NAME THAT BEACH
I know I'm going to mangle the spelling, but back in the 1966 time frame I remember visiting a New Hampshire beach whose phonetic name was (I think) something like "Wingearshear". Can you give me the correct spelling? Does it still exist as a beach to visit?
John M. Davis

EDITOR’S REPLY: Wow, that's a puzzle. NH has about five seaside beaches here on the coast -- Jenness and Foss, North Beach, Hampton Beach, Seabrook -- that's about it. There's Seapoint in Kittery, York Beach, Ogunauit, Kennebunk, Parson's, Old Orchard in Maine. Nothing sounds like that to me. Could you me thinking of a Lake like winnepesaukee—JDR

READER FOLLOW-UP: Thanks for the rapid response. After some additional Googling, I answered my own question! What I now believe I was remembering was Wingaersheek Beach which is a couple of miles NNW of Gloucester, MA (not in NH, as my ever-decaying memory had placed it!). Here’s the backstory: In 1966, I was an undergraduate at MIT and a member of that year's "Spring Weekend Committee". For that event, we had lined up entertainment for Saturday that included Bob Newhart and The Beach Boys. Our venue was a 16,000 square-foot tent that we rented and had erected on a beach ... Wingaersheek Beach. We chartered a train from the Boston and Maine RR to get us from Boston to near the beach and back, with chartered busses to complete the train-to-beach journey. The previous night we had had entertainment ("headlining" The Isley Brothers, a then-very-popular R&B group) plus "games" on campus. All of that for the then-astronomical price of $26/couple. I've been trying to archive some of those memories for an upcoming reunion, and I was darned if I could remember the name of that beach! Now I've got it! -- John M. Davis

CALIFORNIA CRASH INCITES MEMORIES
No doubt retired Air Force aviators from Portsmouth experienced a flashback yesterday upon learning of the Marine Corps fighter that crashed near San Diego. The Marine Corps FA-18D like the FB-111A [in Portsmouth in 1981]crashed approximately two miles from it's home base, the Miramar MCAS , and the "hornet" was also a two seater like the "aardvark" but that's where the similarities ended.

The Marine Corps pilot of the FA-18 had been practicing carrier landings on the USS Abraham Lincoln but he did not have his WSO onboard. The FA-18 is also 20 ft shorter and 25 tons lighter than the FB-111A but it still managed to obliterate one house and damage two others.

Most tragically and what truly separates this disaster from the Portsmouth crash is the death of three - inclulding an infant. Therein lies the rub for most military crashes do not usually result in the demise of the crew or anyone on the ground.

As I stated the FB-111A was a much larger plane with the potential to wreak havoc if crashing in a populated area. I hope this incident will give us all pause to reconsider our extremely good fortune in not experience the hell that the pilot of the FA-18 did and will continue to visit over and over in his mind. And, maybe, just maybe the two Portsmouth pilots can at long last speak to there own experience and fill in the gaps of the story about The Day The Bomber Crashed.
Jack Goterch

FOUND BEER BARREL IN BARN
I have a beer barrel marked Portsmouth brewing co. #4346. It seems rather old. Found in an old barn in Acton, Maine while moving. Am interested in ports .brewing co. history , "ie" founding date and closing dates am trying to date the barrels age. Any help would be appreciated.
Peter Shutt

EDITOR’S REPLY: You'll want to track down a used copy of this book -- King of the Alemakers by Ray Brighton, the only book on the topic that should include info on rival breweries. There's a lot about Jones' and his ownership of the Wentworth by the Sea hotel in my book of the same name, but Ray's book from the 1970s is the only resource about Jones and his beer industry. The barrels are not rare, but the large round kegs are attractive to collectors. We have one at the Portsmouth Historical Society and you might contact Sandra Rux there. The Portsmouth Athenaeum will have lots of details on Jones if you happen to be in town and there is a master's thesis on Jones by Richard E. Winslow III that is available at the Atheaneum and at the public library in Portsmouth.

MORE HANCOCK BOOKLETS
I have many of the John Hancock Insurance Company booklets you currently already have on your web page, but I also have several small booklets you are missing. I can scan the cover and send you a scanned copy. I have collected them since 1959.
Steve Vogel

EDITOR’S REPLY: Thanks for your note re: the booklets. That piece came out about 10 years ago and has attracted lots of mail in our READ THE MAIL section and tons of booklets being mailed here. Thanks for your offer, but we've got more than our fair share of them.

NH SHARK ATTACK?
To whom it may concern: -- I am a student at the University of New Hampshire, and for one of my assignments, I have been asked to investigate whether a shark attack could happen on the New Hampshire sea coast. Has there ever been a shark attack? If so, when was the most recent? How likely is it to happen in New Hampshire waters? Thank you very much for your time!
Ryan Rebstock

EDITOR’S REPLY: Great question, but don't know. I assume if there had been one, it would be part of local lore and history. We’ve seen photos of sharks captured by Isles of Shoals fishermen in the 19^th century, but nothing yet on attacks. Remember we only have 17-18 miles of coastline. According to reports we see on the web there have been no recorded attacks on the giant coastline of Maine, so seems unlikely anything significant happened here. Let us know what you find out.