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Showing posts from May, 2015

William Morton Savage 1891-1919 USS New Mexico

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William Morton Savage Died aboard the USS New Mexico Sept, 7 1919 Not a lot is known about Uncle Bill.  His sister, Alma Blanche Savage was my grandmother. Their father left when they were very small and their mother married a man neither of them got along with.  Bill joined the Navy quite young and served through World War 1 and was assigned to the USS New Mexico.  The New Mexico was the first to have a turbo electrical transmission. A high speed steam turbine powered a set of generators. The generators powered  a set of generators. The generators provided electricity for electric motors which turned the propeller shafts. Wonderful site with many photos of the building and tours of the U.S.S. New Mexico Bill was an Engineman 2nd class and worked in the engine rooms. On September 7, 1919, while docked at San Francisco , with 1000 visitors on board for a tour of the newly appointed Flagship of the Pacific Fleet, a fire started in the rheostat room just

Willie Holcomb Wagon Accident Age 9

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Truman Alvin Holcomb and Cora Belle Martin Holcomb and sons: Travis, Willie, Ocie, R.V. and Marvin Dogs un-named "This is a very sad part of our Holcomb history. Here is what my dad told me. By the way, I only saw my father cry twice and the first time was while he was telling me this story. I was about 12 at the time. Then I saw him dabbing his eyes, 15 years later when he took Anna and I to Fairview Cemetery to see Willie's grave. That day he pointed to where it was, but couldn't go in himself. He stood outside the little fence and dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief. Grandpa Holcomb was going to town (I believe to Savoy ). He wanted my dad to go with him so he could help him load the supplies he was going to buy. He was going in a wagon that was pulled by his mule. Dad was 13. Willie wanted to go and I guess it was all right with Grandpa, but Dad did not want him to go because he knew Willie would be his responsibility, and he was going t