Smyrna times., 1942-03-19

On Sunday, the New York Phil.
harmonic played one of Tedesco's
own compositions during the after.
noon broadcast.
Habit is a maddening thing
One well-known Smyrna mar
drove to Wilmington the other day
He was alone, and had many prob.
lens on which to ponder deeply.
When he came to the Delaware
City road, he turned off, as usual
and proceeded to ponder all the
way over the Delaware City cana
bridge, and back to the dual road
above st. Georges.
1t was then that he remembered
that the new st. Georges Bridge
had been opened to traffic for some
weeks. and that he had Travelled
eight miles out of his way.
p. S. His problem may still be
unsettled!
For the first time since early
childhood, we rode on the Delaware
Road train from Clayton to VIII.
mington.
1t was quite an experience. One
lone car came whizzing down the
tracks and ratified to a stop ir
front of the station.
"Is this-it?" we asked a woman
waiting on the platform.
"This is it. Funny, aint it 2"
1t was just one big happy family
The conductor was fatherly, ant
(for a change) cheerful, and stop.
ped to pass the time of day with
each passenger.
Even the scenery was different
We nearly broke a vertabrae in oul
neck trying to recognize the towr
that turned out to be Townsend!
While visiting in Baltimore last
weekend, we were privileged to
visit the Associated Press Bureau
there.
Privileged, because guarding the
elevator door in the Baltimore Sur
Building, where the AP office is To-
Gated, was a stern-faced Amazon
who demanded our name, address
nationality, information about oul
great-grandfather, and the kind OF
toothpaste we used.
Had it not been for the fact that
our host is employed in the AP Blu
reau, we would have been standing
there this minute, still reciting our
tastes in cheeses and our opinion OF
slacks versus skirts. Either that
or we would at this minute be be-
hind bars, charged with manslaugh-
ter!
After all this, we were shown to
a door marked Associated Press
Keep Out! So we went in.
Did you ever walk into a large
tipping class that was next door to
a boiler factory on one side and a
blacksmith shop on the other, and
all the windows open? Neither did
we-but that is what the AP
sounded like-on first impression.
Five or six teletypes in a COM
paratively small room can kick up
lot of racket-aided by several
typewriters and a couple of phone
bells.
After introductions were scream
ed back and forth, our friend start
ed yelling detailed explanations of
the Alp operations. It's all done
with "wires!" A really important
story goes out over the A wire, and
is received by newspapers through
out the entire nation. A man call
ed a "puncher" sits at machine
that looks like a combination type
writer, switchboard and ticker-tape
in a stock brokerage, and he "re-
lays" at about 60-70 words a min
ute news received on the teletype
from other bureaus.
We beloved a lot of questions,
and got a lot of confusing answers,
but it was tremendously interest
ing.
After leaving the Alp bureau, we
were taken to the wirephoto room
of the Sun, where charming little
fellow was kind enough to try to
make us understand how pictures
flew through the air. That too was
fascinating. Particularly the dark
room. Mmmm.
So, as they say in travelogues,
we bid farewell to the Associated
Press, deaf but happy, with a firm
determination to visit there again
some day-if it is only to get by
that female Clifton Fadiman at the
elevator!