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After RecordAerial JauntToad Cover* 8,250 Miles In Nine Days For Airmail CauseUnconcerned over Ms, achieve-• \ . .1 • •ment of being .the first horned toad n]ito fly around the nation, while giv- *log airmail week May 15-21. seme national 'advertising, Big Jim stuck one leg through Ms cage and lolled at ease today.Postmaster,. Wat. Shick, who conceived the idea... of sending the sturdy little West Texas native on his aerial toiir, rewarded the toad ■with a feast of red ants and promised more of the'same menu to the now pampered animal. -• Although “Big Jim1 * was nine days in flying to the four corners -of the United States,. Shick cited the example .of “Old Bip, horned toad that made national news history when he was pulled out of the . Eastland . county.. court house cornerstone after several- decades of fasting. .•: Letters Come'In..Letters from postmasters along the line began ;to : pour into Shick’s office Friday. Postmasters at Dallas, St. Louis, New Orleans and other -points commended the Big Spring, postmaster -for his ihitift-- tive. ;Joe’ W. Butts, mail clerk at the St. Louis air terminal, was moved by the toad's^ visit to wonder:. “Oh, why did I 'ever- leave my_old job on the Fort Worth' and Ei. Paso railroad postoffice.” Parting, too, was a “sweet sorrow” for. Butts, who added that 'T hate to see you go, but you have: brought. loads of sun-jshine into, the life of a homesick Texas boy.” .. -When the .homed toad arrived here at .4:45 p. no. Thursday, a small crowd Was on.hand at the airportto greet ' him.' When Stewardess Pat Mullally, who nine days previously had taken the toadin her charge, handed it to Shick, the ceremony was broadcast over radio station KBST. Shick, Dr. P-W. Malone, chamber of commerce . president, and Bob Schermerhom, chairman of the- chamber's aviation committeej: said a “few words of• Welcome” and gave national airmail'week a plug.Bids for Covers-A few remaining formalities were .quickly dispatched,.; “Big Jim” was' photographed with, the 15 covers which ’carried him to. as many . points on the. nation’s airmail map.Shortly afterwards, Shick began re~ jecting offers for the covers, oneof them amounting to 52.50 for xeach .of the'cancelled.stamp's and. envelopes. . 1 . • • • - -I Log of Big, Jim's” trip showed. that' ■ he' arrived -.in' ■■.Dallas' - on April. evening - heHefLhere. ”'Next • morning .'he'- was In-New Or-leans and-..that ^evening, in. Mem-- phis. 'Oh April 21 he was received . at Miami,-Fla,, and on. the 22nd he• made stops at Charlotte, Washing-' ton and. New York.. Detroit reported him on the ,23rd as did St' Louis. St. Paul had:him.the next day but Salt .Lake City did not re-' ceive the toad: until . April 26,- as did Seattle, Wash. On Wednesday ...the Postmaster at; San Francisco sent him to Phoenix, Anz., where he arrived early Thursday morn-; ,ihg. „. A few hours later he. was back home—an 8,250 mile jaunt behind him. It-was a record hop for ■.toads:hbest:i4a9ItcIi3
Newspaper Details
Big Spring Weekly Herald
Big Spring, Texas, US
Fri, May 06, 1938
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 13 Jul 2022
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