Friday, April 26, 2024
LAST WORDS OF PILOTS
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Pacific Air Lines, Flight 773
Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 was a Fairchild F27A Friendship airliner that crashed on May 7, 1964, near Danville, California, a suburb east of Oakland. The crash was most likely the first instance in the United States of an airliner's pilots being shot by a passenger as part of a murder–suicide. Francisco Paula Gonzales, 27, shot both pilots before turning the gun on himself, causing the plane to crash, killing all 44 aboard.
As of May 2021, the crash of Flight 773 remains the worst incident of mass murder in modern California history, one death more than the subsequent Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 hijacking in 1987.
Last words:
First officer: Skipper’s shot! We’ve been shot. I was trying to help.
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American Airlines, Flight 383
Two flights named American Airlines Flight 383 ave been involved in notable aviation accidents:
- American Airlines Flight 383 (1965), crashed on approach to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, leaving only 4 survivors out of the 62 onboard
- American Airlines Flight 383 (2016), suffered an uncontained engine failure and fire during takeoff at Chicago O'Hare Airport on October 28, 2016
The 1965 crash happened short of the runway due to poor weather conditions and carelessness of the crew. The aircraft was a Boeing 727, with 57 passengers, and 5 crew on board. The aircraft crashed on final approach to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport located in Hebron, Kentucky, United States. Only three passengers and one flight attendant survived the crash. The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the pilots' failure to properly monitor their altitude during a visual approach into deteriorating weather conditions.
Last words:
TWR Have you in sight – cleared to land.
AA: We’re cleared to land, roger. How far west is that precipitation line now?
TWR: Looks like it’s just about over the field at this time, sir. We’re not getting anything on the field however … if we have a windshift I’ll keep you advised as you turn on to final.
AA: Thank you – we’d appreciate it.
TWR: We’re beginning to pick up a little rain now.
AA: OK.
TWR: Have you still got the runway OK?
AA: Ah … just barely … we’ll pick up the ILS here.
TWR: Approach lights, flashers and runway lights are all on high intensity.
AA: OK.
__________
Thai International, Flight 601
While passing through a typhoon in 1967, the plane dived into the sea. Surprisingly, the majority of passengers actually survived (but not the pilots). The probable cause of the accident was pilot error, specifically not noticing that the aircraft had descended below the glide slope. The presence of strong wind shear and downdrafts as a result of then-present Typhoon Anita was a probable contributing factor. However, at the time of the accident there were no means of detecting such weather phenomena.
Further factors included:
- The pilots did not adhere to Thai Airways procedure for a captain-monitored Instrument approach in bad visibility.
- The captain did not monitor the approach adequately.
- The abrupt heading change after the aircraft descended below minimum altitude may have exacerbated the high rate of descent.
- Downdrafts and wind shear may have contributed to the height loss which resulted from this mishandling.
Last Words:
07.07:30 PAR Six miles from touch down. There’s heavy rain at the field in the event of an overshoot. You’ll be cleared for the emergency overshoot procedure.
07.07:35 PAR RW beacon left turn to Stonecutters then to Cheung Chan, climbing immediately to 3,500 feet, 601.
TG601 Understand sir.
07.07:52 PAR You’re now five miles from touch down.
TG601 Thank you sir.
07.08:20 PAR Four miles check your wheels are down and locked and you are clear to land. I say again clear to land.
07.08:24 TG601 Thank you.
07.08:35 PAR Three and a half miles the heavy rain is at one and a half miles from touch down all over the field.
(Transmission clicks)
07.08:51 PAR Three miles you’re just a little to the right of centre.
07.09:19 PAR Two miles.
07.09:33 PAR One and a half miles. You’re slightly right of centre.
07.09:43 PAR Coming back to the centre line now.
07.09:48 PAR One mile. Going left of centre.
07.10:00 PAR Well. Left of the centre line. If you’re not visual, climb immediately on your present heading.
07.10:19 PAR 06.01, I have no radar contact with you.
07.10:30 PAR 06.01. Are you overshooting?
07.10:40 PAR 06.01, Hong Kong Precision.
07.10:49 PAR 06.01, Hong Kong.
07.11:04 PAR 06.01, Hong Kong Precision.
07.11:28 PAR 06.01, Hong Kong, do you read?
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Trans World Airlines, Flight 159
Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 159 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from New York City to Los Angeles, California, with a stopover in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Kentucky, that crashed after an aborted takeoff from Cincinnati on November 6, 1967. The Boeing 707 attempted to abort takeoff when the copilot became concerned that the aircraft had collided with a disabled DC-9 on the runway. The aircraft overran the runway, struck an embankment and caught fire. One passenger died as a result of the accident.
The NTSB concluded that the crash occurred due to the TWA flight crew's inability to successfully abort takeoff due to the speed of the aircraft, and that a runway overrun was unavoidable at the 707's speed. The disabled DC-9, a Delta Air Lines flight which had reported that it had cleared the runway when in fact it had not, was a contributing factor in the crash.
Last words:
23.39:37.5 CAM-1 Okay, you’re lookin’ fine. [engine sound reaches highest pitch]
23.39:57.5 CAM-1 Eighty knots, you got ‘er.
23.40:01 TWR TWA one twenty eight cleared to land.
23.40:09 CAM-1 Not very # far off the runway.
CAM-2 Sure as fuck isn’t.
23.40:15 CAM-1 See that fire in the end?
23.40:15.5 CAM-? [Sound of “Pop”]
23.40:16.5 CAM-2 [Sound of engine power cut]
Good God I hit him.
23.40:17.5 CAM-2 Yokes!
23.40:20 [Sound of engine power resumption]
23.40:20.5 CAM-2 Spoilers!
CAM-1 Oh fuck.
CAM-2 Sorry.
CAM-3 Fuck.
23.40:32 [Sound of impact]
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Ariana Afghan Airlines, Flight 701
Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 was involved in a fatal air accident on 5 January 1969, when a Boeing 727 with 62 people on board crashed into a house on its approach to London Gatwick Airport in heavy fog. Due to pilot error the flaps were not extended to maintain flight at final approach speed. That Sunday morning the Gatwick area was affected by patches of dense freezing fog, Boeing 727 YA-FAR descended below its correct glide slope as it approached the airport from the east. As it passed over the hamlet of Fernhill on the Surrey/Sussex border, it hit trees and roofs, began to roll and crashed into a field south of Fernhill Lane, 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) short of the runway. It collided with a large detached house, demolished it and caught fire. Forty-eight passengers and crew died, and two adult occupants of the house were killed when it was destroyed by the impact. A baby in the house survived with minor injuries. The captain, first officer, flight engineer and eleven passengers also survived.
Last words:
01.32 F/E: Stand by for the flaps
F/E: [says that flaps should have been going to 25 and 40 degrees]
GA: [gives 701 clearance to land]
GA: Runway visual range still 100 meters.
GA: [acknowledges 701 over the outer marker]
CPT: Flaps three zero.
CPT: Three zero coming down.
01.33 F/O: Four hundred feet.
CPT: Four hundred feet?
F/O: Yes, we have four hundred feet.
[Sound of full power being applied]
F/O: We’re finished!
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Air Canada 621
Air Canada Flight 621 was an Air Canada Douglas DC-8 that crashed on July 5, 1970, while attempting to land at Toronto Pearson International Airport. All 100 passengers and 9 crew on board were killed, and at the time it was Canada's second-deadliest aviation accident.
Flight 621, which was to make a brief stopover in Toronto en route to Los Angeles, approached Toronto International Airport on a sunny Sunday. It was flown by Captain Peter Hamilton, a respected veteran of World War II air combat, and First Officer Donald Rowland. As the DC-8 approached the tarmac, Hamilton cheerfully surrendered. “I have given up,” he joked in a conversation preserved by the cockpit voice recorder. “I am tired of fighting it.” His conciliatory gesture led to the error that triggered the chain of events that brought the plane down. In the DC-8, the spoilers were both armed and deployed using the same poorly designed lever. Instead of simply manipulating the lever to arm the spoilers, as Hamilton wanted, Rowland unthinkingly deployed them. He was wrong. Hamilton did not know, and the tower did not tell him, that the DC-8 had dropped one of its engines on the runway. It was also on fire. Three explosions and about three minutes later, Flight 621 plummeted into a field about 50 metres from the home of a Castlemore truck driver.
Last Words:
CA We’ve lost number 4 engine
FO Have we?
CA (unintelligible)
SO Fuel
SO Fuel
CA Aye?
SO Fuel
CA Is it?
FO Yes
CA Okay, cut number 4
?O Number 4 engine
CA Yes
FO Number 3 engine
CA Number 4
FO Number 4, right.
CA Number 3 is jammed, too
FO Is it?
CA There it is.
CA The whole thing is jammed.
[crackling noise]
FO What was that?
FO What happened there, Peter?
CA That’t number 4 (unintelligible) Something’s happened (unintelligible)
FO Oh, look, we’ve got a (unintelligible).
[loud sound of explosion]
FO Pete, sorry.
[louder sound of explosion]
CA All right.
DEP 621. The status of your aircraft, please.
[sound of metal tearing]
CA We’ve got an explosion
FO Oh look, we’ve got (unintelligible) flame
FO Oh, gosh
?? We’ve lost a wing
[end of transcript]
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Pan American, Flight 1736
The Tenerife airport disaster occurred on 27 March 1977, when two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport, (now Tenerife North Airport) on the Spanish island of Tenerife. The collision occurred when KLM Flight 4805 initiated its takeoff run during dense fog while Pan Am Flight 1736 was still on the runway. The impact and resulting fire killed all on board KLM Flight 4805 and most of the occupants of Pan Am Flight 1736, with only 61 survivors in the front section of the aircraft. With a total of 583 fatalities, the disaster is the deadliest accident in aviation history.
Last words:
1706:20.08 APP Stand by for take-off, I will call you.
1706:20.3 PA RT And we’re still taxiing down the runway, the clipper one seven three six.
1706:19.39 – 1706:23.19 [PA radio transmission and APP communications caused a shrill noise in KLM cockpit – messages not heard by KLM crew]
1706:25.6 APP Roger alpha one seven three six report when runway clear.
1706:29.6 PA RT OK, we’ll report when we’re clear.
APP Thank you
PA CAM 1 Let’s get the hell out of here!
PA CAM 2 Yeh, he’s anxious isn’t he.
PA CAM 3 Yeh, after he held us up for half an hour. Now he’s in a rush.
1706:32.43 KLM CAM 3 Is he not clear then?
1706:34.1 KLM CAM 1 What do you say?
1706:34.15 KLM CAM ? Yup.
1706:34.7 KLM CAM 3 Is he not clear that Pan American?
1706:35.7 KLM-1 Oh yes. [emphatically]
1706:40 [PanAm captain sees landing lights of KLM at approximately 700 meters]
PA CAM 1 There he is .. look at him! Goddamn that son-of-a-bitch is coming! Get off! Get off! Get off!
1706:44 [KLM starts rotation]
1706:47.44 KLM CAM 1 [Scream]
1706:50 [Collision]
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Pacific Southwest Airlines, Flight 182
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 was a scheduled flight of Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) from Sacramento to San Diego with a stopover at Los Angeles. On September 25, 1978, the Boeing 727-214 collided with a private Cessna 172 light aircraft over San Diego, California. It was Pacific Southwest Airlines' first fatal accident, and it remains the deadliest air disaster in California history. At the time, it was the deadliest air crash to occur in the United States, and remained so until American Airlines Flight 191 crashed in May 1979.
Both aircraft crashed into North Park, a San Diego neighbourhood. The Boeing 727 crash killed all 135 people aboard the aircraft and seven people on the ground in houses, including two children. The Cessna lost its two pilots on board. Nine others on the ground were injured and a total of twenty-two residences were destroyed or damaged by the impact and debris.
The National Transportation Safety Board report determined that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the Boeing flight crew to follow proper air traffic control (ATC) procedures. Flight 182's crew lost sight of the Cessna in contravention of ATC instructions to "keep visual separation from that traffic", and did not alert ATC that they had lost sight of it. Errors on the part of ATC were also named as contributing factors, including the use of visual separation procedures when radar clearances were available. Additionally, the Cessna pilots, for reasons unknown, did not maintain their assigned east-northeasterly heading of 070° after completing a practice instrument approach, nor did they notify ATC of their course change.
Last Words:
09.01:11 CAM 2 Are we clear of that Cessna?
09.01:13 CAM- Suppose to be.
09.01:14 CAM 1 I guess.
09.01:20 CAM 4 I hope.
09.01:21 CAM-1 Oh yeah, before we turned downwind, I saw him about one o’clock, probably behind us now.
09.01:38 CAM-2 There’s one underneath.
09.01:39 CAM 2 I was looking at that inbound there.
09.01:45 CAM 1 Whoop!
09.01:46 CAM 2 Aghhh!
09.01:47 CAM Sound of impact
09.01:48 CAM 1 On shit!
09.01:49 CAM-1 Easy baby, easy baby.
09.01:51 CAM [sound of electrical system reactivation tone on CVR, system off less than one second]
09.01:51 CAM-1 What have we got here?
09.01:52 CAM-2 It’s bad.
09.01:53 CAM-2 We’re hit man, we are hit.
09.01:56 RDO-1 Tower, we’re going down, this is PSA.
09.01:57 TWR Okay, we’ll call the equipment for you.
09.01:58 CAM [sound of stall warning]
CAM 1 This is it baby!
CAM ? Bob [name of F/O]
CAM 1 Brace yourself.
CAM ? Hey baby..
CAM? Ma I love you..
09.02:04 [End of recording]
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Air New Zealand, Flight 901
The Mount Erebus disaster occurred on 28 November 1979 when Air New Zealand Flight 901 flew into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board. Air New Zealand had been operating scheduled Antarctic sightseeing flights since 1977. This flight was supposed to leave Auckland Airport in the morning and spend a few hours flying over the Antarctic continent, before returning to Auckland in the evening via Christchurch.
The initial investigation concluded the accident was caused primarily by pilot error, but public outcry led to the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the crash. The commission, presided over by Justice Peter Mahon QC, concluded that the accident was primarily caused by a correction made to the coordinates of the flight path the night before the disaster, coupled with a failure to inform the flight crew of the change, with the result that the aircraft, instead of being directed by computer down McMurdo Sound (as the crew had been led to believe), was instead rerouted to a path toward Mount Erebus. Justice Mahon's report accused Air New Zealand of presenting "an orchestrated litany of lies", and this led to changes in senior management at the airline. The Privy Council later ruled that the finding of a conspiracy was a breach of natural justice and not supported by the evidence.
The accident is the deadliest accident in the history of Air New Zealand, the deadliest aviation accident in Antarctica and one of New Zealand's deadliest peacetime disasters.
Last words:
CA Actually, these conditions don’t look very good at all, do they?
MU No they don’t.
12:49 MU That look like the edge of Ross Island there.
F/E I don’t like this.
CA Have you got anything from him?
F/O No
CA We’re 26 miles north. We’ll have to climb out of this.
MU You can see Ross Island? Fine.
F/O You’re clear to turn right. There’s no high ground if you do a one eighty.
CA No … negative.
GPWS [Whoop whoop pull up. Whoop whoop]
F/E Five hundred feet.
GPWS [Pull up]
F/E Four hundred feet.
GPWS [Whoop, whoop pull up. Whoop whoop pull up]
CA Go-around power please.
GPWS [Whoop whoop pull -]
[Sound of impact]
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Polish Air Force, Tupolev 154M
On 10 April 2010, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft operating Polish Air Force Flight 101 crashed near the Russian city of Smolensk, killing all 96 people on board. Among the victims were the president of Poland, Lech KaczyĆski, and his wife, Maria; the former president of Poland in exile, Ryszard Kaczorowski; the chief of the Polish General Staff and other senior Polish military officers; the president of the National Bank of Poland; Polish government officials; 18 members of the Polish parliament; senior members of the Polish clergy; and relatives of victims of the Katyn massacre. The group was arriving from Warsaw to attend an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the massacre, which took place not far from Smolensk.
The pilots were attempting to land at Smolensk North Airport — a former military airbase — in thick fog, with visibility reduced to about 500 metres (1,600 ft). The aircraft descended far below the normal approach path until it struck trees, rolled, inverted and crashed into the ground, coming to rest in a wooded area a short distance from the runway.
Both the Russian and Polish official investigations found no technical faults with the aircraft, and concluded that the crew failed to conduct the approach in a safe manner in the given weather conditions. The Polish authorities found serious deficiencies in the organization and training of the Air Force unit involved, which was subsequently disbanded. Several high-ranking members of the Polish military resigned following pressure from politicians and the media.
Last words:
TAWS:PULL UP, PULL UP.
ST: 80.
2P: Go around.
Signal at F=400 Hz. (Decision height).
TAWS:PULL UP, PULL UP.
ST: 60.
ST: 50.
D: Horizon 101.
ST: 40.
TAWS:PULL UP, PULL UP.
ST: 30.
D: Height control, horizon.
ST: 20.
Signal at F=400 Hz. Autopilot disconnect.
Signal at F=800 Hz. Inner marker.
Signal at F=400 Hz. Autothrottle disconnect.
TAWS:PULL UP, PULL UP.
TAWS:Signal at F=400 Hz. ABSU.
TAWS:PULL UP, PULL UP.
TAWS:Sound of hitting trees.
2P: F*cking hell!
TAWS:PULL UP, PULL
D: Abort to second approach!
A: Screaming Fuckkkkkkkkkkkk….. END OF TRANSMISSION.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
FUNNY FRIDAY
---- đđđ -----
Time for anoither Friday with some funnies.
Enjoy.
---- đđđ -----
SOME HUMOUR:
__________
Met this girl online yesterday. She's so into me. She wants to know the name of my first pet, my mom's maiden name, and where I was born.
It's called a conversation. Ladies, take note.
Reader comments:
LMAO. She wants to learn his passwords.
Dear Seller
A month ago I ordered and paid for a book "How to scam people online"
Tell me please, when will I receive it? Or can I have a refund.
Thanks
__________
My 7 year old nephew showed me with pride the "telephone" he had just made from a string and two tin cans.
I pulled out my iPhone and said, "That's nice, but...look at what kids your age make in China!"
__________
A teacher explained biology to her 3rd-grade students. She said, "Human beings are the only animals that stutter." A little girl raised her hand saying, "I had a kitty-cat that stuttered."
The teacher, knowing how precious some of these stories could become, asked the girl to describe the incident.
"Well,'' she began, "I was in the backyard with my kitty when the Rottweiler that lives next door got a running start and before we knew it, he jumped over the fence into our yard!"
The teacher exclaimed, "That must've been scary."
The little girl said, "It sure was. My kitty raised her back, went Sssss, Sssss, Sssss and before she could say 'Shit,' the Rottweiler ate her!"
__________
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin trained in a desert location in the United States for their moon landing.
They met an old Indian. He asked them what they were doing. They told him they were going to the moon. The old Indian said that there were spirits on the moon and he wanted them to give them a message.
He drilled them in how to give the message in his native tongue but would not tell them what it meant. When they got back to their base they managed to find an Indian who laughed when they related the message to him. It was: "Don't believe a single word these people are telling you, they have come to steal your lands."
__________
Same theme:
A native American:
When the Missionaries arrived, we had the land and the Missionaries had the Bible. They taught us how to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land and we had the Bible.
---- đđđ -----
There is a factory in Northern Ireland which makes the Tickle Me Elmo toys. The toy laughs when you tickle it under the arms.
Well, Lena is hired at The Tickle Me Elmo factory and she reports for her first day promptly at 8:00 AM. The next day at 8:45 AM there is a knock at the Personnel Manager's door.
The Foreman throws open the door and begins to rant about the new employee. He complains that she is incredibly slow and the whole line is backing up, putting the entire production line behind schedule.
The Personnel Manager decides he should see this for himself, so the 2 men march down to the factory floor. When they get there the line is so backed up that there are Tickle Me Elmo's all over the factory floor and they're really beginning to pile up. At the end of the line stands Lena surrounded by mountains of Tickle Me Elmo's.
She has a roll of plush red fabric and a huge bag of small marbles. The 2 men watch in amazement as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around two marbles and begins to carefully sew the little package between Elmo's legs.
The Personnel Manager bursts into laughter. After several minutes of hysterics he pulls himself together and approaches Lena.
"I'm sorry," he says to her, barely able to keep a straight face, "but I think you misunderstood the instructions I gave you yesterday..."
"Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles.
---- đđđ -----
LIMERICK OF THE WEEK:
One Saturday morning at three,
A cheesemonger’s shop in Paree,
Collapsed to the ground,
With a thunderous sound,
Leaving only a pile of de brie.
---- đđđ -----
GALLERY:
---- đđđ -----
RELIGION SPOT
A guy walks into a bar, completely drunk.
He calls for everyone’s attention and yells “Make way, everybody, ’cause God Himself is here”, pointing at himself.
Everyone is either embarrassed or nervously laughing. The barman rolls his eyes and goes to the proud drunkard, and asks him “What makes you think you’re Him?”
“Follow me,” the drunkard said.
The barman follows the drunkard for a while, until both arrive at a church, during a mass. The drunkard yells from the entrance “Hey there, priest, remember me?”
The priest interrupts the mass and groans “Oh, my God, you’re here again?!”
---- đđđ -----
CORN CORNER:
__________
I told my boss I needed a pay rise as 3 other companies were after me… He asked which ones? I said "gas, water & electricity"
__________
What’s the difference between Wuhan and Vegas?
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
__________
The punchline arrives before the setup.
What's the worst part about telling time travel jokes?
__________
There was a big chess tournament at a hotel with a big atrium . Many of the players were gathered in the atrium before the matches began. There was a lot of trash talking among the players, each trying to top the other with their accomplishments within the game and chess acumen. It was a clear case of chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.
I’ll see myself out.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
Thursday 25 April 2024 is Anzac Day, one of the most sacred days in the Australian calendar. It is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorating all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served".
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
From 'For the Fallen' by Lawrence Binyon, 1914
THINGS LEARNED
Some wise words from Stephanie Dawson but the thing is, all of us have to learn those things for ourselves, not just someone telling us. Still, there is food for thought in each of the points below . . .
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
POETRY SPOT
-----------ooOoo-----------
Ron, Tim et al in the US, here is an American item in the nature of the Australian bush poets and reminiscent of The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Tim’s neck of the woods.
It is called Tying Knots in the Devil’s Tail and is an original poem by Gail Gardner set to music by Michael Martin Murphy and his band in Red River, New Mexico. Hear him tell the story of the poem and hear him and his boys sing it by clicking on:
I admit it scans better as a song than as a poem but it is a bit of fun.
"Tying Knots In The Devil's Tail"
Oh, way up high in the Sierra Peaks
Where the yellow jack pines grow tall
Sandy Bob and Buster Jiggs
Had a round-up camp last fall
They're takin' their ponies and they're runnin' irons
Maybe a dog or two
And they allowed their brand on every long-eared calf
That come within their view
Now many a long-eared dogie
That didn't hush up that day
Had his ol' ears whittled and his ol' hide sizzled
In the most artistic way
Now, Sandy Bob, he said one day
As he throwed his cigar down
I'm tired of this cowography
And all else, I'm goin' to town
Well, they saddled their ponies and they struck them a load
And how them boys can ride
And them was the days that an ol' cowboy
Could oil up his ol' insides
Well, it started out at the Kentucky bar
At the head of the whiskey row
And they wound up down at the depot house
About forty drinks below
Well, they set 'em up and they turned them around
And they went the other way
And I'll swear the godforsaken truth
Them boys got drunk that day
They mounted up and they headed to camp
And they's packin' a pretty good load
When who should they meet, but the Devil himself
Come prancin' down the road
Well, the Devil said, "You ornery skunks
You better hunt your holes
'Cause I'm the Devil from Hell's Rim Rock
Come to gather in your souls"
Sandy Bob said, "Devil be damned
It may be a little bit tight
Before you gather any cowboy souls
You gonna have a hell of a fight"
He swung his rope and he swung it straight
He also swung it true
He caught the devil by both his horns
And taken his dallies too
Now Buster Jiggs was a lariat man
With his rawhide coiled up neat
He shook it out and built him a loop
And he latched the Devil's hind feet
Well, they stretched him out and they tailed him down
And the irons was gettin' hot
They cropped and swallow-forked his ears
And they branded him up a lot
And they left him there in the Sierra Peaks
Necked to a black-jack oak
But before they left, they tied some knots
In his tail just for a joke
So if you're ever up there in Sierra Peaks
And you hear one hell of a wail
It's just the Devil
A feller and a thousand knots tied in his tail
As Murphy says in his background commentary, the Devil had horns, hooves and a tail so they rope him and brand him, even tie knots in his tail as a playful joke. They leave the Devil in the Sierra Peaks, bellowing, tied to an oak by his neck.
Monday, April 22, 2024
BIBLE ODDITIES
-----------ooOoo-----------
It ain't necessarily so
It ain't necessarily so
The things that yo' li'ble
To read in the Bible
It ain't necessarily so
- Lyric from “It Ain’t Necessarily So” from the Gershwins' opera Porgy and Bess (1935), music by George Gershwin and lyrics by his brother Ira Gershwin.
__________
There are numerous oddities and quirky verses/stories in the Bible, bizarre even.
Many of them are from the Old Testament. I am aware that there is justification for dietary laws for people who did not have refrigeration or modern medical care, eg prohibitions against eating pork, shrimp, shellfish and many types of seafood, most insects, scavenger birds, and various other animals, but this is somewhat hollow when dietary rules were never intended to apply to anyone other than the Israelites and that the purpose of the food laws was to make the Israelites distinct from all other nations. After this purpose had ended, Jesus declared all foods clean.
So, some oddities . . .
__________
“If a man’s testicles are crushed or his penis is cut off, he may not be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.”- Deuteronomy 23:1
As a result, rabbis were expected to prove their parts were in working order before they could work in the Temple.
__________
King Saul, jealous of David and fearing that David would take over as king, offered David the hand of his daughter if David brought back 100 Philistine foreskins. The intent was not to collect foreskins but for David to be killed.
Informed by servants of Saul’s true intent, David put his back into and came back to Saul with 200 foreskins!
"And Saul said: Speak thus to David: The king desireth not any dowry, but only a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. …. And after a few days David rose up, and went with the men that were under him, and he slew of the Philistines two hundred men, and brought their foreskins and numbered them out to the king, that he might be his son in law. Saul therefore gave him Michol his daughter to wife. And Saul saw, and understood that the Lord was with David. "- 1 Samuel 18:25-27
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Abraham instructed his chief servant to “place his hand under his thigh” and swear an oath.
The placing of one’s hand under the “thigh” is a euphemistic way to refer to swearing upon the testicles of the master. The testicles are the sign of Abraham’s descendants (they literally contained the “seed” that God had promised to bless in Genesis 15, 17, 22). The Abrahamic Covenant in general is sealed upon the genitals of Abraham and his descendants.
Although the etymology is contested by some, the word Latin word testes is identical to the same word for “witnesses”. It is therefore considered by other etymologists that the word ‘testimony’ has this origin
- Genesis 24:2-9
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You shall also have a place outside the camp and go out there, and you shall have a spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn to cover up your excrement. Since the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.- Deuteronomy 23:12-14
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If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered, then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife because he has violated her; he cannot divorce her all his days.- Deuteronomy 22:28-29
Fifty shekels of silver is equal to about $148 in USD in 2022.
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Unicorns are mentioned, by name, at least nine times in the King James Bible translation. They are only found in the Old Testament. Examples:
Some of the more interesting references in Scripture to unicorns include the following.
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn- Numbers 23:22Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns- Psalm 22:21But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil- Psalm 92:10Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?- Job 39:9 - 10The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn- Psalm 29:5 - 6
Other than the verses above, umicorns are also mentioned by name in in Numbers 24:8, Deuteronomy 33:17 and Isaiah 34:7.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
EEYORE, POOH AND PIGLET
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In a world where the nightly news broadcasts contain constant stories of war and discord, hostility, prejudice and conflict of various types; where being cynical, sceptical and blasé, if not the norm, are common, is there a place for kindness, compassion, caring and love?
There certainly is, that is why I am posting the following extract from Winnie the Pooh emailed to me by John P. Thank you, John
We all have our Eeyore moments, hopefully we will have a Pooh or Piglet there - sometimes just being there is enough. Or be a Pooh or Piglet for someone else who is having a tough time.
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Extract:
It occurred to Pooh and Piglet that they hadn’t heard from Eeyore for several days, so they put on their hats and coats and trotted across the Hundred Acre Wood to Eeyore’s stick house. Inside the house was Eeyore.
“Hello Eeyore,” said Pooh.
“Hello Pooh. Hello Piglet,” said Eeyore, in a Glum Sounding Voice.
“We just thought we’d check in on you,” said Piglet, “because we hadn’t heard from you, and so we wanted to know if you were okay.”
Eeyore was silent for a moment. “Am I okay?” he asked, eventually. “Well, I don’t know, to be honest. Are any of us really okay? That’s what I ask myself. All I can tell you, Pooh and Piglet, is that right now I feel really rather Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. Which is why I haven’t bothered you. Because you wouldn’t want to waste your time hanging out with someone who is Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All, would you now.”
Pooh glanced at Piglet, and Piglet glanced at Pooh, and they both settled, one on each side of Eeyore in his twig abode.
Eeyore looked at them in surprise. “What are you doing?”
“We’re sitting here with you,” said Pooh, “because we are your friends. And true friends don’t care if someone is feeling Sad, or Alone, or Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. True friends are there for you anyway. And so here we are.”
“Oh,” said Eeyore. “Oh.” And the three of them sat there in silence, and while Pooh and Piglet said nothing at all; somehow, almost imperceptibly, Eeyore started to feel a very tiny little bit better.
Because Pooh and Piglet were There.
No more; no less.
- A.A. Milne
Saturday, April 20, 2024
SONG SPOT
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DRILL YE TARRIERS, DRILL
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A folk song that I quite like.
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Video:
I love this version by Donal Clancy, my favourite, and some great guitar work in accompanying himself:
This version by Trip McCool is also good, plus interesting photographs:
1891 recording, sound not great but interesting for the historical context:
1950’s recording by Cisco Houston:
Cisco Houston, a renowned American folk singer and songwriter, popularised the song again with a version in the 1950s. However, his voice, a smooth baritone, has been considered too polished for folk music. His voice has been categorised as too professional and lacking in authenticity. Fully agree.
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Lyrics:
Every morning at seven o'clock
There's twenty tarriers a workin’ at the rock
The boss comes along and he says, "Keep still
And come down heavy on the cast iron drill."
Chorus:
So drill, ye tarriers, drill
And drill, ye tarriers, drill
Oh it's work all day for the sugar in your tay
Down beyond the railway
So drill, ye tarriers, drill.
Our new foreman is Dan McCann
By God he was a blamed mean man
Last week a premature blast went off
And a mile in the air went big Jim Goff.
[Chorus]
Next time payday comes around
Jim Goff a dollar short was found
"When he asked “What for?” came this reply
"You was docked for the time you was up in the sky."
[Chorus]
The boss was a fine man down to the ground
And he married a lady six foot round,
She baked good bread and she baked it well
But she baked it harder than the hobs of Hell.
[Chorus]
Tarriers live on work and sweat
There ain't no tarrier got rich yet
Sleep and work, then work some more
And we'll drill right through to the devil's door.
[Chorus]
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About the song:
"Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill" is an American folk song first published in 1888 and attributed to Thomas Casey (words) and later Charles Connolly (music). It was the Number 1 song in 1891.
The song is a work song about the construction of the American railroads in the mid-19th century. The title refers to Irish workers, drilling holes in rock to blast out railroad tunnels.
“Tarrier” has a double meaning: one who tarries or delays; and an auger or instrument for boring holes. In the context of the song, the tarriers are those who operated the steel drills used to bore holes to place dynamite charges.
Tarriers used the steam drills that the legendary hammer-man John Henry battled to drill holes to place dynamite charges.
“Tay” means tea.
“Hobs of Hell” - Hobs are big stones on either side of an open Irish fireplace. They kept the heat in a smaller area but they got very hot.
This song serves as a tribute to the workers who tirelessly toiled away, often in dangerous conditions, to dig tunnels and construct railways. The title itself, “Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill,” is a call to action, urging the workers to press on and continue their labor with unwavering determination. The song captures the relentless nature of such work, highlighting the physical and mental stamina required to overcome obstacles and achieve monumental feats.
Labor issues were often addressed in nineteenth-century songs. At times they took the form of an individual caught in a tragic situation (fired by a cruel boss, for example) in the typical sentimental tone of the era. Other times, however, such situations acquired vivid comic dimensions, as in this song when a blast blows Jim Goff sky high, and then finds his pay docked for the time he was away from the drill.
The work of the tarriers was inherently dangerous. Working with explosives and tunnelling through rock and earth posed numerous risks. The threat of collapsing tunnels, cave-ins, and explosions was constant. The song portrays the bravery of these workers who faced these perils daily, underscoring their courage and sacrifice in accomplishing their tasks.
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Some pics and further comments:
Irish workers, Union Pacific Railroad construction, 1860s
The Union Pacific Railroad company employed mainly Irish immigrants who were unmarried veterans of the Civil War, both Confederate and Union, who sought opportunity and work. The work was challenging and it consisted of digging, grading, and track laying across the Great Plains for long hours at a time through challenging conditions. The style of labor was very military like with project managers cursing and barking out orders which workers were expected to obey like soldiers. Workers were paid three dollars a day with food and lodging provided. They worked from sun up to sundown with only three breaks a day for meals, which included large breakfast and lunch portions and smaller dinner portions. Harsh winter storms, Indian raids on worker camps and lack of supplies such as firewood made track laying difficult and slow. The Irish workers also suffered dysentery which was a constant problem because they frequently drank impure water from springs or lakes. They were expected to lay two to three miles of track a day.
The railroad companies also used Asian labour.
"It took four men to hold a big iron bar to manually drill a hole into the granite," according to Hus, director of research for Stanford's Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project. "A fifth man would pound it with a sledgehammer. Then they would rotate the bar a quarter turn and pound it again, and so on. This was how they drilled the hole to then pack the black powder, light it and run. There were no hydraulics."
In early 1865 the Central Pacific had work enough for 4,000 men. Yet contractor Charles Crocker barely managed to hold onto 800 laborers at any given time. Most of the early workers were Irish immigrants. Railroad work was hard, and management was chaotic, leading to a high attrition rate. The Central Pacific management puzzled over how it could attract and retain a work force up to the enormous task. In keeping with prejudices of the day, some Central Pacific officials believed that Irishmen were inclined to spend their wages on liquor, and that the Chinese were also unreliable. Yet, due to the critical shortage, Crocker suggested that reconsideration be given to hiring Chinese. He encountered strong prejudice from foreman James Harvey Strobridge.
Strobridge's attitude changed when a group of Irish laborers agitated over wages. Crocker told Strobridge to recruit some Chinese in their place. Instantly, the Irishmen abandoned their dispute. Sensing at least that fear of competition might motivate his men, Strobridge grudgingly agreed to hire 50 Chinese men as wagon-fillers. Their work ethic impressed him, and he hired more Chinese workers for more difficult tasks. Soon, labor recruiters were scouring California, and Crocker hired companies to advertise the work in China.
The number of Chinese workers rose to a high of 12,000 in 1868, comprising at least 80% of the Central Pacific workforce.
The Chinese workers were punctual, willing, and well-behaved -- sometimes referred to as "Celestials" in reflection of their spiritual beliefs. They were quite unlike their Caucasian counterparts, who quickly resented the growing competition and harassed the foreigners. Crocker and Strobridge made clear to the Irishmen that they could work alongside the Chinese crews or be replaced by them. The ultimatum may not have cured the anger of the white crews, but it sufficed to quell rebellion.
Workers lived in canvas camps alongside the grade. In the mountains, wooden bunkhouses protected them from the drifting snow, although these were often compromised by the elements. Each gang had a cook who purchased dried food from the Chinese districts of Sacramento and San Francisco to prepare on site. While Irish crews stuck to an unvarying menu of boiled food — beef & potatoes — the Chinese ate vegetables and seafood, and kept live pigs and chickens for weekend meals. To the dull palates of the Irishmen, the Chinese menu was a full-blown sensory assault. The newcomers seemed alien in other ways: they bathed themselves, washed their clothes, stayed away from whiskey. Instead of water they drank lukewarm tea, boiled in the mornings and dispensed to them throughout the day. In such a manner they avoided the dysentery that ravaged white crews.
Strobridge continued to doubt the suitability of Chinese to certain tasks. When a group of Irish masons struck for higher wages, Crocker suggested using Chinese men in their place. The foreman objected. Famously, Crocker replied, "Did they not build the Chinese Wall, the biggest piece of masonry in the world?" Strobridge acquiesced, and Chinese crews were soon laying stone.
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