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The pleasure has
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been ours. We look forward to V
more Christmases with you.
WADE TALLANT
GA. FARM BUREAU INS .
UPSTAIRS BANK OF CUMMINS
887-5245
AUTO - FIRE - LIFE (OPT-)
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' V * Spirits are light! There's much
I /// A \ I happy cheer and merriment as we
[J/ iftii \ In join in the celebration of Christmas.
jlUiilli Grady D. Evans
Building Contractor
Cumming, Ga. 887-6941
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IFiid Life Club Dinner
Pictured at the recent Wildlife Club annual dinner left to right: Mrs. Guy Fowler, Mrs. Kenneth
Ingram, Kenneth Ingram, Lloyd Wright, Mike Camp (at back table) and Mrs. Lloyd Wright.
Old Trains Like Old Bridges
BY JOHN REYNOLDS
When I was an itsy-oitsy lad I was always getting through the
fence and “hightailing it,” so to speak. I gave my sister
some very anxious moments hunting for me. As a result of this
behavior I was soon tagged with the nickname “Bill Miner,”
after the notorious bank robber and escape artist. Not only
did 6ill Miner rob trains and banks - he added a stagecoach
robbery or two for good measure.
On February 18, 1911 Bill Miner robbed his lasttrain.lt
haDoened to be old “97,” the famous train piloted by that
beloved and equally famous David J. Fant, oldtime Engineer-
Evangelist who died at the age of 97 (same as the number of
his train.)
This particular robbery took place just East of Gainesville,
Georgia. Bill Miner, then 70 years old, failed to make his get
away permanent and was captured a week later, sentenced
to twenty years in the “pen” and served two years before he
died.
Bill Miner boarded with a widow woman within one mile of my
grandpa Reynolds home just prior to the robbery itself. It is a
fact that Bill Miner payed off the mortgage on her little home
with money “collected” in the robbery of old “97.”
Train “97” had her troubles, as did Engineer Fant, for on
February 27, 1908 the famous Engineer was letting old 97 rock
and roll along a stretch of track just about where The Lone
Oak Place is on Highway 123, between Westminster and Old
Madison. Of course it was not a highway then, but the main
track of Southern Railway. Suddenly old 97 began to reel, left
her tracks and was strewn along the road-bed like a crippled
steel monster. Two men were killed, one being David Fant’s
Fireman^
Who, I ask you, has not sung or hummed that wonderful ballad
and song “The Wreck of Old 97?” It once challenged in popu
larity the much sung “Casey Jones.”
With the passing of steam locomotives, so went the engine of
David Fant’s historic and famous steel horse with the polished
brass “cowcatcher” and gold-plated disc on front which showed
the open Holy Bible and number of the locomotive itself.
Now that the steam monsters have been removed from the
rails, one misses the shrill of the whistle and steam swishing
from the steam cylinders. With their demise, the glamour
of “railroading” lost some of its appeal. But, to those of us
who “remember when” are the nostalgic moments of non
forgetfulness as we recall the engineers and trains that could
be identified by the peculiar manner the whistle was blown.
Yes, old trains and covered bridges can jerk a knot in your
throat.
IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE
IN THE
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS
SEA]^^P
SALEISi
TWIN OR FULL SIZE QUEEN SIZE KING SIZE *
NATIONALLY ADVDmBD NATIONALLY ADVERTISED NATIONALLY ADVERTISED
AT $79.9$ EACH PIECE AT s2l*.*S FOE 2 PIECE SET AT SJIMS FOB 3 PIECE SET
Same decorator cover with row after row Seely's 60 * 80" Modern Double is the Seely's biggest bed is your biggest sate
of deep quilted "puffs". Layers of deluxe new way for two people to sleep .with value' 76 x 80" of sprawl out *3ace with
cushioning for a luxury surface. Hundreds 22% more stretch out room than old fash 5" more toe room, almost 2 ft. more hip
of "twice tempered" coils plus extra firm loned full size. 5" longer, 6" wider and and elbow room. If your half of the bed
foundation. still fits smaller bedrooms. isn't half enough, try this for size l
SALE PRICED SALE PRICED SALE PRICED
JOEOO JQQ9S IJQ9S
I EACH PC. UU 2 PC. SET lIU 3 PC. SET
Oak Ladder Back Chair $6.95
f r ' en^s uete built up a fine patronage
From our hearts ... "Happy Holidays, Thanks."
Airy
ALtA FURNITURE
993-4594 1101 ALPHARETTA ST.
*— ■ ROSWELL, GA.
Highway Board Gets Federal Funds
The State Highway Board gave
its unanimous support to the pr
oposed Department of Tran
sportation under Governor Car
ter’s plan of state reorganiza
tion, but voted unanimously ag
ainst any increase in permitted
mobile home widths from the
present feet to a proposed 14
feet. The Board also voted to
ask the General Assembly to
substantially increase permit
fees for overweight and over
size vehicles to more closely
cover the cost to the state of
these loads using the highways.
The Department has obligated
$42.5 million in federal funds
for road work this fiscal quar
ter, or approximately double
what the state would have rec
eived under normal, previous
methods of distribution of the
federal highway monies.
This quarter’s funds had been
released on a “first come-first
served” basis rather than lim
iting each state to a specified
amount. Georgia had been re
ceiving about $21.5 million per
calendar quarter. Because of
the Georgia Highway Depart
ment’s quickness in getting
plans approved ahead of some
other states, it was able to ob
ligate more, but said funds have
THE FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS, DEC. 23, 1971, SECTION A
now run out this quarter for the
entire nation. It is not known
whether federal funds for next
quarter will be on the new
“first come-first serve” me
thod or revert to the old meth
od of limiting each state to a
specific amount.
Approved was another $52.4
million in federal-aid projects
for letting in January if the
money is available. The De
partment has more than S2O
million of these projects awa
iting approval now. The state
is in good shape to again get
more than its normal share if
the funds are apportioned on the
new basis. If the state is again
limited, then the Highway
Department will have to choose
which of the projects should
be built first.
The Department has had a
record year in highway con
tract lettings. The one on
December 17 means that a total
of $l7B million of roadwork
has been put under contract
this year as compared to $lO5
million last year, or an increase
of more than 68 per cent.
The Board gave its approval
to changes to modernize the
State Toll Bridge Authority to
include roads as well as brid
PAGE 15
ges and hopes for a $l5O mil
lion increase in bonding auth
ority, with SSO million to be
added to each of the categor
ies of urban roads, rural roads
and state highways.
( birth m
oereas
ill—
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