Tin

Dancing Dorothys, tin men and scarecrows Most of us are familiar with the 1939 MGM classic "The Wizard of Oz." But did you know the movie, in all its Technicolor splendor, was based on a tale that by then was nearly 40 years old? A century ago, L. Frank Baum turned his fascination with make-believe into the characters of the Tin Man, Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion when he wrote "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Baum followed the book, an instant children's hit, with 13 others that chronicled Dorothy's fantastic adventures.

The tin mill operation at the Sparrows Point steel plant in Baltimore County will begin its shut down later this month and be entirely suspended by the end of April, according to a letter from the top union representative for the tin mill. "I met this morning with management to discuss the present and future plans for our Tin Mill," wrote Michael Baskerville in a letter with Friday's date to mill workers. "The Tin Mill is being put into what is called Asset Preservation Mode, because of the loss of annual contracts.

When commercial shuttle boats extend their regular service to the Baltimore Museum of Industry this summer, this institution near Locust Point becomes part of the Inner Harbor's attractions. It is about time. In the past 17 years, the museum has grown from a desk at City Hall to a most intriguing collection of Baltimore nostalgia."We have one of the largest educational programs of any museum in Baltimore," Dennis Zembala, the museum's director, remarked recently as a dozen school children were hard at work in a play cannery, shucking oysters and trying to relive a typical Baltimore industrial experience of some hundred years ago.A total of 40,000 pupils are expected to visit the Key Highway museum this year.

The exterior of Lee and Sue Jensen's home in the Catonsville development of Fox Hall Farms is traditional and reserved. Like its connected group of neighbors, the Colonial-style facade features neutral-color siding, a brick chimney, multi-framed windows and a double-car garage. Even the street seems very quiet. But still waters run deep. A clue to its interior appears quickly, just beyond the front door, when Sue Jensen, by way of a greeting, reveals matter-of-factly, "Our mover said that a normal move is about 250 boxes.

While speaking from guitarist Reeves Gabrels' hotel room in London recently, David Bowie ribbed his latest songwriting collaborator at every turn. Of course, all the while, Gabrels, an American, cursed him feverishly in the background."

Bethlehem Steel Corp. yesterday announced it will increase the price of tin-coated steel, made at its Sparrows Point steel mill in Baltimore County, by 4 percent on Jan. 2 to recoup increased production costs.The nation's second largest steel producer also said it is raising the price of electrolytic chromium coated steel, used for the ends of tin cans, by 5 percent.Bethlehem's price increase of tin-plated steel, which is priced from $1,200 to $1,400 a ton, comes less than a month after USX-U.

Local members of Watson's Tin Box of Ellicott City, a Sherlock Holmes literary society, will introduce Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's intrepid fictional detective and talk about his world, his adventures and why people around the world continue to read and write about him. Characters from the stories will make an appearance. The program, to be held at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 at the east Columbia library, is to mark the start of a Sherlock Holmes essay contest for seventh-graders. Contestants will be asked to read The Speckled Band, a Holmes story, and write a five-paragraph analytical essay about it. Contest rules are available at www.hclibrary.

CHICAGO -- A research team has discovered the world's oldest tin mine, a lengthy network of narrow tunnels, as well as the bones of workers who apparently labored in them, in the mountains of southern Turkey.The find answers a long-standing puzzle of how people in the Middle East region, where experts believe the Bronze Age began, were able to obtain the key ingredient for the important alloy.The discovery of the nearly 5,000-year-old mine by Aslihan Yener, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute and her colleagues, also fuels a current archaeological debate on how metal technology spread.

CarnaudMetalbox, a European company that for the past two decades has made and exported to the United States decorative tin containers for food, cosmetics and beverages, yesterday opened a $2.5 million plant in Belcamp.The Harford County plant will initially employ about 25 people and is expected to nearly double its work force during peak-demand holiday seasons -- Christmas and Easter. Within three years, the company estimates it will provide 35 to 55 jobs.For the U.S. market, the company will draw on its store of tooling -- up to 700 sizes, shapes and designs -- to make fancy tin-plate containers for leading brands of food, cosmetics, tea, coffee, wines and liquor, candy and other products.

I wish someone on the copy desk of The New York Times had picked up on and questioned Dave Anderson's use of "Bawlmore" in a column he wrote the day after the Colts put an end to purple mania and the Ravens' dream of possibly going all the way to the Super Bowl XLI. Anderson wrote that natives pronounced Baltimore as "Bawlmore," and then used it throughout the column. I reread it several times and wondered if it was a not-so-subtle way of making fun of how folks speak in these latitudes -- a linguistic put-down of the city.

Do you think it gives Clarence Thomas a warm, fuzzy feeling to know he is one of Ann Coulter's blacks? That is how Coulter put it on Fox "News" while defending Herman Cain against sexual harassment charges that threatened to engulf his campaign last week. "Liberals," she said, detest black conservatives, but the truth is, "our blacks are so much better than their blacks. " "Our" blacks? Really? Social conservative pundits tend to be astonishingly obtuse when discussing race (see Exhibit A, above)

A'ight, Bal'more. It's that time of year again. Time to go downy ocean, hon. I have been goin' downy ocean for 38 years, never missed a year. As a child, vacation was the best week of the year. The anticipation was even better. For weeks leading up to the trip, my mother would bake dozens upon dozens of sweets. She and my aunt would go grocery shopping and fill two or three carts full of food until they were so overstuffed that our job as kids was rush around behind them like ball boys and girls, picking up any stray items that fell out as they tried to steer.

The primary steel-making operations at Sparrows Point will remain idled for the rest of the year until market conditions improve, the Russian company that owns the Baltimore County mill announced Tuesday. The continued shutdown adds to renewed uncertainty for about 2,500 workers at the plant, which has seen periodic shutdowns and a succession of owners in recent years. Severstal North America, a subsidiary of one of the world's largest steelmakers, is reportedly looking to sell the Maryland mill and other financially strapped U.S. plants.

THURSDAY DAVID KELTZ: POE IN PERSON: The Edgar Allan Poe impersonator performs tales of the macabre all weekend at Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St. The celebration starts at 8 tonight with performances of "The Black Cat," "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "Annabel Lee" and "The Raven." Classic tales will also be performed at 3 p.m. Saturday. Other programs, "Beyond the Grave" and "Humor & Horror," are performed throughout the weekend. Single tickets are $10-$20. A three-play package is available for $20-$40.

For about half a century, the stocky brick building that stands on the border of Remington and Charles Village languished as tenants and owners came and went. Redevelopment efforts stalled, leaving pigeons, graffiti, vandals and the elements to steadily wear on this one-time tin can manufacturing plant. But for the past several months, neighbors have watched as workers in hard hats cleared decades worth of trash from the 80,000-square-foot building, which was built in 1874. Workers have installed new plumbing and are working on renovations that will maintain the building's status as a historic structure.

Officials ask speedy aid in the wake of Ike WASHINGTON: Gulf Coast officials asked lawmakers yesterday for fast federal money for hurricane recovery and a minimum of bureaucratic red tape. Texas is looking at $11.4 billion in damage from Ike, including $16 million in damage to Houston, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said. Devastation in Galveston is $2 billion, that city's mayor said. Louisiana is facing $1 billion in damage from Ike and Gustav, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu said. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said in prepared testimony that the $40 million cost of evacuating his city for Hurricane Gustav has led to hiring freezes and a halt of any new expenditures until disaster costs are reimbursed.

The Carroll County Farm Museum is offering traditional-arts classes starting next month. "18th-Century American Painted Tinware": The cost is $40 for one day. Students will learn painting techniques on tinware projects from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. as follows: May 19 and June 3, round tin canister (intermediate level); May 29 and June 17, tin tray (beginner and intermediate). "American Folk Art Painting": Students will learn techniques of folk art painting from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. as follows: May 8, "Hearts & Flowers" painted planter (beginner and intermediate)

Jack Edward Hodgson, manager of the old Tin Deco plant on Canton's waterfront, died of congestive heart failure Monday at Oak Crest Village in Parkville. The former Anneslie resident was 95. A longtime Continental Can executive who served in Baltimore and other cities, he later changed careers and taught business administration at the University of Baltimore. Born in Maywood, Ill., Mr. Hodgson was the third generation of his family to be involved in the can- and tin-making trade. His grandfather was an inventor of can-making machinery, and his father was a plant engineer.

Halloween is just around the corner, and while there's no shortage of pirate costumes, gory masks and creepy lawn ornaments, we thought we'd scare up some more creative decorations offered by area shops and museums. Here are some items we found: 1. String Witch Doll Price: $10 Where to get it: Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, 443-573-1700 Why we like it: Handmade in Thailand from one continuous piece of string, this delightful green doll is about 4 inches tall. She's topped with a felt hat and carries a little broom.

My neighbors will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 2500 block of Guilford Ave. next week. They promise the name and spirit of Patricia Trimp will be honored as they toast the centenary of a classic Baltimore stand of porch-front rowhouses. Pat Trimp didn't quite make it to her block's centennial. She died at home March 14, just short of her 85th birthday. A visit to her 1907 home was a trip to a section of the Smithsonian not yet open to tourists.