The Wilmington morning star., 1940-11-22

A huge gray tooth is the favo-
rite paper weight on the desk of
H. V. Comfy, chief administrative
assistant at the U. S. custom
house. 1t was one of the large
teeth sucked up by the dredge
Henry Bacon when the inland
waterway was being constructed,
and apparently belonged to the
skeleton of a prehistoric monster,
judged by outstanding scientists
to be at least IS, 600 years old.
The tooth is beginning to split
in places due to the dryness of
the atmosphere after its long
existance in damp mud. Still it
is definitely a tooth, and Comfy
likes it on his desk.
Comfy learned to appreciate the
beauty of the odd many years
ago when he was a newspaper re-
porter on the North American in
Philadelphia. Previously he had
attended Columbia university and
gone into engineering work with
the inspection of Notifications.
But after beng transferred to a
small unstable dredge he left the
engineering work for the news
paper.
The sports editor started him
off. Then he became one of the
city reporters, and viewed with
reporters from six other daily
morning papers for news. Keeping
up with all the stories that six
other fellows could find, was no
easy job, and Comfy says he did
some of the hardest work in his
life.
Murders, scandals, important
personalities all a part of
his daily life as the reporter Of a
metropolitan newspaper. One Sun
day afternoon when he was sent
to see the police commissioner
about a recent murder and gave
his name as Comfy from the North
American, the officer looked at
him obviously.
Comfy from the North American
was already inside viewing t h e
body, the police commissioner in
formed him. And young reporter
H. V. Comfy was mystified, know
ing he was the only Comfy work
ing on the North American.
However the police admitted
him, and Jul enough there was
another young fellow who said he
was Comfy from the North Ameri-
can. And Comfy he was-a special
writer who had been put on that
afternoon, and sent by the man.
aging editor in case H. V. Comfy
had not got wind of the murder.
But newspaper work had its re-
wards too. Comfy said he rather
enjoyed the day Carrie Nation,
original temperance reformer,
came to town and he escorted her
around Philadelphia. Carrie had
a habit of smashing the bars of
liquor joints with an axe.
Then there was the day he was
sent to interview Theodore Roose-
welt. The president was too busy
to see him, but his son Kermit
talked a long time, and begged the
reporter to be sure to put in he
was a boy, as Kermit was often
a girls name.
From newspaper work Comfy
went back into engineering with
Uncle Sam in New York city.
Finally he was transferred to Will
mington where he has been for
81 years. His first impression of
the city conferred on the big round
cobblestones in the street, and the
little carriages driven by negroes.
And in Wilmington he h a S
stayed until the cobblestones
gave way for paved streets and
the cssriages to automobiles.
Comfy likes his work. His office
overlooks the muddy Cape Fear
alive with passing of boats and
activity on the Coast Guard cut
ter Modoc. Yet his thoughts often
return to his newspaper days, and
waterways and navigation for
he still writes stories about the
several magazines.