CROSSWORD CRAZE

Hokitika Guardian, 1 September 1925, Page 4

CROSSWORD CRAZE

CAXK'ITKKS JX BJMSK DI-31AX0 AITKLANI), Aug. 2'J. A large pack <;I" crossword puzzlehunters lias been it. lull cry during the lust lew weeks, a very attractive bit of game being afoot. Part of the pack lias been seeking its quarry in the Publie Library, and the quiet of the refcreiuc department- has keen disturbed in a manner quite unprecedented, As many as kOO books have beer asked for in a day. and .300 at least were sought by puzzle-hunters, lilt last fe.v days have witnessed scenes of feverish haste and almost painful impatience, because little time remains. One man left the building op Friday night in a perfect blaze of triumph self-: rented. Perhaps he had lon ml a I urkisli word or a missing Amci i: an town, or the name of a priiklv plant that grows beside the sea. Bequest,s made to attendants are often strange. One dear eld gentleman. wearing the innocent expression Liu; i all cross-word puzzlers wear when they go to the library, said he wanted to find out as mill'll a.s ] oxsible about tin Treaty of Utrecht. After a long amt. in which the assistant joined, if admitted that lie was not worried ibout- the .Spanish succession, but no rely about it crossword puzzle. Another man. finding that there Viis no Turkish dictionary, said a daori dictionary would do. Failing hat. no doubt, a volume on Polish i story would have -atislied his (hirst or knowledge, or perhaps an article n the Eskimos. During the week the gnzottor has eon doing overtime. There are three spies in the library, and as a rule !i have boon mi use. !u pre-cross-ord days the gazetter was a sadly ■■gleeted tome, hut now there are to Mind nllnil ers of people »li i are of n opinion that the library is not eel lug the needs of the people, fsec■;il dozen pazettirs would be ne'estrv to satisfy them On the other hand, (hero is the ttient enthusiast who will sit for linlf day until his book is available. A dy asked if there was not n book ntnining a list of all the small towns

of America. She said she luid gone rigid through the gazette!', and the place she wanted was not in it. The Knoyclopaedia Brittnnita lias also heen responsible for many crosswords, and even the atlas has convinced many that there is urgent need for much more comprehensive geographical records. Ii might he noted in regal'd to this rush on the library that in some America:! libraries di tionaries and gazettes have been so damaged by puzzlehunters that they have had to he replaced. and are no longer available fe-' this ( lass of reader. In some eases a time limit has had to be placed upon their use. Crossword fiends are becoming a vetitalile nuisance at Hamilton library where a number are usually to be found delving into tomes in the reference room, and where eare in handling of books is quite subservient to eagerness to find a Turkish name for bazaar in three letters: something that is round and yet C square ending with a "y” or a musical synonym for a hurst drain pipe. As n result many valuable volumes have suffered considerably and a complete set of an encyclopaedia, which only three weeks ago was purchased at a cost of thirty guineas, has been so badly used that it lias suffered damage to the extent of one-third of its value.