Branch Line Built To Williamston In 1883 From Tarboro ??? (Continued from page one) | road Company in February, 1883. I This Company then completed the construction of the road from Tar boro to Williamston anjl placed it in operation in that year. The line from Williamston to Plymouth, N. C., a distance of twcn tv-two miles, was constructed by the Albemarle & Raleigh Railroad Company in 1888 and 1888 and plac ed in operation during the latter year. The Wilmington & Weldon Rail road Company absorbed the Allio marle & Raleigh Railroad Company January 10, 1894. thereby acquiring the line from Tarboro to Plymouth These litres became a constituent part of the Atlantic Coast tVuu r.ailioad-Company in 1900. During the War between tin Stales the Wilmington & Weldon, the Pel i isburg. and the Richmond the fact that Wilmington was the principal, and for a long finit the only open port that could be used by blockade runners bringing essen tial supplies for the forces of the; Confederacy Fort Fisher, command ing the m>n' Wilming ton and New Vork established fast rail serrfce known as the "Atlantic | Coast Despatch' between South At p??'ts and New York. Special cars were built for this unJ ^hc 7nMg7u.r ^,ni7c^f " 1 ,. I?ig,. ettvle has Mayor Extends Cordial Welcome Another marketing season for the Brirfit Tobacco Belt opens on August 26th, and marks the 40th annual opening of the Williamston Tobacco Market, and as thousands of farmers in this section make ready for the great event, it gives me great pleasure to extend a cordial welcome to everyone to visit Williamston. ? 11Vf & " I Every preparation has been made by the Warehousemen and the citizens of the town to make your visit not only profitable, but a pleasant one. The Warehousemen, operating the four warehouses with ample spare and good light, are men of long experience in tl.eir line and each warehouse is equipped with an operating staff that will ren der a service to each individual fanner that carries with it person al interest. Williamston is Imalcd in the very center of the Bright I-eaf To bacco Belt and is easily reached from every direction by a system of hard-surfaced roads which makes it the gateway and center of things in Eastern North Carolina. Tlir merchants, having returned from the markets, have their stores filled with things for every member of the family and you will find in our stores from the merchants and their employees that friendly atmosphere which counts lor so much in dealing with one another Again, on behalf of the citizens of Williamston, I extend to ev ery one a most cordial welcome to visit our town not only during the tobacco season hut at all times, where you will find the air of warm hospitality always prevails in the fastest growing town in eastern North Carolina J. L. HASSELL, Mayor of Wiiiiamston I become familiar t??thousand.' of peo ! pie through 'it: continued appear | a no mi Atlanta Coast Line ? quip- | met it. Until 1880 the lines south of Wilm ington had tracks five feet wide, while those to tile north were stan daid gauge. When through sleeping car.' to and from Florida were inaug urated it was necessary to change j truck,* under the cars at Wilmington and all freight had to be transferred at that point. As a matter of fact, then was no physical connection be tween the Wilmington & Weldon ho... n,.rth to Richmond un Ltil during the Civil War On a given day in 1888 the tracks of the lines I south of Wilmington were changed to standard gauge without accident or interference with business. Tliis removed the last obstacle to through I rail transportation between the Southeast and other parts of ' the country. 1 iv 1885 the Wilmington tS; Weldon undertook the construction of the so called ' Fayetteville Cut-Off', from Contentnea, N. C. to Fayetteville, N. C and thence later to Pee Dee, S. C . on the Wilmington, Columbia & | Augusta Railroad. This new line ma terially shortened the distance anil running time and has been an im portant factor irt the development of the fruit and vegetable industry in the- Southeast, as well as the devel opment?ui?passenger?business in Florida. The Wilmington & Weldon. the Petersburg, and the Richmond and Petersburg Railroads were the earl iest of more than one hundred short, disconnected railroads that were la tei brought together into the Atlan tic Coast Line Railroad to form a single unified system between the North and the South, with a network of lines serving the six Southeast ei n states throughwhich the roads ran The period of consolation be gan in 1898. and in 1902, the "Plant System.' comprising a number of lines running from Charleston, South Carolina, to Tampa and other points in Florida, arid to cities in Georgia I and Alabama, was acquired by the I Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, this purchase rounding out the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, this purchase rounding out the Atlantic Coast Line IIAI'PV iubilanl over high tobacco prices, Georgia farmers are rut ting all kinds of rapers. Accord ing to Jack Ilardison, local man who was on one of the markets, a farmer just outside of Pelliam. Ga., stopped and stood on his head in the middle of the load. Prries have been firm on the markets since the opening. system in substantially its present don Railroad, with its 161 miles of track, more than one hundred years ago became the nucleus of one of !the most important railroad systems serving this section of the country, with 5.103 miles of track owned and | operated. It is a far cry from those pioneer days to" the present. From the be ginning it haS been fhe policy of the management to provide railroad fa cilities to meet every transportation I need of the territory and thus con tribute most to its growth and pros perity. Millions of dollars have been spent for double track, heavy rail, rock ballast, new motive power, and | other equipment that go to make up an efficient railroad. Thus, the At lantic Coast Line has steadily im proved its service. Prior to the Fallot iy3u perishable traffic, mainly consisting of citrus fruit and vegetables, moving from Florida to Eastern cities was handled on a schedule which provided for fifth morning delivery after date of loading. In other words, cars of such .traffic loaded in Florida on Monday w ere available for sale in New York markets Saturday morning. In 1930 this schedule was shortened 24 hours which made it possible for perishable freight loaded in Florida on Mon In plnnnrj mPrketS ill New York Friday morning instead of Saturday morning Due to chang ing conditions and necessity for fast er transportation, the Atlantic Coast Line inaugurated in the winter of 11938-39 a schedule which made it possible to accomplish third morn ing the previous example to make this clearer, cars loaded in Florida on Monday were available for sale on New York markets Thursday i morning instead of Friday or Satur day morning as under the old sched ule. For movement of general freight traffic, th i' schedules of the Atlantic [Coast Line iiave been greatly im proved during the past few years so that traffic of every description is transported distances of from 250 to , 300 miles overnight, and made avail able for delivery the following day. There has also been inaugurated a plan of .store-door pickup and deliv civ f..i freight traffic, with no ex tra charge, winch furnishes a com plete and expedited service. The Atlantic Coast Line lias con tributed significantly to the history of passenger transportation. For ex ample, the all Pullman deluxe Flor ida Special, which has just complet ed its 04th consecutive year, was the first train that ever operated be tween the East and Florida; it was the first vestibule train in the world, and among the first electric lighted trains in the world? the second in the United States. changing travel conditions, full length Pullman Recreation-Enter tainment cars, complete with hostess, an accomplished accordion player and equipment for various kinds of games for the amusement of our pa trons, were added as permanent part of the Florida Special equipment a few years ago. The popular appeal of these features has been so pro hqunced that the Florida Special has been operated in as many as eight sections. Incidentally, the Florida Special is the only train in the world carrying Recreation-Entertainment cars. Again, in the spirit of progress and with a view to meeting the demand for modern, low-cost transportation, the Atlantic Coast Line in December, 193!), inaugurated a Diesel powered all-coach, stainless steel streamliner between the East and Florida. This train was appropriately named "The Champion." It speeds from New York to Miann 111 only 25 hours. So it can be seen that the consist ent poljcy of the Atlantic Coast Line has been to keep in stride with prog ress and to provide for the traveling public facilities both pleasing and modern. Atlantic Coast Lille employees have, throughout the years, contrib uted their part to the religious, social and economic welfare of the com munities they have served and of which they are a part. The payrolls of the railroad also make a substan tial contribution to the business com munities and the taxes it pays arc a big factor in supporting the schools, as well as governmental agencies. The fortunes of the Atlantic Coast Line are those of the people it serves. It has prospered with them when times were good, it has suffered with them when times were bad. It has grown with the Southeast because its management has conscientiously devoU'd its efforts and the company's resources to anticipate and meet the transportation needs of its patrons. The railroad industry, like a great many other lines of business, has fallen upon evil days during the last eight or ten years. It is sincerely hoped that when more normal con ditions have been restored that the Step up. folks. And drink it dow n- ? The tow n's^one nuts h On Roval Crown It's a honey for your money -ROYAL CROWN RIGHT YOU ARE ? iq town after town, in blind, impartial Certified Taste Tests of leading cola drinks ? the big vote goes to Royal Crown! It's sweeping the country ?the coladtink that has aip, sparlda, punch and snap?and that gives you two big glasses for your nickel! 6 big bottles for 25^! Try one today ! LOCAL BOTTLER'S NAME AND ADDRESS HERE CROity COLA 2 FULL GLASSES NEHI BOTTLING COMPANY Legumes Are Worth More in High Yields If handled properly, every acre of winter legumes should be worth $10 to $20 annually to a farmer in in creased crop yields, says E. C. Blair, Extension agronomist of N. C. State College. The effect of a legume on other crops, such as corn and pea nuts, will be noticeable the first railroads will come into their own and continue to be an important fac tor inrthe development and prosper 01 ity or this country. The Atlantic Coast Line solicits the good will, the friendship and the cooperation of! the communities it serves. year, and will continue for two or three years. Crimson clover, vetch and Aus trian winter pea seed are being furnished to farmers aa a grant-of aid under the Agricultural Conser vation Program. Blair says there are a few important points about winter legumes that spell the difference between success and failure in grow ing them. "Earliness of planting has a great deal to do with getting these crops large enough to turn under early," the agronomist said. "Sow seed in August in the mountains, and in September elsewhere in the State." "It is imperative that the soil or seed be inoculated with nitrogen gathering bacteria. It is wise to sow a liberal amount of seed. It pays to fertilize with 200 pound* per acre of 0-8-6 on good soil or 200 pounds of 4-8-6 on poor soil in the Coastal Plain, and 200 pounds of 0-10-4 on good soil or 200 pounds of 4-10-4 on poor soil in the Piedmont and moun tains. Fertilizer so applied may be deducted from the amount used on the crop that follows the winter le gume." Blair also pointed out the range of soil adaptation of the different winter legumes] Crimson clover is adapted to heavy to medium soils, Austrian winter peas to medium heavy to medium light soils, and vetch to medium heavy to very light soils. "Winter legumes respond well to lime, if the soil is very add," the agronomist concluded. B. F. H. Exclusive Ambulance Service DAY OR NIGHT Telephone 79 Biggs Funeral Home Williamston, N. C. ^completeL. uo the Last Detail j * /Economical, Funeral Servlc* SHIP BY WATER! Patronize Your Ix>eal Tobacco Market Opens August 26th Tuesday WATER GIVES YOU QUICK, SAFE ZZ And SURE TRANSPORTATION? Two service* out of Williamston every week to Norfolk, Baltimore and Philadelphia with through rates into and from all points in North Carolina to practieally all points on the Atluntic Seaboard. Differential in rates gives North Carolina water rates to big Eastern Markets. When we wi> quiek. safe and sure transportation, we mean just that and a lot more. If you are not familiar with the many advantages of shipping over our line, communicate with u s. Transportation over our fleet of boats iseconomieal and cheaper. Patronise Your BOAT LINE IP* Cheaper To Ship Boat Norfolk, Baltimore and Carolina Line MAIN OFFICE i NORFOLK, VA. W. H. CARSTARPHEN, Agent, Williamson