Convairiety, Volume 12, Number 19, September 16, 1959 Page: 4 of 8
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Page 4
CONVAIRIETY
Wednesday, September 16, 1959
ROGUE RUNNERS—Attitude of river ranged from tranquil to
turbulent as Convair SD sons braved rigors on eight-day journey
down Rogue River. Not a few boys bounced overboard.
Rubber Boaters
Oregon's Rugged Rogue Tamed
By Teen-Age Explorer Scouts
An eight-day journey by boat
down the rugged Rogue River in
southwestern Oregon ended late
last month when 22 Convair SD
teen-age boys and four adult
advisers successfully completed
their 102-mile route.
Usually traversed only by pro-
fessional rivermen guiding tourist
parties, the Rogue yielded the
mystery of its rapids, shoots, and
falls to the energetic onslaught
of Convair SD’s Air Explorer
Squadron 340.
Along the way the “river rats”
shot rapids, panned gold,
“parked” boats high and dry on
rocks, painstakingly portaged the
worst of the falls, and heartily
paddled their way through be-
calmed waters.
According to Andy Drollinger,
squadron adviser, the trip started
easily enough at Robinson’s
Bridge, 11 miles west of Grant’s
Pass. The first afternoon, feeling
their way, the novice crews cov-
ered four miles of river laced
with six rapids.
The second day, profiting from
experience, the “rats” easily con-
quered 20 rapids of growing in-
L. W. Miller, Former
Vice President, Dies
Brig. Gen. L. W. Miller, USAF
(ret.), former vice president of
finance for Convair, died last
week (Sept. 7) at Naval Hospital
in San Diego.
Miller joined Convair in Janu-
ary, 1948, and was named vice
president in May of that year.
After five and a half years with
the company, he resigned in the
fall of 1953.
tensity and became more skilled
in reading the “language” of the
water that could make a differ-
ence between a hole in the bottom
of the boat and safe passage,
Drollinger said.
“Graves Falls was the first of
the five quick drops that we
could run,” Drollinger said. “The
river disappeared completely as
it dropped over the falls. The
first two boats managed nicely,
rolling off the heavy water pads
on the right bank rocks.
“The third boat managed the
rough part fine, but then jammed
on a heavy rock and dropped the
cook in the drink.”
However, the closest call came
later.
Boat three lodged in a narrow
shoot between two big rocks. The
crew managed to save the gear
in the front compartment from
going overboard. Crews from the
other boats quickly ran lines to
her stern, easing the boat out of
the hole and into the correct
channel.
Boats were repaired as the trip
progressed. Roughly 1,200 lbs of
men, supplies and equipment were
in each of the Navy-surplus
LCPRs (Landing Craft Personnel
—Rubber).
In addition to Drollinger, ad-
visers on the trip included Taru
Shimizu (Dept. 500 Astro); Tom-
my Charles, six-year squadron
member; and Dean Rothacher, a
student at San Diego State Col-
lege.
The trip ended at Gold Beach
in Oregon. Drollinger summed
up: “Eight days on the Rogue is
work. But each day for the boys
was worth a month of progress
toward manhood.”
BON VOYAGE—Enthusiastic members of Air Explorer Squadron
340 wave farewells from truck as they leave Bldg. 19 parking lot at
SD en route to jump-off spot on Oregon's Rogue River.
Silver King' Koenig, Big League Ace
Of 80s, Victor in 11 Games in 11 Days
Newspaper clippings yellow
with age, detailing the fabulous
career of one of baseball’s all-
time greats, are treasured by a
Convair Palmdale employee,
Ethel Briggs (Dept. 324-2).
The news stories all concern
Charles F. Koenig, better
known in the sports world of
the 1880s and 90s as the “Sil-
ver King,” the pitcher who set
an all-time record by pitching
11 games in 11 days and win-
ning them all! In a single
game, he struck out 19 bats-
men.
The clippings are yellow be-
cause they date back to the 1880s
and Ethel particularly treasures
them because she is his daughter.
Although Koenig hung up his
uniform for the last time in
1897, he is still remembered a-
mong older baseball fans because
of his outstanding record in the
big leagues. He participated in
333 big league games, striking
out 1128. He walked 830.
And this record was attained
back in the days when pitchers
played under conditions far
different than those of today.
Most clubs had no more than
three pitchers and some had
only one, with no relief
provided. The pitcher’s box was
10 feet closer to the plate than
it is today and the rules varied
considerably from season to
season. At one time the batter
was allowed four strikes and
seven balls and later the rules
provided for four strikes and
five balls!
Koenig, a big barrel-chested
man with a hand large enough to
surround a baseball and com-
pletely hide it from view, started
his baseball career at the age of
18 in 1885 when he pitched for
the semi-pro team of Jackson-
ville, 111. The following year he
joined St. Joseph in the Western
League. Later he went on to Kan-
sas City in the National League
and St. Louis Browns in the
American Association. It was
with the Browns that he leaped
to fame and was christened the
“Silver King” by sportswriters.
His surname of Koenig means
“King” in German, and his thatch
of blond hair resembled burnished
silver.
He was truly the king of the
hurlers, winning 44 out of 65
games he hurled in 1888, and the
following year winning 30 and
losing 15.
In 1890 he left the Browns for
the Chicago White Sox where he
continued to dazzle with 30 wins
and 18 losses. The following
three years saw his career ebb
somewhat as he played with the
New York Giants, Pittsburgh and
Cincinnati, then mediocre teams
which the big pitcher was unable
to carry alone.
Disgusted, he quit the game
but returned two years later in
1896, signing with the Washing-
ton Senators. In 1897 he retired
for good and went into the con-
tracting business in St. Louis,
where he died in 1938 at the age
of 72.
Although Koenig was one of
the greatest of the great, he
didn’t get rich at the game. As
a star pitcher in the late 1800’s
CL-44*s First Flight
Slated in November
MONTREAL — Pre-flight
stage has been reached by the
first Canadair CL-44 turbo-
prop transport. Checking of
the fully installed electrical
system and electronics equip-
ment is nearly finished. The
hydraulic system is almost
complete and is being checked
progressively. Flight controls
are already function-tested.
All four Rolls-Royce Tyne
turboprop engines have been
mounted for some time now
and installation of a propeller
has been made. Instrumenta-
tion is now proceeding for en-
gine runs which are scheduled
for early October. First flight
of the CL-44 is due early in
November.
his top salary was $5,000 for an
entire season.
In addition to news clippings,
Ethel also has in her possession
contracts her father signed with
the Pittsburgh Athletic Club in
1891 and the New York Baseball
Club in 1892.
I
)
\
X
I
Here are two pictures of
“Silver'’ King, a St, Louisan
who was a member of the pen-
nant-winning Browns of 1887.
King, in the above photo, is
shown as he appears today,
while at left he is portrayed
as he looked in his heyday
back in the ’80s and ’90s.
GREAT HURLER ON GREAT TEAM
\
i]
FADING CLIPPINGS—Ethel Briggs, daughter of old-time base-
ball great, shows fading news clippings to C. A. Stewart and Jerry
Hagoort, all of Dept. 324 at Palmdale facility in California.
Boy of 11 Blankets Field to Win
West Coast Highland Dance Title
An 11-year-old Convair SD son
last month became the first
youth ever to win the Pacific
Coast championship at the annual
Highland Games in Burbank,
Calif.
Bruce Robinson, son of C. B.
Robinson (Dept. 192) and Mrs.
Robinson (Dept. 288-8), was
judged the outstanding performer
among some 70 dancers in differ-
ent age groups competing in the
international competition.
He won no less than 10 first-
place plaques, medals and
trophies.
In his own class (for 12-year-
olds and under), Bruce won four
first-place plaques and the class
trophy. He followed that accom-
plishment by winning the best
male dancer trophy for perform-
ers under 16, then was awarded
the Seann Triubhas trophy, and
was also judged best performer
up to 16 years in the three High-
land dances—fling, swords, and
Seann Triubhas.
In addition he took the Grand
Aggregate trophy, and climaxed
the day by winning the Edin-
burgh medal, signifying the
Pacific Coast championship.
Other Convair SD and Astro
youths also won honors at the
games. They included Margaret
Doig, daughter of John Doig
(SD); Irene Young, daughter of
Bob Young (SD); Barbara Mc-
Cabe, daughter of Charles Mc-
Cabe (Astro); and Philip and
Michael Robinson who played
with the Cameron Pipe Band.
HOT FEET — Bruce Robinson,
a Convair SD son, recently be-
came first youngster to ever win
Pacific Coast championship at
Highland Games. Here he dis-
plays winning form in Scottish
sword dance.
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General Dynamics Corporation. Convair Division. Convairiety, Volume 12, Number 19, September 16, 1959, periodical, September 16, 1959; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1118024/m1/4/?q=%221961-07%22: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth.