Providence, RI

Mr. Stone

I was working at the Brown University Photo Lab when Hurricane Carol hit. It was my first real job after almost four years Army service in Frankfurt, Germany, as an Official Army Photographer. My job at Brown was subsidized under the G.I Bill.

Seeing an opportunity to make a buck, and have a little adventure, I took my trusty 16mm Bolex and 3-100' rolls of film out into the hurricane. I shot film of new cars bobbing down the river, engines down, empty gas tanks up. Trees and power lines were down everywhere, water was racing down the streets. At one point I was standing on the Brown Campus and the eye of the hurricane passed directly overhead. Sunshine, blue sky and calm. It wasn't long before the other wall approached, and the bedlam started all over again.

I took my film back to the photo lab and processed it. As soon as I could I went to WJAR-TV which was on the top floor of the Outlet Building. I was familiar with the people there as we produced a half hour program a week An Evening on College Hill, which was carried on WJAR. I submitted the film to the program manager of the station and he offered me $25 a roll! WOW, $75 for a few hours work! That was almost two weeks pay. I made the deal and went home happy. As my film was reversal (Positive) and WJAR shot negative, they strung my film end to end (8 minutes) and incorporated it into a half hour program which they played many times over the next few weeks. They also won a Peabody Award for their (our) efforts. I got $75 and was happy as a clam.

(Editor's note: WJAR just ran a special documentary on Carol in which they used a lot of original footage from their photographers. I'm sure some of it must have been Jack's, so they've gotten alot of millage out of their $75 investment!)

We were without power for three weeks after the event and the cleanup was massive.

I left Brown in 1955 for Florida where I still live. We just went through one hurricane and are anticipating another, but I've never experience anything like Hurricane Carol.

John E. (Jack) Cosgrove,
Tampa, FL