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Back ill the days when rail
roading was one of New Beni's
major occupations, no self re
specting trainman would have
been caught wearing a wrist
watch. A pocket watch--almost
always a Hamilton--was the ac
cepted timepiece.
Once a month, as we recall,
every engineer, fireman, brake-
man and conductor headed for
Eaton’s Jewelry Store, where
Jake Ziegler checked the
watches for accuracy, and reg
ulated them if necessary.
Understandably, even the slight
est deviation called for
correction.
Pocket watches are still re
garded by railroad men as es
sential for their jobs, not only
here but across the nation and
around the world. Some of the
oldsters have had theirs 40 years
or more. They are cleaned every
18 montlis, in keeping with rail
road policy.
We were reading theotherday
about a survey made among
1,000 employees of the New
Haven Railroad. It revealed that
only 50 of them use wrist
watches. On the Southern
Pacific, officials are permitting
thi.S.-t.vnp of .Mat"!*-;
manufacturer has mSas a wrist
watch that is acceptable to the
industry.
Wearing a pocket watch in the
old days wasn't exclusively a
railroad practice. All of New
Bern’s leading citizens (the
males that is) sported them,
attached to a gold chain strung
proudly across their vest. A
bay window served to make the
chain’s appearance more re
splendent. To this day, we’ve
never figured out anything else
that a monstrous paunch is good
for.
The chains went out of style,
and in due time the vests be
came obsolete too. Fairly re
cently the vest was revived as
a piece of attire for the male
gender, and dazzling colors have
become dear to the heart of
sporty individuals around our
town. Could it be that watch
chains are on the way back, to
further brighten the local .scene ’
Maybe a man is a fool to
ever throw away something that
he can possibly wear againwhcn
the styles change. Certainly a
thrifty woman could have saved
herself money by storing the
bucket-like hats she wore in the
Thirties until they became all
the rage in the current Sixties.
Personally, we’ve always been
impressed by the big picture
hats that a tall and stately fe
male can wear so becomingly
Unfortunately, perhap.s. a lot of
our pretty girls are short, and
a picture hat on them look.s like
a toad frog .seeking shelter under
a large leaf.
Don’t let anyone kid you, men
always take a second glance at
the gal who is dolled up in
something frilly and dainty and
feminine. It make.s them feel
subconsciously protective, and
that in turn makes them feel
important. When a woman feeds
a man’s sense of importance,
he. Is easier to capture and
subdue than a stray parakeet
,... PI.'. ....
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A NEW BERN PRODUCT—Pictured here on a trial run good use along New York City’s shoreline for years to
in our Rebel waters, before heading for Yankee land, is come. Among many things it will be utilized for is ice
one of six Coast Guard tugs being built for Uncle Sam breaking when wintry blasts blow.—Photo by Billy Ben-
at Barbour Boat Works. Its sturdiness will be put to ners.
DEISERVED RECOGNITION—This marker in New today New Bern is internationally known for its Scot-
Bern’s historic Cedar Grove cemetery designates the tish Rite Consistory, York bodies, Sudan Shrine Temple,
resting place of a man who did more for Masonry in and Blue Lodges. Countless thousands have received
this town by the Neuse and Trent than anyone else of their higher degrees here,
his time. His labor for the Craft inspired pthers. and