TONY* WELCH I EMPLOYED FOR VETERAN POST Job Is Mads' Full-Tims; Ccmmii si osier* O. K. Nantahala Road Th* board of county commis sioners, at Its meeting Monday, appropriated $1,000 for the next fiscal year, to match a like fund from the state, for a full-time veterans service officer for this county, and employed R. E. (Tony) Welch to fill the posi tion. The board also gave its ap proval to a road proposal from people of the Nantahala town ship, approved the county wel fare department and forest fire fighting budgets, and transacted routine business. Under an act of the 1049 gen eral assembly, the state will match funds put up by the rounty (up to $1,000 each) for full-time cpunty veterans serv ice officers,' and the appropria tion was made and Mr. Welch was employed upon recommen dation of the local posts of the American Legion and the Vet erans of Foreign Wars. Mr. Welch will succeed Mrs. Bill Bryson, who has been working on a part-time basis, July 1. A delegation of six or eight from Nantahala presented a pe tition, signed by most of the citizens of that township, that the state take over and black top the Nantahala Power and Light company road, which leads from just below the Nan tahala dam down the river gorge to Nantahala station, and build a road from the present Forest Service road, connecting with the power company road, starting at White Oak creek, a distance of about thre*4*aetea of a mile. The delegation, which pointed out that this would reduce the distance to Nantahala Station and eliminate the necessity of going down the Winding Stairs road, told the commissioners the power company figures show that firm spent $138,000 In building the river road. The delegation, it was under stood, planned to present the petition In person to the divi sion highway commissioner in Asheville. The welfare department budg et, presented by Mrs. Elotse G. Potts, superintendent, Is for a total of slightly more than $18, 000, representing an Increase of about $700 over last year's total. The increase in property valua tion will make the larger ap propriation possible without any increase in the tax levy, It was explained. The fund for fighting forest fires, which is matched by the state, was increased from last year's $1,000 to $1,200. Since the first Monday In July falls on July 4, a holiday, the board will meet next on Monday, July 11. Do You Remember . . . ? (Looking backward through the files of The Press) v' ...... 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK H. G. Trotter, J. M. Carpenter, and N. L. Barnard spent Thurs day, Friday and Saturday of last week in town prying into every body's business affairs. They are the tax assessors for FrankHn township. A lively party went up to Wayah Bald mountain yester day and will return tomorrow. The party consists of Messrs. W. J. Neville, Sam L. Kelly, Lee Crawford, P. L. Slier, Will Sloan, T. J. Johnston and Misses Laura Jones, Kate Roblnaon, Carrie S'oan, Margaret Redding, Lizzie Kelly, and Isabel Ellas. Mrs. T. M. Slagle Is chaperon, and Coley Guess boss of the train. 25 TEARS AGO Beautiful in its simplicity was the marriage of Miss Annie Lee Waldroop to Mr. Hal Slagle, which tcok place on June IS at the home of the bride. " 1 Of Interest to Women With Bob*? Hair bobbed, shampooed, and electrically dried In forty minutes. City Barber Shop, J. S. Conley, Manager, ? Advertise ment. jr Record Rain Sends Little Tennessee On Rampage ? Photo by Crisp Studio RAGING FLOOD QUICKLY COVERS RIVER VALLEY ? The photo above, made from near the Franklin depot, shows the Little Tennessee at the height iof last Thursday's flood. Note the wood, drifted from stacks along thfi railroad tracks. Huge pile after pile floated from its location, teeteired uneasily, and t'iv&r. slowly toppled into tha rushing current, as the water rcse higher. From the depot, the hundreds .of spectators who rushed to the scene could see several pigs ma.rooned on the Indian Mound (just left of the area covered by the photographer's iense), while on a nearby island of sawdust were a number of chickens. The water neared the floor of the highway bridge as the picture was made. Major Gray's Funeral Held At Salisbury Last rites for Major Fred Jud son Oray, Macon County man who was killed in action May 24, 1944, at the age of 26, were conducted at the National Cem etery In Salisbury yesterday (Wednesday) at 11 a. m. A flier, Major Oray was shot down over Germany. Persons from here who at tended the service were Major Oray's widow, Mrs. Louise Blaine Oray; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Javan J. Oray; a Sis ter, Mrs. Gus Baldwin; his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Oray; and Mrs. Louise Oray's mother and two broth ers, Mrs. D. W. Blaine and Nor man and Doyle Blaine. Present from elsewhere were the other members of Major Gray's family? his brother, Elam Oray, of Delaware Water Gap, Penna., and his other two sis ters, Mrs. R. P. Davis, of Dem orest, Ga., and Mrs. Elmer W. Crawford, of Winston-Salem. A native of this county, he was born December 15, 1917. He was a graduate of the Franklin High school and of Clemson college, having major ed in dairying at the latter. Up on graduation from Clemson In 1940, he accepted a position with the South Carolina extension division, but resigned in Sep tember of that year ? four months before Pearl Harbor? to enter the army air forces as a flying cadet. He received his wings and commission as a second lieuten ant at Kelly Field, Texas, in April, 1941, and was assigned to Randolph Field as a flight instructor. At the end of a year's duty there, he was trans ferred to Hendricks Field, Fla., for flight training on Flying Potresses. in March, 1943, he became squadron commander of a bombardment group at Blythe, Calif. After duty at Oelger Field, Wash., and Rapid City, S. D., he was sent to England in April, 1944, as commanding officer of a heavy bombardment squadron. He was on his third flight over Germany at the time of his death. His promotion was rapid. He became a first lieutenant in September, 1942, was promoted to captain in February, 1943, and received his commission as a major in October, 1943. He has been awarded tto Purple Heart poathumouily, ATHLETIC FIELD FUND IS SOUGHT ? inr-O' ?? ?? ' ?-% ?4 A movement Is under way here to raise funds to build a permanent fence around the Franklin school athletic field, and to add 1,200 seats to the stadium, which would provide a seating capacity totaling nearly 1,800. A goal of $6,000 has been set. It is proposed to raise the fund by selling advertising space on that section of the fence that will run along the south (left field) side of the field and a committee this week Is solic iting business houses for adver tising. , It is proposed to build a six foot woven wire fence, with three strands of barb wire above it. Some form of ever green would be planted along the fence to provide a screen. The fence would be attached to metal posts, that are to be sunk in 36 Inches of concrete. The posts are to be 10 feet apart, and a space 5