and visited the little Hopi villages built on top of narrow mesas, accessible only by foot.

The villagers live in a very uncivilized way and only a few of them speak English.

So we were indeed amazed to come upon a little Indian girl reading TIME. Mr. McKibbin took my kodak and climbed a ladder to the level above us where the little girl lived, and snapped the enclosed (see cut). . . .

CHARLOTTE KISSEL GILE New York City

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