XWord Muggles Forum

Susan Goldberg wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 10:33 am

Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:10 pm Good evening. It is just after 9 here on the east coast so the contest has been out 5 hours. And we have 110 on the shore. (plus Meg's cabana boy)

Another crowded week.

Thanks so much Bob for continuing to manage us all. It occurred to me that with many new solvers, your job keeping track of everyone has also exponentially expanded. But you continue to be a fantastic Cruise Director!

LadyBird wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:08 pm 63A refers to a circus--which immediately brought the following to mind (don't worry--no spoilers).

There is a cemetery near our part of Chicagoland that has a section devoted to the victims of a circus train crash in 1918. The Hagenback-Wallace circus was one of the premier circuses of the day. One of their 3 trains, carrying around 400 performers (and their families) and roustabouts, was headed towards Hammond, IN. They had stopped on the tracks to do some emergency repairs and had put out the required warning lights, etc. Even so, an empty troop train (piloted by someone who had been fired once before for sleeping on the job) ignored all of the warnings and plowed at full speed into the back of the train. It smashed through the caboose and four sleeping cars, pushing everything (boards, iron wheels, bedding, and occupants) into a huge pile from car to car. Then a fire started. Passengers, even though injured themselves, attempted to rescue those trapped in the burning wreckage. Many did not escape the flames.

An estimated 86 people died in the crash, many of them never identified. Many of the dead were roustabouts who had been hired days or even hours earlier. Most of the gravestones just have nicknames ("Baldy" or "4 Horse Driver") or just state "Unknown Male". The Showmen's League of America (Buffalo Bill Cody was its first president) had purchased a section in the cemetery just a few months prior. Five days after the crash, the survivors gathered for the burial of 56 of their fellow circus workers. Years later, 5 elephant markers were placed at the corners and rear center of the Showmen's Rest Plot. Their trunks are lowered to symbolize mourning. This picture is of the largest of the statues.

Elephant.jpg

Dennis wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 5:20 pm Swam to shore after dark last night, but made it safely! Nice puzzle. I had guessed the answer before I even started the grid, but I don't submit unless I can see the mechanism. Have convinced a young friend in professional school to start looking at these and he may be hooked....another Muggle!

By the way, is there any info re: how long it takes M or M to create one of these? Maybe I have missed it but the question is always there in the back of my mind.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

BigRedBob wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 4:04 pm new muggle here taking full advantage of training month. onshore for third week in a row - but only now confident enough to post

FirstMax wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:49 pm On shore. Envious of all the noobs who got this easy training month. When I started doing metas, I had to find a synonym for snow before I could solve.

Olaf wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 5:55 pm Ok. I went ahead and submitted my answer so I am calling myself on shore. Something is still bugging me though.