Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1930

Date Range To

1950

Materials

CANVAS, RUBBER, NICKEL

No. Pieces

1

Length

36.7

Width

36.4

Description

WATER WINGS ARE RED ON OUTSIDE AND BLUE INSIDE. ARE TWO PIECES OF RUBBER CUT IN AN OVAL WITH ONE END COMING TO A POINT. THIS IS COVERED BY THE ABOVE MENTIONED COLOURS OF CANVAS AND ALL WERE FUSED TOGETHER (PROBABLY THROUGH HEAT). AT POINT IS OPENING WHERE BLACK RUBBER TUBE FITS IN WITH METAL PIN USED FOR PLUG. PIN HAS FLAT ROUND HEAD AND A SMALL RECTANGULAR OPENING ON ONE SIDE. THERE ARE TWO OF THESE OVAL SHAPED WINGS WHICH ARE ATTACHED WITH BROWN CANVAS ROPE. ROPE IS WOUND AROUND BOTH OF THEM AND TACKED THROUGH FUSED EDGES ON BOTH SIDES. THIS ROPE IS STRUNG BETWEEN THE TWO FLOATATION DEVICES FOR 3.4CM. AT EACH END THE CANVAS ROPE EXTENDS AS STRAPS. ONE END HAS A NICKEL PLATED ADJUSTMENT BUCKLE WITH TWO TEETH IN THE MIDDLE, AND TWO ON ONE SIDE OF BUCKLE. BUCKLE IS ATTACHED TO STRAP THAT IS LOOPED THROUGH AND TACKED TOGETHER. ON RED SIDE IS WRITING WITH ONE WING READING "TORPEDO FLOAT" THEN HAS ILLEGIBLE LINES OF SMALL WRITING. HAS PICTURE THEN "NEW YORK" AND A FEW MORE WORDS. OTHER WING IS THE SAME FORMAT WITH TOP READING "LEARN TO SWIM WITH THE TORPEDO FLOAT" HAS DIFFERENT PICTURE, THEN ALSO READS "NEW YORK" AND A FEW MORE WORDS. CANVAS IS DISCOLOURED, FADED AND FRAYED. ROPE IS CREASED AND FRAYED. RUST SPOTS ON BLUE SIDE. WRITING IS BADLY FADED. NICKEL IS PITTED AND HAS PATINA.

Subjects

SPORTS EQUIPMENT

Historical Association

SPORTS

LEISURE

History

*UPDATE* IN 2016 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING A BELT DONATED BY SHARON DEREK. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. THE DONOR, SHARON DERRICK, IS THE NIECE OF AGNES SHORT. AGNES CHRISTINA SHORT WAS BORN ON APRIL 20, 1916 TO WILLIAM H. AND BERTHA SHORT (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). SHE GRADUATED FROM LETHBRIDGE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE AND THEN ATTDNED THE CALGARY GENERAL HOSPITAL FOR NURSING TRAINING, WHICH SHE GRADUATED FROM IN 1939. AGNES WAS THE SUPERVISOR AT THE GALT HOSPITAL FROM 1939-1945. SHE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE NURSING STAFF OF LETHBRIDGE SCHOOL DISTRICT #51 FROM 1947 UNTIL 1958. SHE WAS ALSO THE DIRECTOR OF NURSING AT THE LETHBRIDGE HEALTH UNIT FROM 1964 UNTIL HER RETIREMENT. SHE RETIRED IN 1980 AFTER 42 YEARS OF NURSING. AGNES PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 78 ON OCTOBER 20, 1994. WILLIAM HENRY SHORT WAS AGNES’S FATHER. HE WAS BORN IN LONDON, ENGLAND IN 1889 AND MOVED TO CANADA IN 1909. HE INITIALLY WORKED FOR THE CITY WATERWORKS DEPARTMENT IN LETHBRIDGE FOR TWO YEARS, BEFORE SPENDING 51 YEARS IN SERVICE OF THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. HE OVERSAW THE INTRODUCTION OF MOTORIZED FIRE ENGINES, SWITCHING FROM HORSE POWERED WAGONS, IN 1913. HE ALSO SAW THE DEPARTMENT GROW IN SIZE FROM ONLY 13 TO 49 MEN. HE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 84 ON NOVEMBER 18, 1974. WILLIAM’S WIFE BERTHA L. SHORT PASSED AWAY ON JULY 28, 1989. ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE ABOUT AGNES’S LIFE, THE SHORT FAMILY LIVED IN NUMBER 1 FIRE HALL, WHERE WILLIAM WAS FIRE CHIEF. WILLIAM H. AND BERTHA ALSO HAD ANOTHER CHILD, WILLIAM D. SHORT. HE WAS BORN ON AUGUST 16, 1916 AND PASSED AWAY ON AUGUST 5, 1990. HE WAS MARRIED TO MYRTLE (NEE NELSON) SHORT AND THEIR CHILDREN INCLUDE THE DONOR, SHARON DERRICK. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. *UPDATE* IN 2018 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF BOXED TEXTILES AND ACCESSORIES INCLUDING A NUMBER OF ARTIFACTS DONATED BY SHARON DERRICK. ON 1 MARCH 2018, PUNDYK INTERVIEWED DERRICK REGARDING HER DONATION. THE INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: OF THE DOLL AND WATER WINGS, DERRICK EXPLAINED, “THOSE WOULD HAVE BEEN EARLY 1900’S,” SO SHE DID NOT REMEMBERED THEM. DERRICK STATED, “[MY FAMILY WAS] INVOLVED IN MANY THINGS [THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY]. MY AUNT WAS ON THE HOUSING BOARD FOR MANY YEARS. MY GRANDFATHER WAS ON DUTY 24 HOURS A DAY, SO YOU JUST WENT WHEN YOU WERE CALLED. SO, I DON’T THINK HE HAD MUCH TIME FOR ANYTHING ELSE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, OTHER THAN SPEAKING AT SCHOOLS. THEY USED TO SEND AROUND A CONTINGENT OF FIREMEN AND THE FIRE CHIEF TO TALK TO STUDENTS ABOUT SAFETY IN HOMES.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE REASON FOR THE DONATION OF HER FAMILY’S ARTIFACTS, DERRICK EXPLAINED, “I WAS THE EXECUTOR FOR MY AUNT’S WILL AND WHEN SHE PASSED AWAY SHE [WAS LIVING IN] MY GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER’S HOME. ALL THIS STUFF HAD BEEN LEFT IN THE HOUSE, SO WHEN WE WERE CLEANING IT OUT FOLLOWING HER DEATH, WE CAME ACROSS ALL THESE THINGS. WHILE I KEPT SOME AS MEMENTOS, MY SISTER AND I [DECIDED TO DONATE OTHER ITEMS TO THE MUSEUM].” PLEASE PERMANENT FILE P19950037001, FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION AND COPIES OF ARTICLES REGARDING THE FAMILY HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19950038022

Acquisition Date

1995-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail