University of South Carolina Libraries
THE CUNTON CHRONICLE S. Cn Thursday, January 14, IMS John M. Roceboro, Agent For Seaboard, Has Many Faceted Job By WILLIAM 8. CANNON To most of the resident of Clin ton and the surrounding area, the most significant matter in the operation of a railroad is the passing of detrain, with the roar ing diesels and the crossing-cry ing whistle. The rattle and bang of the cars as they pass; the clickity-clack of the wheels as they clop off the rail Joints; the rush of speed in a feeling of go ing somewhere ... all these go to make up a railroad and the passing train. But to one man here in Clinton, the railroad is not all the rush and speed of a passing train although his day is made by these passing mon sters. The agent for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company in Clinton. John M. Rose boro, has been at this railroad business for a long time. As a young man, he began working as a clerk for the agent of the Seaboard at Lug- off, South Carolina, his home town, in May of 1918, the year the First World War ended. He went from that job to the posi tion of agent for the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad at Fay etteville, North Carolina, for six months. Then the iron trail led his to a subsidiary of the Sea board, the Chesterfield and Lan caster Railroad at Chesterfield, South Carolina. When this road was abandoned in March of 1941, Mr. Rose boro returned to the Seaboard as extra operator, working all over the Georgia Di vision finally landing a regular Jab as operator at Catawba Sooth Carolina, a few miles south of Bock Hill. In Ally of 1946, he had a chance to “bid in” the first trick j[8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) oper ator’s vacancy at Clinton, and came here to work with Clinton's well-known Oiin H. Shealy, who was agent at that time. After Mr. Shealy retired, Julian Bell was agent, and when he moved on to Monroe, North Carolina, Mr. Roseboro became agent for the Seaboard here on July 8,/ 1958, and in his words,” . . . have been here ever since . . . can’t get away . . .” He lives with his wife, Jamie, in their pleasant home on South Woodrow Street here in Clinton. A visit to Mr. Roseboro’s spa cious and, more important, new office on South Broad Street will show a casual observer just how his day must be shared between passing trains, ringing tele phones, and a chattering tele graph insturment. Not only does the local agent handle all the pa per-work for incoming and out going freight cars for the whole Clinton area served by the Sea board, be must take care of the traveling public, their ticket wishes, their information re quests, their baggage problems. It is indeed a busy day each day at the station for Mr. Roseboro and his two colleagues, T. R. McElveen and Pat Lowe, who work the other two of the shifts that operate at the local facility. On entering the office, a visi tor known to Mr. Roseboro will usually be greeted and invited to have a seat. ‘‘I’ll be with you in a minute . . . got’ta get the ‘8B’ by and then get the dinner order ready for Number 5.” With a telephone receiver hung over his head, he makes out a clearance card for the train 85 and then he “hangs up” the orders in a high speed train order stand out in front of the station. A whistle sounds to the east of town, and one of the Seaboard fast freights calls attention to its arrival. The agent goes outside to “watch the train by,” observing closely the running gear for any defects such as dragging brake-beams or hot Journals, although this has become a rarity nowadays since the advent of the automatic hot- box detector. There is one Just east of Clinton a Dover Junc tion (Whitten Village) which de tects hot bearings and reports them by radio to the train crew ■rv< thf dispatcher in Atlanta, Read Acts S:8»-4S I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwealt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sore, dwells la you. II Timothy 1:5 RSV) It is tnost difficult byt necessary that we should guide our loved ones—husband, or wife, or child—into the Christian faith. My grandmother was the wife of a government officer in Hokkaido over fifty years ago. She heard one day a sermon deliv ered by the founder of Doshisha University. She bought a Bible and learned to read it by the help of two friends. Her husband per secuted her severely by beatings, but she did not give up reading the Bible every day. Her earnest faith won her three daughters to Christ. The eldest girl and the next one were married to evan gelists for Christ, and from the eldest I was born. My mother, who brought me up in earnest prayer, is not here on earth now. Whenever I think of her, I feel her heartfelt faith is a source of my power to live and work for Christian evangelism in Japan. PRATER O heavenly Father, I thank Thee for narturing mankind from generation to generation. I beseech Thee, O Lord, make me as a man wha docs not only receive the abun dant gifts of Jesus, but shares them with his friends and descendants as well. In the name of Jesus hpray. Amen. ■ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY God more than repays us for the price we pay for following Christ. Norimtcld Ebisawa (Japan) spotting precisely the axle that is hot and so Mating with a counting over the radio. After the caboose passes, Rose boro.picks up the waybills that have been thrown off along with any messages to the station from the train’s conductor, and takes them back to his desk where he reports the time the train passed to the Atlanta dispatcher, and then starts to work on writing up the waybills, either for de livery to a local customer or for car interchange to the friend ly rival in CTlinton, the Columbia, Newberry And Laurens Railroad, for further transportation of the cars and goods. Dealings with the general pub lic are a part of Mr. Roseboro’s duties. The telephone on his desk rings intermittently with a request for information about a passenger train, a request for a reservation on the "Silver Com et,” or a query about a shipment that may have strayed in its path and gotten lost. The arrival of the noon passenger train from Monroe and Hamlet, North Caro lina, signals a dividing point in the day. Number 5 stops ad Clinton long enough for tta puss, engers to have lunch which was ordered by telegraph wire from Chester through Mr. Roseboro to the Clinton Cafe. A friendly conversation is the usual order of the day between the agent and P0' BOY SPECIAIS! VALLE YD ALE S-LR ROLL SAUSAGE 89c CENTER COT S LBS. PORK CHOPS .... 59c END COT PORK CHOPS FORK STEAK (evenuMiit Whole Lb. FLORIDA TANGERINES DOZ. | GOLDEN UPB LR 25c I BANANAS, lb. ..... 10c TOMATOES, lb. ... 10c 1 EGGS, 3 doz. o a o • • 1.00 ™ wfiPTri • 10 k. 79c COT LR HAM- 39c l-LR BAG 79c JONATHAN DOZ. APPLES... 39c IRBY’S PURE LARD . 8-LR BUCKET GREEN mmJmm ’Market; OPEN • A. 1L-U P. M. DAILY •rv: All Our Winter Merchandise Is Drastically Reduced To Make Room For New Spring Merchandise. Some Reduced As Much As One-Half Price!! LADIES’ CASUAL DRESSES Reg. NOW ^ 2.98 1.88 ■ 3.98 2-88 agl 4.88 3.88 w | 5.98 3.88 the crewmen on the passenger train as it waits for dinner or to have the mail and express loaded or unloaded. Business concluded at Clinton, including dinner, the engineer on Num ber 6 quills his chime whistle, arjd another train moves off to the west out of Roseboro’s yard, and his influence. Clinton has six passenger trains a day which use the sta tion here, and there are some thirteen freight trains a day over the same rbad which pass tyte'l depot here. Most all of them have to get some sort of orders or clearance cards from the agent or the operators here, and most of the freights leave some sort of paper-work to be done by these men. Railroading has changed since the days of the wonderful steam engines which had a persqnality all their own, but the med -who are behind the scenes handling the necessary^ details are still railroaders. The fast diesels, strong and efficient, would be worthless without the human element which operates them and does the work neces sary to give them the cars to pull. “Railroading has changed, but we all still have a Job to do. I’m grateful to the people of Clinton for their support of the Sea board, and hope that . they will call on us whenever we can help. Our diesels are good engines, but I still love the sight of a steam er struggling mlghtly on a hill with a load,” Roseboro says with a glint in his eye. Railroading has changed, but the men have not. They’re still roalroaders all the way through. Mountville News MBS. MAUDE BBVSON SCHOOL GROUP IN MEET . The Cross Hill-Mountville Pa rent-Teacher Association held the regular meeting January 7 at the Mountville school. Dr. George Bellingrath, academic dean emeritus of Presbyterian College, was the gest speaker, his subject being "The Influ ence that the Home has on ttia Child." Mrs. Sarah S. HunUr of Law- rens, is visiting her sister, Dr. Buth Stokes. Mrs. George S. Wham Is vis iting her daughter, Mrs. Thom as James and' family in Sum ter. Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Finley attended the funeral of Mr. Fowler in Simpson ville Satur day. Mr. and Mrs. 8. N. Crisp spent Sunday ateraoon visiting Mrs. Crisp’s sister, Mrs. Rhett Bryson and Mrs. M. L. ^ CM' HOME FURNISHINGS SALE! Electric Blankets $6.88 c 80% rayon, 20% cotton electric blanket with fingertip control Washable. Set the dial for deeired warmth. Single control. Doable and twin sine. Other Blankets 51.88 First quality blanket shorts in assorted colors, plaids and fancies. Blends of rayon and orhm, acrilin, nylon, and some 100% acrilon. PILLOW SALE! Roam Robber Bed Pillows. Washable Print Covers Lighter, Coder, Allergy Free More Restful Sleep Only , 88c 9a. CHENILLE SPREADS 90x104 Sturdy Woven Spreads. Assorts^ Colors Or White With Contrasting Trim $2.59 ea. or 2 for $5.00 ' WOOL YARN AU Colors In 4-0*. Skeins Only 98c Assortment of Sizes and Colore LADIES’ HOSE SALE First Quality Ladies’ Seamless Nylon Mesh Hose Siam 8ft-ll 2 Pain 88c " LADIES’ COATS „ YEAR END SPECIAL Ladies’ Laminated and Jersey Costs. Assorted Styles and Colors. Some With Fur Collars Few Only 511.88 FALL BLOUSE CLOSE-OUT A Close-Out of Ladies’ Fall Blouses. ^ Dark Colon — Short or Roll-Up Slseves Reg. 98c Reg, 1,98 Reg. 2.98 e e e e e a e • For Only 77c For Only 09 For Only 1.88 SKIRTS REDUCED •f Ladle.' Wool Skirt# Reduced From 2J8 to 1.88 prom 3.98 to 2£8 From 5.95 to 3.88 mJ LADIES’ SWEATERS Regular 3£8 Value * L88 Wi#* HAIR SPRAY 13-Oz. Can “Just Wonderful” Hair Spray 6$c FILLER PAPER 500 Count for Only 77c Ideal For New School Semester COLGATE TOOTH PASTE PLASTIC DRAPERIES Modern and Floral 2 for 51.00 FILTERS Fiberglass Furnace and Air Conditioner Fitters 1-Inch Thick In AU Popular Sizes 57c ♦ ■ ROTS’ STRETCH FOOT CREW- SOCKS Cushioned Sole, Heel, and Toe Sizes 6-8 ViJ 7-8ft; 9-11 4 for 77c / BOYS’ 100% ALL-COTTON .KNIT BRIEFS Nylon Reinforced — SPECIAL 3 for 51.00 — ALSO SUPER SOFT — KNIT T-SHIRTS White Only — Sine MS' 3 for 51.00 v PER'S 540« STORE far The Chronicle North Bread Street & C.