Semaphore - May 1953

Semaphore

SERVICE WITH COURTESY

MAY 1953

The Magazine of the Piedmont & Northern and Durham & Southern Railways

[A black and white photograph of a man looking through a standing spyglass stretches across the cover.]

IN THIS ISSUE . . .

Durham Goes On A Whisker Jag

IT'S YOUR PROBLEM TOO

During April the railroad industry turned its attention to the fearsome problem of freight loss and damage. Much was said and written on the subject. Over and over it was pointed out that money paid out in claims was money lost to the industry forever.

George M. Harrison, writing in THE RAILWAY CLERK, put the problem in terms of how much individual railroad employees lose indirectly because of loss and damage.

He wrote in part: "Loss and damahe is more than the money paid to shipper for freight lost or damaged while in care of the railroad. It also threatens the loss of a customer. Lost or damaged freight shipments invite general criticism of the railroads, with resultant transfer of that business to other transport. Even claims paid promptly put two strikes on the traffic solicitor when he tries to get shipments routed over your road. Claims cost everyone, and the railroad employee risks loss of his job and reduction of his pay if his industry continues to be victimized by this form of direct loss."

We think Mr. Harrison has touched upon an important aspect of this stupendous waste. Not only do the railroads literally throw this money away, but in doing so they tend to undermine the shippers' confidence in their ability to carry out their part of the bill-of-lading contract.

This problem can no longer be shrugged off as an inevitable factor in railroading. Fortunately the industry as a whole is now taking positive steps to reduce loss and damage to an acceptable minimum; but little progress can be made until every employee is keenly aware of the problem and makes a personal effort to help reduce this loss of both money and reputation.

Semaphore

MAY 1953 VOLUME 9 NUMBER 5

Magazine of the Piedmont & Northern and Durham & Southern Railways

EDITOR

THOMAS G. LYNCH Director of Industrial Development and Public Relations

CORRESPONDENTS

Elizabeth N. Watt.....................Anderson Lennie Featherstone.....................Belmont Elsie K. Walker.....................Charlotte Dora A. Whitaker.....................Durham Gladys M. Bottoms.....................Durham Jean Greene.....................Gastonia

Delia H. Brown.....................Greenville Evelyn Williams.....................Greenville Sarah Y. Stroud.....................Greenwood Lucille M. Dameron.....................Mt. Holly H. W. Kay.....................Spartanburg Katherine Brown.....................Varina

SEMAPHORE is a monthly publication dedicated to the promotion of mutual understanding and cooperation between the employees, the patrons, and the management of the Piedmont and Northern and Durham and Southern Railway Companies. Suggestions and material for the magazine are solicited from its readers. Unused material will be returned upon request, but no responsibility for its handling is assumed. Address all communications to Editor, SEMAPHORE, Box 480, Charlotte 1, N. C.

IN THIS ISSUE . . .

Keeping Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Brothers of the Brush . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Big Little Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Carolinas Auto Supply . . . . . . . . . . 12 Shippers News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Two New P & N Directors . . . . . . . 15 What The Truckers Don't Say . . . . 17 Railroad Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Along The Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

THIS MONTH'S COVER . . .

The man who sights through an instrument, more than any other railroader, has his eye on the future. He is laying the groundwork for things to come, helping to turn ideas into reality. Much of the field engineering work for the Piedmont & Northern is done by Assistant Engineer Lyles W. Sanders. When the photographer caught up with him--which in itself is no mean accomplishment--he was doing some checking in the newly-graded section of the railroad's big Thrift Road industrial development in Charlotte. The crossties behind him have been laid out for the service track which will serve half of the new area. See page 12 for the story about the first industry that will be served by this track.

KEEPING TRACK . . .

SPRING IS A SEASON OF MIXED EMOTIONS for the roadway forces on the P & N and D & S. Green lawns, flowers, and trees with leaves are things of beauty, of course. But green stuff on the right-of-way and in the roadbed makes plenty of trouble for the section foreman. His weapons--the axe, the blade, the weed-killers--are already in full use as this perennial war against vegetable trespassers rises to a summer crescendo.

LATE FROST IN THE PIEDMONT THIS YEAR sent icy shivers down the sensitive spines of peach growers from Carolina to Georgia. In Spartanburg County, where big money was at stake, the antics of Jack Frost were especially conducive to ulcers. Some growers headed for their orchards to build fires under their tender trees while others rushed to the bottle stores to build fires under their sagging spirits. The consensus after three or four frosty mornings--about 25% of the young crop bit the dust.

SALESMEN ARE FOREVER GETTING TOGETHER to tell each other how to be better salesmen. This year five P & N and D & S traffic representatives, the railroad's salesmen, were on hand for the fifth annual Piedmont Sales Conference, an all-day affair sponsored by the Charlotte Sales Executives Club. Door prizes contributed by salesmen with a nose for advertising are the standard order of business at these gatherings and one of the prize winners was D & S Commercial Agent W. J. Kerr, Jr. His prize: 25 pounds of dog food. His dilemma: no dog.

THE HOSPITAL AND SURGICAL EXPENSE INSURANCE plan recently placed in effect on both railroads has attracted considerable attention from other railroads and firms. A number of requests for copies of the explanatory booklets have been received. The plan also received early attention from a number of employees who have already filed claims. The honor of filing the first claim went to P & N Carman C. E. Connelly of Greenville who became a proud father on April 6. First D & S claim was from Trainman L. W. Tart whose son was hospitalized for a throat ailment.

NORTH CAROLINA RAILROADS will soon be featured at the Hall of History in Raleigh under the sponsorship of the N. C. Department of Archives and History. A collection of model trains operated in North Carolina will go on display in September and a booklet will be published in connection with the event. The booklet will include a brief history of the development of railroads in North Carolina and a map showing the areas served by the various roads. The Piedmont & Northern and Durnham & Southern have furnished the Department with brief histories of the two companies and replicas of the official emblems. The Hall of History is the State's principal museum and contains many exhibits of historical and contemporary importance.

4 SEMAPHORE

[Black and white photo of a man in a suit, spans both columns] "COLONEL" TART, D & S clerk-dispatcher, easily qualified for the fraternity with these black whiskers, on outsized Texan hat, and string tie.

BROTHERS of the BRUSH

Durham lets its hair down for its 100th BIRTHDAY PARTY

IF the Smith Brothers of cough drop fame could have visited Durham last month they would have blushed right through their facial foliage.

The city's "Brothers of the Brush," some 6,000 strong, were wearing some of the fanciest whiskers ever grown in these parts--all colors, all sizes, all shapes, all grades. Shaving had become a shameful thing and small boys were proudly improvising mustaches with shoe polish and charcoal.

The inspiration for the whiskers was the tumultuous celebration of Durham's 100th anniversary, a week-long birthday party complete with parades, costume balls, pageants, and all manner of shennanigan. For several months the tobacco capital, proud of its heritage, spared no effort to get its citizens in the proper mood for celebrating the final act of "Durham's Centurama," a full week after the celebration began.

Probably for the first time in its colorful history Durham looked back to see from whence it had come. The

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