Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1908-10-01

SHOP SURROUNDINGS.
Employees Of Plant Combining Beauty
and commercalism.

6UO OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The appearance of many towns and
cities is spoiled by unkempt surround
ings of business sites, and seldom is
any attempt made to improve and
beautify these places. The plan is
being tried in Brooklyn, n. Y, how
ever to interest the employees of
company in improvement work, and
the story of how an esprit de corps
came to replace don't care feeling in
the personnel of one of the largest sim
gle traction concerns in the country is
an interesting one.
Some time ago the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit company adopted policy of
beautifying as far as possible the diff
ferent portions of its property. 1t was
Il pet idea OF MIR. Winter its presi-
dent. that the mere fact that a struc-
ture is built for commercial purposes
is no excuse for its being hideously
ugly
This was quite q reversal of old tra-
ditions. but it has already gone partly
into effect. Tie great new Williams
burg power station is the company's
most striking exposition of this new
policy.
Beginning was made ut the construc-
ton shop of the elevated lines at the
foot of 1'hilty-ninth street. The yard
that surrounds this shop-formerly a
passenger terminal station-was clean
ed of the litter of old locomotives and
discarded coaches These were sold
when possible and given away for fire.
wood in other eases.
Last spring the shop foremen were
informed that the railroad would pro-
ceed to lay oct the edge of the yard
| with grass plots and flower beds. Sim
liar steps We're taken at the other ele-
waited shops at East NeW York, Fresh
Pond road aud al Thirty sixth street
The same methods OF decoration that
proved SO successful on the company's
property at Brighton Beach were put
in effect
Then came the surprising part of the
programme. Shopmen displayed an
astonishing amount OF interest in the
plans for beautifying the property.
They organized into bands and early
ON summer nights reported after hours
for work on the shop grounds. Theirs
was entirely voluntary procedure.
They showed an interest in the whole
project. 1t was a new spirit showing
| ITSELF
Nor was Enat all The men from
lathe and plane and drill press worked
alongside the laborers, and then they
got together with the shop foremen
and made new proposal.
Lets buy big Gags-big, fine Amer
lean fiags-to float over every shop of
| this company and show folks when
they go riding by that there are good
Americans working under the roofs"
So the big movement started. The
men all wanted to Observation-Disclosures.
dimes and an occasional quarter were
the order of the day-and when they
were done the foremen topped off the
list for the big flags The railroad
company put up high steel poles, and
there has been a series of flag raisings
all summer.
Every elevated shop now flies its flag
as regularly as a military post. Out at
the newest shop In Fresh Pond road
the transportation men watched the
big pole and flag of the shopmen
ascend. So the guards, motormen and
conductors of the trains running there
bought a flag and had the company
erect second steel pole for their flag
Other plans of the same sort are under
way.