More About Murata
There is a section about Sachihiko Ono Murata and the Caddo Lake pearls [Caddo’s Gems, August 2019] in my dad’s book, Caddo Was … . My dad writes that he interviewed Murata after the bombing of Pearl Harbor for a newspaper story. There were rumors that Murata was a spy and used “high-powered radio equipment” to report to the Japanese government.
But Murata had no electricity, and his radio equipment was “a collection of outdated throw-away junk, spliced together with pieces of discarded house wiring” powered by a dry-cell battery. After the article was published, the rumors disappeared.
Frances Hare | Garland
Panola-Harrison EC
Early Days of Electricity
We were living in Knox County, where my daddy’s family had settled around 1900. I remember the electric light that hung above my parents’ bed [Reliable as Electricity, August 2019]. Daddy loved to read, so after his day of farming and supper, he stretched out on the bed under the light to read.
One day in 1945, we had a thunderstorm, and like any 2-year-old, I sought safety next to my daddy when I was frightened. Imagine how scared we all were when lightning struck and a ball of orange fire came down that electrical wire and blew out the lightbulb.
Marilyn Godfrey | Stephenville
United Cooperative Services
Flicker of Truth
Enjoy the tidbit info like Smokey Bear turns 75 [No Candles, Please, Currents, August 2019].
Danny Gerold | via Facebook
Not Pulling Your Chain
I noticed an error in 75th Anniversary Timeline: Rural Life [August 2019].
Stihl would like people to think that it introduced the first one-man chain saw. In fact, the first one-man, gasoline-powered chain saw was introduced in 1946 by IEL with the model name Beaver. This saw took the industry by storm and forced other chain saw manufacturers to either design a one-man chain saw or go bankrupt.
I have worked in the chain saw industry almost my whole life and have collected them for about 20 years—having amassed about 250, dating from the 1940s.
Paul Watkins | Savoy
Grayson-Collin EC
Big Screen, Big Memories
I think my first was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The more I tried to remember the first movie I saw at my town’s iconic drive-in, the more I remember all the great summer and early fall nights watching the big screen light up the whole parking lot.
Drive In, Chill Out [June 2019] was quite a nice little invitation to remember an experience that newer generations can miss out on. I fully intend to make sure my children get to experience it.
Argentina Dearing | Navasota
Mid-South Synergy
