The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, February 19, 1970, Image 13
THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., Feb. 19, 1970—ft-B
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DARWIN AND
THE BEAGLE
BY LENNART PEARSON
Head Librarian
Presbyterian College
Darwin and the Beagle. By Alan Moorehead.
280 pages. Harper & Row. 1969.
One of the fascinating things about
Charles Darwin is that he really does seem to
have been one of those men whose careers
quite unexpectedly and fortuitously are decid
ed for them by a single stroke of fortune. For
twenty-two years nothing much happens, no
exceptional abilities are revealed; then sud
denly a chance is offered, things can go eith
er this way or that, but luck steps in . . . and
away he soars into the blue never to return.
It all looks so inevitable, so predestined; yet
the fact is that in 1831 no one in England, cer
tainly not Darwin himself, had the slightest
inkling of the extraordinary future that lay
ahead of him, and it is next to impossible to rec
ognize in the brooding, ailing figure of the
later years this blithe young extrovert on the
brink of his greatest adventure—the voyage of
the Beagle.
So begins this splendid account of one of the
greatest voyages of the ninenteenth century, and
from the point of view of its ultimate consequences
for the development of scientific, social, and relig
ious thought, one of the greatest voyages of all
time.
In 1831, Darwin, just out of Cambridge, and
ready to embark on a career in the Church, was in
vited to travel as ship’s naturalist aboard the Bea
gle, a sailing ship about to leave on a long expedi
tion sponsored by the British Admiralty. Encour
aged by his uncle, Josiah Wedgwood (of the ce
ramics family and whose daughter Darwin later
married), he signed on with Captain Robert Fitz-
roy, who was not much older than Darwin himself.
Fitzroy’s mission was to map out the coast of lower
South America and to fix accurately measure
ments of longitude by a chain of chronological read
ings around the world.
As they went, Darwin explored the geology of
the regions they visited, gathering and studying
specimens of fauna and flora from South America,
the Galapagos Islands, Tahiti, and Australia. It
was his observation of the way various species
seemingly had adapted themselves to the demands
of a particular environment that led him to explore
the idea of the survival of the fittest as a clue to
the evolutionary process. What was finally pub
lished twenty-five years later in The Origin of
Species (1869) was to be to a large extent Darwin’s
mature reflection on his experience with the
Beagle.
Alan Moorehead, author of The White Nile
(1961, The Blue Nile (1962), and The Fatal Impact
(1967), a book about the intrusion of Western civi
lization into primitive areas, is well-known as a
writer of discovery and exploration. This book
is enjoyably written and lavishly illustrated with
maps and pictures, including many drawings and
wfcteficeflors by the Beagle’s artist. Rarely, in fact,
do you find a book in which text and illustration are
so well-fitted to each other.
Highly recommended
WAITING—SD-40 3001 waits in the
peppering snow at Sevier, N. C., for
southbound train coming down The
Blue Ridge.
Over The Rivers .
Riding ‘The High Rail'
• •
BY BILL CANNON
How many people have watched
trains pass and secretly wanted
to ride one of those grumbling
diesel monsters as it tugged its
load over the rails? It might be
surprising if we really knew, for
those machines on rails hold
a fascination for lots of folks
who never get a chance to set
foot on one, much less ride one
out on the high iron of a main
line railroad. Railroad com
panies just don’t normally let out
siders ride, both from their own
rules and from regulations be
yond their control.
However, let’s take a ride on
the locomotives of a fast freight
train, all legal and proper, mind
you. You come along and go in
print, and we can see the op
eration ofa modern railroad from
the track up. Climb aboard the
SD-40 locomotive number 3001
of the Clinchfield in Spartanburg
one cold morning, and meet the
friendly Clinchfield trainmaster,
Bob Rice, who will guide our
trip. Sit down in your seat on
the left side of the engine, and
watch as engineer Homer Harvey
widens out on the throttle con
trolling his horses. Sit amazed
as the engines get train 93 to
rolling right along through the
brisk, cool Carolina countryside.
Mayo, Chesnee, Broad River
Bridge (162 feet high and 1,380
feet long, steel. . .quite an air
plane trip in itself), Harris, For
est City, Bostic Yard. Trainmas
ter Rice explains that the entire
277 mile railroad is under Cen
tralized Traffic Control with the
dispatcher controlling everything
1970
AUDITOR S NOTICE
JiMisa Jennie V. Culbertson, Laurens County Auditor, wishes to urge all
taxpayers to make their property tax returns in her office before March 1.
>:
x Miss Culbertson pointed out that it is absolutely necessary that returns be
made on real and personal property, including motor vehicles. The prop-
•j: er listing and paying of your taxes on your motor vehicles may save your
driver's license.
V
V
S Any change made in real estate during 1969-transfer of lands, new
buildings and improvements on buildings, also any building destroyed by
fire or for any other cause should be reported.
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It is also necessary that we have the correct mailing address of all
taxpayers if you are to receive tax notices at the proper time, saving your
self costs and penalties.
We will be glad to assist you in any way that we can.
from Erwin, Tennessee, home for
the entire Clinchfield opera
tion. Each train operates on
signal indications set up by this
one man armed with a foolproof
machine.
Up through the Valley of The
North Broad River, up Vein
Mountain, across Sand Fill, and
into McDowell County, North
Carolina, you hear the engines
growl defiance at the grade and
the 118 cars tied on behind the
engines’ drawheads.
Each man on the head engine
calls out the- signals as they come
into view as a safety measure,
and the train hustles through the
first tunnel of the road at Mar
ion. A slow stop at the north
end of the passing track for a
meet with southbound number 92,
and then Trainmaster Rice takes
over the controls, knocks off the
air brakes, and we are off to the
races again. . .crossing the 107
foot high Catawba River bridge
just north of Marion. Gliding
through the edge of the mountains,
the train faces an approach sig
nal at the little community of
Sevier, and into a side track 93
goes to wait for southbound 94.
Single track railroads must
“meet" trains somewhere, and
since we both have long trains
today, we must stay at Sevier
for 94, and “he” is just coming
through Green Mountain, N.C.,
many miles away.
Gray clouds gather over the
3001 as it sits at Sevier, and
as we leave and start through the
hamlet of Ashford, at the foot of
the Blue Ridge grade, snow be
gins to pepper down over the snout
of the big locomotive. Eighteen
miles an hour is the steady speed
as we go up the 1.2^ grade (1.2
feet vertically for every 100 feet
along the track) through 17 tun
nels, the shortest of which is 169
feet and the longest 2211 feet,
some lined with concrete and
come through solid rock. And
they are not all straight either!
After making four loops, running
29 miles to go 12 airline miles,
and climbing some 1200 vertical
feet, we pass under the Blue
Ridge Parkway at the sidetrack
called Ridge, and tip over the
Eastern Continental Divide.
Icicles hang long and dreary, and
the snow is really falling.
The engine cab is cozy warm
with its heaters, and Mr. Rice
explains the road’s peculiarities.
The windshild wipers scrap snow
back so that the countryside is
visible, bleak and cold. Rice him
self, a native of Erwin who grew
up with the Clinchfield Railroad
(his Father was an engineer for
years), is fascinated and even a-
mused that outsiders would be as
interested as his guests today,
and he himself makes the trip
more interesting.
Between Altapass and Spruce
Pine, N. C., at one place the
track goes up, down, and across
the same river all within several
hundred feet, and this is our
“weird” introduction to the edge
of Spruce Pine, the Mineral City
of The East. Then on down the
Toe River, past Kona where the
3001 heads into another passing
track to let southbound number 22
pass us in the blinding snow.
Shortly after the caboose of 22
passes, the little dwarf signal
controllingTrains in the siding
flicks to emerald green and the
main line is our again. The not
ches on the throttle ratchet rat
tle as Rice coaxes the engines
to life again, and off through
towns named Huntdale, Green
Mountain, Relief, (so named be
cause it for years had the only
doctor anywhere around) and
Poplar, and then into the Gorge
of the Nolichuckey. Here the walls
climb many hundreds of feet on
both sides of the river, and the
railroad track is on a shelf along
one side. Down past Lost Cove
where the inhabitants lived for
years with no modern conveni
ences and depended on the Clin-
field for transportation to town
for groceries and supplies.
Crossing the river again at Una-
ka Springs, the train eases past
Love Station into the big yard
at Erwin.
The engines are cut off, and
switched over to the shop track
for servicing. They will soon be
on the way again north out of Er
win, with new crew members, to
make many more miles up the
road. Climb down, and get that
warm hotel room lined up after
a good supper. The knock will
come at the door all too soon
in the morning for more riding.
Pilot Life
Sales Increase
Sales by Pilot Life Insurance
Company during the year 1969
amounted to $734,035,378, an in
crease of 13.1 per cent over 1968,
it was reported today by O. F.
Furr, Clinton Superintendent.
Of these sales, $283,315,090
was Ordinary Insurance; $425,-
736,164 Group Insurance; and
$24,984,124 Weekly Premium In
surance. The company’s share
of servicemen’s and other federal
employees group insurance pro
gram is not included in the above
sales.
Total income from all sources
for 1969 was $133,009,500, up
$13,418,780 over 1968 marking the
third consecutive year total in
come for the company has passed
the 100 million dollar mark.
The company’s payments to
living policyowners and benefi
ciaries during 1969 amounted to
$65,903,460 bringing total bene
fits paid by Pilot since its or
ganization to $630,981,537.
Area 6 TB
Directors Meet
The 41 directors of the Tu
berculosis and Health Associa
tion of Area 6 will meet on Thurs
day February 19, according to an
announcement by the president.
Rev. Neil E. Truesdeil of New
berry.
Mr. Truesdeil stated that the
directors who represent Abbe
ville, Edgefield, Greenwood,
Laurens, McCormick, Newberry
and Saluda counties will meet at
4 o’clock in the Greenwood Coun
ty Health Department.
Items slated for the meeting
will include plans for the new year
which begins April 1.
He said the members of the
Exective Committee will meet at
2:30 for a brief business session
prior to the directors meeting.
Young Receives
Bronze Star
Army Sergeant First Class
Willie N. Young, son of Mrs.
Emma L. Young, 404 N. Bell St.,
Clinton, received the Bronze Star
Medal in Vietnam.
Sgt. 1. C. Young earned the
award for meritorious service
in connection with military op
erations against hostile forces
in Vietnam while assigned as a
technical inspector at the U. S.
Army Depot near Long Binh. He
also holds the Army Commenda
tion Medal.
The award was presented Dec.
CONTINUED SCHEDULE
Clinton Mill Office, Wed., Feb. 18—1 P. M to 5 P.M.
Clinton City Hall, Friday, February 20—9 AM, to 5 P.M.
Cecil McCoig Thomas McCoig
TO MAKE YOUR CAR BODY LIKE
NEW BRING IT TO:
CECILS BODY WORKS
Lodated At Corner of E. Caro. Ave and S. Woodrow St
Clinton Mills. Lydia Plant. Wed.. Feb. 25-9 A.M. to 2 P.M. I I We Are In
BODY WORK
Clinton Mills, Clinton Plant lues., Feb. 24—9 A.M to 2 P.M
— 4:30 P.M. to 6 P.M.
4:30 P.M. to 6 P.M.
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Clinton Mills, Bailey Plant, Thurs., Feb. 26-*-
9 A.M to 2 P.M — 4:30 ?M. to 6 P.M.
X
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¥
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^ And
S PAINTING
J Giving You A Total of
| 26 Tears Experience
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Stoney Point
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Come In Today
DON’T LOOK
FOR
TROUBLE
ON YOUR
INCOME TAX
Clinton Girls
On Dean's List
I.tree Clinton students have
been named to the Dean’s List for
the first term at Columbia Col
lege.
They are Kathy Lee Bouknight,
Kayran Leary Cox and Sharon
Louise Plaxico.
The textile industry in South
Carolina, North Carolina, Geor
gia and Alabama was important
enough by 1900 to consume nearly
one-third of the cotton grown in
those four states, the U. S. Census
shows.
To get the full lion's shore
of those legol deductions,
look no further! Just take
your tax return to H 4 R
BLOCK. There's an office near
you. Trained p/eporers will
tame your taxes.
GUARANTEE
We guarantee accurate preparation of every tax return.
If we make any errors that cost you any penalty or
interest, we will pay the penalty or interest.
CO.
America's Largest Tax Service with Over 4000 Offices
105 N. Broad. Clinton — Ph. 833-4100
Week Days 9a.m. - 6 p.m. — Sat. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
350 Church, Laurens — Ph. 984-5660
Week Days 9 am. - 9 p.m. — Sat. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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