'Washday Blues7 Unlikely To Depress
This Launderer Of Assorted Coins
It's a common occurrence in San Francisco. A man tips a
cabdriver. A lady uses small change — nickles, dimes and
quarters to buy something at a drugstore. And the reaction to
the shiny silver coins the cabbie and the lady use is the same: "I
see you're staying at the St. Francis."
The comment is warm and prideful because the St. Francis
hotel, which washes its coins so they will sparkle like new,
continues a tradition which goes back a long way to when silver
dollars reigned in the City by the Bay.
The gentle traditions are many and varied. But the one that
catches the eye of many people is still the practice at the hotel
where coins are cleaned before they are offered as change to
guests.
The tradition started after one of Western International
Hotels' most famous managers, the late, dapper Dan London,
arrived on the scene. In the late 1930's, he was known to many
as "Mr. San Francisco."
London was one of the greats in the business, full of
imaginative schemes to delight his guests that made his hotel
famous for special treatment. (For example, London graciously
tendered to 63 important guests his special card — all with the
number "1".)
At the time, white gloves were a strict requirement for well
dressed ladies. He believed that ladies' gloves should be
protected from soiling dirty coins.
Thus, London ordered all coins at the St. Francis to be
washed thoroughly before they were given to guests of the
hotel.
And the practice persists to this day. Robert Wilhelm,
general manager, whose genial, outgoing manner nicely
balances a solid efficiency and awesome attention to detail, sees
to it that the coin washing is still handled with great care.
It takes a full-time employee now. Arnold Batliner, 69, has
been handling the operation since 1962. He hasn't missed a
single day in more than 14 years. He handles close to half a
million dollars in coins each year.
Arnold's laundry room, besides having bank-like security,
boasts a variety of interesting equipment. A 40-year-old Tahara
silver burnishing machine is the main-stay of his operation. He
also has a drying machine and a counter-wrapper.
Twice a day — sometimes three times during busy
periods—Arnold picks up sacks of sorted coins from the cashier
and takes them to the laundry, a windowless "cabin" inside the
hotel's annex. His laundry can clean 5,000 pennies, 10,000
Warren Doctor Named
Delegate To Meeting
K. B. Patel, M. D. of
Warrenton has been elected as
a Delegate from Warren
County to the annual meeting
of the North Carolina Medical
Society to be held at the
Pinehurst Hotel and Country
Club May 5-8.
The House of Delegates
serves as the policy making
body of the North Carolina
Medical Society. Each county
medical society is entitled to
one delegate for each twenty
five members or major fraction
of 25. while at-large delegates
consist of past presidents and
secretaries of the State Medical
Society. Medical specialty sec
tions are also entitled to a
voting member in the House.
The House of Delegates will
meet on Thursday afternoon,
May, 5, and again on Saturday
ifternoon, May 7. Friday
r
afternoon, May 6, is reserved
fc: reference committee meet
ings, at which any interested
member wishing to be heard
can speak on topics under
consideration by the House of
Delegates.
Revival Services
Under Way Here
Revival services are under
way at Warrenton Pentecostal
Holiness Church this week.
The services will continue
through May 1 and begin each
night at 7:30 j). m.
The Rev. Willard Wagner,
missionary to the Philippines,
will deliver the morning
message at 11 a. m. on May 1. A
cordial invitation is extended to
everyone by the pastor, the
Rev. Robert J. Forehand.
We Sell and Install
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✓ PATIO PORTS ^ STEPS
^ STORM DOORS and WINDOWS
✓ UNDERPINNING (Block and Metal)
FOR HOUSE-TYPE MOBILE HOMES
Free Estimates
CALL 492-1568
dimes, 4,000 quarters or 2,000 half-dollars. The denominations
are cleaned separately — dimes first.
Apparently pennies are the hardest to clean. Batliner
pre soaks them for 15 minutes in a pickle crock, using water and
a commercial toilet bowl cleaner! Then they are placed in a
washing tank where silver washing compound, five gallons of
the hottest tap water possible, and a secret ingredient— 20,000
pellets of buckshot to polish the coins by friction—are added.
The machine rotates for l'/i hours. By the time the process is
complete, the solution is slate-grey in color and the coins
sparkle. Arnold stops the revolving drum pours out the murky,
hot water and rinses the coins. Then he transfers both money
and buckshot to a sieve that sorts the coins through the holes.
The coins are then spread on a table and wiped by terry cloth
until dry under the heat of three 250-watt lights equipped with
heat reflectors. According to Batliner, the money must be
completely free from moisture before it can be counted and
wrapped.
The sparkling money is put back into circulation by the
comptroller. He also tries to keep fresh, crisp bills on hand for
guests. But the coins get most of the attention.
They're a reminder that sometimes in this hurry-hurry
world, some people still take pride and time to fulfill gentle and
considerate traditions.
South Warren PTASets Goals
The South Warren PTA
voted to work on three projects
at its meeting on Tuesday
night, April 19, at 7:30 o'clock.
Following a brief discussion,
the projects discussed were
adopted as follows:
1. The need for TVs for
Improved instruction.
2. A P. A. system for the
school. This was on the schools
slan for accreditation.
3. To see that each pupil in
he school receives Weekly
headers for the 1977 summer
nonths.
A voluntary committee was
>rganized to make plans for
■aising funds for these projects.
The meeting was featured by
i talk by Mrs. Rachael Fishel.
supervisor of instruction, who
spoke on "Promotions and
detentions." She emphasized
he importance of retaining
>upils who have not mastered
he skills needed for their next
Cochrane Furniture
Has Record Increase
Cochrane Furniture Com
>any, which has a plant in
Varrenton, has reported a
■ecord 33 per cent increase in
;ales for the nine-month period
'nding February 26, 1977.
Consolidated (unaudited) net
ales increased to $10,361,505
rom $7,792,419 for the nine
nonth period ended February
!8. Consolidated net income
yas up to $520,041 relative to
296,964 for the comparative
eporting period.
Earnings per share increased
4 per cent, moving upward
rom 46 cents to 80 cents for the
omparable nine-month period.
grade.
j Mrs. Fishel also stressed
that the word retention should
not be considered a "bad" word
in the child's education, but
merely to help him obtain a
better background for his
future grades. Parents were
urged to talk with the teachers
concerning their children's
progress.
An interesting discussion by
parents and teachers followed
the presentation by Mrs.
Fishel, with the parents
seemingly having obtained a
better understanding of "pro
motions and retentions" from
the information given by the
Supervisor of Instruction.
The next PTA meeting will
be held on May 24.
Local Delegation
To Attend Dinner
Mrs. Eva M. Clayton,
chairman of the Warren
Democratic Executive Commit
tee, reported yesterday that 20
county Democrats are expected
to attend the annual Jefferson
Jackson Day Dinner activities
in Raleigh on Saturday, April
30.
Vice President Walter F.
Mondale will be the principal
speaker at the $20 per-plate
dinner scheduled for Dorton
Arena, State Fair grounds, at 7
p. m. Other speakers will
include Governor James B.
Hunt. The dinner will be
preceded by a reception at the
Arts and Crafts Building on the
fairgrounds. Members of the
Council of State, the Congres
sional delegation, other state
and party leaders will greet
Democrats from all 100
counties.
Mrs. Betty R. McCain,
chairman of the N. C.
Democratic Executive Commit
tee, said the usual price of $50
was lowered to $20 so that
more people might attend what
is being billed as a "Peoples'
Jefferson-Jackson Day." She
said up to 2,500 Democrats are
expected to converge on
Raleigh. The funds realized
from the dinner are used to
operate activities of the party
between elections.
An enjoyable, inexpensive
way to turn your comfort
able, cotton clothes, in
to smashing one-of-a-kind
creations can be as easy as
handling a ball point pen.
Hand paint in 28 fashion
colors using iron-on transfers
or your own imagination.
You can get materials and in
structions in a Vogart Crafts
Kit, available at many depart
ment stores.
Hospital Guild Releases
Plans For Annual Fair
HENDERSON—"The Fair
est of Them All" will be the
slogan for this year's Maria
Parham Hospital Guild's Fair
which will be held May 11 in the
National Guard Armory from
10 a. m. until 9 p. m.
An annual event, the fair
serves as a means of paying for
the nursing scholarships which
the Guild sponsor. The Guild
Open House Set
At Child Center
An open house will be held at
the new Warren County Child
Development Center at All
Saints Episcopal Church on
Thursday, May 5.
In a joint announcement from
the Rev. Robert W. Orvis, All
Saints priest-in-charge, and
Duncan E. Munn, Mental
Retardation Services coordina
tor, the public is invited to
attend the open house.
Ceremonies will begin at 1:30
p. m. with formal remarks
scheduled at 2:30 p. m., to be
followed by refreshments.
'There has been a great deal
of progress at the center since
it opened in September and it
serves as an example of what
can be accomplished through
the cooperation of concerned
individuals, community organi
zations and governmental
agencies," Mr. Orvis and Mr.
Munn reported. "We believe it
is a program that Warren
County can be extremely proud
of."
gives • $1,000 scholarship each
year to a young girl wishing to
pursue the field, with the
understanding that she will
devote time to Maria Parham
Hospital upon her course
completion. This year, the
affiliate is sponsoring four
scholarships in the amount of
$4,000. The fair will complete
the endowment fund of $60,000
which will eventually pay for
the scholarships when fully
funded.
Activities, booths, and ser
vices highlighting the fair will
be Arts and Crafts, desserts,
canned and frozen foods; cake
walk, canteen, children's enter
tainment including fire truck
and pony rides and games.
For the door prizes, winners
will receive a color T. V., doll
house, boy's bicycle, oil
painting and a porcelain doll.
Hospital services may in
clude blood pressure check, diet
information, blood sugar test,
and scales for weighing.
The public is invited to
attend the function.
There is a difference between
shears and scissors. Scissors
have two ring handles, each
just large enough for one
finger. Shears have one rii.g
handle for the thumb and one
long handle for two or more
fingers.
Do not mix ammonia or to:M
bowl cleaner with chlorine
bleach. When mixed together,
they release hazardous gases.
Food Director Is Nominated
Mrs. Minnie White is listed in
"The Arrow," State School
Food Service magazine, as one
of two nominees for Director of
District XI. District XI
incorporates Wake, Granville,
Vance, Franklin and Warren
Counties, as well as Franklin
City schools.
If elected, Mrs. White will be
installed at the state conven
tion in Greensboro in June and
will serve for the next two
school-year terms.
Mrs. White is lunchroom
manager at Northside School.
She is a member of the Warren
County Chapter of SFSA,
NCSFSA and NSFSA. Mrs.
White holds certificates from
Enterprise Services
Opportunities to worship at
Enterprise Baptist Church, Lit
tleton are as follows:
Sunday, 9:45 a. m., Sunday
School; 11 a. m. The Hour of
Power, "The Gift of Love,"
pastor; 7:30 p. m.. Adult choir;
8 p. m.. Deacon's meet.
Monday, 5 p. m., Boys ball
practice.
Wednesday, 7:30 p. m.,
W.M.U.; Junior Choir; 8 p. m..
Youth Choir.
The deacon of the month for
May is Robert Walker. Mr.
V.'alker is employed by Roses
Stores, Inc., and resides with
His wife, Florence, on Route 3.
They have four children,
Teresa Hilliard of Rt. 3; Bob of
' jungsvill and Fddie and
Sherry of the home. Walker
also serves the church as a
trustee.
Wilson County Technical Insti
tute, Vance County Technical
Institute, Halifax County Tech
nical Institute and a workshop
from U.N.C.-G. for areas of
study in school food service.
She is a member of the
Burchette Chapel United
Church of Christ.