Book Review: I Am Abraham

This review originally appeared on East Niagara Post at:

http://www.eastniagarapost.com/2014/10/its-novel-idea-i-am-abraham.html

"I Am Abraham" by Jerome Charyn is another piece of historical fiction from the Lockport Public Library that I just read. It may be the historian in me, but I really like to read books from this genre, though they need to be well done. Fortunately, this one is.

This book is the life of Abraham Lincoln as told from his point of view. Honest Abe speaks to the reader in a midwestern, folksie style that likely was his actual way of speaking. With his innate compassion, dry wit, and playful anecdotes, Lincoln describes every aspect of his life. While a piece of fiction, Charyn was constricted by the fact that so many books have been written about the life of our 16th President.

Lincoln is presented with a self-deprecating humor and delivers to the reader a unique insight to his life. Was he truly self-conscious about his height, sunken pallor, and clumsiness? The President’s interactions with his various generals, particularly General McClellan, were awkward and often bordered on outright insubordination. While today, Lincoln is nearly universally revered as one of our most popular presidents, in his day, he was as equally vilified as he was revered. It is not much different today with current leaders.

Lincoln’s often strained relationship with his wife, Mary Todd, is explored and shows a man who was devoted to his wife despite all the manners in which she grated on him. While he was an easy going country boy, Mary was a high class woman of the city. Their views of the world were often at odds. However, they both were enamoured with their children. His children were the light of his life. When son Willie died while they were living at the White House, Lincoln’s normal melancholy deepened even further. Chayrn captures the spirit with aplomb. He allows the readers to feel as if he or she  actually knows the man despite 150 years separating them.

Probably the biggest negative, if not the only, is some of the word usage, particularly cuss words. At the beginning of the book, the “F-Word” is used twice. The word was certainly known during the time period of 1830-1840, however, it was very rarely used. It would have been extremely odd for Lincoln to utter such a word. Other words, such as “gol-darned” or “damned” were considered among the harshest words of the age. Likely, the author wanted to convey a sense of frustration that Lincoln was feeling while a Captain during the Black Hawk War. Most of today’s readers would not understand the impact of “gol-darned” as much as they would with the “F-Word.”

All in all, Jerome Charyn delivers a masterful novel that recreates historical moments as if he had actually observed it, while bringing a whole new perspective on one of the most written subjects in American history. I enjoyed the flow with which the narrative was written. It was written as if the reader were holding an actual conversation with Lincoln himself. That makes it all that much more fun to read.

The Guns of Lockport

This article originally appeared in the Buffalo News  2012/13 when I was writing a monthly historical column for the newspaper.

Standing guard over at least a generation of children’s games in the City of Lockport are two artillery pieces. A large, black sprawling gun sitting in Altro Park on Willow Street and a shorter, stubby gun in Ida Fritz Park on West Avenue, captured the imagination of many a youngster who dreamed of being the heroes of the movies.  To the children, the actual provenance of the guns never really mattered, but a certain mystique surrounded the history of these silent sentinels. Where did they come from?  How long have they been there?  Have they actually been fired in battle?

In 1920 Major General Williams, Chief of Ordinance offered the City of Lockport, the two Tonawandas, and the City of Buffalo a 7-inch Mortar, Model 1892 from the arsenal at Watervliet, NY;  a gun, weighing 1700 pounds and used as a coastal defense piece.  Operating through official channels, Williams contacted Congressman S. Wallace Dempsey.  Dempsey, a Hartland native, sent a letter in February of that year, to Lockport Mayor, Ernest Crosby regarding the placing of cannon from the Excess Ordinance Department of the US Army in one of the city parks. 

Gun at Ida Fritz Park

Williams stated that “this mortar was not considered safe for firing and is loaned with the understanding that, should future service demand, it is subject to return to the Government.”  The cannon arrived in Lockport in April of 1920 and was placed in the West Avenue Park (later Ida Fritz Park) near Transit.  Alderman Paul R. Schultz spearheaded a committee to dedicate the new memorial, on June 12, 1920.

Shortly after the acquisition of the land for Outwater Park, city aldermen decided that it would be fitting if the community’s newest park had an artillery piece as well.  The Parks Department had already planted 54 elm trees in the park in memory of the “Lockport boys who made the supreme sacrifice in the world war” [World War I].  In November of 1920, Congressman Dempsey again petitioned the Chief of Ordinance for an additional piece.

Major General C.C. Williams responded with an approval to send a Gatling Gun, Model 1900 to Lockport.  Unfortunately, the Common Council demurred on accepting this gun, feeling it was too small to fit in the broad expanse of Outwater Park.  Perhaps in jest, Williams offered a 49,000 pound, 15-inch Rodman Gun instead.  The Rodman Gun was one of the largest siege guns ever produced.  Responsible with paying freight from Watervliet on that gun, the Common Council politely accepted a smaller, yet still impressive 4.72 inch, 40 caliber gun and carriage from the Coast Defenses of Southern New York.

This piece, with gun and carriage together, weighed over 19,000 pounds.  The gun alone was 16 feet long and weighed 4,650 pounds.  Amid much fanfare, the artillery piece was placed in Outwater Park.

Although the Great War was termed as the “war to end all wars,” the United States and the world once again found itself in conflict with World War II.  As part of the effort on the home front, great scrap drives were organized to assist the government in building new ships, tanks and planes.   On September 3, 1942, the Superintendent of Parks was directed by the Common Council to “dispose of the two cannons in West Avenue and Outwater Parks” for the purpose of turning in all scrap metal for the war effort.  On October 8^th, City Clerk Joseph Hillis reported that he had received $113.94 from Wm. Kugler & Bro., “covering scrap from the two iron cannons.”

With the end of WWII and the declaration of peace, the country moved toward honoring another generation of soldiers, sailors and Marines.  This afforded an opportunity to again place excess ordinance in public spaces around the U.S.  Alderman Harold Altro introduced legislation to “obtain War Equipment for the Parks” in January 1946.  A month later, the Chief of Ordinance responded with the approval of one light tank, one 155mm Howitzer, and one 155mm gun.  The Council accepted all three pieces, first receiving a 25-ton Sherman M-4-A tank on June 7, 1946.  The City was responsible for the crating and shipping costs, which amounted to $141.

This tank was planned to be installed at Outwater Park near the World War I boulder.  When it arrived, its Curtiss-Wright airplane engine had been removed and it still bore the variegated striping of its original camouflage.   Under the supervision of the Parks Superintendent, all loose parts and openings were welded shut to keep the memorial safe from the curiosity of children.  Ultimately, however, the tank was never placed in the park.  In September of 1948, the City Clerk had received a check for $250 from Wm. Kugler & Bro. for scrapping the M-4 tank.

Shortly after the arrival of the tank, the city also received the 155mm howitzer, which was originally destined for placement in Willow Street Park.  However, upon receiving it, the Common Council decided that the larger 155mm long gun, originally slated for West Avenue Park, would better fit in the vast space at Willow Street, and the howitzer was settled in at West Avenue.

The 155mm howitzer is of French origin, model year 1917, produced in 1918, and sold to the United States.  Officially it is known as “Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider.”  The US purchased many of these guns, sending along the French artillery pieces with the first US regiments in France during World War I.  US armourers eventually produced their own version of the 155mm, although they were not introduced to the American troops until the war was over.  The American version of the French piece had a straight shield rather than the curved shield seen on the Lockport howitzer, and both versions of the weapon were used as the primary American howitzer until the advent of the M1 howitzer in 1942.  The wheels were removed and the base set into concrete at the park.  As with other memorials of this type, the gun was painted black and intended to be a memorial to those men lost during the war.

In Willow Street’s Altro Park stands the 155mm long gun.  Manufactured in 1940 at the Rock Island arsenal, this piece was a copy of the French 155mm, carrying the designation of M1918M1 and was manufactured in 1940. The United States-manufactured guns of this class were used for coastal defense and were typically were mounted on a central pillar with a rail for the trailing arms behind it, allowing the guns to swivel across an arc.  Most of these guns were phased out by 1942 when fixed batteries came into prominent use and were replaced by the 155mm “Long Tom.”  Again upon arrival in Lockport and placement in the park, the rubber wheels were removed. 

During the preparation of this article, another cannon was discovered in the front yard of the armory on Willow Street.  After visiting this piece and consulting with various artillery experts, it has been determined that the cannon is likely a display piece only.  The carriage and barrel are a mismatch and indications are that the barrel is not of military quality.  The absence of a touch-hole would indicate that the cannon was never meant to be fired.  Additionally, the carriage, while similar to one from the Napoleonic period, is made of cast iron rather than wood.  Very likely, the cannon was used as part of a display, possibly the Pan-American Exposition or a similar event.  We were able to discern that it came to Lockport from the Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo after being displayed at the Niagara Falls Armory until its closure.

While these cannon and the ill-fated tank never saw combat action, they serve as silent reminders of those men and women who have laced up the boots, strapped on a weapon and served our country with distinction.  Our Guns of Lockport have stood as mysterious beacons from the past.  Perhaps knowing their history, we can once again honor them for what they are – memorials to the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States.

Book Review: The Painted Girls

Here's another throwback to some of my early reviews at East Niagara Post. I assure you, Cathy Marie Buchanan will NOT be at the library at 6:30.

This post originally appeared at:

http://www.eastniagarapost.com/2014/10/its-novel-idea-painted-girls.html

At 6:30 p.m., Cathy Marie Buchanan will be speaking at the Lockport Public Library about her book, "The Painted Girls." My review this week will be this book as sort of a teaser for tonight’s presentation. I have to admit right off that this work was not the normal type of book I would read. However, as Ms. Buchanan is a local author, I always do my best to support. There is a lot of ballet in this book, and while all my daughters have been involved with ballet, I was not familiar with all moves and traditions involved.

"The Painted Girls" is a historical-fiction novel set in Paris 1878-1885. The novel centers around the van Goethem sisters and ballet at the Paris Opera House intertwined with the art of Edgar Degas as well as the criminal lives of Emile Abadie and Michel Knoblach.

The story begins in dark days for the van Goethem family. The patriarch has just passed away, and the mother is spiraling deep into an absinthe stupor while struggling as a laundress to keep her family clothed and housed. The three sisters, Antoinette, Marie and Charlotte are forced to mostly fend for themselves. Antoinette, the oldest, brings in a little more money as an extra at the opera house. Her younger sisters are accepted into the same prestigious school where the hopes are they will earn parts on stage to supplement the household income.

When Antoinette’s outspoken manner starts to alienate her from some of the very people who are able to help her, she falls under the spell of the mysterious Emile Abadie. Marie, initially reluctant to join the dance, finds herself becoming one of the better dancers at the school. She also comes under the eye of Edgar Degas who feels she is his muse for several of his works, including the sculpture, Little Dancer Aged 14. Meanwhile the youngest, Charlotte, disappears into the background of the story to make only sporadic appearances throughout the narrative.

Behind the glamour of the Paris Opera House and our romantic vision of Paris, is the dark reality of that city in the late 19th-century. While people were enamoured with the sparkle and glitter the ballet had to offer, behind the shine was the grime of everyday life. Families struggled to make a living. Some of their options were legitimate enterprises. Too often, the easier path was burglary and prostitution. This extended even to the ballet. For a girl to ascend to the pinnacle of the dance, it took more than sheer talent. Sometimes it took the abonnes, the wealthy male subscribers to the ballet, with their money and favors to push along their favorite girls.

Marie models for Degas to earn some extra money. At the same time, she finds an abonne of her own, in Monsieur Lefebvre. What costs come with this sponsorship and will she be able to fulfill those committments? At the same time, what will Antoinette do for what she thinks is love? Despite the fact that each of the sisters feels they can do it on their own, they slowly come to realize that they, in fact, do need each other.

As I stated at the beginning, this was a challenging book for me. While all four of my children have taken ballet, I did not know most of the ballet terms from the book and spent some time looking up their meanings. That aside, I thought this book was fantastically written. I liked Buchanan’s previous book (The Day the Falls Stood Still) and I liked this one just as much.

Buchanan not only sets the scene of late 19th-century Paris with great aplomb, she builds characters that are deep, believeable and evocative. She takes on the lives of real people and brings them back to life for her readers. Her rich prose gives the reader a 400-page glimpse into the lives of the van Goethem sisters and Edgar Degas to a lesser extent.

Sometimes with writing historical fiction, authors do a disservice to the real people they are reliving. Cathy Marie Buchanan takes the real lives of several people and builds a world around them steeped in history and just enough imagination to keep the reader involved. She makes you wonder what decision each of the girls is going to make and where each will wind up.

This book was well worth the time. I enjoyed the story that was told, and cannot wait to hear Ms. Buchanan speak about her work on Tuesday night. It is always interesting to hear the process an author goes through to bring their ideas to life. I know I will be at the Lockport Library at 6:30. I hope to see some of you there, too.

Book Review: The Wind Is Not a River

This review originally appeared on East Niagara Post at:
http://www.eastniagarapost.com/2014/10/its-novel-idea-wind-is-not-river.html

Here's a throwback to my first book review on Eastniagarapost.com. I can't believe I've been doing this for over a year. My first review was posted on ENP October 14, 2014. 

I would like to start off by saying that I like to read — a lot. I generally read two or three books a week, and it seems like all the librarians at the Lockport Public Library know me on sight. I always head directly to the “New Releases” by the circulation desk to catch the latest and greatest by authors both established and new. I hope to be able to bring a few reviews to you each month on some of these new releases.

I just finished "The Wind is Not a River" by Brian Payton. While this one came out back in January, it took quite awhile for it to become available at the library. Apparently, several other readers also felt it quite worthy to read. I can assure you that it was worth the wait.

This historical-fiction novel is set during World War II in Seattle and Attu Island in the Aleutian chain of Alaska. In a largely forgotten aspect of the war, the Japanese had invaded Attu, making it the only incursion of enemy forces on American soil. At the time, the US Government sheltered the news of this invasion from the general public, instead choosing to focus on the mounting victories in North Africa and Italy. With this obscurity, Payton was given the freedom to weave a tale that, while fiction, also captured the spirit of this turbulent time in our history.

The story centers around dual main characters. John and Helen are a husband and wife who are torn apart by the war waging so close to home. John, a journalist by trade, feels it is his duty to report on the war after his younger brother, Warren is killed in Europe. He volunteers to jump into the front lines of a Japanese invasion of Alaska, although US leaders have forbidden the media to enter or report from the Aleutians. Unfortunately, John’s plane is shot down and only he and one other man survive the crash, stuck behind enemy lines.

Meanwhile, back at home in Seattle, Helen realizes that she and John did not part on the greatest of terms. When she learns that her husband is missing, she leaves behind the comfort of home to join a USO tour, hoping to inch closer to John as well as maybe learn more information about the downed plane. Although she has had no training in song and dance, she finds herself assigned to a troupe heading to Juneau. She discovers very quickly that people are not as genuine as they appear. Her sheltered life has not prepared her for the rest of the world, especially the ways of soldiers away from home and loved ones for so very long.

The story is told through a series of snapshots, rather than a long narrative. Each chapter separates the narratives of John and Helen. As John’s time behind enemy lines hiding from the Japanese grows, his narratives become shorter and more hurried. His story becomes more frantic as the likelihood of discovery grows and the chance of rescue lessens. Meanwhile, Helen’s character grows with her story as she leaves behind all she has ever known and discovers more of the ways of the world.

"The Wind is Not a River" is a fantastic book, well worth the 300 pages. I read it in a single day, eager to find out whether John and Helen ever find each other again (I’m not telling. You’re going to have to read it yourself.) It combines history in a very realistic way with the fictional narrative of two people who represent the struggles felt by every couple in every war. Brian Payton engages the reader with sympathetic characters. These characters make you want to rush to the end to make sure everything turns out okay. Of course, like real life, there are many bumps along the way.

Here’s hoping you enjoy the next book you read!

Beware of Pizza Ovens Falling From the Sky

Is it a bird? Is it an airplane? Is it a UFO?

No. It's a pizza oven that apparently fell off the back of a truck and landed in the street. Amazingly, the authorities were puzzled as to what they were observing. If you look at the pictures, it's pretty easy to figure out what has landed in the streets of Kingston. Obviously, it is a Martian from H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds.

Now where is Tom Cruise when we need him to protect us from the hordes of intergalactic invaders?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/london-pizza-oven-ufo_5627f905e4b0bce34703dd44?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

Tinker Toys. Greatest Toy Ever?

I had a love affair with Tinker Toys when I was a kid. Well, I guess you could say I still do. I loved creating cityscapes with those toys. When I talk about Tinker Toys, I’m taking about the old wooden ones, not the supersized plastic pieces of crap being sold today.

Our Tinker Toys came from a garage sale. Back in my day, garage sales were the best places to get the best toys. It’s where we found a model train set, a suitcase organ, countless books, and Tinker Toys. These were the days when garage sales were still popular spots for getting great bargains, before eBay ruined it all. Today people think they’re going to make a mint on the junk in their attics or basements. I miss real garage sales.

But this isn’t about garage sales. At least for today it’s not about garage sales. Today is about those really cool, wooden toys. I can’t even start to calculate how many hours I spent building with them. I had skyscrapers, houses, cars, planes, and even people. I built rocket ships and used the upstairs as outer space. I can remember one time that I built a high-rise all the way to the ceiling in grandma’s house, which was one of those tall ceilings like you find in old houses. There’s a picture of it somewhere in the mess of pictures I have in my library.

The best part of Tinker Toys? You were only limited by your imagination. They were like Legos, but just a little bit better. The box we had was full of the wooden rods and spools. My sister and brother also played with them, but I was definitely the most adept and making huge creations.

Some time after we became adults, my grandmother gave the box of Tinker Toys away to a friend’s grandchildren. It was definitely an unpopular decision. We still loved them, and I wanted to show Wendy how awesome these toys were. Although those toys are long gone from our homes, I hope they are still being enjoyed after years of being infused with our memories.

Tinker Toys were invented by Charles H. Pajeau, Robert Pettit, and Gordon Tinker in 1913 or 1914 in Evanston, Illinois. For all you math-letes out there, the differing length sticks were meant to be based upon the Pythagorean progressive right triangle. Hopefully one of my math friends can explain that fully. In order of length, the sticks were orange (1.25 inches), yellow (2.15), blue(3.35), red(5.05) green(7.40), and purple(10.35).

According to their website, Each successively longer rod is (with allowances for the size of the spools) next smaller size times the square root of two; thus any two of the same size will combine with one of the next size up, and three spools, to form an isosceles right triangle (45°–45°–90°).

In 1992, they changed from wooden sticks to plastic ones and also increased the diameter of the sticks. I own some of the new style Tinker Toys, but still prefer the old wooden sets.  I have a couple of small sets in their cardboard containers that I found here and there. I’m always on the lookout for a set of the 1960s version. If you happen to see any around, let me know.

Mysterious Lights on Lake Ontario

When I was 12-15 years old, I used to stay with my grandmother regularly over the summers. She lived in Lyndonville, about five miles from Lake Ontario. Once in awhile, she’d get a call in the evening after dark from a friend who lived along the lake. The lights were on the lake. So, we’d get ready and head out to check out the spectacle.

At the end of Route 63 at Shadigee, there would be a dozen or more cars parked to check out these mysterious lights that appeared to be floating halfway across the water.  For some reason, the lights seemed to be most prevalent during the time period of 1986-1990. We went out several times to see them.

Mirage at Rochester 1871.
Courtesy Department of Rare Books & Special Collections,
University of Rochester Library

What were the lights on the lake? They didn’t look like they were far enough away to be Toronto, but they definitely resembled a cityscape, complete with moving vehicles. Maybe it was some sort of reflection of the city from the clouds? It was a mystery that drew many people to the shores of the great lake.

I used to dream that there was a lost city in the middle of the lake that sunk beneath the waves hundreds if not thousands of year before in an attempt to escape the perils of the world. Every once in awhile, the city would resurface to see how the future was faring in their absence.  After determining that the rest of us still needed more time to mature, they would sink beneath the water again.

So, what is the deal with the lights on the lake? A story from Rochester in 1871 may shed some light.  On a beautiful, sunny day in April, 1871, visitors to Mount Hope Cemetery caught sight of a very unusual phenomenon. When they looked off toward Lake Ontario, they were astounded when they realized they could see the northern shore of Lake Ontario in vivid detail. People could see forests, structures, and Canadian landmarks, easily identifiable despite the intervening distance of 50 miles.

A similar event took place in Buffalo August 18, 1894 when Toronto’s harbor appeared in startling detail. From Scientific American, dated August 25, 1894:

A MIRAGE SEEN AT BUFFALO, NY – The people of Buffalo NY were treated to a remarkable mirage, between ten and eleven o’clock, on the morning of August 16, 1894. It was the city of Toronto with its harbor and small island to the south of the city. Toronto is fifty-six miles from Buffalo, but the church spires could be counted with the greatest ease. The mirage took in the whole breadth of Lake Ontario, Charlotte, the suburbs of Rochester, being recognized as a projection east of Toronto. A side-wheel steamer could be seen traveling in a line from Charlotte to Toronto Bay. Two dark objects were at last found to be the steamers of the New York Central plying between Lewiston and Toronto. A sail-boat was also visible and disappeared suddenly. Slowly the mirage began to fade away, to the disappointment of thousands who crowded the roofs of houses and office buildings. A bank of clouds was the cause of the disappearance of the mirage. A close examination of the map showed the mirage did not cause the slightest distortion, the gradual rise of the city from the water being rendered perfectly. It is estimated that at least 20,000 spectators saw the novel spectacle. This mirage is what is known as that of the third order; that is, the object looms up far above the level and not inverted, as with mirages of the first and second orders, but appearing like a perfect landscape far away in the sky.

Apparently, the phenomenon is known as a Fata Morgana, an unusual form of mirage. It is named after Morgan le Fay, the enchantress from the Arthurian legend. Supposedly, le Fay used her witchcraft to lure sailors to their deaths with castles appearing in mid-air.

A Fata Morgana occurs when rays of light are bent as they “pass through air layers of different temperatures in a steep thermal inversion where an atmospheric duct has formed.” Basically, it’s an optical illusion where the light is bent in such a way that objects far beyond the horizon appear visible and magnified.

While this seems to take some of the mystery away from the lights I saw as a teen, there are still some questions as to the lights on the lake. I only saw this happen at night. Can a Fata Morgana happen at night? I would imagine so. There must have been a series of perfect atmospheric conditions prevalent 1986-1990 that gave us a grand view of Toronto appearing in the middle of the lake.

I still like the idea of an ancient secret civilization nestled snug at the bottom of the 800-ft deep lake. I’m guessing that someday that could be a story I could write. In the meantime, does anyone who lives along the lake still see the lights on the lake or Toronto in vivid detail?