Back to The Lodge
Back to Home Letters

HYDE BAY HOME LETTER  No. 4                                    SEASON 1947

WEATHER: We have recently had three splendid days in succession. On other days, there has been sunshine as well as rain. On the whole, we have no great complaint about the weather over the past week. Certainly it has not dampened the spirits of the camp family.

HEALTH: This has been a splendid week in that important respect. The infirmary has had no professional visitants and the accidents, if any, have been of a minor nature. Jimmy Ross tested out his eyebrow against the rim of the basin. Tribute to the cause of science was paid in the form of a couple of stitches.

THE BIG DAY: Monday, July 21st, on which morning the last Home Letter was dictated, was a great day for Cooperstown and for Hyde Bay. The Yankees and the Braves came to Cooperstown and played an exciting game of baseball. Most of the camp came down by car and boat for the occasion. We had a pleasant lunch at Fairy Springs and spent a little time in town after the game was over. The day was ideal for the occasion until the game was nicely over when the heavens opened and once more a considerable quantity of rain fell. Back at Home a group under the leadership of Councilor Hunt Williams climbed Strawberry Mountain for lunch. Fred Glann went home with his father this morning.

TUESDAY: How it did rain! Billy Lynn offered to go down the Susquehanna in canoes upside down to keep off the rain. He had several applicants but it seems that not a single one of them had the fish-scale suit necessary for the trip. The project therefore had to be abandoned. The boys amused themselves in various ways in the down—pour. Old Councilor Dick Tinapp arrived in camp.

PHOTOGENIC DAY: Betimes in the morning arrived photographer Harry Lott from Utica who took over 100 pictures various camp activities which will subsequently appear in the new catalog(Not all of them, we hope). The latest addition to our fleet of Comets was upset twice. In the evening, we endeavored to allow Buffalo Bill to ride the range once more, but the voltage on our rural electrification line was so low that the attempt was a failure. The next day, we ran a special wire from the entrance to the projector and succeeded in getting a fairly decent production on Friday night. The reach of the rural electrification program seems to have exceeded its grasp.

THURSDAY: Susquehanna trip No. 2 went out under the leadership of Bob Pickett assisted by Heb and Hobby. A marine casualty occurred when the mast of the ill—fated Comet of the previous paragraph, snapped in two. The motor on the ST-37 caught fire, causing sailors Forman and Carey to abandon ship. The fire was extinguished and the motor overhauled by mechanic Bogatko. The latter played the part of the brave fire laddie by lifting up one end of the ST, thus submerging the motor. Amid all these pyrotechnics, our baseball team went downtown to practice.

FRIDAY: This day dawned fair and windy. For variety’s sake, the red Comet upset this time. The Susquehanna trip returned full of enthusiasm and “homecooked” food. Two baseball teams went to Cooperstown by car and Hacker, The Varsity lost at hardball by a score of 6-3 in spite of the masterly pitching of Tom Waxter. “Cookies” deSibour hit further than any of his contemporaries with a three bagger. Coach Thomson expressed pleasure in the performance of his men. Coach Buzzy Williams softball team lost a close one 11—10 in the extra inning. Newly arrived old camper George Ruestow pitched a good game. Dick Tinapp hit a home run while Messrs. Powell and Shepard performed prodigies at bat and in the field. It is a mystery how either team happened to win.

SATURDAY: This seemed to be an informal sort of parents day. Among the visitors were Mr. Youmans, Mr. and Mrs. Lima, Giffy Cummings entertained his grandparents. Mr. and Mrs. Haight, Mr. Townsend, Mr. and Mrs. Carey and daughter, Louise, Dr. and Mrs. Williams and their son, old councilor Palmy, were also among the visitors. Mrs. Bordley came up with our old friend Miss Patterson to see Charlie Webb.

THE DRAMA: Another startlingly excellent series of tent plays were presented. The evening started with a splendid play given by Buzzy and his tent. The play centered around the shortage of the necessary ingredient in bubble gum. In the course of three acts Gum Tycoon Webb assisted by his beautiful secretary Kenny Palmer visited a lonely island on which they discovered native Giffy busily blowing bubbles. A nefarious character back of a black moustache proved to be Billy McEwan. The next play was also a thriller involving murder by fright in which the fair damsel portrayed by McRae Williams was the villainess. Lenny Newell and Mike Scofield were in the assisting cast. Then appeared Councilor Hunt as a police inspector with what we teachers call speech difficulty. The play which won the prize was given by the older boys. A star performance as the old prospector was turned in by Bill Ravenal. He was ably assisted by bartender Wright and dashing hero Hughes, while black-moustached John Egbert played a role as villain. Last but not least came Diamond Lil Geyer, a sensationally thrilling female.

SUNDAY: Bob Pickett preached. Seventeen of the older boys went off down the lake under the aegis of Al Kerr to Gravelly Point, where they were joined, by a curious coincidence, by a dozen young ladies from Cooperstown. The result, was a picnic. This day saw a flood of telegrams relative to the approaching turtle derby. You can judge their nature when I say that among them was one conveying the regrets of Mr. Molotov. And guess what! One of the Comets upset!

CORRECTION: Last week we were stingy with one of our threes — it seems that 33 boys had passed the “C” test in swimming rather than 3.

Back to Home Letters
Back to The Lodge