New Britain Herald Newspaper, March 21, 1930, Page 5

_— BIG FRENCH FLOOD | 'RUINS OLD LANDS Historic Country in Southland Swept by Devastation | Washington, D. C.. March 21.— France's worst flood in a century or more, which drowned scores of peo- ple, swept away villages and bridges many hundreds of years old, de- stroyed vineyards, and put*hundreds | of square miles of farming land un- der water, has been centered in the Gascony, Midi and Languedoc regions just north of the eastern Pyrences | mountains in southern Irance. i This country and its life under ordinary conditions is described in a bulletin from the Washington, D. C. | headquarters of the National Geo. | graphic Society b a com- munication to the ty from Mel- ville Chater who traveled across the region of the recent floods, throughy the Lateral and Midi canals, in a canoe. Moissac, Where Loss Was Heavy Mr. Chater writes thus of Moissac where a breaking dam caused the death of 150 persons and destroyed part of the town. “We came to Moissac through a pretty countryside of hay-making scenes and red-roofed farm houses. Here the sinuous canal hardly per- mitted even a canoe to squeeze be- tween the monster barges pyramided with wine tuns for Bordeaux, the wustern Midi's wine center. “Surely it was by a sheer prodi gality of the religious art impulse | that Moissac, a mere rustic townlet, | became dowered with twelfth ce; tury cloisters which rival any in France! Their column capitals, graven with many a scene in whi popes and cardinals figure, consti- tute a veritable church history in stone. “Long before we gained the | Canal du Midi at Toulouse we had learned how vividly the French for ‘midday" describes Pyrenean France. | One's abiding recollections of the | Midi are of the midday—withering | heat, whitish, fast-shuttered houses, whitish roads, dust-blanched fields and foliage—all under a cloudless, | turquoise sky whose fires light the | Peasant’s bedtime hour. | “At Toulousc we left the Lateral Canal and entered the much older Canal du Midi. The Canal du Midi | is not only an important commerce carrier; it is among the most beaus | tiful of Irench waterways. Immedi- | ately beyond Toulouse we found our- selves floating through a series of woodland vistas, a ceaseless inter- | play of lights, shadows, and reflec- | tions, that changed with each turn of | this endlessly twisting stream. Tt is | small wonder that thesc same vistas | once intrigued Henry James into the | cautious remark that a taste in | canals was ‘justifiable.” “The Midi canal's picturcsque character is due to the magnificent trees which line its banks for more | than 100 miles. Here are venerable oak glades, there alleys of plane trees, and yonder spear-straight pines or somber walls of cypress. | Often, indeed, ranks of these differ- | ent species parallel cach other in mulfiplied depth of sylvan shelter. Peaceful Land of Sudden Storms That there could also be sudden storms in the peaceful Midi, Mr. | Chater and his companion soon learned. “You had better sleep ashore,” a barge skipper called to them one evening. “There'll be a storm to- night. “We agreed.” writes Mr. “that. with the prevalent ‘settled dry’ | weather, the old fellow's prophecy | was absurd. Nevertheless, we had | hardly fallen asleep in the canoe | when we were roused by a true Midi storm. It was a terrific offensive of the elements, and ceased with an I Chater, featuring the NEW BRAIDS | came threa | hook ofi |« | ‘on, | ed the sun sink ove; | fight extraordinary abruptness, one half of the heavens was already starry while the other half was still shot with lightning. The storm smashed branches, burned out fuses and damaged small craft, but for- tunately our canoe escaped injury. “By now we had left Gascony be- hind and were well into Languedoc. In the neat, measured out country- side through which we were passing, the day's work began at gray & o'clock. Then the first barge locks through, old crones marshal regi- ments of geese, and snow-white oxen drink at the canal side. At swelter- ing noon the clatter of the American baling machine ceases, men put cab- bage leaves in their hats, and the oxen stand flank deep in the back- water. Such a mild-eyed dignity as whepeby | theirs was worthy of Greek garlands | | and festal processions. “And So to Bed” “Iield work and locking through continue until 8 o'clock. Then there is an hour of mandolin tinkl a beer drinking in the canal-side cafe whose placard _ begs ‘the amiable clientele to wish well to regulate the consommations before departing.’ And so to bed. Such is life in the back-doors country “Beyond Carcassonne lay the canal's loveliest stretch, with the Black mountain’s peaks rising high- er and nearer, day by day, as we ap- proached the foothills of the Py- renees. Apparently barren, save for occasional vineyards, their outflung line, as seen at sunrise and sunset, glowed like some barbaric necklace of mother-of-pearl and gold. “From Carcassonne to Beziers the seene resembled one continuous vine- vard 60 miles long. For s, thus far, it had remained unpeopled. But promptly at 5 a. m. on September 15, we were awakened by the Jaughter of peasants bearing reaping hooks and buckets, as they filed along the towpath. “Ahead marched monsieur the | | | | | | | proprietor, leading a village's entire | population into the fields. And they | laughed and joked. these youths and maidens, thesé old folks and their little grandchildren, because la ven- | dange, the long-awaited, all-import- ant grape harvest, had begun. “From now onward hayfields, cat- |tle, and even the ‘canal patrol' of geese vanished from a scene which, for a month of unbroken working days, sometimes 17 hours long, was exclusively onc of grape gathering. Shop keepers and even fishermen dropped their occupations for the harvest, and our line of supplies be- | tened by this big reaping. i One man thus met ion for some vegetables: there’s nothing of that sort around here, One can’t afford, to raise anything but grapes, to the last meter." “inally our trip came to an end at Cette on the Mediterranean where hotel-fringed quays and busy ship basins lent a Venetian air to the scene. It was evening and we watch- the Midi. “The Midi! It is France's sun- burned southland whose fires coursed in the veins of Bernard de Panassac, highwayman and troubadour; of our supplic | dare-devil d'Artagnan; of Cyrano de Bergerac, duelist-poet supreme; of dashing Richard Plantagenet, the most meridional of England's kings. It is France’s music-loving, bull- g southland, heady wines, whose ragged revolutionaries marching into Paris first popularized the ‘Marsgillaise.” “Quick loves, quick hates, quick laughter—of such is the Midi, the Land of the Midday Sun.” OFFICERS TO BE EXCHANGED Tokyo, March 21 (P—An agree- ment has been reached between the Japanese and Soviet governments for interchange of military officers be- tween {he {wo armies whereby Ja- panese officers will be attached for certain periods to Soviet units and vice versa. A German physician has recom- mended ballooning as a cure for nervous troubles. The largest assortment in New Britain . . the styles are copies of hats sold for much more . . the shades are Wave- crest, Fleet Blue, Pie Crust, Maroon . . and many others. (PLENTY OF LARGE HEAD SIZES | OTHER HATS ..... weeesoneas 31981101 $4.95 FLOWERS for Dress and Coat Wear 39¢c to $1.49 s its own | NEW BRITAIN DAIJLY HERALD, FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 1930. 25¢ MAVIS TALCUM POWDER, Saturday . . 50c POMPEIAN BEAUTY POWDER, Saturday 37c HELP YOURSELF TO BETTER SEWI WITH BUTTERICK PATTERNS! 9 DHAEL'S “THE BIG STORE NEW BRITAIN'S SHOPPING CENTER 75¢ ZANADU FACE CREA with milk base 50c MELLO-GLO ROUGES, Saturday Business Is Good Here....Values Are Better! PAJAMAS . . : New! A New Section! WOMEN'S PAJAMAS Are more popular than ever before . and to meet your needs we have opened a new section, near the undergarments. CREPE RAYON 98c $1.98 3-PIECE RAYON SETS MARVELETTE CORSELETTES A complete showing of a well known make . . . to mould every type of figure. $2.98 ,, $5.00 Marquisette Curtains Lace edge, hemstitched . . . with dou- ble medallions and drawn work . 21/, yards long . . . white and cream. SATURDAY'! $1.00 pair Curtains for every room in your home P e S L O ) NEW! SMOCKS of Rayon and gay flowered Sateen $1.98 . also, in the House Dress Dept. ENGLISH PRINT DRESSES PONGEEN DRESSES .... FOULARD and HANDKER- CHIEF LINEN DRESSES $2.98 TUB SILK DRESSES ... . also KIMONOS SATURDAY . . . Children’s SPRING COATS .THEY'RE . S0 ADORABLE! You really can't imagine how sweet your child will look in a new Spring Coat until you come here and see our assortment . « . Tweeds Flannels . . . Poiret Twills S0 S) and Dress style treat- ments . . . JUST SEE THEM! $5.98 , $9.95 NEW STRAW HATS In ever so many shades and shapes to complete the picture of adorableness. $1.98 .., $2.98 ’ Infants’ Sweaters Coat’ and Slip-Over styles . . heavy all wool and pure silk and wool . 24, 26, 28, 30 . . the new spring showing! $1.98 —_—_— SATURDAY! .. . A Special Showing! $7 95 New Prints . . . Chiffons . Flat . Canton Crepes . . Georgettes . . Crepes . . . in all the new details prescribed by Fashion . . . YD vou'll profit by seeing this special showing tomorrow! OTHER DRESSES $4.98 $9.95 $14.95 FOR LARGER WOMEN New slenderizing dresses, in sizes to 60! $9.95 © $19.95 SATURDAY! ". .. ANew Twills . . . Tricolaine .« . Snowflake Cloth Kasha . . Squirrel and Imitation Broadtail . . . all the spring shades . i many style details . . an impressive assort- | nent at a thrifty price! 'ment at a thrifty price! 5 O;FHER C?ATS . $Q-95 to § ) 9 5 to 39 5 FOR LARGER WOMEN Dignified slenderizing styles in sizes to 60! $16.50 " For the Hard-to-Fit Feet! — At Raphael’s Only — Approved Arch-Healer Women’s . . . . Growing Girls’ PUMPS . . . . SPORT OXFORDS 7 THRoar 54,95 WHY PAY MORE? TIEELS Low College BLACK BROWN SUN TAN GRAY STRAP . AAA to EEE . . TIES®. CUT-OUTS HEELS Military Baby .. 1to10 PATENT KIDSKIN SNAKE L1ZARD — Ask Them Who Wear Them — MEN! $2.00 COTTON STRIPED WORSTED PANTS Sizes 31 to 44 . . . Special! $1.49 $3.00 MOLESKIN WORK PANTS Sizes to 44 . . . Special! SPECTAL! 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CHILDREN'S HOSE Long novelty sport . . long silk and wool . . fine rib silk lisle . . . boys’ snappy golf. 39¢ " Modernistic Jewelry A sample lot of a quality maker . . . Pendants . . . Bracelets . . . Brooches . . . Chokers . . . in wood, metal, pearl, glass . . . usually $1.00. - 39¢ f WOMEN'S NECKWEAR A fascinating spring variety of Jabots . . Collar and Cuff Sets . . . Vestees . . . Sweethearts . . . SEE THEM! 98¢ Other Neckwear to §2.98 WOMEN’S RUFFLING To give a smart touch to the new dress you are making . . six fashionable shades. 98 C yard SATURDAY . . . NEW TWEED SUITS . S0 SMART FOR THE 7-14 GIRL! AN They're just like “Big Sister’s” . . . in short and long coat styles . . . with at- tached waists. . « ALSO, BE SURE TO SEE . . The new Girls’ “Fleurette” and “Lucette” Dresses $1.98 to $4.98 Girls’ Rayon Silk Vests Bloomers . 49¢ .. $1.69 and $1.98 98c and $1.98 Girls’ Rayon Panties Girls’ Rayon Pajamas Girls’ Rayon Sets .. FOR COMMUNION CONFIRMATION New White Dresses of heavy silk crepe with long sleeves . . . a deposit holds your dress! $4.98 — T