'590 Four

SCARLET AND BLACK

Friday, October 12. I955

Searching For Comet, S 8 B News Team Journeys West

By Bob Hodierne
John Phillips
Henry Wilhelm
John Wolf

There was a kind of tense quiet
around the 5&3 workroom Wed-
nesday night as the paper was be-
ing put together. No one wanted
no say it, but everyone knew why:
The paper didn’t have The Big
Feature. Nothing to set it apart.
Nothing to make it stick out in
Ono’s mind.

It was mentioned offhandedly,
m passing. it was to he the brighte
est comet of the century and would
be visible that night.

“Why not," someone suggested,
'do a photo feature on the comet?”
It would rush the printer a bit not
getting the pictures until Thursday
afternoon, but for something this
big . . .

It was decided that the four of us
would get up at follr o’clock Thur
day morning, drive out into the
country, and take pictures. The
comet, it was reported, would be
most spectacular just before and
right at dawn.

From here on out the story of
the search for the comet is best
handled in straight chronology.

12:00 — it was still raining in
Grinnell and of course tlle cloud
cover would prevent comet photoe
graphing. We called the Des
Moines weather bureau. They said
It would clear up by 3:00 or 4:00
that morning We finished up with
the rest of the paper.

 

2:00 — We called Des Moines
again — just to he sure. They had
changed their minds. it was clear
in Omaha-Council Bluffs, they said,
but it was still raining in Des
Moines. At dawn all they would
promise would be clear skies about
30—40 miles west of Des Moines.
Their advice was if you want
comet pictures Go West Young
Man. The advice had a familiar
ring, we considered it brieﬂy, and
decided.

2:15 — After a stop to gather
supplies We were off. Essentially it
was the same team that had cov-

ered Selma last spring. We were
getting used to leaving on a mo-
ment's notice to get the story. We
had four cameras, nine different
lenses, two tripods, smoked glass,
lens tissues and film. We took a
special film with us, film ordered
directly from Kodak. it is the
World’s most light sensitive film
made especially for taking pic»
tures of things like stars —- and
comets. We were ready.

3:30 — it was raining quite hard
when we reached Des Moines, But
after all, the weatherman had said
30-40 miles west of Des Moines

and, besides, the country and
western disc jockey on WHO said
that the day would dawn clear and
with those two on your side . . .

5:00 -— At Atlantic, Iowa, we
were slowed to a near crawl it was
raining so hard. Arid (lawn was fast
opproaching. We kept heading for
the west and for the promised
clear skies.

6:30—We reached Council Bluffs
at dawn and, thank God, the skies
had started to clear. We found, ap-
propriately, a bluff from which we
could watch and photograph the
brightest col-net of the century.

"oven THERE . . . no, over fhere . . . no . . seemed to be the resenon at the sea news
team as they stood yesterday morning on a bluff outside Council Bluffs. They are ii. to r.)
Phillips. Wilhelm. Wolf. and Hodierne.

 

The wind on the bluff was co‘dv
damned cold, but we put our
cameras in place, took the light
readings, and were ready for our
photo feature — if only those
clouds right along the eastern
horizon would lift, We had read
that the comet would be visible
three diameters of the sun below
the sun. or, to be more pointed,
directly behind that bank of clouds
on the eastern horizon.

1:00 — It was broad daylight
and overhead there wasn’t a Cloud
to be seen — except alﬂrlg the east-
ern horizon, of course The sun
kept peeking about half its di<
ameter above the cloud bank but
the other half and, we presume,
the comet, remained safely hidden
from our Waiting, watching bank
of cameras.

7:30 — We ate breakfast at a
small diner in Council Bluffs and
the ,waitress didn't make any
comments about the beards or
Cameras. it was the highlight of
the trip, which gives you some idea
of what kind of trip it was.

8:00 — We started back — and
it was raining again. Someone in
the car read an account of the
comet sighting irom Hawaii. The
account said it was a spectacular
comet — the brightest of the cen-
tury —— in case you were wonder-
ing.

12:30 — We arrived hack on
campus — all of us having missed
all Of our Classes — which ranks
right up there with the waitress
as the trip’s highlight.

 

GIBSON'S

DISCOUNT CENTER

CLOSE OUT
45 RPM
RECORDS

5 FOR 5" 0°

SECRET
AEROSOL
neononnur

Family Size

51.49 Value 88‘

DOVE LIOIIID
DETERGENT

lpt. sin. 51‘

BRYLOREAM

King Sin

98¢ Value 5 8‘
MODESS

43 Pk.

99‘
HERSHEY

Giant Size Bars
3 FOR $100

PRESS 25
3FLASH BULBS

$2.04 Value 5""

CREST
TOOTHPASTE

King Sire

75: Value 49‘

WISK

uoum
DETERGENT

1/) Gal. Size s1 53

LADY ESTER

4-Purpose Oream

sl.49 Value 58‘

WHERE YOU NEVER

PAY RETAIL !

STORE
HOURS:

LILT SPECIAL

Home Permanent

$1.59 Value 94‘

V05
OREAM RINSE

$1.00 Value 62‘
BURGESS

‘7 Volt

TRANSISTOR
BATTERIES

3mqw

EVERY DAY DISCOUNT

PRICES SAVE YOU MORE
816 5lh Ave.
Orinnell. Iowa

7 arm. to 7 pm. Friday
9 mm. to 3 pm. Mon.. Tﬂelq

Went. Thinks.I Sat.

SUAVE
HAIR SPRAY

9?: Value 51‘
AERO SHAVE
69¢ Value 39‘

BIIFFERIN 100’s
$1.39 Value 86‘

PEPTO BISMOL
$1.39 Value 83‘

 

