Evening Star Newspaper, June 18, 1922, Page 59

Part 4—8 Pages WASHINGTON, D. C, MAGAZINE SECTION ' FICTION l ‘g[hg %unflay giaf ! FE‘ATURES. I SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 18, 1922, Glowing Eye of Police Boat Pierces Night Gloom on River BY J. A. BUCHANAN. F you want to spend a night that is filled with strange experiences, that is productive of glimpses of all sides of life, you should take a night trip on the police boat as it patrols the waters of the Potomac. The sights you see and the sounds you hear are vastly different from those viewed or heard in the daylight hours. Night is not man’s natural time to be awake and the senses do not appe.r to be properly attuned to this perica In the twenty-four hours. There is an cerie something about the period after sunset that distorts and magnifies. You come upon an ob- ject that Is familiar to vour vision in e daytime, and it appears to have taken on a new shape. It muy b2 per- haps, that the sudden approach and the condition of the eye is respousible. The sounds of the day are stilled end n their place you hear new and un- usual somethings that You ‘anaot lasify or place. It may be siatic or absence of static. It may bhe the dif- ference in wave lengths—may be this, at or the other, but the sounds at ht are different. The lapping of the water against the s des of the boat, inaudible a fow ds away, sounds to the occupant of the craft like a great noise. Voizes in the distance. coming from unscen tliroats, possess a penetrating power that is most unusnal, but Fou do know that night presents a strange and un- L | | | | | | usual world—one that you enter with | a certain amount of misgiving. It 1s| not because you are araid. It is be-| cause it is different. You know per- fectly well that you are for are you not guarded from Eow to| stern, on port and starboard, by members of the harbor precinct police force? Yet the queer fecling c'ing It is Intangible, but stiif you feel it.| * % % % OU are dubious about making the trip because of this crcepy fecl- ing. but you have made up your 1and to learn just how the police work at night and so you take passage on the | n is on number that is, one of them. this instance the trip 3. a sturdy launch, but one practicaily unfitted for the work—a launch built from the pennies and dimes saved here and there by Lieut. Dean aad nis official force. police bo: The launch is well constructed and | duty lent. engine, The aquipped with a heav but it is neither fast nor s chug-chug of its motor can be heard | a mile. It is the direct opposite of a swift and silent craft needed for this kind of work. River pirates or other hreakers of the law do not need to be | ed by any other means than the | var thump-thump of its motor. It would make =n ideal fishing launch because of its seaworthiness, but the kind of fish the police are after are not mem- hers of the finny tribe. The boat is equipped with the regu- Jation life preservers and the lights demanded by marine law. under the thwarts, to be used by the erew of the launch in Searching for Several | sets of grappling hooks are stowed | bodies of those drowned in the river. | The skipper last Saturday night was Ray C. Ault, while J. F. C. Nebb Jooked after the motor. Rubber coats, or slickers, as these mariners call them. were placed within easy reach. for no matter what the weather may be. the police boat continues its pa- trol Making the start from the dock, we proceeded down the river as far as Hains point and then pointed up atream. The officers in charge of the police boats are mot only familiar with every nook and cranny on the river, but they can tell in the darkest night just where there is “safe” water. A needed addition for the hoat would be a radiophone, so that the craft might be reached from the office of the harbor master at any time during its patrol. * Ok kX Pm\lec up the river against the tide, the craft finally reached the entrance to Little river, a part of the Potomac that is bounded on the south by the Virginia shore. It was in this body of water that seven arrests were made last spring for illegal fishing. Several nets were captured, and this resulted in the arrest and fining of the culprits to the tune of 3240. On the Virginia shore there are several launches, motor boats, sail- ing craft and houseboats, and there are also good beaches where young- gters and grown-ups cool their heated bedies during the summer months. On the right bank of Little river is a section of territory that when com- plete and filled in will make an ideal resort for the people of Washington. Across from this point is a govern- ment experiment station. All along Little river in the day- time one may see fishermen sitting patiently angling. In the early twi- light are numerous canoes, each con- taining a male and a female of the species. As a rule, the members of the fair sex are garbed in sport clothes of iridescent hues—they pad- dle mot, meither do they swim. As the sun sinks to rest and night gently falls like a velvet mantle, the canoe- ists seek the sheltered nooks where they are safe from any intrusion save the spotlight mounted on the police ‘boat. A little above is Analostan Island, upon which a number of years ago stood an old prison, connected with the mainland by a causeway. Turn- ing at the foot of Analostan Island, one glides through a smooth section of water, portions of which remind one of the everglades in some south- ern stream. In a few minutes you are back in the Potomac proper. Slightly fo the starboard is that magnificent mrchitectual gem, the Lincoln Me- morial. The bow of the craft is turned hard aport and you plow up the stream. | £ ,TTTTTITTTSTTT SIS ST ST DSOS Gay Canoeing Parties Observed on Voyage With Men Who Patrol Waters of Potomac After Sun Goes Down—Ofhcers in 2 Charge Familiar With Every Nook and Cranny of Stream—Story of a Good Citizen Who Is the Idol of the River Front. ¢ Majority of Boats Se OO OO FROM the floats In front of thi place dozens and dozens of gayly attired young women embark, with their best fellows, on the trip up the Potomac. One is impressed by the fancy names that are painted on the canoes. From this point, also, go many family parties, some in canoes, some in rowboats and others in launches. ‘ Next to Capt. Warner's garage is the headquarters of W. T. Reynolds. better known as “Bill” Reynolds. who many years has not only rented out boats and sold bait to the fisher- men, but has turned his place over to the police when occasion required. According to the police, Reynolds has always been ready to help them, day or night, in their search for bodies. BY CHRISTINE McKENZIE. F you should meet a certain hand- some woman with large dark eyes shooting quick and searching glances at faces along the avenue or in tea rooms or the theater, there will be no occasion to feel offended even if she should turn her investiga- tory scrutiny on your own defenseless features. In all probability the lady may be Miss Bijou Fernandez out on one of her prospecting expeditions in search of screen personalities, and vou may rest assured that her inter- est in any one will expire with a fleeting glance unless the face is one that can put a dramatic aspect on the appearance of things and make them seem very real. Every day and sometimes twice a day Miss Fernandez leaves her sunny and rather sumptuous office at 465 5th avenue, New York, to go hunt- ing for handsome young women for the movies. She keeps up the search in sunshine and in rain, on sunny sidewalks or grassy golf links, slosh- ing some days through water mud, and encountering the inevitable hardships wnd thrills that decorate the path of any intrepid prospector. Often the rigors of her search re- quire her to endure such drudgery as eating too much rich food or drinking too much tea, especially on those days when she sets out to explore In such places as Pierre’s or the Ambas- sador or Sherry's or the Ritz. After futile days in these diggings, the pic- ture prospector will move over to some new fleli—explore the afsles of a department store or agencies where moving picture aspirants come to register—spend an evening at college dramatics, an afternoon at progress- ive matinees, and alw and | TS ST DD DD T DSOS Built for Comfort and Not for Speed—Dreamy-eyed Paddler Barely Escapes Collision With Patrol Craft. 2 {e has done this work faithfully and well and without ever a cent of pay. I you want to start on a hurried trip to the hospital, make some mean iremark about “Bill” and the next thing you know you will find yourseif in some local hospital, for everybody on the river has a good word for this man, who has watched the ebb and flow of many years of human tide as well as the ebb and flow of the river itself. He does this work, not for pay, but just because he is a good citizen. As you sit and watch the merry- makers get in their canoes you notice that some of the young women are clad in bathing costumes. Every launch on the river is num- bered and registered with the cus- toms officers, and the regulations re- garding lights, etc., are not made by the police department, but are orders made by the federal government. In former years there were numer- ous rowing clubs, but there are not S0 many of these today as formerly, although during the summer you will see some eight or four oared shells, while here and there a single sculler is sending his long narrow boat for- ward with swift strokes. There are a few swift racing boats on the river. There are one or two that can skip right along, but the majority of them are built for comfort, and not for speed. LE * ok ok ok AVING Reynolds’ float you con- tinue upstream, passing under about the hardest one in the country.| ular American girl with a high de- especially when she stays in New York. For she finds that the big city, like a big mountain, can be incon- veniently reticgnt about the gold that may be hidden in its heart. Many times a day she wonders where in the world the beautiful girls have gone. The ‘trouble with most faces, accord- ing to Miss Fernandez, is that they are flat. The features run into each other. They lack distinction. is no startling beauty of eyes or mouth or general ensemble. They are, in this screen scout's classifica tion, “just bla-a!” That, she explains is due to the fact that the young women have no souls. Many,;she finds, have no brains. And if one hap-| pens to have soul or braing or sym- pathy she may have the bad luck to be afflicted with pale blue eyes or a crooked nose. Some who might have been good-looking have spoiled their faces by setting out in a determined sort of way to acquire a cynical nose. The personality prospector sees them {by thousands making life very dif- ficult for her in their efforts to con- i form to some imaginary and unat- tractive pattern, half-frightened for | fear they may férget. and be them- jselves in some moment of surprised enthusiasm. “To be a success on the screen a girl need not be a great beauty,” Mis Fernandez explained. “But she must have personality. I am constantly on the lookout for that very rare quality of wistfulness one sometimes sees on the face of an unspoiled girl. It is difficult to define or analyze. But there must be heart in it and in- she seeks | telligence. Perfection of features is There | gree of intelligence. * ok ok ok FEATL’RES are not éverything. but they are important, and we must not forget to keep the eccen- tricities of the camera in mind. eyes should be large and dark and set wide apart. Cheek bones must not be high. The upped lip must not be too short and the chin should not show a tendency to recede. Any face is automatically eliminated that has a large mouth or a square jaw. A round face is better«than a pro- nounced oval. The nose must fit the face. A classic set of features de- mands a distinguished nose, but a lit- tle turned-up nose may be very charming on a small round face. “I go out and gather in what l00ks attractive to me and then we send our discoveries to the roof to be test- ed by the camera. There is some- thing almost uncanny in the way that machine reveals imperfections in a face. It can be merciless to charac- teristics 1 may have overlooked or hoped it would overlook. Just the other day a face that I thought was nearly perfect for screen purposes showed up in the test with a crooked nose. I had not examined the profile as painstakingly as 1 should. covery is found her through an agency and took her to the Goldwyn office for a test. It was tremendously interest- ing to see her exemplify my theory of what should constitute a winner. Miss Boardmsn did not impress me as being distinguished for beauty of feature so much as for her qualities of charm and refinement and intelli- The | | | “My most important recent dis-|ly objected. Eleanor Boardman, who is|scout has been scouring other small regarded as a future screen star. I:towns hoping to find a type which archlight Unexpectedly Reveals Nose-powdering Operation. &’QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ%QQ@ T DT T T T DD DDA T D DA T DDA D DD DA - the new bridge and under the old one. To the right you see the attractive homes of the Washington Boat Club, Potomac Boat Club and Dempsey's canoe house. Away up on the bank is Georgetown University, while on the Virginia shore is busy Rosslyn. “Dead ahead.” as the mairne folks say, are dozens and dozens of canoes, | their white lights reminding one of | an expanse populated by the glow bugs of Central America, while many of them have phonographs amidship. All sorts of music is being |'ALIyed—k songs by Caruso, “3 O'Clock in the Morning,” “Beautiful Rosary” and the jazziest kind of jazz. Mingled with these are the strum- strum of an occasional banjo or the soft tones of a well played guitar, beautiful than she. But when we locked at the pictures her person- ality eclipsed that of all the others. 1 do not know much about the de- tails of how she carge to be able to express her real self in pictures. 1 think perhaps it is on account of quality of naturainess. She has smy- pathy and enthusiasm and grace. She has studied music and taken small parts in one or two Broadway plays, but this was her first -experience be- fore the camera. It was interesting to speculate on why the other beau- tiful girls failed to show up in their pictures with the necessary appealing rersonalities and Intelligence when the appearance of so many of them was superb—features, hair, physique, carriage. But that is how things work out under a camera test.” * ok kX TOT long ago Mids Fernandez spent four weeks visiting stock com- panies playing in little towns around Boston, thinking that should be 2 fertile fleld for beauty and brain: But, although she worked day and night, she found only one girl in all that time who gave any promise of being £0 much as a possibllity. She was from Lowell and had been want- ing to go into pictures, but her fami- Since then the screen she thinks is almost extinct in New York. ‘'When 1 tell you that out of 2,000 prospects I selected only four that were fit to be passed on to our casting director, and that out of these four only one met_ his approval, you will have some idea of how hard we have to hunt for movie material’ while the ukulele players deal mostly with “Aloha” or “On the Beach at Walikikl.” Here and there are girls in middie blouses, while their escorts are attired like *‘gobs. Toot! toot! A dreamy-eyed paddler was heading directly for us. There is urgent need of a water-traffic cop. Skipper Ault says that the majority of the canoeists are keen and alert and get out of the way. He declares that the condition of the dreamy-eyed obstructionist is the result either of 2 lover's quarrel or that the young man {8 mentally rehearsing a pro- posal speech. Just ahead. a little to the right, are the “Three Sisters,” a group of rocks so named, according to an Indlan legend, because three young and | tive face and is charming. Her eyes are large and dark and soft and she i has pretty brown hair. The count is tall, extremely handsome, wears his clothes well, and has a great | deal of manner. But I am not for- i getting that ‘the camera has found flaws in the faces of other counts and countesses and barons about whom I had been hopeful. “A prospector in my position has to school herself to see with the eyes of that relentless instrument. I know any number of famous beauties of the lscreen who could pass along the street and not attract any attention. And there are many distinguished- looking people that come into my of- fice whose beauty Is not suited to pic- tures. 1 can see in a flash that there something in that face that would not register. Why? That is hard to define. So much is involved in what we call regularity of features. “Not long ago a young man from Richmond, Va., walked into my of- fice and 1 had to keep a grip on my- self to refrain from gushing about how glad I was. I had never seen him before, but he had been sent by a mutual friend. He had youth, in- telligence and ease of manner and he was very good-looking. He knew nothing about acting except what he had learned in college plays. He came through the test all right and is now on his way to California * ok kX THIS prospector for picture person- alities has been studying the possibllities of facial expression all her life. She comes from an old theatrical family. Her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Bradshaw, play- ed In the old Bowery Theater, and 9 /)‘t\f}’bsssfis«’b@:; beautiful Indjan maeidens were drowned at that spot. A salutation comes from a passing craft. Its odd appearance causes one to ask where it came from. According to Officer Nebb it is a lifeboat from a captured German liner. Through the dusk you hear the whirr of an aeroplane propeller. The sound appears right ahead, vet it is not large enough in volume for even one of the small new scout machines. An instant later and it passes. An inventive genius has attached to a large ocgnoe a small motor, which furnishgs power ‘or an alr propelier. | It nis camp had electric light cusrent, | he might rig the device up on ghore and use it a8 a community fan dur- ing the daytime. Prospector Hunts Movie Types in City Throngs mother died she ran the business alone until the Goldwyn office offered her the management of a department that takes her scouting all over the country. While admitting that she finds quite a lot of the kind of per- sonalities that are wanted on the screen, she complains that the hunt- ing is very hard. So it would seem that if you are alming to emulate Mary Pickford or “Doug” or even Charlie Chaplin, and if your beauty and your bag of tricks should fail at the last moment, there is nothing to be gained by getling aisgruntled at the screen Scouts or the casting directors. Miss Fernandez blames these disappointments on the camera, which she accuses of being not merely fastidious and extremely exactilng, but psychic as well “Nobody knows any more about disappointment than I do,” she admit- ted with an alir of resignation. "We had an extremely handsome prospect here a few weeks ago. He was 2 count with a tremendous history that would have come in handy for pub- licity later. I really considered him an excellent prospect. But half an hour on the roof finished his career in the movies so far as we are con- cerned.” The Earth’s Core. T a meeting of the seismological 4L association at The Hague recently, Prof. Wiechert asserted that his studies of the varying velocity of the earthquake tremors passing through { the interior of the globe led to the conclusion that the earth consists of a central core of iron or steel about 5,580 miles in diameter, surrounded by a stony shell 930 miles in thick- AHE‘\D and to the left you hear the sound of dance music and you put in at Davis' float. Here are dozens and dozens of pretty, young girlles, tripping the light fantastic with their sunburned escorts. Here one may also secure lots of good ~g8 to eat and drink, and tha! ¢apsing creates a thirst is evidenced by the fact that last year 11,000 cases of a well known soft drink were 30!G 4t this place. No one is permitted to dance in a bathing suit. Adjoining is an extremely comfort- able houseboat, the summer domicile of Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins, a roomy, comfortable home. The sweet smell of the woods is di- luted by the smoke that comes curl- ing over the river from the camp- fires at the different camps along the Virginia shore. There are dozens and dozens of tents and summer houses on this side of the river. They run from elaborate and well appointed homes to little wooden shacks, but all of them house happy and good-na- tured groups of people, who fing it easy to sleep eight or ten hours every night. The campers have a formal organ- ization, of which Attorney Frank Healy is president. Back of the Healy camp is a miniature garden looked after by Mrs. Healy, the charming helpmate of the president of the association. Many of the campers have little gardens and to hear them discuss the relative merits of their “farms” is almost like at- tending a class day at an agricultural college. All of the camps have places for huge bonfires, around which at night the members of the different camps sit and talk. The names of some of these camps are: Irish Legu- tion, Camp Maywood, Martinique, Banzai, Raccar, Rock Haven, Colonfal and Admiral Ben Bow. There are also some named after Greek letter fraternities. O.\'CE more you push out into the stream, when suddenly you hear “Honk! Honk!" Is it possible that Henry has invented an amphibious * % x x flivver? No, it is merely a couple of canoes equipped with automobile horns. As we chug-chug along to- ward the Hen and Chickens we meet dozens and dozens of paddlers. There are but few single canoeists disclosed by the searchlight. Canoeing evi- dently is like dancing. You have to have a girl partner to make it a sue- cess. ‘The water at the Hen and Chickens is about seventy-five feet deep and canoeists exerciese unusual care at this spot. The police department has painted warning signs on the rocks at different points along the river. Many of these signs need touching up, and it might not be & bad idea to use luminous peint or to place signal lights at the points of danger. On goes the searchlight, and what do you think we saw? Right near a cove known as the parlors a sweet young thing diligently powdering her nose. Ten feet or so beyond was a young chap trying to get his canoe back into the water. He had forgotten all about the fact that tides some- times ebb. It was a wonderful illus- tration of the oid saying, “Time and tide wait for no man.” ‘While there is no curfew law on the river, the majority of the canoe- ists are back at the floats by mid- night or before, at which hour the marine garages close, and there is an excellent rule, very seldom broken. which prevents the renting of boats to any one under sixteen years of age The searchlight disclosed a little white cabin which is the permanent home of one of the quarry workers. his wife and little ones. Right below it is part of an old greal piano. A hail from the dark; ah answering re- sponse from us. The hall was from “Charlie,” officially known as C. M Birkigt of the seventh precinct, who in his motor boat patrols the river during the day. * % % * O on up the Potomac until the Chain bridge is reached, where Skipper Ault turns the craft around— a skillful bit of seamanship, because the current is most treacherous at this point. Down the river again until we tie up at “Bill” Reynolds place, stopping in there to pick up # few sandwiches, because the night air has caused a huge appetite. A few minutes later we are jolned by Bir- kigt, and our force now consists of four. Again we start up stream. playing the searchlight first to one side and then the other. A shower starts and the canoeists paddle for sheiter. We put in at Dreamland. Here are more girls and more fellows. Oblivious of the rain, they dance and consume soft drinks. In a few minutes the storm has passed and once more we are afloat Again the searchlight, because straight ahead we had heard the sounds of a controversy. It was a young woman in a white dress, up. braiding her escort because the dve from the wet cushions had made her costume look llke an Easter egg. Visions of a tragedy or & controversy over the spoils secured by a pirate band evaporated. It was merely a lovers' quarrel. So on, up and down-ne crulse con- {inues. the searchlight flashing s rays into spots along the shores. The majority of the pleasure seekers recognize the fact that Skipper Ault is but doing his duty and take the intrusion good naturedly. One husky young fellow yelled back. “Keep her turned on old man; it's my own wif Ding! Ding! the boat turns round and makes for Reynolds' float at full speed. Reaching there, Ault jumps ashore and goes to the phone. We push off again and dash down the river, not in search of canoeists, but looking for something else. Just how | Ault got the message that he was the same thing. useless unless behind the face there % %% is quickness of perception and the N e city that is famous for its beau- | ability to express feeling in a look. tiful women it might seem that|I am depending particularly on the Miss Ferriandez’ job ought to be a very easy sort of sineciire. As a mat- college girl to give us the new per- ter of fact she thinks she has just oause th sonalities we need for the screen. b ‘ her mother was an actress fora num- ber of years. Miss Fernandez did child roles and then ingenue roles. and some years ago she left the stage to engage in a theatrical exchange busi- ess with Ther -mother. After ' her 5 R i & ness. Between the outer solid rind and the inner layer of rock covering the metallic core he thinks there is a layer of liquid or plastic material lying & little less than twenty miles below the surface of the earth. ‘e s . gald Miss Fernandez. “Today, for example, T am having a test made of a count and countess and I am hoping the camera will not find any disarepancies In their faces that 1 bave ‘overlooked. Bhe has @n attrac- m ©On the right are wharves and sand containers, while beyond is a building where Capt. Warner, a celebrated @jver, has a commodious building, in . prhich he stores three or four hundred (panoes—a sort of marine garage, as ‘g, weren gence. She is twenty-four, weighs 124 pounds, and is five feet Six inches tall. 1 do not think any casual ob- nr‘n would have predicted the out- come of that test, for Miss Boardman ‘was surrounded with giris much more i - 2 o § wanted at the Reynolds float is a question the writer cannot answer. The police have methods of com- munication along the river that are) trade secrets. » e big demand is for the reg- G, Bl