Boulder Dam

History With RCS:  Two Dam Good Presidents and a Little Boy

                 This memory begins with my father driving us around some of the U.S. Southwest during WWII. It was a big deal for several reasons, but for some reason I am remembering that gas, oil, tires, and tubes were all rationed as an important part of the war effort. Lots of memories are coming up. Many things were rationed and the lines were long. We stood in line for meat, butter, and nylons. I think that my father may have been combining the trip with looking into new work. On to the Dam story.

                Soon we were at the Dam, with the car parked right on it. Then we were going down inside the dam on an elevator to below water level. I may have been as much as six years old. I was wide eyed, looking, listening, and, I with suspect, with my heart beating a bit faster than usual. On the big elevator were some workmen who were still working on the dam. My father was talking with them. I think that they were talking more about the war, the depression, and the president than about the dam. For the times a great new dam. 

                It seems we had seen some plaques telling of the great Hoover Dam. The workmen were telling my father that they called the the dam Boulder Dam. They were telling my father that they called it Boulder Dam because of the great boulders they had seen moved or blown up during construction, and because they though that President Hoover didn't deserve to have the dam named after him. The reason they didn't want the dam named after him seemed to be something about the Depression. 

                President Hoover was of the Republican party. The president at the time of our visit was FDR of the Democratic party. Both parties were different then from how they are now. FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is the first president I remember in my life-time.
    

                In an old newspaper, dated March 4th 1929, I read this: "Herbert Clark Hoover is inaugurated as President of the United States." A bit farther along it continues, "He announces that the government should assist and encourage these movements of collective self-help." That announcement makes me thing that he deserves to have the great dam named after him.

                I do not remember those "movements of collective self-help." They are before my birth. Still they have a nice ring to them.
At the time of this first visit to Boulder Dam on the Colorado river, Franklin Roosevelt was president and it seemed most Americans were pleased with him. As we walked through the inside of the dam, I remember the workmen saying that they were proud of their work on the dam. It seems that they were pleased with FDR, but they did not mention his name as an appropriate name for the dam.

                President Hoover was born in 1874 and died in 1964. Strange, I felt a downturn in the quality of US citizenship and US government beginning in 1964. Memories.

                The year 1964 felt like a a turning point to me. A turning point for our nation too. A turning for the worse. It does seem like since then the money earned per week, month and year bought less and less by the year. It was at about this time that I began to note most people referring to our government as "they" and "them" rather than as "we" and "us." It somehow seemed that we were worth more in the 50s than we have been in too many years. I felt a bit of turn for the better in 2020 and feel it still in 2021.

                Anyway, president Hoover was a Progressive Republican and raised a Quaker; all to the good. He was interested in efficiency in business and government. That sounds good. He was president as our country fell into economic depression. Tough on him and nearly everyone else. He lost some points because he supported the unpopular Prohibition of the use of drinking alcohol.

                The task of writing this informal little essay brings many memories to my awareness. I remember much of the dramatic beauty of our countryside, of our country. I remember awful and great Word War Two, and much more.

                There is a lot that is happening and being done now to write about. We are learning more of the story of humanity and about much else. We may be learning to communicate better. We may be learning that democracy consists of participation. 

                Maybe I will write more about our learning.

                                                                            

                                                                                                                        RCS
 
         

Mago Bill: One

 Mago Bill is a nickname I have given my paternal great grandfather

                                

                I have used the name Mago Bill in recent blogs because I believe that it inspires me to give you some unusual and interesting backstories and histories in a variety of posts.

                My sister, the genealogist of our family, introduced me to existence of documentation of the life pf M. William Sheehan. His existence had not been known to us. We had not known his name nor that he had been our paternal great grandfather. As I remember, my sister showed me that he had probably been born in the far south of Ireland and that his parents had brought to the United States when he was very young. We soon discovered that the M in his name probably stood for Mago. to me he promptly became Mago Bill, my inspiration.

                Spanish speaking friend tell me that "mago" means magician. Some of the same friends tell me that the three kings or three wise men of Christmas who brought gifts to the infant Christ were call "magos." I have found that  Mago was an important name among the Carthaginian Phoenicians before Rome came of age. Some of that name knew Hannibal well.

                Carthaginian traders and traders and navigators came to Ireland to trade for tin an other commodities. They brought so much knowledge of the name Mago with them that it impressed some of the people there. So much that they used it. For hundreds of years the name Mago has experienced some on an off popularity in Ireland.

                You may have read before that my paternal great grandfather was named and called Mago William Sheehan and that I have called him Mago Bill. You have even read that he, as many and Irish lad from time to time, was named after a famous Carthaginian. However, have you remembered me writing of Mago Barca?

    

                Barca could have been that famous Carthaginian Phoenician of the late third century BC, or not. Mago Barca was Hannibal's (yes, that Hannibal) brother. He may well have been a navigator and also have fought Roman legions in Iberia accompanied by Irish and Dan. He was the youngest son of Hamilcar of the Barcids.

                The above has prompted my to think of the Balearic Islands and food. The   Balearics seem to have an Irish connection of a sort. On Menorca, Mago Barca lent his name to the port city there which is still called Port Mahon. Mago and Mahon much alike to us today, but the history of language is one of change.

                Does not Mahon seem to have a bit of an Irish ring. I remember seeing  photos of Balearic ladies long ago. They looked very much like my aunt Eleanor and sister Geraldine. My sister would probably agree that she was and is better looking than was my aunt. The Balearic ladies of the photos were all attractive and I was struck by their similarity to Eleanor and Gerry.

                Ah, yes, food! Mahon, the typical Mahon egg sauce of the island, that has conquered the world, is Mayonnaise! On a visit to Ireland, I found mayonnaise still moderately appreciated. Still isn't there another mayo something or other on the old sod. Do not think me capable of a nasty thought. You may have heard of Mayo County, Ireland.

                I seem to be on a bit of a roll. I thought of another couple of miscellaneous bits to add here. Gilli, gilly, ghilli, and ghilly is only one of them. I've searched for each online with no luck. I had a friend who's Irish mother spoke of having a gilli in the family. This was many years ago and I had heard of ghilly long before that. A ghilly is an Irishman, across centuries he has been one of particular talents. He can be one especially familiar with the Irish countryside. He might act as a guide. He might help one to catch a trout or salmon by hand. In amore distant time he may have been the right hand man of noble warrior. He might have been a sort of Irish Ninja and expert in the use of camouflage. He might have been expert in a martial art. He would have the skills and talents of a huntsman. If  you have heard more of ghilly tell us a bit. This is supposed to be an interactive site.

                There are still those in Ireland who know the term and there were those who used it hundreds of years ago. The gilli I speak of is unlikely t have been a Norwegian dancer. I have heard that there may have been a similar word with a similar pronunciation and, perhaps, meaning.

                I may have heard more than I know.

                The Irish whistle comes to mind and reminds me that  there is also an Irish bagpipe. Could the bagpipe have also been a Fir Bolg instrument? I have been told that when it comes to men before a battle, that an Irish whistle can get them on their feet as little else can.. But to keep them moving forward to battle, victory, death, or hell, it takes a good pipe and a good piper, even if it be a Scot.

                I am pleased that you did not miss this addition to this piece. Thanks for reading.

                

                                                                                RCS 

Early Waterwworks in the U.S.A.

  History With RCS: If the Water doesn't work,we don't work, and don't play much either  

                You may know a fireplug as a place often found at the corner of a city street. A dog may urinate there. A fireplug has been called a fire hydrant.  

                Reminiscing, it comes to me that the justly famous US judge, Learned Hand, was once figuratively associated with the term, fireplug. I have forgotten the story, but am pretty sure that it included a dog.  Read on and you will be able to make an educated guess as to the origin of the word "fireplug" before reaching the climax of this post.

                In the early US trunks  and limbs of hemlock and elm trees were used to make piping to carry water from one place to another.Logs from 9 -  10" thick might be cut into 7 - 9' lengths for this purpose. Not an easy piping to use.  

                The men who made and laid this piping were called borers. They were named for their use of the five foot steel auger they carried with them. In those days of 1600 - 1700s these men attracted a great deal of curious attention as they traveled from town to town to carry out their unusual craft. They also brought welcome news and gossip with them. No TV or radio in those days. Up the www!

                Borers bored and formed sections of trunk so that they could tightly ram log sections together to form a series. The joints were usually sealed with pitch, tar or resin. Sometimes a log might b split, hollowed out, bound with metal hoops, and caulked with lead with the help of a blacksmith. Plumbers were later named for their use of lead. Blacksmiths was the name for iron workers to distinguish them from goldsmiths, silversmiths, bronze smiths, etc. 

                Most water systems were gravity flow outfits. They would start at perhaps a spring or stream on high ground and allow the water to flow downhill to, say, a farm house. The line might lead to the back of the house, then on to the barn, and from there on to a catch basin.

                Water was tapped by a smaller hole bored into the log and stopped with a wooden plug.

                The city of Boston was one of the earliest places in the country to have a real waterworks. It probably first went online about 1652.
In those days nearly every house was of wood and had an open hearth fireplace. Fire was a major danger. So, the first water works was for both domestic and fire fighting use.

                Have you guessed the origin of the word fireplug? 
It was comprised of a hole drilled into the side of one of those log pipes at a strategic spot and a wooden plug used to stop that hole. A fireman could then remove the plug when and where water was needed to fight a fire. Thus fireplug!

     

 

                                                                                    RCS

Mago Bill History Notes

 Mago Bill Inspired History Notes

                You may remember Mago Bill as the name of some of my earlier blogs. You may remember that I believed that the given name of my paternal great grandfather was Mago William. While that Mago may have been called Will, he may never been called Bill, but it makes me smile to do so.

                My, somewhat imaginary, Mago Bill has inspired my interest in history and supported my political vision.

                Thoughts of Bill, Mago Bill, lead me to the following. An earlier Mago and the Carthaginians had certainly heard of Atlantis, but that fabled land had been lost for thousands of years before these Phoenicians posted themselves near the Pillars of Hercules. Those pillars may have been called the Pillars of Atlas, or even the gates of Atlas. They certainly guarded the way to the great Atlantic Sea and to the isle beyond the Western Isle.

                The paragraph above leads me to thoughts of many stories, but I will stick to my notes on those who knew the name “Mago” well.

                They were a knowledgeable people whom we might now begin to call Carthaginians. They knew much of trade and navigation. They also knew of mining, metallurgy, the writing of languages, and of defense and attack on land and sea. They were seamen. They that the islands not too far beyond the Pillars not only contained gold, silver, lead, and tin, but also contained men who knew about mining and metal working. They may have known about the little people who could follow the veins of metal deep into the earth. Those Carthaginians knew that men all around their smaller sea valued tin for making their bronze.

                The name and perhaps title of Mago was well known among those Carthaginian Phoenicians. I have found the use of title among them as early as 750 BC. You may find that it was used much earlier. I do find strong evidence that they were carrying on trade with the Western Isles from 500 BC to 400 BC.

                The Magonids were a political dynasty of Carthage room about 550 BC to 340 BC. The dynasty began with Mago I, under whom Carthage became prominent among the Phoenician colonies in the western Mediterranean. Under the Magonids the Carthaginian Empire expanded to include Spain, Sardinia, Libya, and Sicily. Diodorus and Herodotus often better tell us of the doings and happenings of the Magonids more honestly than do the Romans.

                There was a Mago II and then a Mago III who led the Carthaginians. There also seems to have been A Mago who commanded, or navigated for the trading fleet which connected the Western Isles to the Mediterranean. You may know, or have guessed, that the isle beyond the western Isle is the island nation we call Ireland.

                It might have been Mago, that knowledgeable ship-master, who so impressed a Sheehan as to name his or her son Mago. My great, great grandfather called his son Mago William. That is a source of my inspiration to call a blog of mine “Mago Bill.”

                Thank you for reading.

 

                                                                                        RCS

• Mago
• Carthaginians