The Courier Electronic Edition

The case of the missing apostrophes is solved


Q: Why are some place names like St. Marys, Ohio, spelled without an apostrophe?A: When it comes to American place names, you'd be safe to just forget the apostrophe. Only five places take an apostrophe and an S, and you probably have never heard of four of them.

It's because of a decision by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names when it was created in 1890. The board, part of the Department of the Interior, has authority for the spelling of all named places except federal buildings.

The decision allows the S, but not the apostrophe, in names that sound possessive, like St. Marys or Pikes Peak.

The board's archives contain no indication of its reasoning.

"Myths attempting to explain the policy include the idea that the apostrophe looks too much like a rock in water when printed on a map, and is therefore a hazard, or that in the days of `stick—up type' for maps, the apostrophe would become lost and create confusion," the government says.

"The probable explanation is that the board does not want to show possession for natural features because, 'ownership of a feature is not in and of itself a reason to name a feature or change its name.'"

But, the government says, the board allows much lesser places to use an apostrophe, including, "schools, churches, cemeteries, hospitals, airports, shopping centers, etc."

Those five places are:

•Martha's Vineyard, Mass., 1933, after an extensive campaign on the island.

•Ike's Point, N.J., 1944, because "it would be unrecognizable otherwise."

•John E's Pond, R.I., 1963, because otherwise it would be confused as John S Pond. Note the lack of the use of a period, which is also discouraged.

•Carlos Elmer's Joshua View, Ariz., 1995, at the specific request of the Arizona Board on Geographic and Historic Names because, "otherwise three apparently given names in succession would dilute the meaning, that is, Joshua refers to a stand of trees."

•Clark's Mountain, Ore., 2002, was approved at the request of the Oregon board to acknowledge the personal references of explorers Lewis and Clark. -- U.S. Department of the Interior and Peter Mattiace.

Q: How much extra pay do players whose teams advance in the NFL playoffs earn? -- Tom Jeffs, Edison, N.J.

A: Here's how the playoff pay breaks down:

•Wild-card round. Division winner: $21,000 ($20,000 in 2008); other: $19,000 ($18,000 in 2008).

•Divisional playoffs winners and losers get $21,000 ($20,000 in 2008).

•Conference Championships winners and losers get $38,000 ($37,500 in 2008).

•Super Bowl. Winners: $83,000 ($78,000 in 2008); losers: $42,000 ($40,000 in 2008).

•Pro Bowl. Winners: $45,000 (same as 2008); losers: $22,500 (same as 2008).

So, a player on a division winner participating in the wild-card round and winning the Super Bowl would receive a total of $163,000. A player on a wild-card team that wins the Super Bowl would get a total of $161,000.

Division winners with byes make no money in the first round.

Many players, too, have contracts that reward them for postseason wins and other accomplishments. -- Barry Wilner, AP, New York.

If your kind of curiosity leads to these kinds of questions, Just Ask will answer them on Mondays. Just ask by e-mail to justask@thecourier.com, by fax to 419-427-8480, or by mail to Just Ask, The Courier, P.O. Box 609, Findlay, OH 45839.