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FILE NAME: Norfolk & Southern (NS) DATE: 0000 DOC#: NS006 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Article from NS World - Company Magazine -- -UM , , . NORFOLK Xhlbtt f S OUTHERN Norfolk and Western Railway Company Southern Railway System lime at the McLaughlins See page 30 W hen the c o d is go ne, will the mountointop bloom ? continued from page 3 is removed from the mountaintop. about 200 acres will be reclaimed each year until a total of 4.000 acres of gently rolling farmland have been created. Currently on the site are 240 brood sows and " 10 happy boars." as one observer called them. (The myth that pigs are dirty is just that-- a myth. The research swine are housed in a virtually germ-free environment. Humans must take a shower, be treated with disinfectant, and don white masks and coats before being allowed to visit the hogs.) A flock of about 72,000 hens soon will be in place, ready to start com mercial egg production next summer. Plans also call for an initial herd of 30 female beef cattle and two males, with the herd size later increasing to 150 cows. Agronomy projects will include planting of grasses, legumes and row crops. Alfalfa and clover arc already waist-high at the site. Apples and peaches will be planted for horticul ture studies, and trial plantings will involve pears, cherries, nectarines, apricots, hardy pecans, walnuts and grapes. A number of housing structures and facilities are under construction for the farm animals, staff and visitors. In one respect, the reclamation project is self-perpetuating. Manure -- 4,300 tons a year from the hens alone--will be used as fertilizer to improve and stabilize the land. Morehead State is managing the entire project. Pocahontas Kentucky and one of its coal lessees, Martiki. are providing funds and use of land. Martiki is a subsidiary of Mapco, Tulsa, Okla., the second largest pro ducer of coal in the Bluegrass State. Edward T. Breathitt, NS vice presi dent, Public Affairs, Washington. D.C., and a former governor of Ken tucky, says Norfolk Southern wants to find out what alternatives arc eco nomically feasible for mountainous land that has been mined out. Martin County's coal reserves arc expected to last another 25 to 30 years, and the research project will determine if the land thereafter can offer oppor tunities for employment while assist ing in food production for the Edward T. Breathitt (left), NS vice president, Public Affairs and a former Kentucky governor, discusses the unique surface mine reclamation project with Wendell Keller, vice president, Operations, for the Martiki and Toptiki Coal Corps., and Dr. Charles Derrickson, dean of Agriculture, Morehead State University. (Photo courtesy Ashland Daily Independent) country. Rep. Carl D. Perkins, Congress man from Kentucky's Seventh Dis trict, notes that the project "will become a learning laboratory for students and any other interests con cerned with the future of land re sources in eastern Kentucky created by mountaintop surface mining of coal." And Morehead State's president. Dr. Morris Norfleet, observes that the project "represents a tine ex ample of what can be done wh organizations with the will and r sources combine for the commc good." "We are looking toward the future says Mike H. Vallez, executive vi< president. East Kentucky Operatioi for Mapco and Martiki. " I can ei vision a time when we'll have edi cational and housing facilities, eve light industry--just about anythin you can think of on reclaimed sui face mine land." Notice and Warning to Railroad Employees Who Have Been Exposed to Asbestos Some employees of Norfolk and Western Railway Company, of Southern Railway Company and of their railroad subsidiaries, affiliates and predecessors may in the past have been exposed to asbestos dust while at work. Exposure to asbestos dust can contribute to respira tory ailments. In the railroad industry, asbestos was used for a number of purposes, including insulating the boilers and steam pipes in steam locomotives and the steam pipes in passenger cars. Persons who worked with such equipment are among those most likely to have had some exposure to asbestos dust. If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos dust during your railroad employment, you are urged to consult with your family physician. This is particularly important if you are experiencing any respiratory difficulties. There are some common precautions which arc recommended for those persons who have been exposed to asbestos dust: I. Avoid further exposure to dust of any kind; 2. Do not smoke; and 3. Get a physical examination at least annually and follow the advice of your physician.