May 1953 page 3

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 tres-
passers 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 Con-
ference, 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 Com-
mercial 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 em-
ployees 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 hos-
pitalized 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 Depart-
ment 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