TO THE RESCUE
Sirs:
The Westport Striped Bass Club of Westport, Conn. wishes to express its thanks and appreciation to SI for the interest and leadership it has shown in connection with the threat by New York's Consolidated Edison Company to the striped-bass fishery at Storm King mountain on the Hudson River.
All Connecticut striped-bass fishermen are aware of the importance of this natural hatchery to the Long Island Sound striper population. The Westport Club feels that the leadership that was lacking from the state fish and game departments was ably assumed by SI. We would like to express our thanks particularly to Senior Editors Robert Boyle and Arthur Brawley, whose unwavering tenacity kept the issue very much before the public. We would also like to commend the Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference, who have worked diligently for the cause.
The December 29 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals, whereby the Federal Power Commission order licensing the Con Ed project was set aside, was heartening news to us. as I am sure it was to SI. Your fine magazine has proven itself a true friend of the sportsman.
C. WINDSOR CYRUS
Westport, Conn.
•There was more heartening news last week. New York's Governor Nelson Rockefeller, acting on the first report of the state's Hudson River Valley Commission, altered his previous endorsement of the Con Ed plant saying. "If another solution can be found, it should be." The governor's brother Laurance, who is head of the commission, added, "We hope they will not have to build this monster." The Rockefellers also altered their stand against federal protection; they now want the Federal Government and New Jersey to join New York in a compact to map out orderly development of the Hudson Valley.
The Federal Power Commission starts new hearings on the whole matter March 22 in New York City. Readers who wish to be heard should notify Joseph H. Gutride, secretary of the FPC, Washington. D.C. before February 25.—ED.
TO THE LABS
Sirs:
This is a belated note to thank you for your informative article, The Lost Pets That Stray to the Labs (Nov. 29). I have used it to try to get other people to write to their Senators and Congressmen to do something about these dog thieves.
Many dogs have disappeared from this little town in northern Nevada, including our own wonderful big Chesapeake retriever. What a sorrowful search I conducted to find him.
Perhaps, if enough people care, we can put a stop to this inhumane traffic.
SABINA CONNOR
Winnemucca, Nev.
COAST PATROL
Sirs:
After reading with much interest the article, Fabulous World of Florida Golf (Jan. 24), I thought I might say something about seaside golf in Scotland.
Gwilym Brown writes that along some 75 highly populated miles of the Florida coast there are 85 courses, which means there are probably several thousand people to each course. In the village I live in, near Edinburgh, there are under 2.000 people and five 18-hole courses—three well over 6,000 yards, another just over 6,000 and the fifth a shorter course, just over 5,000 yards, though very entertaining.
The turf on seaside courses in America is very green and lush and there are trees in profusion, whereas the turf here is tougher and less lush, making it less suitable for wooden-club shots. This, along with the comparative smallness of the greens, makes iron play of vital importance. There are no trees and the wind blows continuously, making it more like Prairie Dunes than Seminole or Doral.
Our trouble spots are different, too. The American four-inch rough corresponds to what we call semirough. This is about a five-yard-wide strip between the fairway and the proper rough, which can be anything up to a foot of very thick grass. The bunkers here are much steeper-faced and deeper, though less profuse.
One of our five courses, Muirfield, has held the British Open nine times and is holding it again this year, with practice rounds to be held over the two other, longer courses. It was here in 1959 that Gary Player won the first of his Grand Slam victories. It was here in 1948 that Henry Cotton won his last Open. And in 1929 Walter Hagen won the last of his.
I don't mean that every village in Scotland has five courses for Gullane is something of a resort. But certainly there are many more golf courses in relation to people. The golf is much cheaper. And, as I expect some of the best American professionals will discover in July, it is by no means easy.
RICHARD A. GIBB
Gullane, Scotland
THE DISINHERITED
Sirs:
How about giving University of Cincinnati a feature article. We started out the season with two starters back (Don Rolfes and Ron Krick), one who has bad shoulders (Krick). The other starter who started most of the time was Roland West. Then Dean Foster and John Howard came from the freshman squad and Mike Rolf took Krick's job, and we were off.
You gave Bradley a plug and we beat them 85-69. You gave UCLA an article and we beat them 82-76. And if we win the MVC, we will face the Big Eight champ who will probably be Kansas. We would probably beat them too.
How about it?
JACK RICHEY
Age 11
Cincinnati
P.S. My father's name is also Jack so he told me to put my age because he does not want any part of this.
SIGNALS OVER
Sirs:
In answer to your quiz question, "Where did Rockne get his inspiration for the box formation?" one of your readers says: "Knute Rockne's idea came from a chorus line" (19TH HOLE, Jan. 31). Since the box formation was a momentarily static thing, he might have done better to answer that a chorus line inspired the rhythmic Notre Dame shift. That's the way it was in the Pat O'Brien movie, but either answer is invalidated by chronological fact. The shift from T to box was already an integral part of Notre Dame's offensive pattern as early as 1916.
My authority? All I can say is that I was there, shifting, shifting, shifting, before any of us. including Assistant Football Coach Rockne, had been exposed to the inspirational dance routines of a Broadway musical.
D.C. (Chet) GRANT
South Bend, Ind.
COOKED DUCK
Sirs:
I certainly hope that Commander Awtrey's "ruptured duck" suggestion for using a stripped-down jet plane to set a land-speed record (19TH HOLE, Jan. 17) was intended to be tongue in cheek. Without considering surplus jets, our best operational fighters cannot lower their landing gear at low altitudes—even at half the present land speed of 600 mph. What is more, the wheels are much too small. Even with the suggested oversize wheels, beefed-up landing gear and "spats," the most high-powered duck would still find things coming unstuck long before its speed began to get respectable.
Although 600 mph on land may not sound so impressive in comparison with today's space-age air speeds, I think a little-known fact should be pointed out that gives some idea of the magnitude of the achievements of Craig Breedlove, the Arfons brothers and their homemade vehicles. This is that one of the primary obstacles to overcome in any high-speed run is the tremendous friction of the air. Because of the thinner air at high altitudes, one of our jets at, say, 30,000 feet would have to achieve a speed of approximately 1,010 mph before the wind pressure would be comparable to what Breedlove faced on the Bonneville Salt Flats. At 70,000 feet, the cruise altitude for the sleek supersonic transports of the future, the equivalent speed would be a phenomenal 2,250 mph, or about three and one-half times the speed of sound (beyond the capability of any aircraft at present being developed, X-15 excepted).
JON G. SCHNEIDLER
1st Lieut., USAF
San Francisco
WARMED-UP SPROUTS
Sirs:
William McGinnis of Iowa's new Midwestern College writes (19th HOLE, Jan. 24), "Come see us when we play Hiram Scott and judge for yourself which school should have been written up first." We think it is only fair to tell those not fortunate enough to attend that game that the score was Hiram Scott 115, Midwestern 71. Obviously, then, you were entirely correct in featuring the Scott coach, Forddy Anderson, in your story, Tradition Sprouts in a Cornfield (Jan. 10).
WILLIAM A. WILSON
GATELY W. BARTLETT
LOGAN N. FLECKLES
HERBERT MIGDON
ROBERT M. STEBBINS
DANIEL J. SCHULTZ
ROBERT D. SMITH
Scottsbluff, Neb.
Sirs:
I'm sure the student from Midwestern College in Denison, Iowa feels even more hurt now. At the half break Scott led Midwestern 63-30 and increased the lead to 44 points at the final buzzer to win 115-71. This victory boosted Scott's record to 7-1 and left it with an average of 110-plus points per game. Your readers will surely have to agree now that Forddy Anderson is at least the second-best basketball coach in the Midwest. Second only to Nebraska Coach Joe Cipriano, of course.
CHUCK GREEN
Lincoln, Neb.
