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Number One Rocket Man

A Silhouette of the Shy Massachusetts Physicist Who Pioneered in Rocket Research . . . Much to His Distress He Broke into the Noisier Newspapers

By G. EDWARD PENDRAY
Past President, the American Rocket Society
Editor of Astronautics

ON a flat, dry plain, 18 miles north of Roswell, New Mexico, rises a 60-foot tower of steel that has roused more curiosity, and has probably had a greater influence on the future of the world, than any other feature of all New Mexico’s arresting landscape.

From this tower, at irregular intervals, a Massachusetts physicist and his assistants send roaring into the skies certain gleaming, cigar-shaped projectiles of metal, powered by gasoline and liquid oxygen, and landed by parachutes.
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TV’s Sheet-Metal Heroes

Here’s how Grandpa’s Pierce-Arrow might end up on television, co-starring with Bob Stack

By JACK B. KEMMERER

“I’M a co-star with a bunch of old cars,” moans Bob Stack, I relaxing between takes on the studio set of The Untouch- ables. “And if you don’t believe it, take a look at the fan mail. I wouldn’t be surprised if they get more mail than the rest of us put together.”

The Untouchables, ABC-TV’s tale of gangsters and government men in the ’30s, quickly skyrocketed to high popularity in the United States soon after its first appearance on the TV screen. And cars on the program share fan appeal with the human cast.
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INVENTIONS WANTED!

PNEUMATIC PADS lor football players, to provide greater protection with less weight. lames Carrol, Alexandria. Va.

RAKE ON WHEELS, easier to handle, might tempt younger members into policing up the grounds. Bing Lee, Salinas, Calif.

LUMINOUS TARGETS and arrows lor Robin Hoods who like to speed a shaft or two at night. Bill Collins, Manitou Beach, Mich.

LONG-HANDLED BRUSHES for painting hard-to-get-at places above, behind and between things. Mary Fields, Dayton, O.

PUSH-BUTTON governor can be set to local speed limits, makes gendarmes very happy. Celine Gausswin, Springwater, N.Y.

M0re information on the good Dr and his inventions may be found here.

Pioneer Inventor Is Conducting a Radio Movie Station

DR. C. FRANCIS JENKINS, noted Washington scientist and pioneer in the field of radio vision, is now conducting a new high powered transmitting station near Washington, for the broadcasting of motion pictures by radio. Opening of his station was preceded by broadcasts from his laboratory for several months. The station was originally assigned to operate on a frequency of 2850 kilocycles with a power of 1.5 kilowatts. Dr. Jenkins has developed an instrument which changes the lights and shadows of the motion picture film into electrical impulses which operate the radio transmitter. The broadcasting equipment which is decidedly intricate includes a photo electric cell and a series of lenses for focussing.

Your business is in the Age of Electronics

Electronic test instruments save engineering time, cut manufacturing costs at Friden

Like manufacturers in many fields, Friden Calculating; Machine Co., Inc., finds electronic test instruments save hours of engineering time and cut production costs. Friden engineers use these new measuring tools of industry to evaluate circuits, determine electrical requirements, check stability, match relay closing times and study performance of pilot models. Friden production workers use similar instruments in rigid quality control inspections. Read the rest of this entry »

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Herb Shriner’s “INDIANA PIANO”

The Hoosier Boy’s harmonica was born in ancient China.

SOONER or later every boy falls under the spell of a shiny new harmonica and a “new easy method” of learning to play it. Years ago it happened to an Indiana boy named Shriner. Now a new generation of boys is yearn- ing for a Herb Shriner Hoosier Boy DeLuxe ($2.49) or for a Herb Shriner Regular ($1.98). Both come with Herb Shriner’s new easy method outlined in cartoon form.
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Do you think anyone considers a woman’s shorter reach when designing GM instrument panels?
Fisher Body does.

That’s why you see GM Stylist Joan Gatewood establishing 35 important reference points for instrument panels on the special unit pictured above. Then she tries them out on at least 25 different-sized people to make sure even the smallest drivers can reach all the essential controls from windshield wiper activators to defroster buttons. Read the rest of this entry »

The current address of the building is 2200  NE 24th avenue and is now a non-profit agency called Metropolitan Family Service. Engine 18 is in the middle of renovating their current station right now.

Novel Portland, Ore., Fire Station Looks Like a Residence
ONE of the most attractive fire stations in the country —so attractive, in fact, that it is indistinguishable from the beautiful homes of the neighborhood —is located in an exclusive residential district in Portland, Oregon. The residents of the neighborhood, threatened with increased insurance rates, and not wanting the charm of the district marred by the presence of an unsightly fire station, got together with the fire chief and an architect, and this fire station, shown in the accompanying photos, was the solution of the problem.
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NEW PRODUCTS AND INVENTIONS

Hume workshop hobbyists who own drill presses will find the new auxiliary work table shown at right extremely useful. The top is made of heavy gauge steel permanently bonded to a plywood base. Fits any type drill press. Comes complete with anchor studs, threaded bushings, irregular shaping pin and special pivoting fence with wing nut clamp. Provides a large, flat working surface for all operations.

The new type slip-stream deflectors above are said to keep the car’s windshield clear of all foreign substances. Fastened in front of the windshield, they turn the airstream and dirt aside.
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Lots of Wheels With VW Push

WITH 16 of its 20 wheels powered, the 2200-lb. Nobel-Amphibil travels quickly over ditches, rocks, mud, snow, or ice— through clinging undergrowth, swamps, and swift streams, according to York Nobel Group, Ltd., London, which holds world production and sales rights.

The twin front wheels on each side are un-powered; they absorb road shocks and help guide the vehicle on steep slopes. The prototype Amphibil shown here, during tests in Norway, averaged close to 40 mpg. It’s driven by an air-cooled Volkswagen engine at up to 40 mph. The one-piece fiber glass body will hold six passengers or four passengers and about 440 lbs. of luggage. Wholesale factory price is expected to be $2,250.

The original OCR transcript of the first sentence read:
IN Vancouver, Washington, a quavering feminine voice inquired over the telephone if the tourist bureau of a large oil company provided a sex-vice for absolutely any emergency. “Yes,” replied the unsuspecting clerk.

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100 Million Road Maps Can’t Be Wrong

By Irv Leiberman

IN Vancouver, Washington, a quavering feminine voice inquired over the telephone if the tourist bureau of a large oil company provided a service for absolutely any emergency. “Yes,” replied the unsuspecting clerk.

“Well, I’m parked right around the corner from your office,” the woman said, “and there’s a mouse in the driver’s seat. And I won’t leave for New York until he goes away!”

Although this is not a typical question, routers in tourist services frequently are confronted with such out-of-the-ordinary requests. This is in addition to thousands of demands for regular travel information which pour in to them through the mails. And they distribute more than 100 million road maps to Americans on the go.
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NEW for the ZOO

Lemur, rarely seen in this country, was adopted by Harf Hoogstraal on recent expedition into Madagascar. Monkey-like creature has 14-inch tail, drinks beer and champagne, will aid medical research.

$2500 Pig is no common variety of pork-on-the-hoof; he’ll be going Hollywood, soon. Porky is four years old and was born with only two legs, but he has learned to use them well. Piggie’s sponsor is a California carnival man, Charles Simpson.
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