MAY, 1956
MSWi
PAGE 5
Prizes For Biggest Catch,
Best Fisherman’s Story
Anglers: Bring out your gear
and sharpen up your observation
during the 1956 season. Because
big fish and a “hard-luck” tale
are going to draw prizes for
members of the plant’s two fish
ing clubs of the three shifts.
Awards to winners will be
fishing equipment.
Employees who are members
of the clubs may compete for the
“big fish” and “hard - luck”
premiums from April through
October this year.
In addition to the prize for
the biggest fish in any of 10
categories, a prize will go to the
member in each of the two clubs
who catches the biggest large
mouth bass.
Classification in which the
prizes will be awarded are:
bass, calico bass, crappie, yellow
perch, bream, trout, catfish, carp,
pike. Fish in the saltwater class
ification are included.
The angling competition is
open to members of the two
fishing clubs only. For informa
tion on joining the clubs, inquiry
may be made at the Men’s Club.
Sign-up deadline is June 4.
According to the rules, all
fish entered in the contest must
be landed with hook and line.
Weights of the fish entered will
be written in ink by the weigh
station operator.
Contest blanks, filled out,
should be turned in at the Men’s
Club where they will be filed
until October 31—the end of the
contest. After that date, any fish
caught may be entered in next
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SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS and their parenls
are congratulated by General Manager Harold
Mercer. Receiving her scholarship award certifi
cate is Peggy Jean Davis, while her parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Harry Davis look on. At left are Mr. and
Mrs. Winfred L. Stroupe and their son, Michael
A. Stroupe who is the second scholarship winner
from the plant this year.
Small mouth bass, large mouth year’s competition.
Savings Bonds
Gastonia Area Students Win Scholarships
-From page I
each case would be doubled. All three winners are Bond pur
chasers.
Following is Mr. Little’s prize-winning letter;
WHY FIRESTONE EMPLOYEES SHOULD PURCHASE
U.S. SAVINGS BONDS
U.S. Savings Bonds are a sound investment that helps to in
sure our freedom, provides a way to save systematically, pays a
fair rate of interest and is backed by our Government. Indirectly.
Bonds fight communism. So you see. Bonds pay interest that can
not be determined in dollars and cents.
The letters written by Mrs. Francum and Mr. Clark will be
published in a forthcoming issue of the plant newspaper.
This fall, the Firestone
Company will help a bud
ding director of religious
education and a future elec
tronics engineer to go to col
lege.
For these are the vocational
aims of Peggy Davis of Lincoln-
ton, and Albert Stroupe of Bes
semer City. The two high school
seniors are the plant’s 1955 win
ners of Firestone scholarships.
They are among the 29 Firestone
sons and daughters of employees
Nylon Fabric Adds Strength To Air Springs
Nylon tire fabric, such as is processed at the
Gastonia plant, is featured in a radically-differ-
ent suspension system that already gives new
buses and lightweight trains the comfort of a
magic carpet.
A look into the rubber industry’s crystal ball
reveals automobiles of tomorrow riding on air
springs.
These springs—pneumatic rubber and nylon
bellows developed and made in Noblesville, Ind.,
by Firestone—have their newest use on speedy,
low-cost passenger trains.
AMONG the companies that have introduced
or plan railroad equipment on air springs are
Budd Company, Pullman-Standard Car Manu
facturing Company, ACF Industries, Inc., Gen
eral Steel Castings Corporation and General
Motors Corporation.
Firestone is working with truck manufacturers
to develop tractor and trailer units that ride on
cushions of air. When suspended on bellows,
truck bodies will stay at a constant height, mak
ing loading and unloading easier. Because they
I'ide smoothly either loaded or empty, air sus
pension trucks will minimize cargo breakage.
ACCORDING to Firestone engineers, applica
tion of air springs on new passenger cars may be
expected within the next year or two. If so,
here’s what you can expect from them;
1. The smoothest ride you’ve ever had. The air
Spring system, which includes a metal air tank
^nd self-regulating valves, encloses a variable
Volume of air. Based, like a tire, on the principle
^hat air can be compressed, the air spring absorbs
'^riving shocks without passing them on to the
^ody of the car. It literally lets a motor vehicle
on air. The compressible cushion smooths
kinds of road shock, from the shattering im-
^^^ct of deep chuck holes to simple vibrations
brick and crushed stone paving. And the
^ir springs, one for each wheel, keep the car level
turns.
2. Less driver and passenger fatigue. Minor
^igh frequency vibrations are too slight to acti
vate conventional metal springs, but the air
^'ishion absorbs them before they are transmitted
either to the automobile body or passengers.
3. Quiet operation and easy maintenance. Rub-
springs never need lubrication or replace-
'^ent. They have no metal bearings to squeak or
^^ffer metal fatigue. In tests simulating 10 years’
^®rvice, air springs show no appreciable wear.
4. With air springs your car will stay at the
same height no matter what the load. Add extra
passengers and more air is metered automatically
into the bellows that support the car, keeping
it on the same level.
AN AIR SPRING bellows looks like a small
tire, somewhat fatter and wider than those on
the rear wheels of a child’s tricycle. It is made
like a tire too, built around a drum from plies of
rubber-impregnated nylon fabric. Nylon is used
because it’s the strongest fabric made. The spring
is vulcanized in a mold. Depending on specifi
cations of a particular vehicle, one, two or three
of the rubber and nylon containers are joined
to form the completed air spring. The springs
are installed two or four to an axle and inter
connected by the system of valves and air tanks.
Firestone’s first air springs were made in the
early 1930’s for automobiles and were installed
on a few custom-made cars. In the years since.
Company engineers have made installations using
the air spring principle on truck trailers, aircraft
landing gear, antiaircraft guns as well as buses
and trains. They have even floated newspaper
press room floors on air springs to prevent trans
mission of press vibration to other parts of build
ings.
across the nation who won the
educational grants this year.
Miss Davis’ mother, Mrs. Lu
cille Davis works in the SYC
Weaving Department. Mrs. Win
fred Stroupe, mother of the
other winner here, is also em
ployed in the Weaving Depart
ment.
MISS DAVIS, who lives in the
Boger City section of Lincoln
County, plans to major in re
ligion and philosophy at High
Point College beginning this fall.
She is a member of the Boger
City Methodist Church, where
she serves as president of the
Youth Fellowship.
She is also on the church
board of education and its com
mission on membership and
evangelism.
In high school, she was elected
class poet by the seniors of 1956.
She is also a member of the Na
tional Honor Society and the
French Club.
Albert Stroupe plans to attend
engineering school but has not
made a choice of an institution.
At Tryon High School, near
Bessemer City, he has played
basketball and also serves as
manager of the baseball team.
He is treasurer of the FFA Club
and a member of the 4-H.
He is an amateur radio op
erator and a member of the Gas
ton Amateur Radio Club. His
call letters are KN4DRT. He at
tends Concord Methodist Church
where he is assistant teacher of
the senior class in Sunday school.
There was one other scholar
ship winner in North Carolina,
Dan L. Morrill of Winston-
Salem.
More about the scholarship
awards this year appears on
page 6.
May Portends Good 01’ Summertime
The fifth month, famed for its
spring flowers ushered in by
April showers, was originally
third on the ancient Roman cal
endar. It became the fifth when
the calendar was revised.
Among historians the origin of
its name is controversal, but the
most popular theory is that it
comes from Maia, mother of
Mercury or Hermes in Roman
mythology.
May suggests the traditional
May-day festivals, which origi
nated in antiquity and observed
in the United States. The festi
val originally commemorated
the return of the vernal season
and new life to the land.
In North and South Carolina
May 10 is observed as Confeder
ate Memorial Day in tribute to
the fallen Southern heroes of the
Civil War. In other Southern
states this holiday is marked on
other dates.
MAY 20 in this state is Meck
lenburg Declaration of Inde
pendence Day. On this date in
1775 a convention of patriots in
Charlotte adopted a declaration
of independence renouncing al
legiance to the rule of the col
onies by Great Britain.
Among other dates of interest
during the month of May are;
Kentucky Derby Day, Louis
ville, May 5; American Indian
Day, second Saturday in May in
many states; National Hospital
Day, 12; Mother’s Day, 13; I Am
An American Day, 19; Memorial
Day, 30.
Some Suggestions On Fire Safety
In making an air spring bellows fabric is built
around a drum in plies, with rubber and steel
beads locked in at each end. Then it is molded
and cured by steam. Steel rings are placed around
center and at each end. Here, Pearlene Burrow of
the Nobles ville plant stamps a spring after it
passes pressure test.
Early this year, the National
Board of Fire Underwriters re
ported that fire damaged or de
stroyed an estimated $885,218,000
worth of property in the United
States in 1955. The loss of human
life and injury from these fires
would be equally as appalling.
Such report suggests the ques
tion. “Is your home fire-safe?”
The following few suggestions,
when carried out, will help you
to make your home safe from the
destruction of fire;
Check your range or heating
appliances and see that frayed
wires are repaired or replaced.
Avoid overloading wiring by
plugging too many appliances on
one circuit. Connect appliances
to wall outlets, not light sockets.
Make sure that curtains and dish
towels hang far enough from
range or heater, that a breeze
will not blow them into flame or
against heat.
See to it that the bottom of a
wooden shelf above a range is at
least 24 inches away and protect
ed by asbestos on the underside.
Use a wastebasket or trash con
tainer made of non-flammable
material.
Keep matches out of sight of
young children and away from
stove and range heat.