The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-07-28

long time pe1ore her huSpal hope.
 Putnam has an unshakable con- fidence in his wife's skill, and he has pointed out to intimate friends that if she reached one of the thousands of islands which dot the South Pacific or was picked up by . Japanese fishing boat, 1t would be weeks before she could communicate with the out side world, None of the fishing boats carry radio equipment, and to them a good catch of fish IS more important than rescuing . mysterious stranger.
 Whether Putnam's confidence is justified or not. those who have flown with Miss Earhart say that she is one of the togh. est, most wiry and tlreless wo- men who ever lived, and if marconed would survive her navigator, Fred Noonan.
 Miss Earhart never smoked or drank, and ate little. She had nerves like iron, aMd an uncanny sense of direction.
 No. 1 Aviatrix Floored
 Eugene Vidal, ex-director of the Bureau of Air Commerce, and Bill Briggs of Eastern Airlines once flew with her to the Great Lakes Exposition, where they had dinner in their hotel suite. Be- tween courses, Vidal, former West Point football star, inaugurated a series of tricks, one of which con- sisted of lying down backward on the floor while balancing a tunl- bier of water on the forehead.
 The others all got . shower bath when they tried 1t, but Miss Earhart lay back on tho
 floor without spllllng the tuin- bier. Tn the middle of her per- performance. the walter, enter ing, looked . bit shocked at the sight of Americas No. l avla-
 trix stretched out on the floor with . glass of water on her forehead.
 Another trick was turning c somersault over the back of . chair, which Miss Earhart again performed with greater dexterity than the others, though once again the waiter entered just as Amer. icaS No. 1 aviatrix was in e most undignified position.
 AAaksano AelaiK Nsyaa "a AAna tNap. nies Into 6 row of tumblers while blindfolded. Miss Earhart did this so well that Vidal and Briggs noiselessly moved the table (the glasses on it) farther away. But Miss Earhart. blindfolded. immedi- ateiy sensed thaht the table had been moved, and successfully tossed the pennies at its new location.
 Advance Preparations
 Although . superb pilot, Miss Earhart's friends say she was not as careful in her advance prepar- ations as Colonel Lindbergh.
 For instance, neither she nor Noonan was competent to send ra. dio messages. During the Pacific flight the Coast Guard vessel Itasca several times radioed her asking her to stop using voice and use the ships radio code channel instead. However, she kept on using voice.
 Naval radio experts credit al. most none of the reports from
 amateur radio operators that they heard the Earhart plane. They say that with the planes
 engines stopped. Miss Earhart could not send farther than 900 miles. The plane would have Co
 have reached an island, and got the engines running despite lack Of fuel, in order to have had sufficint strength for any long. range radio transmission.
 These amateur reports arc al. ways muddying Up the searches for lost airplanes. according to naval radio experts, most of the amateurs being out for publicity.
 Regarding recent criticism of the cost Of the EarhaTt search, and the claim that she should not have been given an official permit to fly, it Is . fact that officials of the Bureau of Air Commerce of the Commerce Dc. partment were not anxious to give her . permit.
 However, the law giving them the power to limit flights is 50 loosely drawn that almost anyone who insists on stunt flights, such as the Earhart venture, cannot be prevented from making them. Cactus Jack Garner
 When 1t comes to tonsorial at- tenticns, Vice President Garner is most particular. He does not shave himself. and there is only one man in Washington who !s allowed to scrape the tender skin of "Cactus Jack".
 For 37 years James Neale, negro barber in the House of Represen- tatlves, has laid his hands ten- deriy on that face and drawn straight razor across 1t.
 This is not daily job for Neale,