The Problem of Thor Bridge

The next meeting of the Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn, whether it be an attended meeting at our local meeting place or another online, the discussion will be about THOR.

I just reread the story and found it to be one of my favorites, again.

Much has been discussed over the years about THOR, including the condition that caused the victim to kill herself.

The line that jumped out at me in this reading was;
 "I produced it from my hip-pocket, a short, handy, but very serviceable little weapon. "

Much discussion has been centered around the weapon or weapons Holmes and Watson may have carried, starting with the very first story when Watson said; '"I keep a bull pup."
Many agree that Watson probably also had a service revolver from his military days which probably would have been larger than the 'bull pup', (if you believe he meant a gun by that statement) and probably, in my opinion, not the one carried in THOR.

Below are a couple of links of other people thoughts on weapons in the Canon. Enjoy.




http://coastconfan.blogspot.com/2014/08/john-hamish-watson-md-or-mystery-of.html

https://simanaitissays.com/2015/05/15/firearms-of-the-holmesian-canon/

https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?281503-Dr-Watson-s-quot-Service-Revolver-quot-in-Sherlock-Holmes-Books

Well we made it, or first complete online meeting.

Not with out a couple of problems in our first attempt.

I think because we posted it on our facebook page we had a couple of really nasty and inappropriate people who showed up, who had nothing better to do with their time than cause problems.

Our host quickly cancelled our meeting and regrouped and sent out one by invitation only.

We had ten people at the 'meeting' about 3GAR.

I am looking forward to the next one.

One week into our Sherlockian hiatus. . .

So far, the Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn have only had to cancel one upcoming meeting.

The Harpooners, or HSU, get the name from the Adventure of Black Peter.


Well while we are on hiatus from meeting in public we are going to experiment with having an online meeting today. (The meeting will be later, but we will test it today.)

But it also got me thinking that this would be a good time to get started on some of those long put off Sherlockian scholarly writings we have been wanting to do.

Let's see if I can make myself get started.

My BLUE paper for 2019 Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn meeting

“BLUE 2019”

by John-T Foster

I have probably done a paper on BLUE, well I know I have, more than any other story in the Canon.

HOUN would be second.

On Blue I have examined:

• the pub, the markets, the food of the season and women in the story. And I even explored the atmosphere of the holidays and 221B.
• What a Carbuncle is and looks like has been done, as well as wether of not a goose has a crop. Victorian Christmas traditions have been covered.
• The difference between dinner and supper as terms has been covered. Did Peterson ever get the reward was covered.
• Where was Mrs. Hudson was discussed.
• Whether or not Doctor Watson and Mary invited Holmes to their house for holiday dinner should be discussed.

All these and many others have been covered.

It is one of my favorite stories in the tales of Holmes and Watson. It can make one think of the joys we find in 221B, and perhaps even the loneliness of the holiday season.

There is a separation between Holmes and Watson that we could find unsettling. Yet we also see an enduring friendship.

But after having done a paper on BLUE so many times it has become a little difficult to find another aspect to explore. Well, at least one that I can explore in the time I usually have for such projects.

I usually wait for inspiration to come as I start thinking about the tale. I don’t even need to re- read it again to find that inspiration. I have read it enough to have a good idea where I might look.

I keep wanting to return to the scene in the pub and explore that again, but I have done that a few times. We have discussed its location and real name. We have discussed the difference between a public bar and a private bar (or snug).

We have made light of how we (I) think Watson got a little mad at not being able to stay long enough to finish his beer.

I find comfort in the atmosphere of a pub, so of course I want to revisit there as often as I can.

With this tale, as with others I have covered, what I believe the outcome of my research will be at the beginning of said research often transforms quite a bit by the time I am done.

Most of the time I hope for an 'A-ha!' moment of Sherlockian scholarship, but usually get a quiet 'oh-yea' instead.

I don’t think I have ever come up with any remarkable Sherlockian discoveries, but I keep trying.

And such went my research for this months paper.

I usually wait for an idea to come along that just seems to want to stick around and cries out for research.

Sometimes the idea doesn’t bare up to too much research and needs to be put aside.

Sometimes the idea takes on a life of its own and becomes bigger than you expected. Tonight’s paper falls somewhere in between.  I don’t know where it came from or how it developed, it was just there at some point while thinking about BLUE.

So here goes:

There are no women present in BLUE. By present I mean none make a physical appearance. We assume the presence, a couple times, of Mrs. Hudson, but we can never be quite sure. We assume she is the one that opens the door for Mr. Baker and Watson, but Watson doesn't actually ever say that.

Several other women are mentioned in BLUE, but, once again, are never physically present.

This got me thinking; Is this the only story in the Canon that no women make an appearance? 

I was hoping that was the case and that I had made a vital Sherlockian scholarly discovery.

But, like I said earlier, this discovery fell somewhere between a dull thump and angelic bells ringing.

So like any good researcher I had to back up my theory with a little literary foot work. Or, if you like, 'The Game was afoot.'

That meant go through each story and see if a female physically makes an appearance or not. 

I had to apply a few ground rules in my research, well, actually only one.

The women in question had to actually interact with Holmes or Watson within the tale and not as an interaction discussed or described as part of a conversation that took place somewhere else.

It seems to us lovers of the Canon and even to the romantic in most of us that women are a vital part of the just about all of the stories.

We all remember the names of many of them; Violet, Kitty, Irene, Beryl, Elsie and so may others. OH yea, and Mrs. Hudson!

It can’t be possible that there could be more than just a couple without woman actually being present.

Maybe, if I am lucky, it would just be BLUE.

So in earnest I started my research.

In many of the 'cases' I could recall an interaction without having to crack the tome, like SPEC and SOLI, and HOUN and SCAN. And what about MILV!

Others I had to spend a little worthy time in the Canon, rereading till I found proof one way or another. Many of the women just briefly passed through, only taking up a couple lines of text.

Others, like Irene and Violet and Beryl inhabited many paragraphs or pages.

Mrs Hudson, who is almost as revered as Holmes and Watson, and who’s absence we can not imagine from the Canon, has very little presence for her Canonical stature. Her lines are few, but her presence is mighty.  So mighty that most of us assume her place to be greater , when she is often not named.

Or, even more likely, our memory and desire place her somewhere where she is not actually mentioned.

But that also has been discussed before.

While my research did not take me to the conclusion I was hoping for, it did take to a conclusion that I found surprising.

I found that in 37, just over 61%, of the tales documented by Holmes and Watson, women make a physical appearance. They actually, in some way, interacted with either Holmes or Watson. With the exception of LADY Francis Carfax. While physically present, she really didn’t interact with anyone.

But I did indeed put her in the yes camp.

She can’t help that she wasn’t given any lines.

So that left a remarkable 23, or about 38%, of the tales without a women actually walking (or in the case of LADY laying) through the story.

In many cases women are mentioned and indeed play a significant part in the story, but don’t actually come on stage.

In BLUE, noticeable in their absence, but still important, are sister Mrs. Oakshott, partner in crime Catherine Cusack, and to lesser degree the Countess.

All vital to the story, but budget would not allow for actors.

Imagine if you can SCAN being told in such away that Irene would not have had to be present.  We can’t.

Last year we discussed the perceived or possible participation of Catherine Cusack in the BLUE. We discussed how much or how little she had to do with the romancing of the stone. But never did she have to be present to be important to the story.

Does this absence of women in 38% of the tales as a physical presence now change how you look at your memory of the Canon.

One thing I think it does say about the stories is that the women characters who do show up in body are memorable, strong females. So much so that like many things in the Canon the images we paint for ourselves are so vivid that the colors spread out into all the other stories. We populate and picture individuals that never do really make an appearance. Or our minds expand their roll to be bigger than it really is.

Think about some of the most memorable, good or bad people in the Canon. Most of them show up far less than their perception would suggest.

Think how few times both Mycroft and Moriarty populate the Canon. Yet both have a lasting presence throughout the conversation. Same goes for Mrs. Hudson and Irene. And maybe even most of all Mary.

Every time Watson is not in 221B we place him, hopefully, living happily with Mary. Even though she seldom makes an appearance.

Moriarty, Mycroft and Irene have all gone on to literary fame of their own.

The Baker Street Irregulars I believe only appear in three stories, STUD, SIGN and CARD.  Yet we can not imagine a London without these diminutive street urchins. Yet they now appear in books of their own and soon a NETFLIX series about them (from what I read, it doesn’t sound like it will be flattering for Holmes).

I think I can honestly say that BLUE is still one of my favorites, even after so many readings of it. Doing research on it and, for that matter, any of the stories not only gives me a chance to make new, hopefully Canonical discoveries, but it also makes me examine how I remember or perceive the stories.

I thought it would be rare to find a Canonical story that did not include the physical presence of a women. The women that are present have left a strong impression.

So strong that at least I have populated the stories even more with women.

Well, that’s it till next year. Maybe then I will get my 'A-Ha!' moment.

—John-T F.

---

Browsing the Web. The Harpooners of the Sea Unicron

I came across this image.

Many years ago the Harpooners helped and supported an actor, Darryl Maximillian Robinson pull of a production of  The Final Problem.

He put the production on at our local pub as a preview to the stage production.

Darryl Maximillian Robinson could pull off one of the best British accents we had ever heard.

Usually when someone did something of a Sherlockian nature with the HSU; make a presentation, help with logistics, etc., we would make them and honorary member. Jeremy Brett recieved one.

Back then the Harpooners had many fun awards. Since their name came from a seafaring Sherlockian tale, all the awards were whales or something nautical.

Great fun.

Jeremy Brett in St Louis

In 1991 Jeremy Brett made an appearance in St Louis to promote Masterpiece and the new episodes of Sherlock Holmes.
The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn helped host the event and provide a good display of Sherlock Holmes stuff. For many of us it was a chance to meet Mr. Brett.
Here are some photos we stuck together to show the crowd in attendance.

Jeremy is in the black suit to the right in this photo at the table.
The Harpooners display is on the left in both photos, in front of the Union Jack.

Here is a photo of him with us at the display.
As I have posted before, the young man with Brett correspond with him up until Brett's death.

Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn #328 - FINA

Attended the latest meeting of the Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn (HSU), who have now been at it for 28 years. Most of them good years.

I believe two records were set at this meeting.
The first was the attempt (successful attempt) to live broadcast the meeting on Facebook.

Ten members were present.

While a few technical issues need to be worked out, it seemed to be a success in that a few comments were made during the meeting from other states.















The second record set I believe was in the number of presentations or papers on FINA.
We had four very different presentations made on things to be found in FINA.
The gamut running from gaming matrix to how many times things happened in three's in the story.
BSI member Bill Cochran was present and as usual gave a very good paper.

Discussed was how much Holmes had planned out the trip that concluded the Final Problem and how much was left to chance.
While first reading FINA we are lead to believe that Holmes' death was just the end result of this continental chase. But after further reading, as suggested by Bill, the entire process was well planned out by Holmes to bring about the result that happened.
I will post Bill's (and the others) paper here once it comes out in the newsletter.

When reading these tales over again for each meeting I always try to spot something that I had not noticed before, something I think could make a good topic of discussion.

There probably is not much that has not been covered in FINA, as would also be the case with the other 59 stories.
But I came across something I had not heard discussed before ( which may just mean I had not come across some one's thoughts on the subject ).
Several paragraphs in, when Holmes is telling Watson about Moriarty this information is given;
'. . . where he set up as an army coach."
We have heard a lot about the papers Moriarty contributed to science. And that he had been a professor of Mathematics at some smaller university.

But I have never read or heard any discussion of him being an army coach.
Now I doubt that that meant we would have seen him coaching the football team at an earlier Army/Navy match.

But I can imagine several teaching positions in the army that would require mathematics skills;
artillery, codes/intelligence, weather, etc.
While the military at this time was not as advanced technically as we are now, mathematics would still have played a large role.
Are connections while teaching for the army how Moriarty and Moran came together?

It was a very good meeting and made me want to go back and read once again FINA.

Making the world a better place . . . . or at least a little cleaner.

"One group with an interest in the adventures of Sherlock Holmes patrols two segments of Interstate 70 in St. Charles County. So far, the signs have helped grab the attention of at least one future member.

“I’ve always been interested in litter control,” said Michael Bragg, 66, a former MoDOT safety officer and leader of the Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn — a local group named loosely after elements of a favorite Holmes story. “What gets me are all the beer bottles and beer cans.”

The group has been around since 1989 and meets once a month at the Mother in Law House Restaurant. Participants have picked up trash at various spots along Interstate 70. When a particular stretch opened up, Bragg grabbed it for a reason.

The segment runs in an area designated on MoDOT maps as between miles 220.86 and 221.36. Somewhere in there would fall 221B, if there were such a mile marker.

That’s 221B as in 221B Baker Street — the London street address of the group’s favorite fictional detective."

Brad's summer reading list #11 - Black Peter (BLAC) - Sherlockain pinterest

I love Black Peter! I don't know if that is akin to loving 'spotted dick' or what, but it is one of my favorites.
As well it should be.
It is the namesake story of the first scion I belonged (and still belong) to, The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn. Taking a reference from BLAC and the building of missiles at then MacDonald Douglas in St. Charles. (We even had a fake harpoon the the most recent member to commit a Sherlockian faux pas had to carry throughout the meeting.)
Which meant we did a presentation on the story each year on the anniversary of our group.
So I have been over it a lot.
I even did a large painting of this F.D.S. illustration that we could hang at our meetings and events. It is one of my favorite F.D.S. illustrations.
So, needless to say, I have attended the inquiry into the death of Peter Carey many times.
But, like with most of the Canon, you can always walk away with something new.

And with the line; "I have never known my friend to be in better form, both mental and physical, than in the year ‘95. His increasing fame had brought with it an immense practice, and I should be guilty of an indiscretion if I were even to hint at the identity of some of the illustrious clients who crossed our humble threshold in Baker Street."
the date 1895 is firmly planted in the minds of readers as the date the will always be associated with Holmes and his time in Victorian history.

 ". . .  Here, though the world explode, these two survive,

And it is always eighteen ninety-five." V.S.

But arguably we would have to examine the four to six stories (depending on the chronology you follow) collected from 1895 in the canon to see how they hold up as favorites and to see if this was indeed Holmes at his best.

Several other years contain more documented cases. And none were actually published in 1895 to my knowledge.

1887, 88, and 89 all have many more documented cases than 1895.

But even with all that said, there are still some great things to explore in BLAC. Once again we find our adventure starting in Baker Street. Only Holmes and Watson are both present at the start of the case. And once again Scotland Yard is in need of Holmes' help.

Like so many we have been reviewing for Brad's summer reading list, the case again takes Holmes and Watson out of London to the more rural environs.

And again, as mentioned in the last review, the story involves nautical intrigue. And, as also mentioned, another wealthy man who got his gains from nefarious acts while on board a boat. Although we never actually meet Peter Carey, alive or dead, he has to rank up there with the best of the bad guys in the Canon for temper, strength and loathsomeness.

Repeating myself, once again we get some insight into Watson's knowledge of nautical terms and ship board life. It is never mentioned in any of the stories that Watson actually carries a note book with him, In many television and film adaptations we sometimes see Watson making notes at the end of the day, and there are a few Canonical references to back that up. But most of Watson's writings are done from memory, even his note taking. But to get the nautical references so accurate one most have some experience with boats, like the literary agent Doyle did. Or Watson was using a lot of artistic license.

Most of Holmes investigations take place from the confines of Baker St. with the aid of the newspapers and information he can gather from Baker St. The crime scene gives up little that Holmes does not already know.

Again we are teased in this tale of cases we will never read about; The sudden death of Cardinal Tusca and the Wilson the notorious canary-trainer. Oh, how we have speculated about those, especially Wilson, imagining how he could train canaries to commit crimes. Amazing! 

We get to meet Stanley Hopkins and find that he is not all that different the Lestrade other than he know Holmes does something different from the police but really can't get a hold of what that is.

And why was the elder Neligan, then Holmes and Watson, going to Norway. I mean the younger Neligan got the securities back, at least the ones that were left.  Well I guess in July Norway could be nice. Unless the original Neligan is not dead? What's up with that!

I did a presentation once about the difference in Whale and seal harpoons and the individuality of each type of hunt. We have had presentation on the design of steam trawlers, which was the Sea Unicorn. Terms and trades that were so common at the time, but unknown or unfamiliar to us now.

And very few tales have as much atmosphere as BLAC. First of course we have 221b Baker St.                                                                         We have a train ride.                                                                                             We have high adventure on the high sea.                                                     Mansion of dark happenings                                                                           A very grotesque crime scene (more on that in a minute).                   Interesting little room called 'the cabin'.                                                       Holmes and Watson about to embark on another adventure.

Now back to the point about grotesque. I have noticed with the re-reading of our summer reading list that the word grotesque has appeared several times, and not always in places where I would expect it. To me, the death of Peter Carey and the means by which it was carried out, would appear to have been very grotesque. At least me modern use in films and books. But seldom does Watson use the term as we would now. And for good reason. While I usually associated the word with horrible images in horror or action movies, which does apply, that is not the only use or original use of the word. And for a quick reference to the history of use of the word I will quote wikipedia; "    Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, fantastic, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus is often used to describe weird shapes and distorted forms such as Halloween masks. In art, performance, and literature, grotesque, however, may also refer to something that simultaneously invokes in an audience a feeling of uncomfortable bizarreness as well as empathic pity. More specifically, the grotesque forms on Gothic buildings, when not used as drain-spouts, should not be called gargoyles, but rather referred to simply as grotesques, or chimeras."

And several other sources have referenced about the same.

'Sherlock' Benedict Cumberbatch walking in with the harpoon

was indeed grotesque, as is the bug on our windshield. But several of the times Watson has used the word I questioned it's placement and, as in the case of BLAC, I questioned why it wasn't used there. But now we know.    

So, yea, I really like BLAC. It gives those of us who enjoy  what is now the history part of the stories a lot to think about.]

And that can never be wrong.        

Although it did lack beer.                    

A little history about "The Game's Afloat" - from a review of TGA number 3

THE GAME’S AFLOAT III

No, this isn’t a misprint, the name of the conference really was The Game’s Afloat, and it was the third such conference to be held under that name. Even when one knows that The Game’s Afloat really is the conference’s name, one will probably wonder why a meeting held in the St. Louis’ luxurious Westport Plaza Hotel would be described as being "afloat." Well, you see, The Game’s Afloat I and II conferences were actually held aboard the riverboat "Goldenrod," hence, those conferences really were "afloat." The management of the ’98 conference decided to use the traditional conference name, even though the ’98 event was, actually, comfortably land bound! The sponsor of record of The Game’s Afloat III was St. Charles’ scion society, The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn (Michael Bragg, The Blue Whale of the Harpooners) with the able cooperation of The Parallel Case of St. Louis, The Noble Bachelors of St. Louis, and The Occupants of the Empty House scions. The planning and active management of the conference was ably handled by the Steering Committee personed by Joe Eckrich, BSI; Kathy Kelleher; Ed Moorman; Gordon Speck, BSI; and Jessica Young. In very visible executive positions at the conference were Barbara Roscoe, Brad Keefauver, BSI; Dr. Mary Schroeder, Carrie Kinealy, and Helen Simpson. Art Schroeder, whose health would not allow his being present at the conference, was credited with keeping everyone in contact with reality by injecting humor into even the face of the most daunting turn of events. (see biographical sketches of Art and Mary Schroeder).
Although the formal conference proceedings were scheduled to begin on October 31 (Halloween Day), a goodly number of the attendees (coming from as far away as Boston and Colorado) arrived to enjoy the Friday evening reception. We joined the assemblage, in a nearby pub called McNultys (see below), in time for a nip at a "cobwebby bottle" and a great fish and chips dinner. There we all had the opportunity to chat with fellow Sherlockian friends, both old and new. Such informal conviviality and dining is characteristic of Sherlockian conferences and is always a great joy. Following the reception, the conference managers provided a most entertaining Sherlockian film festival. So, we all enjoyed a delightful evening even before the formal conference proceedings actually started.
At 11:45 on Saturday morning, the conference was called to order by Dr. Mary Schroeder who kept the conference moving as its most talented Mistress of Ceremony. Dr. Schroeder and Michael Bragg offered a formal greeting to the attendees and introduced the order of service for the conference.
First, our friend, Roy Pilot, BSI, presented a most illuminating discussion of the archaeological discovery of what has come to be known as "Piltdown Man" in England. These remains were initially presented as providing evidence for the existence, in England, of humanoids predating the oldest known human previously identified. Speculation was set forth that these remains near Piltdown might actually be those of "the missing link" between humans and lower primates. "Piltdown Man" was ultimately exposed as having been a hoax. Several investigators over the years have suggested that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself, participated in the hoax. Roy Pilot gave evidence casting serious doubt on our revered Sir Arthur’s involvement in this deception.
One of the true highlights of the conference happened when Rosemary Michaud (author of Sherlock Holmes and the Somerset Hunt, among others) came to the podium. In her presentation, The Medley of Fear, she reviewed some real-life aspects of existence in turn-of-the-century Pennsylvania and West Virginia coalfields – the environment which gave inspiration to Sir Arthur’s The Valley of Fear. Ms. Michaud’s emphasis centered on ethnic Irish and their lives in the coalfields. She commented on The Molly Maguires and The Scowrers and, to the delight of those assembled, she punctuated her presentation with personal renditions of Irish folksongs while accompanying herself on the guitar! Rosemary was a real "show stopper!"
There was something of a groan of disappointment from the audience when John Smithkey, III reported that his presentation on Jack the Ripper was not to be filled with blood and gore. He was quick, however, to remind his audience that all the gory details were contained in his book, Jack the Ripper: The Inquest of the Final Victim, Mary Kelly, which was on sale at the conference. Mr. Smithkey used a collection of photographic slides, most of which he had personally taken in London, to escort his audience to the locations of The Ripper’s grisly crimes. In his presentation, Mr. Smithkey gave a very revealing overview of the seamier side of Victorian England. As the name of his book would imply, Mr. Smithkey’s comments concentrated on The Ripper’s last victim, Mary Kelly – he even raised some interesting doubts as to whether the mutilated body was actually that of Mary Kelly at all! An interesting hypothesis, indeed!
Eminent Illinois Sherlockian, Brad Keefauver, BSI, brought to the attendees an interesting challenge in his presentation,Here Come the Brides. Which canonical woman, if any, would have made a suitable bride for Mr. Sherlock Holmes? He enlisted a few members of the audience to act as a sort of "review board." He provided each "happily married man" on his ad hoc "review board" with a police whistle. Mr. Keefauver then read the roster of all women who appeared in the Canon, along with their possible qualifications as Mr. Holmes’ bride. If, at any time, any member of the "review board" thought the woman being described could not qualify as a viable bride, he could exercise "veto power" simply by blowing his whistle! At the end of the presentation, the general audience was invited to vote for the female canonical characters who had survived the police whistle vetoes. The three women who received the most votes were Violet Smith (SOLI), Irene Adler (SCAN), and Maud Bellamy (LION). Can you guess which of these "lucky girls" was finally designated by the attendees at The Game’s Afloat III as the most suitable bride for Mr. Sherlock Holmes? Which, if any of these, would you pick?
At this point in the conference, Mr. Terence Faherty gave a marvelous presentation on the career of Mr. Basil Rathbone. At his request, exposition of his presentation has been excluded from this review. Should you ever hear of Mr. Faherty's giving his presentation in your neighborhood, we do recommend it to your attention - it is excellent and entertaining.
After some closing comments by Dr. Mary Schroeder, the assemblage adjourned to "The Library" for biscuits and sherry generously provided by Gordon Speck and Jessica Young. As those of us "in the know" were aware at the time, "The Library" was a back room area in McNulty’s pub! (There really are some books there, but we saw no one reading any.)
Here we see McNulty's decked out in "spiderwebs" for the Halloween weekend. Warm Sherlockian conviviality (enhanced by a more than adequate quantity of excellent sherry!) permeated the gathering which lasted until time to change for the formal reception and dinner in the Westport’s Skylight Room. An excellent dinner among congenial Sherlockian companions was capped off by a playing of a "radio play" written especially for the occasion by the remarkably talented Art Schroeder and starring Randy Getz, Mary Schroeder, and Gordon Speck (who once played Mrs. Hudson in another of Art’s amazing radio plays). Here is Randy Getz "tuning" the old cathedral-top radio through which the assembled diners heard Art Schroeder’s dramatic original play, The 71^st and ½ Annual Running of the Wessex Cup and/or Plate.






Carolyn Senter, of Classics Specialties, was just one of the vendors whose wares were on display at The Game’s Afloat III. Here we see Carolyn displaying Classic Specialties’ original "Holmes Is Where theHeart Is" sweatshirt for the shoppers visiting the vendors’ area. Other vendors present included Joe Eckrich, Bill and Lynda Conway (from Pittsburgh), and Scott Price (from Memphis).

A little local Sherlockian History

The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn put on the first St Louis area Sherlockian convention in the early 1990's (we ended up doing two). We called these conventions, The Games Afloat, and we held them on an old showboat called the Goldenrod. (It is on the National Historic Register)
Ten years before, before I know of scion societies and Sherlockian groups, I had attended the play "Sherlock Holmes', done as a comedy on the Goldenrod. I still have the play bill somewhere and will add it when I find it. It was a very fun night.
I just found this bit of news about the Goldenrod.

Here is a picture of what it looked like in it's glory as a working show boat.

Goldenrod Showboat Set for Scrapyard

The new owners of the century-old Goldenrod Showboat say as soon as the Mississippi River rises high enough, they’re going to float their boat straight to the scrapyard.

A local non-profit group hoping to prevent that have only been able to raise about $28,000—less than half of what they need to buy it back.

The Admiral was torn up and sold for scrap a couple of years ago.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Simpson's-on-the-Strand

Now doesn't that make you think Sherlock Holmes or what!

On another Sherlockian discussion blog I follow a poster asked,

"Places for SH tourism? my local paper today wrote about London's Baker Street, Meiringen (Switzerland) and Prague(!). Any recommendations for SH places to see?"

Well there were, as you may guess, a lot of recommendations.
I suggested Simpson's and a couple others seconded that suggestion.

And all this talk of Simpson's put me in a reminiscing frame of mind about my visit there many years ago.

The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn put together a trip to England to visit Sherlockian sights. About five members were able to make the trip, which spent half it's time in London and half outside of the capital looking for more rural sites.

While in London we made the required visits to most Sherlockian sights and even visited with some notable Holmesians.
We planned an early dinner at Simpson's with a local Sherlockian, and we arrived straight from one of our sight-seeing walks.
I hadn't really known what we were getting into with this planned dinner stop. We weren't that Internet connected back then (1993), so I had not done proper research into menu or dress code.
It had been a fairly warm July day so I had spent the day walking around just in slacks and button down shirt.
The other two gentlemen in our group were of a more professional occupation than myself, so they naturally went around in a jacket as habit.

When we arrived at Simpson's the maitre d' informed us (me) that a jacket was required.
I thought I was going to be out of luck and would have to find something else to do while my fellow travelers enjoyed the food and company at this great establishment.
But alas, as old and experienced as Simpson's is, they were prepared for uncouth travelers like myself (but I do have good table manners).
I wish I could have, and commented so at the time, taken home the jacket they provided because it fit really well and I liked it.

This performance all took place near the entrance to the hallowed establishment.

And once properly attired I was able to start taking in my surroundings.

The first thing I noticed was not the old wood work or ornate trim, but the centuries old aroma of cooked beef, and it was not, to me, an unpleasant aroma at all.
It was indeed an enticing aroma, and if I hadn't already known I was going to have the beef, it would have changed my mine. I  felt as if I had arrived at a place that had been doing the same thing over 

and over again for many years, and was still doing it, and doing it very well.
We were escorted to the Grand Divan for our meal, where the beef was carved right at the table, and served from a silver serving cart and looked much like the picture to the left.
For a Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding loving Yorkshire-man like myself, it was culinary heaven.
We dallied over dinner for quite a while talking with our guest and amongst ourselves, and taking in these historic surroundings.
I was able to purchase for my collection a cup and saucer with their logo on the side, and it sits proudly in my china cabinet.
And the walk back to our hotel in Mayfair, a walk of about two miles, completed an excellent Sherlockian day.
I have not yet been able to return to Simpson's, but it has not yet been removed from my bucket list.

It is interesting to note that included in the list of famous people who have taken a meal at Simpson's; Van Gogh, Charles Dickens William Gladstone, etc, they actually list Sherlock Holmes.
Didn't anyone ever tell them. . . . . .  . . . Dr. Watson was with him many times and should be listed also.

I hope you can make the pilgrimage some day.