Net Paid
IRCULATION
Last Work
2746
9le fftmpn f t$??
Pi JRaoroinn
Franklin, N. C., Thursday, January 24, 1957
There is the greatest
practical benefit in mak
ing a few failures early
in life.
?Thomas Henry Huxley
Price 10 Cents
Fourteen IJaeea
rrozen Lakes Bring Thousands To Town
Several thousand persons succumbed to the lure of frozen lakes and ice skating in Highlands
over the week end, turning the small resort town into a bustling hive of activity. Automobiles,
the majority from South Carolina, choked the highways and byways and parking space was hard
to find. Bon fires and lights rigged along the fringes of Mirror Lake kept the winter sport going
into the night hours. Restaurants, drug stores, and tourist establishments are reported to have
done a brief but landslide business before warming temperatures Monday cut activity short.
'Uncle John'
Dancing At 82 . . .
I "Uncle John" Gribble, One Of Macon's
First Electricians, Dies At Age 84
A pioneer electrician in this
county, John David < Uncle John >
Gribble, succumbed Saturday at
8:30 p. m. at the home of his son.
Audell Gribble, on Franklin, Route
2. Eighty-four years old, "Uncle
John" had been ill for three
weeks.
His passing removes still an
other "landmark" of the old days,
for "Uncle John" was widely
known and quoted. As one of the
county's first electricians, back in
the days when electric lights were
an envied luxury of the well-to
do, he worked as a lineman at
Franklin's first power plant, a
tmall privately-owned enterprise
established near the old Roller
Mill on Cartoogechaye Creek by
Henry O. Cozad. This was about
1908. When Mr. Cozad sold out
to the town in 1926, "Uncle John"
stayed on a while as manager of
the light, power and water depart
ment of the town before taking
up farming in the Prentiss section
Ke sold his farm in the early
1940's.
1 Up until his death, "'JncV
| John" held claim to being one of i
1 me best buck dancers in the area.
I He staked this claim as a very i
1 yout}g man and defended it
I nil comers. Baring Frank'.'n ? Cen- :
I if'Miai celebration in 1955. "wticlo >
John" won first place fov "warm- !
. il! the boards", using his cane
to add some of the rhythm tim" 1
had removed from his agiie legs.
He was 82 then and the judges
awarded him the top pri"e solely
on the basis of ability and not
because of his advanced age.
Funeral services for "Uncle
John" were conducted Monday at
2 p. m, at the Franklin Presbyter
ian Church by the Rev. Hoyt
Evans, a former pastor, assisted
by the Rev. Andrew Cloer, pastor
of the Longview Baptist Church.
Burial was in Woodlawa Ceme
tery. . Masons conducted rites at
the graveside.
The son of Lucius and Mrs. Sar
ah Carpenter Gribble, he was a
member of the Franklin Presby
terian Church and the Bakersville
Masonic Lodge in Mitchell County.
He was married Jan. 10, 1897, to
Miss Annie Davis, of this county,
who survives.
Survivors, in addition to his
wife and son, include another son,
Ted Gribble, of Franklin, Route 2:
two brothers, L. D. Gribble, of
Demorest, Ga., and Andie Grib- j
ble, of Franklin; a half-brother,
Clabus, of Enka: two sisters, Mis. ]
Minnie Foster, of Clarkesville. '
Ga.; and Mrs. E. B. Foster, of Hia- 1
?a?:sce. Ga.; r.nd five grandchil- '
riren.
Pallbearers were Mac Ray Whit
her, George M. Slagle, B. L. Mc
Slamery, J. Ward Long, T. H.
Pagr- and John Ray.
Arrangements weie handled by
Bryant Funeral Home.
I ,
A HAM -GNAWED tree is scaled with a penc I by Frank Plylcr, employe of Coweta Hydroloflc
Laboratory, to fire some Mea of the energy expanded by 'r. rare beaver colony ? rare 'here? that
has taken over a small valley jnst off Coweta Creek.
? * '
SELLING IN
SCHOOLS IS
DISAPPEARING
Only Two Selling
Items Other Than
Ice Cream Here
Oradually, Macon County schools
have gotten out of the candy
cracker, and soft drink business
and today only Franklin High
School and Highlands sell these
items.
All of the county's schools sell
ice cream, but not until after
lunch, according to School Super
intendent Holland McSwain.
Selling such merchandise as
candy and other snacks is regard
ed as poor educational policy by
the state agency tfhich accredits
schools. The agency refuses to
give accreditation to any school
selliner thASA thin arc
(Of the 11 elementary schools
In Macon County, only two are
accredited. These are Otto and
Cullasaja. However, Mrs. Beth
Guffey, elementary supervisor for
the county, said this week that
several more are ready for ac
creditation, or soon will be.i
In addition to various foodstuffs,
the schools long have sold a few
school supplies, such as pencils
and paper. School officials say
the school stores have been necess
ary to provide needed operational
revenue which is not provided by
the counts*.
Since Christmas, Franklin High
School has installed cracker and
soft drink machines. It does not
sell candy. The school began this
school year without such ma
chines, according to Mr. McSwain,
but re-installed them because the
revenue was needed for school
expenses.
Mr. McSwain is "delighted" that
such sweets are nearly out of the
Macon County curriculum.
"I have never believed," he said
this week, "that it is the schools'
job to dispense candy. We spend
a lot of time and energy getting
ready a wholesome lunch and we
don't want to see the children's
appetites spoiled.
"Farther, I don't believe the
schools should have to help sup
port themselves through the oper
ation of school stores. The support
is the job of all of us, as county
taxpayers.
"If, temporarily, we must run
school stores, I'm delighted we are
now selling candy and other sweet
items in but one or two of them.
It is my hope that these remain
ing candy sellers will soon be out
of the candy business.
It Kept 'Em
Hoppin' . . .
Angel Hospital's nursery staff 1
found itself in a slight dither (
over a four-day period last week. I
From the 15th to the 19th, 1
nine babies arrived, girls out- I
numbering the boys 5 to 4. I
Although not a record break
er, the debut of that many in- s
fants was nonetheless "unusual",
according to Dr. J. W. Kahn. S
who delivered three of the nine. *
As of the 19th, the hospital
was only one baby shy of hav
ing a daily average of one-a-day n
for 1957.
BURNINGTOWN SING
The Fourth Sunday Sing will
s held Sunday, beginning at 1:30
. m? at the Burningtown Bap- ('
st Church, it has been announ- te
?d by Lon Thompsoni president, m
11 singers and the public are ci
ivited. fe
? FreM Staff ?boU
MAPPING A PROGRAM for the coming tourist season are the new officers of the FraakUn
Chamber of Commerce. Seated is the reelected president, Verlon Swafford. Standing (L to R>
are II. H. Gnuse, Jr., vice-president, and J. C. Crisp, treasurer.
Swafford
Reelected
Verlon Swafford has been i
elected president of the Prankl
Chamber of Commerce and pla;
are now being made to kick-o
the organization's annual fui
campaign at a banquet later
the year.
Meeting Wednesday night i
last week, the chamber board <
directors, inclpding four new mei
bers, started organizing for tt
1957 tourist season.
Named to serve with Mr. Swa
ford were H H Gnuse, Jr , vie
president, and J. C. Crisp, treasu
er. Mr Gnuse is a reelected d
rector, while Mr. Crisp is new t
the board.
Arrangements for thr annu;
banquet, tentatively planned fo
the latter part of March, are b<
ing handled by Dr C5 R. M<
Sween and J. P Brariv. two of th
new directors.
Mr. Swafford appointed Mi
Brady and Mrs. lasra K. Horslej
jxecutive sjecr?i:ry. to. 'ook int<
jossible revision of the town'
jublic.ty folder and make recom
nendations at the board's ltex
neeting.
Meetings are to be held th(
econd Thursday in each month.
Employment of an executive
ecretary was postpone^! until Mr
forsley's present tenure expire'
iter in the year.
A list of committee appoint
lents is now being prepared by
Ir. Swafford for presentation and
pproval at the next meetinrr.
OFF FOR CONFERENCE
Miss Laura M. Jones left today
Thursday i for Misenhcimer to at
nd the conference executive com
ittee meeting of the Woman's So
ety of Christian Service at Pheif
r College.
They're At Work...
An uninvited band of vagabond
engineers are revamping the lano
scape in a small valley just off
Coweeta Creek on the old Brab
son property.
These energetic Industrialists
are beavers, amphibious rodents
that haven't been seen in this
neck of the woods, except in very
rare Instances, in many, many
years.
Where this band migrated from
Is anyone's guess. But the fact
remains that they're here and arn
busily damming up a small spring
'e<J stream. At last count, they
lad no less than eight dams flood
ng a wide area of bottom land,
rhe dams range in size from a
oot high to one about four feet
ligh and 10 feet long.
Few. if any, have spotted the
inlmals at work. They've set up
hop In a thlckety section that
nakes observation difficult.
A large house of sticks and wood
ias been built by the "broad tails''
about 25 yards from where th<*
small stream and Coweeta Creek
Join. When an interloper ap
proaches (ankle deep in water and
covered with brambles and briars)
they disappear inside and remain
until the coast is clear. The house
has at least two entrances, one
on land and one under water.
The latter can be spotted in the
deep water near a dam. Look for
a dustier of corn stalks: they
mark the channel and keep the
doorway clear.
There are many other signs of
industry around ? half-gnawed
sapplings, trails to a nearby corn
patch, mud slides along the small
dammed lakes, and tracks, lot:,
of tracks.
These tracks may forecast a
rather ambitious project by the
beaver colony.
Several have been found on a
sandbar In swift Coweeta Creek,
made, no doubt, by a resolute
beaver w'ith a dream!
Changes Blocked
iBy State Agency
ff
i,! Queen City Ordered
1 To Keep Schedule
jf Of Busses Same
h . 'A move by Queen Gity 'lYaitwayr
li( to discontinue Franklin's t a;V
morning bus to Asheville has . been
^ blocked by the State Utilities Com
' mission and the present schedu!e
v is to remain in effect until a
/ special hearing is held.
The open hearins is scheduled
for Feb. 1 at 10 a. in at the
I Buncombe County Courthouse.
r A delegation from here, led by
Mayor W. C. Burrell and Verlon
Swafford, president of the Frank
r> lin Chamber of Commerce, plans
to be on hand for tt i? hearing
\ to oppose the removal of the bus
?, and to call for mere efficient's?1
j vice from Smoky Mountain St;>;:"s,
5 Queen City TraiHvays' offspring
i- that serves this area,
t Not Notified
Here this week to c!i cuss the
bu- service situation, D D. Dens,
of Sylva. flatly declartd the utili
tips commission had not ? beets
notified by Queen City Trail ways
of any proposed changes either
here or in Brevard, where the
com pa ry has proposed to "tempor
arily discontinue" all service to
that area.
"A woman from here telephoned
me," he vaid. "That was the first
I knew of any changes . . antf
I immediately informed Raleish.'
Mr. Davis is the area representa
tive .of the commission
Order Giverf
Upon learning of the proposed
schedule changes, he said, E. A.
Hughes, Jr., director of motor
passenger transportation for the
commission, ordered Queen City
to continue its present schedules
until hearings were he'd. Mr. Davjs
had in his possession a copy of
Mr. Hushes' lettr r to J TI. Quatcte
SEE NO. 2, PAGE 10
, Survey Results ? '
Officials Of 7 Neighboring
Towns Give Water Situations
(EDITORS NOTE; This is
the stenntl of a scries uf art; les
reporting 'he results cf a F'ank
liri Frrs-s survey of the wil. r
'llii.itioi s in eifiht rteighborln;:
lnwd". These articles supple
ment another series, published
several months ago, on the
situation in Franklin.)
Water is In the news in eigl't
Western North Cnrotlnn towns re
cently visited by a Press reporter.
It's in the news because there',
either enough of it., or not enough
because it either tastes good,
lathers easily, and is clean looking,
or because it isn t. Whatever the
case, it's wldeTy discussed.
SYLVA
Take Sylva, for instance.
Here's a town with a situation
similar to Franklin's, in that it
has a large industrial conccrn
which uses a lot of water (Mead
Corporation), a small population
(1,500), and residential fringe
areas which are not part of the
town but want town water.
Sylva has met the problem and
Is in the best shape, water-wise,
of any of the ?ight towns visited
by The Press reporter. Sylva has
fo much water that hundreds of
thousands of gallons are spilled
daily.
' How does this Jackson County ;
town get its water? From a 1.046
icre, town-owned watershed on j
Pisher Creek. It is two and a ha>! -
miles from the city limits 1
With a 573.000 bond Issue m
1953, the town improved Its water
shed by adding a filter plant.
Until that time ,tl-.3 \v.tt"r' ran
directly irto the s>stem. but was
chlorinated.
Kdmond J. Nicholson, town
Continued On Pasc Eijht?
The Weatlier
The week's temperatures and rainfall heknr
art- recorded in Franklin by Man--on Stita*.
lT. S. weather observer; in Hlfrhlandii by
Tudor N. Hull and W. G: N<? wton , TTA
observer*; and at. th? Q^reta HydroIo*ic
Laboratory. I{endihi?? are for the 24-hoar
I>eriod ending at 8 a.m. of th? day . tiattfe.
FRANKLIN
Hifrh Low Rain
16
Wed., Jan.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Mondsiy
Tuesday
Wednesday
highlands
40
28
32
48
4t
54
58
29
14
8
6
13
36
46 .
57
T'ed., Jan.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tues ay
Wee lcsday
16
35
24
25
39
36
47
46
COWEETA
v ed.. Jan. 16
Thurstjiy
Pi i ay
Saturday
Sunday
Monr.ay
I urday
.Vedicsctey
40
20
34
45
41
53
57
20
. 12
8
12
18
^34 '
56
46
?tlk
11
9
19
38
W40,
50
.00
.00
trace
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TO
02
83
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m
no
$
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