Some of Early Days oi Motor
Transportation Recalled As
New Bus Terminal Is Opened
Brass-Fronted Ford More
Than 30 Years Ago Pioneer
ed Present Superb System
of Motor Transportation in
This Community; a Brief
Review of the Start of
Transportation Here
The opening of the new union
bus terminal recalls to mind some
of the transportation dificulties
experienced here in the olden
days, the coming of the auto
mobile, and the evolution of
motor transportation to this day,
when 38 sleek, trim, and comfor-'
able motor coaches arrive and
depart from the local terminal
every twenty four hours, carry
ing passengers to every point of
the compass.
Along about 1914, Rev. John
Carlton, a Baptist preacher, a
native of this county, who had
lived for a number of years in
California, established residence
hdre and with a brother, Prince
Carlton, started the pioneer motor (
transportation system in thisj
county. The Carltons residedj
on the lot where the present R.I
C. Rivers home stands, and a two-j
place garage was built at the bot-j
torn of the hill on the main road.
This garage housed a four-cylind
er Studebaker ? touring car, and
one of the ancient brass-fronted'
Fords, which were used in main-j
taining more or less regular pas-|
senger schedules between Boone I
and Lenoir. The model T bore thej
brunt of the burden, since the'
rear end of the Studebaker wasi
"out" most of the time, a round;
trip to Lenoir required just aboutj
a full day, and the fare was fin-1
ally "reduced to about $3.00. To-'
day one travels to Lenoir on a
luxurious Trailways bus in one|
hour and twenty minutes and thej
round trip costs only $1.50.
On the Carlton line the tript,
back to Boone was wher the'
trouble came in. When the model
T hit the Lenoir Blowing Rock
mountain, it was low-gear all the j
way to Green Park, and a number
of oil cans were carried to haul
extra water to cool the radiator
between watreing troughs. The1
line failed to pay off and was
later abandoned. Meantime John!
W. Hodges, Frank A. Linney and I
W. R. Gragg soon bought privatej
automobiles, Model T's, and
automobiles became accepted ini
this community. In the early
twenties some Lenoir man bid
off the mail route to Boone, and
carried passengers in an open car.
A similar service was soon placed
in operation between Boone and
North Wilkesboro, where pas
sengcps could connect with Camel
City coaches to Winston-Salem.
In 1025 E. O. Woodie purchased
the framchise from North Wilkes
boro to Bristol, Tenn., and placed
small cars on the run. A bus line
had begun operation from Boone
to Johnson City , this line being
purchased by the E. T. and W. N.
C. Motor Transportation Co., in
1930, and in 1937 sold to the Queen
City Coach Company, which now
operates five round trip schedules
daily from Charlotte to Johnson
City.
Mr. H. W. Wilcox, local bus
terminal manager, has seen motor
transportation grow during his
twenty-five years experience in
transportation, and has marveled
at the transition. As late as 1933
250 tickets per month was a re
cord. Now more than 2,000 are
sold, and motor transportation
has played an increasingly active
role in the development of this
region.
"This mode of traved," says
Mr. Wilcox, is 90 per cent safer
than traveling in a private auto
mobile, and costs about one-third
as much. Boone is now on a great
trunk line bus system, and the
service is being rapidly improved,
providing quick and comfortable
transportation to any part of the
nation.
"Operating out of Boone are
some of the finest and most
modern buses built. People say
they ride off the mountain in
these super buses and hardly
realize they have traveled far
enough to reach the foothills, the
ride was so comfortable."
Mr. Wilcox sees great days
ahead for this region, and be
lieves that motor transportation
facilities will play an increasing
ly important part in bringing the
nation's millions into this moun
tain resort area, making of it a
varitable playground for the na-i
lion. I
Three million in the nation
drink too much, forum is told.
Goverment pay checks are go
ing to nearly 20,000,000 persons.
Major L. R. Fisher
Named Secretary
T o Judge Phillips
?
Former Boon* Reiidtnl Will Ac
company Jurist On N*w As
signment in Germany
Charlotte ? Judge F. Don Phil
bps of Rockingham, who recent
ly resigned his superior court
judgeship in order to serve as one
of the presiding judges of mili
tary courts set up by the war de
partment in the American zone of
occupation in Germany, has an
nounced appointment of Maior
L R. Fisher of Charlotte, as his
confidential secretary on the new
assignment, effective at once.
Judge Phillips and Major Fish
t left on Friday from Washing-!
ton by plane for Nuernberg,
Germany, which is expected to
be their base. First, they will
fly to Paris, and there they will
change planes, then proceed to
Frankfurt, Germany, and make
the remainder of the journey to
Nuernberg by train.
The trials of many Germans
for war crimes by the military
courts for which Judge Phillips
will serve as a [Presiding justice,
will probably require a minimum
18 months, and he and his asso
ciates and their assistants are ex
pected to be in Germany at least
that long.
Judge Phillips, who has been a
regular superior court judge in
North Carolina a number of
years, served many years, before
his elevation to the bench, as a(
superior court solicitor. He is
widely known.
Major Fisher, who is a former
commander of the Western di
vision of the state highway pa
trol, embracing the western half
of North Carolina, with headquar
ters in Charlotte, served 30
months ?? an army officer in the
American military government,
most of this tour of duty having
been overseas in World War II.
He received his discharge with
the rank of major last April. He
has sold the Carolina Cafe in
Boone, which he operated for
several months, and he and Mrs.
Fisher have been making their
home at Hotel Mayfair in Char
lotte. Mrs. Fisher will join him
in residence in Germany in th0
near future.
$900 IN OLD SOCK
Kewanee, 111. ? The next time
Harold Francis uses a sock as a
bank, he'll be sure to tell his
wife. Recently he put $900 in a
sock. His wife sent the sock and
some other clothing to a needy
family. The $900 was recovered
after extensive explanations.
115,000 Civilian
Government Workers
To Be Dismissed
Washington ? At least 115,000
civilian workers of the federal
government in this country and
its possessions appear slated for
dismissal by New Year's day.
Budget Director James E.
Webb, carrying forward a pro
gram of payroll paring, last week
ordered 93.400 army and navy
civilian employees cut off the
rolls by Jan. 1, making a 1,000,
000 reduction in that sector since
V-J day.
This development cAie on top
of word from OPA that dismissal
notices had been sent to 10,000 of
that agency's workers and anoth
er 12,000 would get their notices
by the end of this month.
Reductions in other agencies
also were in the making for later
this month, but the net effect
might be diminished or offset by
further increases in employees of
the still-growing Veterans and
War Assets administration.
In any event, tht 115,000 cut
back in army-navy-OPA payrolls
appeared likely to trim overall
federal employment ? excluding
that in foreign countries ? to be
low 2,250,000 by New Year's day
compared with a V-J day figure
well over 3,000,000.
NEW TELEPHONE SERVICE
CARRIES WOMAN'S VOICE
BY ELECTRIC POWER LINE
j Aiken, S. C. ? When Mrs. J. E.
Hawkinson. a farm wife, picked
up her shiny new telephone the
other tady to make a call, she in
augurated a new type of com
mercial rural telephone service
that may become nation-Wide.
Her call to Superintendent T.
W Henderson of the Aiken Ru
ral Electrification Co-operative
group went sizzling along several
miles of electric power line, now
doing double duty.
This initial project of seven
scheduled by telephone and pow
er companies in six states is ex
pected to provide a basis for ex
tension of the method into rural
areas throughout the nation.
Six farm families, a country
store and a rural school in the
Talatha community near here,
comprise the initial group to be
served by the relatively low-cost
method.
This power line carrier system;
is accomplished by use of high
frequency telephone currents
that can carry conversations with
out interfering with the regular
flow of power voltage through
the same lines.
Couplers and other specialized
equipment perform the job of
getting the telephone currents
onto and off the power lines at
'the subscribers ' premises, and
block off the power current from
the telephone receivers at thosei
points. j
I
The telephone instrument itsell
if much like a conventional tele
phone and is used in tfie same
way.
Ending of restrictions is de- ?
clared no rental housing cure-all. |i
STRANGE NOOSE
Portland, Ore. ? Police called
to investigate a "strange noiae"
found it was nothing but- Hal
lowe'en spirits. A cider jug bad
exploded.
Mr. and Mrs. Herman Wilcox
have our heartiest congratula
tions on the occupation of
Boone's new
Bus T erminal
Bush Transfer Company
Lenoir, N. C.
Our congratulations are extended to
MR. AND MRS. HERMAN WILCOX
on the neiv and modern
wm Boone Bus Terminal
Complete and detailed information on our service through Boone and over our en
tire system is available at the new BOONE BUS TERMINAL.
Queen City_ Trail ways
CHARLOTTE, N. C.
which is now open and which reflects their faith in the future of Boone and their de
sire to keep pace with the rapidly expanding motor transportation industry.