DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Lethe, whole no. 5, January 1947

Transcribe
Translate

Lethe, whole no. 5, January 1947

Back cover

Editorial---continued from page one.

We also like (non-stf, but we are in a reminiscing mood) two Russian films, "Alexander Nevksy" a historical flicker dealing about the period in which Nevsky defeated the Tutonic Knights, and the "Thirteen" a film about a Russian patrol embattled in a Gobi-desert oasis and fiteing off a horde of Mongols. On your must-see list is the recent British production of "Henry V" in technicolor, dialogue straight from Shakespeare and a bit difficult to understand for the first five ore ten minutes, really good though. "Fantasia" was excellent, and so was---oh well what the hell, I could go on for page after page.

Friend Everett Wyers and we-uns attended a meeting of the University of California Rocket Society t'other day. Surprisingly enough the class room was filled to overflowing with 90-odd people, never thought there was that much interest in the subject. The speaker was a professor of physics who dealt a death-blow to the use of atomics as applied to space-travel. His dissertations on how atomic-power actually works was highly interesting. At present and in the forseeable future atomic energy can only be used to make steam power. There is even a joker in that. Metallurgical difficulties encountered in containing the Uranium begins to have certain elements in the aluminum alloy (the only feasible one so far) undergo transmutation destroying the properties of that alloy, rendering it useless. The container is necessary because it is immersed in water that must not go 100 degrees or the transmutation will take place and the Uranium will be carried off in the water. Raw atomic power for rocket propulsion is out too, there isn't an alloy known that will withstand the temperatures involved, temperatures that [underlined] have to be high for any efficiency, and temperatures that approximate the ones encountered on the surface of the sun! Let's return to liquid-fuel rockets, shall we?

The Golden Gate Futurian Society around the Bay Area here now has over twenty members! If you are looking for any big things from this organization (and I don't know why you should) in 1947, you are doomed to bitter disappointment. We meet to shoot the bull, swap mags, loan books, trade information on things of interest to the fan in movies, magazines, fan-mags, books, and technical information. Nobody seems interested in making the outfit a "live-wire" club. I'm the only officer, and my energy is strictly limited; I was born tired. We have fun though and the majority seems satisfied to keep the status quo, so That's all for this ish kiddies. Goombye for a couple of months. 
Ye, me, & we.
[illustration at bottom of page]

Saving...

Editorial---continued from page one. We also like (non-stf, but we are in a reminiscing mood) two Russian films, "Alexander Nevksy" a historical flicker dealing about the period in which Nevsky defeated the Tutonic Knights, and the "Thirteen" a film about a Russian patrol embattled in a Gobi-desert oasis and fiteing off a horde of Mongols. On your must-see list is the recent British production of "Henry V" in technicolor, dialogue straight from Shakespeare and a bit difficult to understand for the first five ore ten minutes, really good though. "Fantasia" was excellent, and so was---oh well what the hell, I could go on for page after page. Friend Everett Wyers and we-uns attended a meeting of the University of California Rocket Society t'other day. Surprisingly enough the class room was filled to overflowing with 90-odd people, never thought there was that much interest in the subject. The speaker was a professor of physics who dealt a death-blow to the use of atomics as applied to space-travel. His dissertations on how atomic-power actually works was highly interesting. At present and in the forseeable future atomic energy can only be used to make steam power. There is even a joker in that. Metallurgical difficulties encountered in containing the Uranium begins to have certain elements in the aluminum alloy (the only feasible one so far) undergo transmutation destroying the properties of that alloy, rendering it useless. The container is necessary because it is immersed in water that must not go 100 degrees or the transmutation will take place and the Uranium will be carried off in the water. Raw atomic power for rocket propulsion is out too, there isn't an alloy known that will withstand the temperatures involved, temperatures that [underlined] have to be high for any efficiency, and temperatures that approximate the ones encountered on the surface of the sun! Let's return to liquid-fuel rockets, shall we? The Golden Gate Futurian Society around the Bay Area here now has over twenty members! If you are looking for any big things from this organization (and I don't know why you should) in 1947, you are doomed to bitter disappointment. We meet to shoot the bull, swap mags, loan books, trade information on things of interest to the fan in movies, magazines, fan-mags, books, and technical information. Nobody seems interested in making the outfit a "live-wire" club. I'm the only officer, and my energy is strictly limited; I was born tired. We have fun though and the majority seems satisfied to keep the status quo, so That's all for this ish kiddies. Goombye for a couple of months. Ye, me, & we. [illustration at bottom of page]