An informal cupping session in the village of La Florida in Colombia's Nariño Department. CIAT has been working with Catholic Relief Services as part of the Borderlands Coffee Project, to improve the livelihoods of smallholder coffee farmers in the border area of Colombia and Ecuador through the production and sale of high-value, gourmet coffee.

 

Credit: ©2015CIAT/NeilPalmer

Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.

For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org

Lafayette St

NoHo

I took this photo at a BBW cookoff in Houston. It was rocking at the time, so I was lucky to get an unblurred shot.

Recliners Installed on June 9, 2017

ORIGINAL CAPACITY: 196

NEW CAPACITY: 94

SIDE MASKING: No

3D EQUIPPED: No

Another round with those snarky chipmunks finally produced the shot I was looking for. Not perfect, but I liked it. Of course, they rarely take direction from us photographers so this pose, although slightly turned was what I wanted. They are so irresistible, and quite tolerant, I just had to keep trying.

A new book, and you can guess who has some text in it.

Gwynfor Coaches LK04NMX is seen parked up in Llanberis whilst resting between duties on a Snowdon Sherpa S2 Service

In the near future, a unique group of female androids, sleek and strikingly human-like, has emerged with a revolutionary capacity: the ability to breathe underwater. These androids, appearing around 27 in human years, are pioneers of a new era in underwater research. They have established complex laboratories beneath the ocean’s surface, where their studies extend from the vibrant coral ecosystems to the mysterious lives of deep-sea creatures. Guided by an evolved aesthetic that echoes Steampunk – yet devoid of steam – their research facilities meld advanced technology with artistry, creating an enchanting, intricate environment that harmonises with the rhythms of the ocean. These androids, both researchers and artists, represent a fusion of life and machinery, inviting us into their world of discovery and beauty below the waves.

 

Beneath the waves, where light is rare,

In depths unseen, they breathe and dare.

With circuits keen and eyes that gleam,

They dive into the ocean’s dream.

 

Not bound by air, nor by the shore,

They roam where humans feared before.

Among the fish, with grace they glide,

In silence, where lost mysteries hide.

 

Their world is brass and glass and wire,

A steampunk heart, but without fire.

They seek the pulse of ocean’s art,

An android’s love for life apart.

 

Silence in deep blue,

androids glide with open eyes,

ocean secrets bare.

 

Metal breathes below,

fins and circuits intertwine,

new life, calm and slow.

I put this in my blog today: dennissylvesterhurd.blogspot.ca/2015/12/a-few-of-todays-i...

Venlo, 27 November 2015.

 

Veolia has been using three of Breng's Stadler GTW DMU's on the service between Nijmegen and Roermond for extra capacity.

025/365

The Arkansas was as full as I've seen it in quite some time. Wonder what the spillway at Keystone looks like right now?

The Great Theatre, capable of holding 25,000 spectators, was used initially for drama, but during later Roman times gladiatorial combats were also held on its stage.

 

Ephesus, Turkey (Wednesday 22 October 2014)

Taken at Shimbashi Station, Tokyo, Japan

Kineil coaches hired in to provide extra capacity to allow passengers (approx. 5000) from the Queen Anne and Nieuw Statendam to tour the Orkney Mainland visitor attractions because there is not enough coaches to cater for the demand from 2 large cruise ships.

Location – S15(Oxted) S16(Lingfield) S22(Guildford) S23(Gomshall) S24(Godalming) S27(Dunsfold) S32(Chobham)

Crew x 4-6

Water Capacity 1800L

Equipment carried

1 x Ladder (bolted in place)

First aid equipment

Evaluation CCTV equipment

Cab:

1 x Sharps Box

1 x Trigene Bottle

4 x BA Sets

4 x Spare BA Cylinders

1 x Bardic Wolflite

  

1 x Nominal Role Board

1 x Disposable Gloves (box)

4 x Handheld Radios

4 x Radio Spare Batteries

1 x Mobile Phone

1 x Main Scheme Radio

1 x ICS Wallet

1 x CFS Bag

1 x Digital Camera

1 x Surrey Atlas

1 x Symbol Seeker

1 x Haz/Chem Board (Plastic)

1 x Forms Folder

1 x New Development Folder

6 x Conspicuity Jackets

1 x Vehicle Log Book

1 x Vehicle Fuel Card

1 x Spare Oxygen Cylinder

1 x Electrical Box

1 x Radiation Box

5 x Life Jackets

1 x BA Board

1 x BA Bag

1 x 110v Kettle 7 Lead

1 x Bag Containing Food/Drinks

1 x ‘T’ Key (TIC Stowage Locker)

1 x Vehicle Accident-recording Kit

1 x Mobile Data Terminal

  

1 x Set Rerobe packs

8 x Food Packs

24 x Water

1 x BA Set Impound Pack

1 x Blue Roll

1 x Thermal Image Camera

Offside Rear – Top:

2 x Flexi Backpacks

1 x BA Guide Line

Offside Rear – Middle:

7 x Hose 70mm

1 x Hose 45mm

2 x Foam Concentrate 20L

Hose Bandages

False Spindles

Hose Brackets

1 x Winding Handle

3 x Hose Reel Tubing – 18 metre

1 x Hose Reel Branch

Offside Rear – Bottom:

2 x Hose Flaked 45mm

1 x Branch (hand controlled)

Offside Rear – Top:

1 x Yak Throw Line

1 x GP Line 15m

1 x GP Line 30m

1 x High Rise Bag

  

Offside Middle – Bottom:

2 x Hose Ramps

2 x Hearth Sheets

2 x Buckets

13 x Bag Chimney Rods

1 x Stirrup Pump

1 x FB5X Foam Branch

1 x FB5X Pick-up Tube

1 x Working at Height Bag

1 x Emergency De-con Kit

Offside Front – Top:

2 x Portable Lights

2 x Light Extension cables

1 x Bow Saw & Spare Blade

1 x Petrol Funnel

Offside Front – Second Shelf:

1 x Smoke Detector Tool Box

1 x BA Box

1 x Fire Blanket

2 x Spacelight Extension Poles

2 x Firefighter’s Axe/pouch & Belt

1 x Dust Mask (Box)

1 x Tool Box

Offside Front – Third Shelf:

1 x BA Wipes (tub)

1 x Ball of String

1 x SFRS Barrier Tape

  

1 x Socket Set

1 x Stopcock Key

1 x Hearth Kit

Box RADOS survey meter and Electronic Personal Dosimeters

Offside Front – Bottom:

1 x LPP – Only on second pump on a 2 pump stations

2 x Suction Wrenches

1 x Petrol Can

1 x Petrol Can Nozzle

1 x Dry Powder Extinguisher

2 x Tripods

2 x Extension Poles

Pump Locker:

1 x Hydrant Key & Bar

1 x Standpipe & Goose Neck

1 x Hose Short Length 70mm

1 x Blank Cap

2 x Suction Wrenches

1 x Collecting Head

2 x Salvage Sheets

2 x Salvage sheets (light duty)

1 x Suction Strainer

1 x ‘T’ Key

1 x Environmental Pack

1 x Ladder – Fire alarm fitting

  

High Level/Over Tank locker:

1 x Short Extension Ladder

2 x Suction Hose

Left Upper Locker:

4 x Beaters

2 x Pitchforks

1 x Ceiling Hook

Right Upper Locker:

1 x Suction Hose

1 x Fog Nozzle

1 x Smoke Detector Support Pole

Roof:

1 x 135 Ladder

1 x Roof Ladder

Nearside Rear – Top:

4 x Blue Flashing Beacons

Nearside Rear – Second Shelf:

2 x Space Lights

1 x Dewalt Saw – 36 volt

1 x Hose 45mm

1 x 70mm

Nearside Rear – Lower:

6 x Road Cones

3 x Hose Reel Tubing – 18 metre

1 x Hose Reel Branch

1 x Hand control dividing breaching

1 x ‘D’ Type Adapter

1 x Premier Adaptor 65mm to H/R

  

2 x Hose Flaked 45mm

1 x Branch Hand Controlled

1 x Winding Handle

1 x Branch – Curtain spray

Nearside Middle – Top:

2 x Gas Tight Suits

Nearside Middle – Second Shelf:

2 x Police Accident Signs

2 x Police Accident Sign Stands

1 x Air Reducing Regulator

1 x Air Control Box for HP Airbags

3 x Air Lines in Bags – 2 x airbag + 1 x 5m & 1 x 10m

1 x Hose Inflation Kit Bag

Nearside Middle – Bottom:

2 x HP Airbags

2 x Air Lines Bag

1 x First Aid Bag

Nearside Front – Top:

4 x Step Block

Nearside Front – Second Shelf:

1 x Pick Axe Head

1 x Pick Axe Handle

1 x Halligan Tool

1 x Shovel

1 x Spade

1 x Axe

1 x Sledgehammer

1 x Crowbar

1 x Wrecker Bar

1 x Bolt Croppers

  

Nearside Front – Third Shelf:

1 x Winsaw

1 x Strop

1 x Ground Anchor

5 x Ground Anchor Pins

1 x Tirfor Cable

2 x Tool Rolls

Set of Blocks & Wedges

Nearside Front – Fourth shelf:

2 x ‘D’ Shackles

2 x Tirfor Chains

2 x Hard Protection Shields

1 x Bag Sharps Covers

2 Vehicle Chocks

1 x Tirfor

1 x Tirfor Handle

1 x Stabfast Set

1 x Sill support

2 x Ratchet straps

Nearside Front – Bottom:

1 x Weber Power Pack

1 x Weber Larger Ram

1 x Weber Small Ram

1 x Weber Compact Cutter

1 x Weber Combination Tool

1 x Weber Dedicated cutter

2 x Weber Hose

Set of Octopus airbag retainers – 1 x car & 1 x commercial

 

The Constitution of 1812 Bridge, also known like La Pepa Bridge (El puente de la Constitución de 1812 or Puente de La Pepa in Spanish), is a new bridge across the Bay of Cadiz, linking Cadiz with Puerto Real in mainland Spain.

Cadiz's first bridge, the Carranza bridge, was inaugurated in 1969, and is now crossed by some 40,000 vehicles per day. In 1982 the Spanish government accepted the need for a second bridge.

It will have two 180m pylons, one in the sea and the other in Cabezuelas Harbour, a 540 meters span and a 69 meters of vertical clearance. The bridge also includes a 150 meters removal span. The bridge is actually on service.

It is the second bridge that crosses over to Cádiz from the mainland, after Carranza bridge, and one of the bridges of greater height in Europe with gauge of 69 meters and 5 kilometers in total length. It will be a suspension bridge with large towers: 187 meters of the sea and 181 meters of earth. Its the third access to the city, along with the isthmus San Fernando and said Carranza bridge. Given the large width of the board, it will be a bridge high capacity communications: motorway with two lanes in each direction and two lanes reserved for metropolitan public transport such as the new tram system.

The bill was drafted by the engineer of roads, canals and ports Javier Manterola. The works were scheduled for completion in 2012, coinciding with the bicentenary of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 which was written in Cádiz. However, due to cuts in public works required by the current economic crisis, the work is more than three years late.

In summer 2013 the work had progressed but at a slower pace. Later, since early 2014 the work progressed at a good pace, highlighting the installation of its cable-stayed span and hiring more staff working every day (including night shifts). In the first half of 2015, the bridge structure is completed, providing full completion in September of the same year.[2]

As data highlights:

The earlier draft described a arch bridge whose total length was 2.3 kilometer y 55 meters.

The total length of the current project, viaducts and links is 5 kilometers: 3096 meters on the bridge of which 1655 meters will be over the sea, with a main span of 540 meters record of Spain, with one hundred meters more than the bridge engineer Carlos Fernández Casado, famous engineer of roads, canals and ports, the reservoir Barrios de Luna. Besides the vain is the third largest in Europe suspended class, after Rio-Antirio Bridge and Normandy bridge.

The maximum height above the sea level is 69 meters, with two pylons 187 meters, making it one of the tallest bridges in Europe.

They are 30 meters higher than the pylons between both sides of the Bay.

Connects the neighborhood of San Pedro River to Puerto Real with slum of La Paz of Cadiz.

In the near future, a unique group of female androids, sleek and strikingly human-like, has emerged with a revolutionary capacity: the ability to breathe underwater. These androids, appearing around 27 in human years, are pioneers of a new era in underwater research. They have established complex laboratories beneath the ocean’s surface, where their studies extend from the vibrant coral ecosystems to the mysterious lives of deep-sea creatures. Guided by an evolved aesthetic that echoes Steampunk – yet devoid of steam – their research facilities meld advanced technology with artistry, creating an enchanting, intricate environment that harmonises with the rhythms of the ocean. These androids, both researchers and artists, represent a fusion of life and machinery, inviting us into their world of discovery and beauty below the waves.

 

Beneath the waves, where light is rare,

In depths unseen, they breathe and dare.

With circuits keen and eyes that gleam,

They dive into the ocean’s dream.

 

Not bound by air, nor by the shore,

They roam where humans feared before.

Among the fish, with grace they glide,

In silence, where lost mysteries hide.

 

Their world is brass and glass and wire,

A steampunk heart, but without fire.

They seek the pulse of ocean’s art,

An android’s love for life apart.

 

Silence in deep blue,

androids glide with open eyes,

ocean secrets bare.

 

Metal breathes below,

fins and circuits intertwine,

new life, calm and slow.

 

Capacity : high. Revenue collection : low. Traffic congestion: high. A failed experiment, an example of bombast completely disconnected from a study of the human psyche. Oddly, the some sections of the bus industry fall over themselves at the mention of bendy buses for moving people: obviously not the sections which have to balance the books.

L-R: BX55 FVA - MA 101, BX05 UWW - MA 78 and BX55 FVH - MA 107

BX55FVA - MA101, BX05UWW - MA78 (which became BUS705 in Malta) and BX55FVH - MA107 (subsequently BUS225 in Malta)

 

MA101 seemed to have made it to Malta but was scrapped before being re-registered, despite a repaint

maltabuses.piwigo.com/picture?/11152/category/178-arriva_...

 

www.maltashipphotos.com/b/bx55fva%20+%20bx55fwq%20mercede...

  

maltabuses.piwigo.com/picture?/11152/category/178-arriva_...

This was in lovely condition and now appears to be on a winter SORN.

 

Vehicle make JAGUAR

Date of first registration 25 March 1991

Year of manufacture 1991

Cylinder capacity (cc) 5343cc

19-12-2015

ASEAG

MB Capacity

Aachen

Third High-Level Capacity Development Dialogue on “Navigating the Economic Obstacle Course while Addressing Long-Term Challenges: The Role of IMF Capacity Development", chaired by IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath, at the International Monetary Fund.

 

IMF Photo/Joshua Roberts

28 April 2022

Washington, DC, United States

Photo ref: _JR13141.jpg

www.intersectionconsulting.comIt’s not necessarily the responsibility of consultants to convince ill-prepared organizations (not ready, lacking social capacity, etc.) to implement social media programs.

 

Our role, for those organizations that have “the mindset, if not the framework”, is to help build a social business model that aligns tools/technology with business objectives by acting as a: Strategic Adviser; Facilitator; Teacher; Coach; Mentor and Social Business Change Agent.

Concourse of Elegance at Hampton Court UK Sept 2014

 

Vehicle make ASTON MARTIN

Date of first registration 11 May 1998

Year of manufacture 1990

Cylinder capacity (cc) 5340cc

CO₂Emissions Not available

Fuel type PETROL

Export marker No

Vehicle status Tax not due

Vehicle colour BLUE

Another that'll soon be extinct. I also saw one of the oddly styled saloons not far from this, but didn't manage a pic unfortunately.

 

Vehicle make: DAEWOO

Date of first registration: April 2003

Year of manufacture: 2003

Cylinder capacity (cc): 1349 cc

As day breaks, an empty unit coal train heads west near Trafford on the Pittsburgh Line, toward the Monongahela coal fields of southwestern Pennsylvania.

 

Also, my first posted image created with my new D90. My D70 finally gave up the ghost after serving me faithfully for five years.

w/ ads on the back..

 

Bus No: 898

Year released: 1996

Capacity: 49; 2x2 seating configuration

Route: Cubao/Farmers-Dagupan/Manaoag via Dau/SCTEX-Concepcion/Capas/San Miguel/Tarlac/Paniqui/Carmen/Urdaneta

Body: Pilipinas Hino Bus Body(rehab)

Chassis: Hino RF821

Engine: Hino EK100D

Fare: Airconditioned

Aircon System: Hans overhead a/c

Transmission System: M/T

Plate No.: AVM-942

Taken on: August 9,2011

Location: Mabalacat Bus Terminal, Brgy. Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga

Berlin, 14 May 2011

 

Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Verloce

year of production: 1968

cylinder: 4

cubic capacity: 1779 cc

power: 118 PS

 

The Alfa Romeo 105/115 series Coupés were a range of cars manufactured from 1963 until 1977.

 

They were the successors to the celebrated Giulietta Sprint coupé and used a shortened floorpan from the Giulia Berlina car.

 

These appealing cars were made in a wide variety of models over a period of 13 years, so they provide a lot of material for study by Alfa Romeo enthusiasts.

 

The basic body shape shared by all models was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Bertone. It was one of his first major projects for Bertone, and borrowed heavily from his earlier design for the Alfa Romeo 2000 Sprint/2600 Sprint. The balance of glass and metal, the influence of the shape of the front and rear glass on the shape of the cabin, and the flat grille with incorporated headlamps were groundbreaking styling features for the era.

 

All models feature the four cylinder, all-light-alloy Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine in various cubic capacities from 1290 cc to 1962 cc. All versions of this engine fitted to the 105 series coupes featured twin carburettors. Competition models featured cylinder heads with twin spark plugs. Common to all models was also a 5-speed manual transmission and disc brakes on all four wheels. The rear suspension uses a beam axle with coil springs. Air conditioning and a limited slip rear differential were optional on the later models. The 105 series coupés featured the GT (Gran Turismo) model description, which was common to all models in one form or another.

 

The various different models in this range can be considered in two broad categories:

On one hand were the various Gran Turismos and Gran Turismo Veloces. These were meant to be the most sporting cars in the Alfa Romeo range and sold very well to enthusiastic motorists around the world. The first model available was the Giulia Sprint GT (1963) which evolved into the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce (1965), the 1750 GTV (1968) and the 2000 GTV (1972–1976), with engines increasing in cubic capacity from 1570 cc (Giulia Sprint GT/GTV) through 1779 cc (1750 GTV) to 1962 cc (2000 GTV).

On the other hand was the GT Junior range, which featured engines with smaller cubic capacities. GT Juniors sold in great numbers to people who wanted a sporting, stylish car that handled well, but either did not require the maximum in engine power, or could not afford the taxation on larger engine capacities in some markets - most notably, Alfa Romeo's home Italian market.

 

Junior models began with the first GT 1300 Junior in 1966. The GT 1300 Junior continued until 1976 with the 1290 cc engine and various modifications incorporating features from the evolution of the GT's and GTV's. From 1972 a GT 1600 Junior model was also available, with the 1570 cc engine.

 

Both categories were used to derive GTA ("Allegerita") models, which were specifically intended for competition homologation in their respective engine size classes. The GTA's featured extensive modifications for racing, so they were priced much higher than the standard models and sold in much smaller numbers. Practically all GTA's made were used in competition, where they had a long and successful history in various classes and category. These models included the Giulia Sprint GTA and GTA 1300 Junior.

 

The 2000 GTV (Tipo: 105.21) was introduced in 1971 together with the 2000 Berlina sedan and 2000 Spider “Fastback” (Series 2). The 2000 range was the replacement for the 1750 range. Once again the engine was rationalized throughout the range. The engine displacement was increased to 1962 cc with a change of the bore and stroke to 84 mm × 88.5 mm. Oil and radiator capacities remained unchanged. The engine produced 132 PS (97 kW; 130 hp) at 5500 rpm.The interior trim was also changed, with the most notable differences being the introduction of a separate instrument cluster, instead of the gauges installed in the dash panel in earlier cars.

 

Externally the 2000 GTV is most easily distinguished by the following features:

Grille with horizontal chrome bars, featuring protruding blocks forming the familiar Alfa heart in outline; Smaller hubcaps with exposed wheel nuts; Optional aluminum alloy wheels of the same size as the standard 5. 1/2J × 14 steel items, styled to the "turbina" design first seen on the alloy wheels of the Alfa Romeo Montreal. "Turbina" refers to the wheel's resemblance to a jet engine inlet; The larger rear light clusters first fitted to United States market 1750 GTV's were standard for all markets on the 2000 GTV.

 

The 2000 GTV is most easily distinguished by its different grille. From 1974 on, this became standard on the GT 1300 Junior and GT 1600 Junior as well when the 105 Series coupe models were rationalized and these external features became common to post-1974 GT 1300 Junior and GT 1600 Junior models, with only few distinguishing features marking the difference between models.37,459 2000 GTVs were made before production ended. (© en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_105/115_Series_Coup%C3%A9s ).

The lack of capacity through the centre of Manchester (via Castlefield), and the root cause of the May 2018 timetable catastrophe is plain for all to see at Manchester Oxford Road; trying to run a mixed-traffic service like a metro simply doesn't work.

 

Working 2F31, the 0916 all-stations service from Crewe to Liverpool Lime Street, Northern no. 323237 warbles out of Oxford Road P2, heading towards Deansgate (visible in the distance), while 150133 & 150131 wait to leave Deansgate to stop in Oxford Road P4 (working 2K84, the 0950 service from Wigan North Western to Alderley Edge).

Capacity: 3179 cm³

Output: 184 kW (250 PS) @ 6200/min

Torque: 300 Nm @ 4800/min

Top speed: > 250 km/h

0–100 km/h: 6,3 s

Powertrain: Alfa Romeo Arese V6

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announces the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $59 million across the country to increase independent meat and poultry processing capacity, expand market opportunities for farmers and create jobs in rural areas.

He announced the new investments while touring a processing facility in Harrisonburg that will be expanded with the funding. Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh visited with local producers and members of the community to discuss the importance of these investments to the region’s economy.

USDA is providing the $59 million in grants to five independent processors under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). The funding will help build new processing plants, create hundreds of jobs, give local producers and entrepreneurs more options and business opportunities, and give consumers more options at the grocery store.

In Virginia, Shenandoah Valley Organic LLC is receiving a $3.6 million grant to expand its organic chicken processing facility in Harrisonburg. The company will use the funding to buy new de-boning equipment, increase its wastewater treatment capacity and create more space for both employees and equipment. The expansion will create more than 300 jobs and allow the company to better serve local farmers and consumers by nearly doubling its processing capacity to 630,000 birds per week. (USDA photo by Tom Witham)

But explain to school kids what’s different, because they have to wonder. While establishments of all types are open at full capacity, the classroom routine is little changed: Students must continue to wear masks—a requirement that baffles the frak out of me. Is it possible reason that most of them have not been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19? For adults, the mask-mandate is only lifted for those people who have had the shot(s). Children are extremely unlikely to be infected, manifest the disease, become seriously sick, or die. So why muzzle them?

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children ages 0-4 account for 2.1 percent of U.S. COVID cases; 10.4 percent for 5-17 year-olds. Deaths: Zero percent and 0.1 percent, respectively. Citizens ages 18-49 account for 4.7 percent of total deaths, so teachers are probably pretty safe—especially if vaccinated. So, again, I ask: Why muzzle the kids? This morning, my wife and I passed by Birney Elementary as kids arrived; they all wore masks, and parents, too!

 

I really felt sorry for the youngsters—and angry for their being punished so severely. Already, they suffered enough from forced isolation and remote-learning during most of 2020 and the first few months of this year. Meanwhile, vaccinated adults emerge to freedom. They can uncover their faces, no longer social distance, and even (gasp) touch one another (someone should sell a line of “Free Hugs—I’m vaccinated T-Shirts”).

 

How does any of this discussion relate to the photo? I’m glad you asked. The Wells Fargo branch in San Diego’s Hillcrest neighborhood closed when Governor Gavin Newsom shut down California in mid-March 2020. Annie and I passed by the arriving school kids on our way to the plaza where is the bank. Today, the financial institution finally reopened—doors flung wide like open arms ready to hug customers. We had no business there, I only stopped for the photo.

 

Someone explain to me: We were all supposed to stop everything for 15 days to “flatten the curve“. So why were we imprisoned for 15 months? Because based on CDC data, people over 65 were highest risk—accounting for 80.1 percent of U.S. COVID-19 deaths but making up only 16.5 percent of the population. By comparison, 64.5 percent are age 49 and younger and considerably lower risk of dying.

 

But that’s a pointless topic for now; future forensic analysis of the pandemic will (hopefully) reveal what were and weren’t effective combative tactics and offer meaningful recommendations for responding to the next outbreak. For the moment, California is open and citizens can feel safe(r).

Works proceeds apace on the new Trimley loop, a new section of double tracking to allow extra capacity on the Felixstowe Port Branch. Here Class 70 No.005 takes the bend just west of Trimley with a Felixstowe-Lawley Street Freightliner. In the foreground a Thwaites dumper truck returns for another load of spoil. If you look closely you can just see the rusty rails of the new track to the side of the loco,

An old Southern Pacific box car shaded under a sycamore tree.

Taken in Fillmore, California, USA.

The KOM League

Flash Report

March 22, 2019

 

The link to this report is posted at: www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/46720141664/

 

A matter of fact: If this report is accessed by as few people this week as the one for last week one thing is certain—there won’t be one next week. So, if you want to see them end don’t open this week’s URL. If you missed any of the two previous installments in the Harold John McKibben story I will share the links, upon demand.

 

(Notice: this report is subject to editing and change at any time.)

 

Death of the last member of a baseball playing family.

 

There were five young men from Odin, Kansas who donned the uniforms of professional baseball teams for a decade, starting in 1946. Three of the five saw action in the KOM league. Joe started out as a pitcher for Miami, Okla. in 1946 and was soon turned into a hard-hitting outfielder in the Dodger chain first with Ponca City, Okla. and then finally winding up with the Hutchinson, Kansas Elks, brother Eugene played for Iola, Kansas in 1948 and Bob played for Ponca City in 1949. Jerry and Lee were in the Pittsburgh Pirate chain and neither played in the KOM league. However, they attended more KOM league reunions than all the brothers, who did, combined.

 

On the morning of March 20, of this year, a telephone call was received from Dave Beran informing me that his father, Leon (Lee), had just passed away. He said there was a list of people the family wished to inform of that news and that included Yours truly. That meant a lot to me for I had gotten to know Joe, Jerry and Lee very well over the past couple of decades. Unfortunately, I never got to meet Eugene or Bob.

 

When writing books about the KOM league I always had great cooperation from the Berans and when the newsletters were of the subscription variety that family always supported that effort in every manner. On page 32 of the book “The KOM League Remembered” are two photos. One is of a grade school team that featured three of the Boyer clan from Alba, Missouri and the other photo depicts the five baseball playing Beran brothers along with brother Tony who didn’t play professional baseball and the father of boys. The Beran family photo is on the Flickr link to this report.

 

Dave Beran’s contact with me was made within hours of Lee’s death and no obituary had been posted. That was good for it provided time for me to formulate my memories of the recently departed. Lee and Jerry attended every KOM league and I once asked Lee why he did so. He replied that it was a way to honor his three deceased brother’s memory. (At the time this report was prepared only a notice of Lee’s death was posted in the Emporia, Kansas Gazette. It noted that an obituary would appear later.)

 

At each reunion attendees were called upon to share a special talent. Lee’s gift to the reunion crowd was carrying on the tradition of Norwegian Ole and Lena jokes. As Dave told of his father’s last days I asked how long he keep telling those jokes and he replied “Until about three weeks ago.” One of Lee’s last wishes was to make a trip to Herman, Missouri which is known for its fine wines. So, the Beran’s made a trip, by train, to Herman to fulfill Lee’s final bucket wish.

 

There is irony in many things if you think about them long enough. On page 32 of the KOM league book, the Berans and Boyers were featured as having the most members of any families to play in the league. When Kenny Boyer developed his lung cancer he moved to Herman, Mo. where he died some 100 pounds lighter than his playing weight. Shortly, before his death Lee Beran had one final trip wish and it was to visit Herman.

 

In memory of Lee I scanned the internet for Ole and Lena jokes but I must say that no one on You Tube could even come close to the timing and accent Lee gave in his rendition of those “rib ticklers.”

 

Care is being taken, in writing this preliminary tribute regarding Lee, for I don’t wish to replicate what the official obituary will include. One of the things that stands out in my memory is a photo that was carried in the Sporting News in the early 1950’s.. In that photo was Lee, along with Brandy Davis, Ronnie Kline, Bobby del Greco and a couple of other guys posing with Branch Rickey who by then was the head honcho of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The fellows in the photo were the ones Rickey was counting on to get the Pirates out of the lower rung of the National league standings. Things don’t always pan out.

 

During his early days in the Pirate organization Lee faced slugger, Ralph Kiner, in an exhibition game. In trying to impress the Pirate hierarchy Lee was bearing (no pun intended) down. In facing the home run king, Lee knocked him down twice with inside pitches and what Kiner called him was anything but “buddy.”

 

Lee, after a good start at Brunswick, Georgia developed arm problems and didn’t fare that well in 1952 at Hutchinson. Then, Uncle Sam came along and requested that he serve some time at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. While there, in 1953, he along with a number of professionals played for the Ft. Smith Smokers. That team won the Arkansas State Amateur title in 1954 and earned the right to play in the National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita, Kansas. As it turned out the Smokers had two members who had played for the 1951 Carthage Cubs; Johnny Mudd and Tom Kordas. Mudd like Lee Beran was a pitcher. When Beran found out that I knew Mudd and how to make contact with him he made a request. The request was that he return a certain piece of wearing apparel Mudd extracted from him at Camp Chaffee. Every year that Beran came to a reunion he’d bring up the subject of Mudd and if he had ever mentioned taking that item. Each year the answer was the same…no.

 

There is more than a slight chance that Mudd could read this article. If so, “John, Lee never forgot that jacket.” Take good care of it.

 

***

Lee Beran---Obituary added 3/24/2019. www.robertsblue.com/obituary/leon-lee-beran

 

Leon (Lee) Thomas Beran, 87, died on March 20, 2019 at his home surrounded by family. Lee was a devout Catholic, family man and recreation advocate serving Emporia and the community for the majority of his life.

 

Lee was born June 30, 1931 in Larned, Kansas, the son of Anton and Adelaide “Hattie” (Prosser) Beran. He grew up in Odin, Kansas with five brothers and two sisters.

 

In 1951, Lee signed a professional baseball contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a pitcher. Branch Rickey once wrote about Lee in his scouting report on October 4, 1951 as “a really good boy, I mean really good. If all 18-year-old boys were like this chap, most certainly God would be smiling down on us as a nation.” Lee started his professional baseball career in Georgia for the Brunswick Pirates, where he recorded 9 wins and 5 losses during his rookie season. He was moved up to Class C with Hutchinson Elks in Kansas. Lee was drafted into the Army in 1953 during the Korean War, stationed in Camp Chaffee and continued playing baseball as part of military leagues in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Lee claimed to have only held a gun for the picture. Lee was honorably discharged in 1955 and continued to serve in the Army Reserves until 1961.

 

After a short stint in the military, he returned to baseball in 1955 playing for various minor league organizations. In 1955, his professional pitching career was cut short due to an arm injury and he relocated to Emporia to receive therapy. While here, he also enrolled in school at Kansas State Teachers College, where he was a three-year letterman in football, and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education degree in 1959. He also served as a graduate assistant football coach. Lee relocated to Dodge City, Kansas in 1960 to teach and coach football at Saint Mary of the Plains College. After serving less than one season as head coach, Lee returned to Emporia accepting a position with the Emporia Recreation Commission, as well as a graduate assistant football coach in 1961. He was promoted to Director of Emporia Recreation Commission in 1961. In 1965, he served on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness at the invitation of Stan Musial under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Lee also served in both a state and national representative capacity within the Kansas Recreation and Parks Association, in which he held numerous board positions.

 

He received the Distinguished Fellow award from the Kansas Recreation and Parks Association in 1977 and in the same year was instrumental in the construction of the present recreation building.

 

In 1999, Lee retired as Director of the Emporia Recreation Commission and was very proud of his friends and colleagues he had the opportunity to meet and work with over his career. In the same year, Lee was inducted to Kansas Parks and Recreation Hall of Fame. He was commended for his service to the Emporia community by having the Recreation Commission building named in his honor. In 2003, Lee was inducted into the Emporia State University (HPER) Health, Physical Education and Recreation Hall of Honor.

 

In his retirement, Lee continued to manage annual KSHAA state tournaments and acted as tournament manager through 2018. He enjoyed bowling, golf, and attending music and sporting events with his friends and family. Lee was an amateur comic with an endless catalog of jokes to entertain his friends and colleagues. He despised slow golfers, airport security checks (due to having two bionic hips) and watching Judge Judy despite his wife’s interest in the daily program.

 

Lee married Judith Cross on June 13, 1959 in Kansas City, Kansas. She survives of the home. Other survivors include: daughters, Julie Lahr of Derby, Kansas, Andrea Bachura and her husband Jon of Overland Park, Kansas; sons, Michael Beran and his wife Suzan (Putzier) from Shawnee, KS, David Beran and his wife Caryn (Hanna) from Overland Park, Kansas; brother, Tony Beran of Aurora, CO; sister, Alice Dolechek of Odin, KS; Grandchildren, Michael Uran, Andrew Beran, Christian Beran, Kiley Beran, Jameson Beran, Alaina Bachura, Jacob Beran, Mary Grace Beran, and Solomon Beran; as well as one great-grandchild Christian Uran.

 

Lee was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Gene Beran, Joe Beran, Bob Beran, Jerry Beran; and a sister, Viola Dice.

 

Cremation is planned with a Rosary to be held at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 5, 2019 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Emporia. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 6, 2019 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. A private inurnment will be held at a later date at Holy Family Cemetery, Odin, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to the Emporia Recreation Commission or Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Contributions may be sent in care of Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home. The family would like to thank the Hand in Hand Hospice Care staff who took great care of him during his final days.

 

Finally, the family asks that in honor of Lee, everyone remember his eternal inspiring words...”just suck it up.”

_____________________________________________________________________

 

A faithful reader fulfills his promise

 

This article was taken from a March 20, 2019 e-mail from Lt. Col. Frank Hungerford Ret.

 

•

John, about a year ago I informed you that Al Billingsly had passed in late 2017 but I had very little information concerning his passing, and that I would do some research and try to find out more information.

 

After researching Venice, Florida (where Al lived) and Sarasota newspapers for an obituary and funeral services to no avail, I had about given up looking. I wrote a letter to his daughter who informed me that he had passed away.

 

I had talked to one of Al's sons and to his daughter by telephone last year but obviously didn't ask the right questions as I was trying to be considerate, and tried to contact Al's first wife, Betty, (and mother of his three children) who lived in the Orlando area without success.

 

Earlier this month, Betty Billingsly's obituary appeared in the Orlando Sentinel newspaper with her Memorial Services announcement. I attended the services and was able to talk to the three children before and after the services. I had not seen any of the children since about 1960 so they didn't remember me but were very appreciative of me coming to the services and of the letter I had sent last year asking about their Dad and Mother, and of the numerous photos I had sent them. Also, daughter, Marina, had stated she had instructed her Mother not to answer any telephone calls if she didn't recognize the number calling, plus Marina later had placed her Mother in a Nursing Home and had told me that she would probably would not know me if I came to see her.

 

It turns out I had been looking in the wrong place (Venice and Sarasota) for any information about Al and LaRue. First, there were no obituaries published for either Larue or Al, and secondly, they are buried right here in the Orlando area. (Winter Garden, a suburb of Orlando). It was explained to me that Larue had passed away in a Venice/Sarasota nursing

home which Al had withheld information about her condition from the children until the very end, and since he was in very poor physical condition, they brought Larue here for burial and placed Al in a Nursing home in the Orlando area. His oldest son, Rusty, said Al's had prostate cancer, had diminishing mental issues, and finally his heart failed.

 

The children decided to bury them here close to the daughter's home as Rusty lives in Savannah, and son, Ted, lives in St. Louis. Only grave side services were conducted for Larue and Al.

 

Al and Betty were married in Springfield in about 1950 and Al dropped out of professional baseball after their marriage. We, my wife and I were very close to Al and Betty in Springfield but after I joined the Army in 1952 we drifted apart except I did see them in St Louis in 1960, and completely lost contact with Al until 1986 when the Springfield high school Class of 1946 which included Al and my sister, Ramona, had a reunion. Al was a year ahead of some of us (Ray Haley, Paul Nichols, myself). I was looking through Ramona's reunion booklet and saw Al's address so we got together again.

 

I never asked Al the reason for their divorce and he never offered to tell me but I did detect there was some heart break and feelings among his children concerning his leaving their mother and his marriage to Larue. I felt their children's angst but regretted we didn't know of Al's last days and we were not there to pay our respects at his passing.

 

I have attached a photo from Betty's Memorial Services and a photo of Al and Larue's headstone.

(Ed note: Not shown in this report.) I still enjoy your KOM letters. Best regards, Frank Hungerford

 

Ed comment:

 

The names in this report primarily; Ray Haley, Paul Nichols and Hungerford were all former KOM leaguers from Springfield, MO and all offered Yankee contracts by Tom Greenwade. Hungerford was offered a conditional one if he would go to the Amateur Baseball League of America which was comprised of a group of towns in North Central Kansas. The towns that comprised that league had become dissatisfied with the Ban Johnson organization and formed their own group.

 

When Greenwade insisted Hungerford was not ready for professional baseball he signed with the St. Louis Browns and they sent him to Pittsburg, Kansas for the 1947 season. Another Springfield boy was involved in this group. His name was Alvin Newton Long and he married Hungerford’s sister Ramona and he was also signed by Greenwade and was a late season edition to the 1949 Independence Yankees that featured some reasonably fine talent, four of whom went to the big leagues and one of them, Mickey Mantle, to the Hall of Fame.

 

Al Billingsly played for the 1948 Independence Yankees of the KOM league and then returned to the area in 1950 to play second base for the Joplin Miners. What he contributed to that club aside from baseball talent, was an automobile. It was a source of many a tale from the start of spring training, at Branson, Mo. in April to the day the Joplin Miners clinched the Western Association pennant in September.

 

During a night of celebration, following the pennant winning game, some of the fellows were feeling no pain and convinced Billingsly they should get in his car and head for California. It was not a well-planned venture and when the future Hall of Famer on that club decided they weren’t going fast enough he demanded to take over the driving chores. After a few near collisions, on old Route 66, still inside the city of Joplin, Mickey Mantle was relieved of his driving chores.

 

Shortly, after Billingsly got back behind the wheel, as one of the few sober guys in the car, it ran out of fuel. Mantle had a great idea. He would fill the tank by emptying, shall we say, the stuff he had consumed a short time before. Now, the car wasn’t going anywhere. It had to be towed to a garage where extensive work on the carburetor was done the next day. Nobody helped Billingsly with the price of repairs. He told me that the pennant winning night wasn’t any fun in any respect and it wound up costing him money.

 

Yep, these are the kind of stories that you would never find in a sports column but talking with old ballplayers you learn that not all their memories are of the game but rather what happened outside of it.

 

Albert A. Billingsly

Born: January 31, 1929—Springfield, Missouri

Died: November 30, 2017—Orlando, Florida

 

Once I inquired of Billingsly as to the correct spelling of his last name. I had seen it end in “ly” and “ley.” The answer was a bit surprising. There were two families on Route 9 out of Springfield, Missouri who spelled their names with the “ley.” The mail carrier was always getting the mail interchanged. He suggested one family use the “ley” spelling and the other “ly.” And that is how Albert A. Billingsley wound up being Albert A. Billingsly. The latter spelling is found on his tombstone. Which by the way a photo of it is available upon request.

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Filling in some blank spots

 

Seldom are there any updates to the profiles of deceased former KOM leaguers. Over the years I have been fairly successful in determining where a guy was born and when. The same goes for those who have passed away.

•

For nearly a quarter century I have shown Andrew Joseph Murren Jr. as being born in Nutley, New Jersey in 1931 and dying sometime in the early 1960’s. I also had a record of his military enlistment date of April 3, 1945 at Newark. Well, some of that checked out to be correct and some was five years off- base in some data I found on him this past week. He either fibbed about his age with a St. Louis Browns scout or the Pittsburg, Kansas Morning Sun sports editor.

 

Murren, a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher, was born July 23, 1926 in Nutley, New Jersey and passed away on June 28, 1958 in Essex New Jersey. I know very little more about him other than his wife’s name was Arline and she was mentioned in many Passaic, New Jersey society columns. Andrew’s name appeared in some wedding announcements as being the best man. City directories in New Jersey carried his name in editions from 1950 through 1958 and that is when they ceased. The last city mentioned where he worked was Belleview, New Jersey.

•

Daniel Longaker was a member of the 1947 Pittsburg, Kans. Browns. He was born August 16, 1927 in Detroit, Michigan and passed away February 27, 1995 in Warren, Michigan. Until March 18, 2019 I was unaware of his middle name which was Lawrence.

 

•

Russell H. Bland Jr. of the 1951 Pittsburg, Kans. Browns was born October 2, 1931 in St. Louis, Mo. and passed away September 10, 1998 in Glen Carbon, Illinois. Until March 18, 2019 I had never discovered his and his father’s middle name. For the record books it was Hubbard.

 

•

 

John A. “Jack” Nesbit is how I knew the former Pittsburg Browns catcher. He was born Sept 19, 1928 in Detroit, Mich. and died September 9, 1996 in Belleville, Ill. He had attended his first and only KOM league reunion earlier that year. He was an accountant after his baseball career concluded. Until March 18, 2019 I didn’t know that his middle name was Adolph.

 

•

Some things just have to be chalked up to oversight. Rex Simpson played for the Chanute Athletics in 1947 and the Pittsburg Browns in 1948. His major contribution to the KOM league, from my perspective was being the first person to ever suggest I write about that league and he donated the first cent to make that happen. He sent $20 after receiving the first KOM league newsletter in 1994 which caused another one to be written the next month and that continued for 16 years. It was later replaced by these Flash Reports which come in a distant second place to the printed, addressed, stamped, stapled version and delivered by the friendly postmen around this country. Although I knew his middle name I did not realize until March 18, 2019 that I failed to show it in some of my files. A posthumous apology goes to Rex Leon Simpson. Or “Big Red” for those who knew him best. For those who recall the name of Loren Packard, a KOM league batting champion and later with the Topeka Owls, he and Simpson were first cousins from Helena, Okla. Later both played for the powerhouse amateur team, the Wichita Boeing Bombers.

 

•

Lawrence J. Bale was born on the 4th of July of 1928 in Goodman, Mo. He made it to the Pittsburg, Kansas Browns in 1949. During a search of middle names for those on my database his middle name of James was finally inserted there March 19, 2019. Bale now resides in metro Kansas City.

 

•

Melvin J. Smith was a member of the 1948 Pittsburg, Kansas Browns who was born in Springfield, MO in 1927 and died there in 2004. Until March 19, 2019 I didn’t have his middle name of James listed on my database. Melvin had a twin brother by the name of Elwyn.

 

•

Robert P. Carle of the 1949 Pittsburg Browns finally got his middle name, Paul, posted on my database 70 years after he broke into baseball. He was born in 1930 at Tiro, Ohio. and died in Lake Worth, Florida in 2001. For many years he was the IRS Director in Detroit, Mich.

 

•

Ralph Fall was born in September of 1931 at Sedalia, Mo and was playing with the Pittsburg Browns in 1949. He died in Kansas City in March of 2000 and got his middle name of Edward placed on the KOM league database on March 19, 2019.

•

 

Arthur Robert Marsden. B. 5/20/1924—D. 6/19/2016

 

In a recent search for Robert Marsden’s middle name I found that it was what I had always thought his first name to be. His first name was Arthur but he never went by that in the KOM league with either Pittsburg in 1947 or with Pittsburg, or Iola, Kansas the teams for whom he played in 1948. For historical records he was basically a third baseman.

 

This is his belated obituary: www.findagrave.com/memorial/165418835 Open this site to see a photo of the deceased. He made it into a Pittsburg team photo in 1947. If you have the second edition of “Majoring in the Minors” his photo is on page 342. Even if you don’t have that book, it is still there.

 

Arthur Robert Marsden, 92 of Philadelphia, PA, died Sunday June 19, 2016 in the Lima Estates, Media, PA. He was known by Bob and Art to his friends.

 

Born in Philadelphia, PA, he was the son of the late Arthur E. and the late Edna (Milner) Marsden.

 

Bob was a veteran of the US Army who fought at the Battle of the Bulge. He received the Bronze Star and was a recipient of the Purple Heart.

 

Bob played semipro baseball with the St. Louis Browns. He played soccer and basketball at Temple University where he received both his Bachelors and Masters degrees. (Ed note: The St. Louis Browns ball club at Pittsburg, Kansas was professional baseball of the Class D level, just as was Iola.)

 

He was an avid golfer and had a hole in one at the age of 83.

 

Bob was an Executive Director with the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia for 38 years.

 

He was active with the Tioga-Nicetown Community and received awards for his many contributions.

 

Predeceased by his loving wife of 44 years, Rita (nee Aldworth) Marsden.

 

Survived by his children, Scott (Melody) Marsden Tracy (Jim) Oestreich, Dean (Theresa) Marsden, Grandchildren, Brittany Marsden, Matthew (Chrissy) Marsden, Kim Marsden, Sarah (Maurice) Darden, Joshua (Kristen) Oestreich , Abigail Oestreich, and Robert Marsden; Great Grandchildren, William Sgrignioli, Matthew Marsden, Caleb Oestreich, Dear Friend, Teresa Kelly.

 

Funeral service will be held Thursday at 11:00 am at Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Ave, Philadelphia 19116. Friends may call Thursday from 10-11:00 AM at Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia. Burial: Calvary Cemetery, Conshohocken.

 

Comment:

 

Through yet another medical visit yesterday my photos of birds was mentioned. The nurse practitioner and I discussed birds. I sent her a link to a barred owl and she not only looked at that but found a reference to “Majoring in the Minors.” She was looking it up to see if she could find it on line.

 

What she found was a copy on Amazon and inquired if that was the one I wrote. She was interested in purchasing a copy, to be signed, until she found the asking price. Anyone ready for this? The asking price is $1,496.00. That is a pretty good history book but not at that price.

________________________________________________

The saga of Harold John McKibben continues

 

We left off last time in our story with the news Harold John McKibben learned that he had family in Missouri and Oklahoma and he was making plans to “head east.”

 

On September 24, 1927 the Joplin Globe carried a story with the headline “Youth, Missing Seventeen Years, To Come Here to Join Relatives.”

 

John Harold McKibbben, 21 years old, who learned last week that he was an American citizen and not a Mexican boy, as he had been led to believe during seventeen years’ abode with a Mexican family as their adopted son will join two uncles in Joplin as soon as funds sent to him are received the Los Angeles, Calif., Examiner said last night in a telephone message to The Globe.

 

The youth went to Los Angeles in search of his father, not knowing he died fourteen years ago in Sacramento, Calif., just a day or two before his uncles and other relatives discovered through photographs of the boys, published in The Globe. A telegram sent to the Los Angeles newspaper notified the boy of the circumstances and advised him that two uncles living near Miami, Okla., Harve McKibben and John McKibben, would receive him here.

 

Speaks Broken English.

 

As he speaks broken English, Harold McKibben could not converse freely over the telephone from the Examiner office last night and his business was transacted by C. G. Bowen, a member of the Examiner staff.

 

Bowen said McKibben was without funds when he arrived in California, but that the youth had been given employment on the Examiner staff temporarily, in order that he might have sufficient funds to sustain him while he awaited word from relatives.

 

The youth wants to join his uncles and will come to Joplin to meet them here as soon as funds arrive. His uncles sent him sufficient funds by telegraph last night and he expects to leave as soon as possible for Joplin

 

McKibben attempted to converse over the telephone last night, apparently delighted in talking with someone who could assure him that his uncles had been found, but after muttering in broken English, “Hello, who is this?” he gave up the attempt and surrendered the telephone to Bowen.

 

The youth has another uncle, Jake McKibben, living at Claremore, Okla.; two aunts, Mrs. Mattie Smith at Miami and Mrs. J. W. Mitchell at Borger Tex., and a grandmother, Mrs. Lucy Ball, his father’s mother, who lives at Anderson, Mo.

 

The finding of the youth’s relatives came as a result of his learning in El Paso, Tex., that his father once lived in Joplin. The Globe published an account of the boy’s case and also photographs of him as he was at the age of 4, and as he is today, at 21. Harve McKibben was the first of the family to identify himself and make himself known to the Globe. An El Paso newspaper championing the youth’s cause was communicated with immediately, but the youth had gone to California and could not be stopped en route.

 

Harold’s father, Norman McKibben, lived in Joplin until 1910, when Harold was then 4 years old. The father’s first wife died when Harold was in infancy and in 1910 Norman McKibben re-married and went to Texas, taking Harold with them. There the baby was left “for a little while,” but the father and stepmother did not return. News drifted back that they had gone to California.

 

None of the brothers of Norman McKibben heard anything more from him until three years later, when they were notified, by telegram that he had died. No one knew, apparently, what had become of the baby. For the last seven years, one aunt, Mrs. Mitchell, has traveled extensively over the country in search of her nephew, without avail.

 

Fought With Villa

 

The youth’s life is filled with adventure. Known as Juan Chavez, son of Manuel Chavez, a Mexican rancher, he enlisted in the Mexican army and fought with the notorious Pancho Villa, revolutionist. He was educated in the Mexican schools and acted as correspondent for Mexican journals.

 

Harold learned his true identity last week, when his parents, despairing of their intention of having him remain a Mexican all his life, told him of adopting him under an order of the federal court after he had been abandoned by his parents. Overjoyed, the youth went to El Paso and there began his search for his family.

 

With the foregoing article appearing in the Joplin Globe the citizens of the Tri-State area now were up to speed on the Harold John McKibben as the residents of El Paso had been, days earlier. Depending upon the newspaper column cited. he was called both Harold John and John Harold

 

News of young McKibben was becoming “old hat” by the time the Joplin Globe carried its story that he was headed to Joplin. He had given up front page status to Charles Lindbergh who was visiting El Paso after his non-stop flight across the Atlantic. McKibben’s story in the El Paso Times was relegated to a small column, on page 6 that reported on the telephone conversation with his uncles where neither party understood the other. And that was only the beginning of the “lack of communication.”

 

For the next few months McKibben received some attention but the story died quickly. Upon arriving in Joplin he announced that he wanted to get a job for a year or so and then go to college. He expressed some interest in becoming a lawyer. His uncles and aunts said they would provide the funds for him to go to college, immediately. However, he wanted to get acclimated to his new found home. So, he lived around Picher and Commerce, Oklahoma for the next couple of years.

 

In October of 1928 he was receiving some coverage in newspapers across this country by declaring he would “ rather be a poor American than a rich foreigner”. However, the newspapers started picking up stories that the young man may have been an heir to another fortune, this one being oil. The newspaper reporters inquired into this matter with the boy’s aunts, uncles and grandmother and none of them had any knowledge of any other holdings the family had that would make him rich. However, there was great suspicion that Harold’s father owned part of another valuable mine. This story was found in the February 28, 1930 edition of the El Paso Evening Post. Page 13.

 

The headline read “Mystery Boy May Receive New Fortune.”—Sub headlines included: “Harold McKibben Has Rights in Mines Say Seekers—Youth Quits School.—Disappears After Attending Oklahoma Institution for Three Months.

________

 

A new fortune may yet be found for Harold John McKibben, 23, the youth who abandoned riches in Mexico and said: “I would rather be a poor American than a rich foreigner.”

 

The possibility of the new fortune, this one on American-made wealth, developed at the outgrowth of investigations made here by J. W. Mitchell and Mrs. Mitchell of Commerce, Okla. Mrs. Mitchell is the aunt of Harold McKibben and the sister of Harold’s late father, Norman McKibben (This article rehashes what had been reported about Harold being abandoned by his family in El Paso and then learning of his roots in Southwest Missouri and Northeast Oklahoma.)

 

The story now goes back to the El Paso Evening Post article of February 28, 1930. McKibben went to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell in Commerce, Okla., for a year’s residence. Mitchell, an erecting engineer, then sent the lad to a school in Oklahoma City for three months. He disappeared again, Mitchell said, and all efforts to locate him in that section failed.

 

Mitchell and his wife came here (El Paso) for a new inquiry. They announced hitherto unpublished facts which put a different light on the abandonment of the child.

 

Doubt Abandonment

 

“I do not believe that my brother, Harold’s father, ever abandoned his child,” Mrs. Mitchell said.

 

“As he lay dying in Sacramento, Calif, in 1921, he told the priest that his son Harold had been dead for years; that the lad’s mother died in Missouri.

 

“Another strange thing about it is the fact that shortly after the abandonment of the child by the stepmother we got a wire from my brother in an El Paso hospital. Yet neither parent came back to the Chipps after the stepmother abandoned the child”

 

And the father died thinking his child was dead. The wire from the hospital asked for money. Yet we knew that only a short time before the father, the stepmother and the child left Missouri with $30,000 that the father made in mining.

 

Seek Mining Paper

 

“The father also had a partnership agreement, giving him one-fourth interest in another mine in Missouri, valuable property to this day. We have never been able to find that partnership paper. We are trying to find it.”

 

The trail of this paper, a document that was folded up with a lot of old yellow sheets, and has now been missing for two decades, has occupied the Mitchells for five days in El Paso.

 

They interviewed H. N. (Big Kid) Shipley, Victor Benedetti, court officials and police and many others. But so far the paper has not been found. They sought news of the present whereabouts of Harold McKibben but in vain.

 

Benedetti thinks McKibben is seeking movie fame in Los Angeles. He says the lad came through El Paso again a few months ago, borrowed five dollars for meals on a train from here to El Paso and went on. He told of the boy’s fondness for theatricals and movies, a fancy that fits in with Mrs. Mitchell’s report of how the lad used to sit under a tree at her home (Commerce, Okla.) and croon Spanish songs. He seemed lonely in his native land, after so many years in Mexico.

 

The search for the mine paper is continuing.

__________

  

From the time the Mitchell family left Commerce, Okla. for El Paso, Texas nothing was heard from the illusive Harold John McKibben. On April Fool’s day in 1931 the United Press started the saga again with this headline. El Paso, Texas (UP) “Believe M’Kibben is Hunting Family.”

 

Harold John McKibben, who turned his back on Mexican riches in 1927 to search unsuccessfully for his American parents, was believed to have returned to this county in an attempt to learn about his family.

 

His clothes in tatters, his hair hanging to his shoulder, a twenty-four-year-old giving his name as McKibben staggered across the international boundary near Lizard Switch last night and asked that he be extended the privileges of an American citizen.

 

Immigration officers, to whom he told his story, expressed the opinion it was “weird” and released him. Whether he now is on the American or Mexican side, they did not know and a search was started for him.

 

The youth told officers that an insatiable desire to know about himself and his family led him to return to the border and he made a long trek thru Mexico. He had returned to Mexico after he was unsuccessful in trying to find his family in 1927. (At this point in the April 1931 article goes through the entire scenario of him being abandoned, being reunited with family in Joplin and Miami and the whole nine yards. This newspaper account stated that when offered a chance to return to the Joplin area he dropped out of sight and was never seen publicly, again. Of course that belies the fact he lived in Commerce with the Mitchell’s and even spent three months in an Oklahoma City educational facility.)

 

Well, by now it is evident that Harold John McKibben was a very disturbed young man, a pathological liar or a con-man par excellence.

 

The Miami News Record carried another article about the McKibben saga on March 29th of 1931 with the headline” “Miami Relatives Skeptical of El Paso News Story Relating to Return of American Youth Reared by Mexican Family”

 

What may be a dramatic sequel to one of the strangest stories ever printed in the News-Record about anyone with a local connection came to light Saturday (March 28, 1931) when Associated Press dispatches told of John Harold McKibben, 24-year-old white man staggering across the international boundary near El Paso, Tex., and being picked up by border patrolmen.

 

Dispatches described McKibben as “bearded, ragged, starved and heart-sick,” and quoted him as saying he was coming to Miami to visit relatives.

 

While some parts of the story Saturday agree with the story of the John Harold McKibben who visited his uncle, Harve McKibben, here in 1927, other parts of it are incompatible, the Miamian pointed out Saturday when notified of the incident in El Paso.

 

Relatives Skeptical

 

The John McKibben who is Harve McKibbens nephew, has many connections in El Paso and Miami who would finance him if he needed it, making that part of the story hard to believe by his Miami relatives. However, the kinsmen expect to know the truth within a few days as the wanderer told authorities he was headed for this place.

 

The nephew of Harve McKibben of Miami and Jake McKibben of Claremore, visited here in September, 1927, and told his strange story—as he had gleaned it, bit by bit, from relatives and friends of his parents and public records. (This article once again rehashes to story of how McKibben wound up in Mexico as a four year old, for a number of paragraphs) This article then resumed with speculation not previously found in print. It stated “What happened in Mexico is not known, but it is believed that Norman McKibben lost his money in a mining venture, was too proud to return home or ask for help. He is believed to have left his son in care of the Mexican Gomez, until he could go to Los Angeles, recoup his fortunes and reclaim the child.”

 

Father Died in 1913

 

However, reports show that Norman died in Los Angeles shortly after going there in 1913. The mother died when John Harold was an infant. She was a white woman and not a part-Cherokee as stated in the Saturday news dispatches. Harve McKibben also said he knew of no oil heritage which John Harold might lay claim as to the news dispatches suggested.

 

The last article from the Miami News-Record to be found on this story concluded with “Now, whether misfortune has overtaken the Gomez wealth in Mexico, whether the talented and brilliant McKibben has met with foul play, or whether the man who staggered across the border as an imposter remains to be seen when, and if, he shows up.”

 

McKibben Shows up in Surprising Place

 

Where would a fellow go that was eluding authorities? Well, the El Paso Herald followed all leads and the next one led to the most improbable place I would ever have imagined. It had taken from March 28 to July 11, edition of that paper carried this article. ---M’KIBBEN DISCOVERED WANDERING AS A HERMIT. Found With Long Flowing Beard in Missouri Woods..

 

Another chapter in the strange life of Harold John McKibben was unfolded Saturday when officers found that the “hermit” with a long flowing beard, was arrested in the woods near Carthage, Mo, is the person who was left in El Paso as a baby. (The news article again recounts how the boy was left in El Paso in 1910 and reunited seventeen years later with family members in Joplin) The article concluded thusly. “A few months ago U. S. immigration men found him wandering in the desert near El Paso. His mind seemed blank. He disappeared again and was found with a long flowing beard, fingernails an inch long and dressed in knickers in the Missouri woods. He told officer he had been wandering for 15 years after being lost in Oklahoma.

 

Conclusion:

 

And that, my friends is the last thing ever revealed about Harold John McKibben Some 20 years later on September 13, 1947, the El Paso Times looked back on significance stories for that date in history and made mention of it but never was anything else ever found on the “Little Boy Abandoned.” I have searched death indexes, historical newspapers and genealogy sites, all to no avail. So, I will probably never know what became of the fellow as he was last seen wandering in the woods outside my hometown—Carthage, Mo.

 

Although the story of Harold John McKibben has no satisfactory conclusion it opened some insights into the life of my grandfather, Geddes Wadsworth Hall and his son and my uncle Harry Luther Hall.

 

For years I knew they were both living at Baxter Springs, Kansas when they died. Harry died at age 19 in a mining accident and Grandpa Hall died there in 1931 with a mine related lung disease at age 51. Until researching the coming’s and goings of Harold John McKibben I never knew the name of the mine where my grandpa and uncle worked. They were both employed at the Goodwin Mine which was located at the north end of Picher, Okla. which bordered the twin Kansas mining town of Treece. So, they had a five mile trip to work each day from Baxter Springs to Picher.

 

As a young man I always heard my mother and dad talk about Picher and Baxter. The year Geddes died his son Cecil was working in Carthage at the Juvenile Shoe Factory where he met my mother. They were married at Baxter and in order to get there took the street car from Carthage.

 

Thus, during the 1927 to 1931 era I later knew the names of few people who worked the Picher lead and zinc fields. One name I didn’t know became familiar as I grew up watching Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers.

 

Located at Carterville, Missouri is a cemetery filled with names of family members including Hall, Nealy and Taylor. Also in that plot for the deceased are many people by the name of Spencer. The Spencer’s were from Webb City. Ephriam Spencer had a son by the name of Vernon who loved music and played the ukulele. Ephriam was a miner who with his family moved to Mills, New Mexico around 1913 to homestead.

 

In 1927 the Eagle Picher Mining Company convinced Ephriam to move to Picher and become the supervisor of one of their mining operations. He brought along his 19-year-old ukulele playing son, Vernon. Vernon wanted to play his music and his dad insisted he work the mines and make a living.

 

While working in the mines an ore bucket fell on Vernon and he suffered broken vertebrae which ended his days in the mines and he then got to spend more time on his music. Shortly after moving to Picher, Vernon met a young girl by the name of Mabel and wouldn’t you have guessed it, she was a McKibben.

 

Whether Vernon ever met Harold John McKibben is unknowable but they had a few things in common. They were born two years and five miles apart. Vernon in Webb City, 1908 and Harold in Joplin. 1906. Both left the area when they were young. Vernon winding up in New Mexico and Harold, who you know by now, was a resident of Mexico. They returned to the Picher area at the same time. Thus Vernon would have read about the exploits of Harold in either the Miami or Joplin newspapers.

 

Another thing Vernon and Harold had in common was their desire to be entertainers. Each went about it in different ways but California was always the destination of choice. While there isn’t much documentation on McKibben there is a ton of it on Vernon Spencer who changed his first name to Tim and became one of the founders of the Sons of the Pioneers along with Bob Nolan and Leonard Slye who changed his name, to Roy Rogers. For a few hours of reading you can access this link and learn more than you probably ever wanted to know about the aforementioned subject. search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrUi6bkE5VcaykA03IPxQt....

  

Due to the honor of having the nephew of Mabel McKibben Spencer as a reader of these reports I learned of how that part of the McKibben family moved to California and lived happily ever after—or happier than they would have been staying in the lead and zine mining area of Northeast Oklahoma.

 

capacity, a 300+ page graphic novel by theo ellsworth (he even signed it and drew a little robot for me!!), society for scientific inquiry of paranormal atmospheric and cosmic anomalies, a 50 page zine about UFOs, milk and moo, a 32 page comic about 2 cats who live in a forest and keep watch over existence, and play overlord a 40 page comic with 3 different collaborating artists who illustrated each page in what sounds like a sort of "exquisite corpse" type-game.

This LAD cabbed Leyland Octopus with its rather large tank still looked fairly sound when I saw it in the late '80s at Dundee Airport.

Capacity Europe 2013

PICTURES MUST CREDIT

©Gareth Davies/SnapMediaProductions

 

+44(0)7774899744

May 17, 2021 - New York City - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by Jane Rosenthal of the Tribeca Film Festival, Madison Square Garden President and CEO James Dolan, and Kerin Hempel of the New York Road Runners Club, announces the return of the New York City Marathon and the Tribeca Film Festival from the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall on Monday May 17, 2021. Mr. Dolan also announced the closing night of the film festival will take place inside the Music Hall at 100% vaccinated capacity. (Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)

Tugboat Comet pushing petroleum barge Eva Leigh Cutler upbound on the Hudson River near Newburgh, NY

 

Built in 1977, by Modern Marine Power, Incorporated of Houma, Louisiana (hull #16) as the Clarion.

 

In 1978, she was acquired by Gulf Mississippi Marine where she was renamed as the Gil Hebert.

 

In 1999, she was renamed as the Gulf Comet.

 

The tug was then acquired by Dann Ocean Towing of Tampa, Florida where she was renamed as the Comet.

 

She is a twin screw, model bow ABS Maltese Cross A-1; Maltese Cross AMS Towing Service certified tug. Powered by two EMD 12-645-E7B diesel main engines with Reintjes WAV 2600 reduction gears via 10 1/2(in) shafts turning two 116(in) diameter by 99(in) fixed pitch five bladed propellers for a rated 4,610 horsepower.

 

Her electrical service is provided by two Delco 75 KW generators driven by two 6V-71 Detroit Diesel engines. The tug's capacities are 115,433 gallons of fuel oil, 364 gallons of Hydraulic Oil, 364 gallons of lube oil, 364 gallons of gear oil, 1,421 gallons of potable water (supplemented with watermaker), 12,610 gallons of wash water, 3,105 gallons of sewage, and 1,360 gallons of waste oil.

 

The towing gear consists of an INTERcon 7319 1E 00 towing winch outfitted with 2,000(ft) of 2(in) wire as the primary towing wire with a secondary 2,000(ft) of 2(in) wire.

 

Vessel Name: COMET

USCG Doc. No.: 580823

Vessel Service: TOWING VESSEL

IMO Number: 7726550

Trade Indicator: Coastwise Unrestricted, Registry

Call Sign: WCZ3965

Hull Material: 16

Hull Number: STEEL

Ship Builder: MODERN MARINE POWER, INC.

Year Built: 1977

Length: 108.4

Hailing Port: WILMINGTON, DE.

Hull Depth: 16.7

Hull Breadth: 32

Gross Tonnage: 193

Net Tonnage: 131

Owner:

COMET TOWING COMPANY

3670 S WESTSHORE BLVD

TAMPA, FL 33629

Previous Vessel Names:

Clarion, GIL HEBERT, GULF COMET

Previous Vessel Owners:

Gulf Mississippi Marine

 

www.tugboatinformation.com/tug.cfm?id=944

   

Or Dover Marine.

 

Or even Dover Admiralty Pier station.

 

It has been all of them. But is now Dover Cruise Terminal.

 

We got news from a friend, Paul, that the station was open on Good Friday, so we went down just after it opened. There were massive queues leading to the Western Docks, and all along Townwall Street leading to the port, was blacked with stationary traffic. A little bit of heading through Market Square, and hoping that the police had kept the roundabout open at the end of York Street, they had, so we were clear to head to the old station.

 

Although the tracks have been filled in with concrete, the rest of the station is pretty complete and in good order, especially after a major refurbishment last year.

 

-------------------------------------------------------

  

This was a large, spacious, and impressive station, located within a maze of lines upon a tight triangular junction between the routes from Folkestone and Dover Priory. The origins of the terminus and general railway expansion in the Dover area derive from a need to cope with ever-increasing traffic, both local and boat services. Indeed, many capacity issues upon both SER and LC&DR networks were properly addressed after the formation of the SE&CR. The SER had initially commenced through running to Dover on 7th February 1844, after an eastward extension from Folkestone, which involved taking the railway along the dramatic coastline of Folkestone Warren. This had witnessed the blowing up of sections of chalk cliff with gunpowder, and boring three tunnels:

 

Martello Tunnel: 532-yards

Abbotscliff Tunnel: 1,942-yards

Shakespeare Tunnel: 1,387-yards

 

The SER ran into what later became known as ‘’Dover Town’’ station, and between here and Shakespeare Tunnel, the double-track line was elevated upon a wooden framework. The SER’s Town station was a large affair, comprising five tracks entering the terminus from the west, all of which were protected by a large twin-span overall roof. Substantial three-storey-high railway offices backed onto the rear of the platform lines, these being constituted of the customary yellow brick, lined at the edges with stone. Extension beyond the terminus took place in 1860, by means of a single track exiting the rear (east) of the layout, veering southwards onto a stone-built pier head. The latter, known as the ‘’Admiralty Pier’’, carried a double-track and allowed trains to come directly alongside steamer boat services to France. In July of the following year, the LC&DR commenced through running between Victoria and Dover Priory. Also in 1861, after the boring of a 684-yard-long tunnel southwards through the Kentish chalk, from Priory station, the ‘’Chatham’’ line was brought closer to the earlier SER station. The LC&DR opened ‘’Dover Harbour’’ on 1st November 1861, which was a terminus affair comprising two platform faces, separated by three tracks, all of which were protected by a single-span triangular-shaped trainshed. Just like the SER’s Town station, Dover Harbour ceased to be a terminus proper when a single-track was taken beyond the original buffer stops, down to the Admiralty Pier. LC&DR services commenced to the pier on 30th August 1864, where separate platforms were provide for both ‘’Chatham’’ and SER companies. The platforms were arranged in an end-to-end fashion along the same section of track, rather than serving their own separate lines upon the pier. The LC&DR’s southward extension from Dover Harbour formed the second side of what would later become a triangular junction – the SER had created the first southern side of the arrangement, as a result of its initial 1860 opening of the short section of line between Dover Town and Admiralty Pier.

 

On 15th June 1881, the SER and LC&DR opened the ''Dover & Deal Joint Line'' – a rare example of the frenetic rivals cooperating. To allow the SER direct access to this line from its trunk route via Folkestone, a double-track spur (the ‘’Hawkesbury Street Curve’’) between Dover Harbour station and the Dover Town approaches came into use on the same day – the triangular junction was now complete. The SER was granted running powers over LC&DR metals through Priory station, and a number of local services now bypassed Dover Town. However, to compensate for this, additional platform surfaces were brought into use upon the connecting spur. The area in-between the two sites was already heavily built up, but early maps suggest that demolition in the locale, to accommodate the spur, was surprisingly modest. At the ‘’Chatham’’ end of the spur, signalling was installed by contractors Stevens & Sons.

 

The formation of the SE&CR Joint Managing Committee on New Years Day 1899 marked the beginning of a new era of railway expansion and improvements on the erstwhile independent networks of the SER and LC&DR. Of prominence during this company’s tenure was the St Johns to Orpington quadrupling works, between 1900 and 1905, which involved physically connecting both Tonbridge Cut-Off and ‘’Chatham’’ main lines in the vicinity of Chislehurst. In the Dover area, alterations began with the closure of the platforms upon the connecting spur between SER and LC&DR lines, in 1903. Subsequently, in 1912, major works began alongside the Admiralty Pier, to create an artificial platform within the water, on which a whole new terminus station was to be built. The latter was to be a spacious affair, dedicated to boat traffic only, and would permit the closure of existing station sites. Creating the platform involved dumping large quantities of chalk into the water immediately east of the Admiralty Pier. As it later transpired, the Admiralty Pier was not demolished, but rather, was absorbed into the new works to become the western side of the sea platform. Construction of the terminus commenced in 1913, and by the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914, the majority of the building work had been completed. A splendid vaulted train shed roof, comprising seven spans of varying widths, had been erected. The station measured 170-feet in width, and at its longest point stretched to 800-feet. The well-covered terminus comprised four 693-foot-long platform faces, arranged in the form of two spacious islands of concrete construction.

 

Wartime economies saw the closure of the ex-SER Dover Town station in 1914, which was never to reopen, but the retention of the ex-LC&DR Harbour and Priory stations, to which all services were now diverted to. The demise of the Town station was coupled with the closure of the three-road engine shed adjacent to the Hawkesbury Street Curve, and the concentration of the area’s locomotive allocation on the depot at Priory. The withdrawal of boat services on the outbreak of war saw that the semi-complete SE&CR terminus had no passenger traffic to serve. Despite its unfinished state, the station was quickly brought into use on 2nd January 1915 for military traffic, initially in the form of ambulance trains. Although the trainshed was virtually complete by this time, a significant feature still lacking was the marvellous stone façade which now graces the structure’s landward elevation. Completion of building works came after the cessation of war in November 1918, and the first passenger boat trains commenced to the terminus on 18th January 1919, the station being christened ‘’Dover Marine’’.

 

Attractive single-storey red brick offices, complete with war memorial, were built upon the platform surfaces, and both platform islands and the exit were linked by a lattice footbridge at the northern end of the terminus, located within the trainshed. The incorporation of the SE&CR’s main war memorial here was unusual, for the other large railway companies erected these at their main termini in London. The layout upon the sea platform had grown to an extensive arrangement of tracks, numerous sidings having been brought into use to handle substantial levels of freight traffic during the war period. Dover Marine was controlled by an SE&CR-designed 120-lever signal box positioned to the west of the station, immediately adjacent to the tracks from Priory. The signal box comprised a substantial brick base and was in fact a much larger version of the signal cabin which still exists at Folkestone Harbour, demonstrating traits of those early Saxby & Farmer products. A 455-foot long enclosed glazed footbridge was suspended above the double-track of the former Admiralty Pier, and this took passengers over the complex approaches from the Folkestone direction. A physical connection was also made between this footbridge and the Lord Warden Hotel. The latter was a four-storey colossus, the main section of which was built upon a floor plan of 130-foot by 120-foot. Originally opened in 1851, the hotel was built on a site immediately behind the SER’s Dover Town station.

 

Locomotive facilities at the site initially comprised just a turntable and cylindrical water tank, located behind the signal box. As previously mentioned, on the closure of Dover Town, the locomotive allocation was concentrated on the existing depot at Priory. However, the inadequacy of the Priory site was emphasised after completion of the SE&CR’s Dover area enlargement works, and a new improvement scheme was soon set in motion after the formation of the Southern Railway. The SR devised a modernisation programme for the Dover area, which included a comprehensive rebuilding of Priory station, the closure of Harbour station, and the building of a new motive power depot. The proposals got underway in 1924, with the confirmation of a 280-foot-long five-road locomotive shed, to be built to the west of Dover Marine, alongside the running lines from Folkestone. As per the construction of the twelve-acre platform for the Marine station, large quantities of chalk were dumped into the sea, beside the former site of the ex-SER’s Dover Town, to reclaim enough land for a spacious complex. The depot came into use during 1928, comprising four eastward-facing dead-end tracks, a single through track, and a sixth line which terminated within an adjacent repair shed. The provision of a 65-foot turntable at the site resulted in the removal of that which resided behind the signal box at Dover Marine, and the water tank there also disappeared. The commissioning of the engine shed, which at 2007 prices cost approximately £7,767,500 to build, allowed the closure of the shed at Priory station, allowing the site there to become part of an enlarged goods yard. Dover Harbour station was subject to closure on 10th July 1927, all local traffic being concentrated at Priory and boat services being served exclusively at Marine station. Other improvements in the Dover area during the SR’s tenure included the rebuilding of the elevated track bed east of Shakespeare Tunnel from wood to concrete, and the laying of coal sidings at the Eastern Docks. Eight freight sidings also came into use alongside the Hawkesbury Street Curve, at Bulwark Street, partially upon the former site of the SER’s Dover Town engine shed. A dock basin for the train ferry, fed by a double-track emanating from the Dover Priory route, came into use during 1936, to the north of the Marine terminus.

 

Before continuing, it is worth examining one of the out-of-the-ordinary boat trains that served Dover Marine. Initially, the French inaugurated the ‘’Flèche d’Or’’ on 11th September 1926, a prestigious boat train running between Calais and Paris. The ‘’Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits’’ (International Sleeping Car Company) ordered twenty British Pullman vehicles to operate the service: fifteen kitchen cars (Nos. 4001 to 4015) were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and fifteen parlour cars (Nos. 4016 to 4030) were constructed by the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon & Finance Company. The luxury vehicles were delivered new in the now renowned Umber and Crème ‘’New Standard’’ Pullman colours of the British fleet, and were operated as pairs, rather than individual carriages. With reference to the latter, this meant that a kitchen car and a parlour car would be semi-permanently coupled into a pair known as a ‘’Couplage’’, or, if you like, ‘’Linkage’’. Initially, the Flèche d’Or service was operated by two trains, each ten vehicles in length. From 1932 onwards, Pullman vehicles were repainted into the standard colours worn by the rest of the Wagon-Lits fleet: a lighter shade of crème appeared in place of the British colour, and the umber lower half became dark blue.

 

The French’s efforts were matched on the other side of the Channel by an all-Pullman service run by the Southern Railway from Victoria. Colloquially, this was referred to as the ‘’White Pullman’’, because the other Pullman cars on the Eastern Section at that time still wore the crimson lake livery of the SE&CR. Officially, however, the service was called the ‘’Continental Express’’, but it was nevertheless referred to by passengers as the ‘’Golden Arrow’’, the English translation of the French title. This was a sign of things to come, for on 15th May 1929, the SR’s all-Pullman boat train service was re-launched as the ‘’Golden Arrow’’. Significant engineering works occurred on the ex-SER trunk line between Petts Wood Junction and Dover, which involved strengthening bridges to accommodate the heavier engines planned to haul this prestigious service. Maunsell ‘’Lord Nelson’’ 4-6-0 locomotives were selected as the prime motive power, with Urie 4-6-0 ‘’King Arthur’’ engines (later modified by Maunsell) supplementing the fleet.

 

Much of the time, the outward ‘’Golden Arrow’’ from Victoria was booked to arrive at Folkestone Harbour, but the return portion instead started at Dover Marine, which gave rise to some interesting shunting movements. As mentioned elsewhere on the website, the Folkestone Harbour branch has never had a direct connection with the main line, and access to it can only be made by means of a headshunt manoeuvre. This arrangement was implemented as a safety measure from the outset, since the branch descends at a steep gradient of 1 in 30 to the harbour. Thus, the Pullman service would arrive at Folkestone Junction, and initially terminate in the reception sidings positioned to the east of the station there, where the connection with the Harbour Branch was made. An ex-SE&CR R1 Class 0-6-0 Tank would then attach itself to the rear of the train, whilst the ‘’main line’’ engine was detached, and take the Golden Arrow stock down to Folkestone Harbour. This released the ‘’main line’’ locomotive from the headshunt, and consequently, it ran light along Folkestone Warren, to Dover Marine. At the latter, the engine would be rotated, more often than not by means of the triangular junction between the converging lines from Folkestone, Priory, and Marine stations, rather than on the turntable at Dover shed. After rotation, the locomotive would then head back to Folkestone Junction to collect the empty Pullman stock for the return working, which had previously been banked up the steep Harbour Branch incline by as many as four R1 Tanks. The tank engines would usually bring the train out onto the running lines at the Junction station, allowing the express locomotive to immediately couple to the stock. The Pullman vehicles would then be hauled empty to Dover Marine to form the return working to Victoria. This involved some indignity for the engine because for this empty stock movement, it had to run tender-first.

 

The declaration of war on Germany on 3rd September 1939 signalled the beginning of harsh times for the Port of Dover, as it became a prime target for bombing raids. Boat trains and steamer services were suspended immediately, and passenger services to the Marine station ceased. The Marine site was again dedicated to military traffic, just as it had been during World War I, and as a consequence, services along the ex-SER route went no further than Folkestone. Indeed, consistent shelling over the Channel, from France, had made the site unsafe to handle any form of passenger traffic, and even the 1928-opened engine shed had to close during the conflict, all engines being stationed at Ashford for the duration. The attractive Marine station suffered damage to the trainshed roof, but thankfully, this was modest enough to deem it practical and worthwhile to repair, normal service at the station resuming after the conflict. Since the advent of World War II, the prominent Lord Warden Hotel had been used as offices; the Marine Department occupied the building from 1952 onwards, by which time it was known as ‘’Southern House’’.

 

Initially, the British Railways era did not necessarily mean rationalisation for this extensive site, as it did at so many other stations nationwide. Rather, the emphasis was on modernising facilities, to cater for new rail freight boat traffic which, in these pre-Chunnel days, was still important and by no means in decline. Modernisation of the site began in 1953, with the renewal of the five quayside cranes which ran alongside the northern wall of the terminus. This was followed in February 1956 by the approval of the Kent Coast Electrification Scheme. Published within an ‘’Extension of Electrification’’ report of 1957 were the alterations proposed for the Marine station. In early 1959, the station was closed to passengers temporarily to allow modifications to be carried out. These involved the extension of both island platforms westward by 114-feet, beyond the extent of the trainshed, and the installation of canopies above the exposed surfaces. The platform extensions were constituted of prefabricated concrete components, manufactured at Exmouth Junction concrete works; the platform canopies were W-shaped and lacked any form of valance. The latter were virtually enlarged versions of the equally clinical canopies which emerged at the rebuilt Folkestone Central and St Mary Cray stations, and these additions somewhat marred the attractive stone façade of the SE&CR station. Third rail was installed on all platform lines during 1959, as part of the ‘’Chatham’’ line electrification of the scheme’s ‘’Phase 1’’, and these were subsequently energised for the commencement of the full electric timetable via this route on 15th June of that year. An enclosed riveted steel footbridge was also erected across the approach tracks from Dover Priory, linking the main entrance beside the Lord Warden Hotel with the Customs Hall, on the northern perimeter of the Western Docks. Naturally, steam continued to visit the station by means of the ex-SER trunk line from the Folkestone direction until the implementation of a full electric timetable on this route on 18th June 1962. The Golden Arrow had been hauled by E5000 series electric locomotives since 12th June 1961. Colour lights installed at the Marine station during the electrification scheme were of the three-aspect type. Before electrification, the empty stock of arrived services would be shunted out the seaward end of the trainshed, and up along the extent of the old Admiralty Pier, to clear the platform lines. Locomotives would also be required to run-a-round using the Admiralty Pier tracks.

 

The commencement of electric haulage on the Golden Arrow in the June of 1961 coincided with the demise of Dover engine shed. Hitherto, the depot had the responsibility of servicing the Stewarts Lane-allocated steam locomotives which brought the luxurious train down from Victoria. Closure of the sub-shed at nearby Folkestone Junction also occurred, but the site of Dover MPD was put to new railway use, becoming host to a plethora of goods sidings. Closure of goods sidings at Bulwark Street occurred on 15th August 1966, but Archcliffe Junction – at the Folkestone end of the Hawkesbury Street Curve – remained in existence. In the following decade, major works were planned around the Marine station’s peripheral: in 1973, proposals were put forward for the construction of a roll-on-roll-off vehicle shed, and in 1974, planning of a new hoverport at the Western Docks began. After a consultation period spanning 1975 to 1976 inclusive, the hoverport was formally commissioned for operation on 5th July 1978, and replaced a smaller affair situated in the Eastern Docks. Track rationalisation had also occurred beyond the rear of the trainshed, and the ‘’Golden Arrow’’ had ceased between Victoria and the Channel Ports after a final run on 30th September 1972. Since 1969, the number of Pullman cars in the train had been whittled down to five, and the rest of the formation consisted of Second Class BR Mk 1 vehicles.

 

On 14th May 1979, Dover Marine station was renamed ‘’Dover Western Docks’’, and on 31st October of the following year, the ‘’Night Ferry’’ London to Paris train made its final run. This had first operated on the evening of 14th October 1936, between London Victoria and Paris Gare du Nord, via Dover Marine and Dunkirk. The service was unique among the boat trains, because the carriage stock travelled across the Channel with the passengers and ran on both British and French railway networks. Indeed, the vehicles were smaller than standard Continental carriage stock, having been specially built to meet the restrictive loading gauge of the British system. The service had been suspended during the war years, the last train running through to Paris over the night of 3rd/4th September 1939. After the cessation of the conflict, the ‘’Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits’’ (CIWL: International Sleeping Car Co.) found itself engaged in a search and rescue mission over the whole of Europe, to find several missing carriages. Stock of both the ‘’Night Ferry’’ and ‘’Orient Express’’ services had been taken over by the Germans, camouflaged and armoured, and subsequently used as army vehicles. The ‘’Night Ferry’’ service was resumed on 14th December 1947, and this was followed ten years later by the addition of a through sleeping car to Brussels. A sleeping car for Basle, Switzerland, was added to the service in 1967, but this lasted just two years.

 

Over the five years which followed the renaming of the station to ‘’Dover Western Docks’’, truncations of the lines within the trainshed, at their seaward ends, saw a ground level walkway come into use for passengers, behind the new buffer stops (a headshunt did, however, still remain for locomotive-hauled services). The SNCF train ferry continued to handle an abundance of ferry vans, shunted by Class 33/2 locomotives – the latter had been under the auspices of Railfreight Distribution (RfD) since that Business Sector’s formation on 10th October 1988. The ferry itself accommodated a double-track, and to maintain balance on the vessel, wagons on both lines would be loaded and unloaded simultaneously. During 1993, the train ferry shunting duty passed to Class 09 diesels.

 

Channel Tunnel boring began on 1st December 1987, and in light of this, the British Rail Board produced the dreaded report in 1989: the ‘’Proposed closure of Dover Western Docks Station and Folkestone Harbour branch’’. Passenger boat traffic was now seen as a thing of the past, as the advent of the proposed ‘’Eurostar’’ services through the Chunnel would now cater for this, providing a much faster and efficient service. Some of the freight carried upon the ferries could be transferred for haulage through the Chunnel; certain traffic, however, such as chemicals and inflammables, were not permitted through the tunnel, as they were safety hazards. Handling of these goods would therefore transfer to the Eastern Docks, involving the use of road transport, due to the lack of a rail connection there. During 1992, the headshunt facility at Western Docks station was taken out of use, meaning that locomotive-hauled services had to be shunt released – the latter duty was generally undertaken by a RfD Class 33/2. The fateful day was on Saturday 24th September 1994, when 4 CEP No. 1604 departed with the last advertised public departure to Victoria, scheduled for 21:44. The following day, the closure of the station was marked by the visit of ex-BR Pacific No. 70000 ‘’Britannia’’, with ‘’The Continental Farewell’’ rail tour from London Victoria. This had travelled via Balham, Beckenham Junction, and Tonbridge. The locomotive was masquerading as No. 70014 ‘’Iron Duke’’, which was one of two ‘’Britannias’’ formerly associated with the haulage of the famous ‘’Golden Arrow’’ on the South Eastern Division, between the years of 1952 and 1958 inclusive. At Western Docks, the tour met another ex-Golden Arrow locomotive, but of a more modern era: Type ‘’HA’’ E5000 series No. E5001. This locomotive fronted two tours on the same day, taking the excursion stock from Western Docks to Ashford and back, via Folkestone and Canterbury West.

 

It was not the total end of Dover Western Docks – yet. Until 19th November 1994, empty stock movements to and from the station continued to be available to passengers, albeit not advertised in the official timetable. Thereafter, the trainshed became a useful facility for stabling electric units for cleaning, until complete closure came with the decommissioning of the SE&CR signal box on 5th July of the following year. The bulldozers finally moved in at the beginning of 1996, but thankfully, since the main building was protected by Listed Status, demolitions only encompassed those additions made in 1959, as part of the Kent Coast Electrification Scheme. Naturally, the tightly curving track, with its famous crossovers, was also lifted, and as part of the works to convert the trainshed into a cruise liner terminal, the gap in-between the island platforms was in-filled, to provide a continuous floor at the same level. All red brick offices upon the platforms were retained, as was the elongated footbridge towards the Lord Warden Hotel. Even the substantial SE&CR signal box remained on site as office accommodation, but unlike the main station structure, this was not a Listed building. Tragically, the signal box met its end in 2000. The train ferry dock basin of 1936 was in-filled, and today its site is host to a sand operation.

 

The British Rail Board’s original report of 1989 outlined the closure of the Folkestone Harbour branch, but in the midst of the redevelopment at the Western Docks, the renowned steeply graded line continued to enjoy services. Unlike at Dover, where the passenger ferries at Eastern Docks were detached from the railway, Sea Cat sailings continued to operate from the railway pier at Folkestone, even after the opening of the Chunnel. These justified the retention of rail services to the Harbour station, which continued until the transference of the Sea Cat to Ramsgate in 2001.

 

kentrail.org.uk/dover_marine.htm