MARCH CAME IN (TO ERWIN) LIKE A LION
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Muck winds (truck the southeastern end of the Err in High School smashing windows and ripping the roof from
over 12 classrooms. Damage was estimated at SIO,OOO.
"'Rttofs Blours Off Erwin
High School As Town Hit
By Severe March Winds
March roared into the town of
Erwin and unroofed a section of
the Erwin High School. An esti
mated SIO,OOO damage was done to
the building as the hurricane-like
winds hit at 3:00 A.M.. Monday
morning, March i.
Xo classes were held Monday arid
Tuesday, March 1 and 2, but were
resumed on March 3. Then the
classes were held in such places as
the Lunch Room, the Library', Gym
nasium and Auditorium. Classes
ran straight through with no time
out for the usual lunch period un
til the regular schedule began again
on March 10.
Erwin Methodist Church
Has Golden Anniversary
Originally organized as the Duke
Methodist Episcopal Church South,
Erwin's Methodist Church proudly
observed its 50th anniversary last
month. The Golden Anniversary
celebration lasted a week during
which time there was a renewal of
family, friendly and spiritual ties.
E. S. Yarbrough of Durham who
was one of Erwin's pioneer citi
zens and a charter member of the
church, gave the early history.
Former pastors preached in the
evening services held during that
week. Those who came back to take
ptrt in the program were Rev. W.
L. Maness, 1916-17; Rev. J. J.
Boone, 1926-31; Rev. E. G. Pur
cell, Jr., the only young man to
eifter the Methodist Ministry from
Erwin; Rev. O. K. Ingram, 1946-
50; and Rev. I. S. Richmond, 1937-
40. Sunday was the final day of the
observance and was a real home
coming. After the morning sermon
by the present pastor, the Rev. D.
A. Petty, a picnic dinner was served
in the basement of the Education
Building. Following the dinner a
fellowship Hour climaxed the
week's activities.
Barly History Links Mill
and Church
When the town of Duke was es
tablished in 1903, Sunday School
and church services were held
jointly by all denominations. In
1904 the Methodist Conference rec
ognized the need for an orgaafani
church and formed a circuit of ftvt
churches, taking Duke in with AM»
THE ERWIN CHATTER
Vol. X, Ho. 3
I.
A section of the roof of the Erwin High School which flew over the tide of
the building. Damage to furniture and text books was light.
gier, Benson, Pleasant Plains and
Elevation.
The first sermon of the Duke
church was preached by Rev. W. A.
Forbes in the Picker Room of the
No. 2 Mill in February, 1904. In
the summer of 1904 actual work
was started on the building of the
church. Erwin Mills gave the
church a lot 100 feet square and
SIOO. B. X. Duke supplemented
this with a gift of SSOO.
The first services held in the
church building were in September,
1905.
How to Raise $155
E. S. Yarbrough recalls this
story of how B. X. Duke helped
paint the inside of the church. It
seems that Mr. Duke had contrib
uted a total of SI,OOO towards the
church building fund, but when
he came to Duke for a visit in 1906,
he observed that the inside of the
church was not painted. Learning
from Mr. Yarbrough that it would
cost $155 to paint, and that the
church did not have the money, Mr.
Duke turned to his eleven visitors
at the dinner table and said, "Put
down Buck, $25.00 (that was his
brother, J. B. Duke); put down Bill
Erwin, $10.00; Jim Soutbgate,
$10.00; Billy O'Brian, $10.00," and
thus he went around the table.
When he finished he lacked sls.
"Put Buck down $40.00 and that
will paint your church inside."
Ifext week checks amounting to
$155 were received.
MARCH, 1954
Af. J. Wise , Jr.
Resigns Post
James L. Williams from
Burlington Mills to Join
Our Company in May
The resignation of Marion J.
Wise, Jr., recently appointed Di
rector of Industrial Relations, was
announced on March 14. Mr. Wise
came to Erwin Mills in May 1953
as assistant to Dr. Frank T. De-
Vyver, Vice-president in charge of
Personnel and Industrial Relations.
With some rearrangement of du
ties, the position of Director of
Industrial Relations will be taken
over by James L. Williams. Mr.
Williams has been with Burlington
Mills for the past 17 years and is
a native of Goldsboro. lie will as
sume his new duties with our Com
pany on May 2.
Plans Dropped |To
Merge Mills 6 & 4
Proposed plans for moving our
No. 6 Mill from Trinity Avenue to
West Durham have been dropped.
According to President Ruffin, "we
do not now plan to move No. 6
Mill's machinery to West Durham
as once contemplated. Our plans
are to continue its operation in its
present location."
Over a year ago, Company offi
cials announced the proposed move.
No. 6 Mill is the former Pearl Cot
ton Mill purchased by our Com
pany in 1932. It has been produc
ing percale sheeting since 1950.
A REPORT TO ALL EMPLOYEES
By \V. H. Huffin. President
You saw from copy of our Company's annual report for our
fiscal year ended September 30 that we were fortunate enough
counting all our mills to make some profit. The profit may have
looked pood, but when it is compared with the size of our sales,
approximately S7OJHKI,OOO for the year, it figure out only
whieh is really thin ice on whieh to skate.
I feel that I should tell you that sinee September 30. prices
lor textile products have become just about as completely demoral
ised as 1 liave ever seen them, worse in that resj»eet than the de
pression of the Ws. Fortunately, however, in spite of the bad
priees. people have continued to buy textile products and with the
exception of Cooleemee, we have been able to run our mills fairly
full. This is especially true for our Durham operations in spite
of the fact that, frankly, we have lost considerably more than one
million dollars in our Durham mills in the past fourteen months. I
do not want our Durham people to be discouraged at that state
ment, however, as we are determined to make a go of our Durham
operations.
Today, I am sure that, counting in all of our mills. our Com
pany is operating at a loss. It means that throughout ail of our
mills we must make the very best quality possible, and at the
lowest possible cost. It means that we must save in every way we
possibly can. I earnestly ask your cooperation both in your own
interest and that of your job, as well as in the interest of our
Company.
Short time is very bad, both for you and for our Company.
Our costs go up fast when we curtail. Times are very uncertain
but we will run our mills just as full as we can.
Sincerely yours,
William H. Kuffin.
President
Chatter Discontinued With This Issue
I am sure that all of us enjoy reading THE EBWIN*
CHATTER. I regret to tell you that due to the hard times
and our need of reducing all possible cost*, we have felt
it necessary to discontinue THE EBWIN* CHATTER at
least temporarily.
Wm. H. Ruffin.
President
"If You
Question
F. M. McDonald, Superintend
ent of Plant 7 in Neuse, asked bis
employees this question:
If you, Icere manager of the
plant what would you do to get
better material to sell, and
higher production, so that the
mill might run five days?
Here are the ten best answers he
received.
• I think every man should stay
on his job and look after it the best
he can. —Woodrow Branch, Card
Room.
• We think this mill could run
three shifts, five days a- week if all
people who work here would try
to observe the Golden Rule.—Ethel
Lowery and Eleanor Kelly, Cloth
Room.
SHF n
jk jnj
n
Nobody Knows The
Trouble I've Seen
Karen Uoen and friend
Circulation 6,000
Manager"
Answers
• Honest teamwork.—Luther John
son, Card Boom.
• If everyone would do their job
is if they had to run every job in
the mill. —Lavian Mcßeath, Spin
ning Room.
• For everyone to be more careful
and make less mistakes.—Georgia
and Maude, Weave Room.
• Train the weavers and get some
oom fixers. Unknown, Weave
Room.
• Let every hand do their very
jest and if they don't do it, get
someone that will. —Rufus Woodly,
Card Room.
• I think we need better eoopera
ion and better material.—Britton
Lowary, Weave Room.
• Stop all others, other than weav
ers, from starting looms. Cleaners
and sweepers should nut start looms
with broken filling. Too many of
them don't eare about broken picks.
—M. E. Cannup. Weave Room.
• Hire some help. Teaeh them
their jobs and keep them on this
job so they can learn everything
about it. —El Brown, Slasher.
Water Over The
Falls Of Neuse
By Carl (ireene
Boy Scout Troop 312 held their
Father-Sun Banquet -»n February
27. Forty-two fathers and sons
were present.
Draw-in Room Moved
When the Cloth Room expanded,
the Draw-in Room was taken over
by the press that bales the cloth.
The old supper house was not bong
used since we have smokers in the
mill so it was fixed up and the
Draw-in Room moved in.
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