Newspapers / The Johnstonian-Sun (Selma, N.C.) / March 12, 1942, edition 1 / Page 2
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X PAGE TWO THE JOHNSTONIAN - SUN, SELMA, N. C. — THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 1942. S REPORTER ON SCENE Scenes of Destruction Wrought by Explosion South of NOTE Pictures shown here are the first Photo-Engravings to appear in The Johnstonian-Sun which were made by Alton Stancil. Better pictures are expected in the future as he gains experience and better knowledge of Photo-Engraving. By DEXTER L. FREEMAN (Smithfield Herald Staff Writer) It was an amazing drama that I watched and took part in near Gur- kin’s Taver early Saturday morning. A drama of waiting tensely and knowing that terror and disaster were edging in on the little junction community. During that bewildering period be tween 1:30 and 3:00 a. m., I felt rather helpless and baffled as I watched a sputtering fire_ burn its way into a big cargo of high explo sives. It was just as though a huge time bomb had been planted and people were told to guess when it would go off. Explosion Inevitable. By (quarter of two—some 30 min utes after the collision which had fired the transport van—I knew that an explosion was inevitable. Firemen had run out of water and chemicals. Now there was nothing to do but move away and wait. Many Spectators As the flames spurted and touched lightly at the base of the ammuni tions van, I wondered what the other people were thinking. Scores of per sons had been drawn to the scene and there were many others inside Talton Hotel, Gurkin’s Tavern and other nearby places. Warned of Danger I saw spectatoss standing in groups talking casually. Just talking. Apparently they couldn’t comprehend the danger. Explosions were out of their line. One man in the lobby of the hotel said to me sarcastically, “Don’t be so consoling!’’ when I warned that “somebody is going to be killed.” I walked out and five minutes later I was moving out of the immediate danger zone. That was shortly after two o’clock and flames were beginning to lick up the sides of the powder-laden' van.. Flagged Cars I stationed myself beside the high way some 300 yards east of the junc tion. For nearly an hour I flagged incoming cars to a stop; among them was a U. S. mail truck trying to meet a schedule. Tremendous Blasit 1 saw .the explosion a second or two before I could feel its impact. For a moment there was daylight bright ness. A great swirling eruption of flame and smoke and sparks shot hundreds of feet into the air. It was sudden and terrifying—like a .thou sand bolts of lightning intertwined into a solid mass. I made a dive, but I wasn’t fast enough. The concussion wave caught me about shoulder and I went spin ning to the ground. I fell flat on my stomach. The thunderous blast was not sharp and deafening, but dull and ponder ous and hard-hitting. It was over in two or three seconds; and by contrast the next few moments were deathly silent. The air seemed supercharged with shock. Still lying on the ground, I looked up and saw a tremendous shower of sparks and earth and debris of all kinds. Pieces of metal, blocks of ce ment, wood splinters, glass—millions of fragments—jolted and peppered back to earth. Then confusion broke. I heard ter ror-stricken screams and loud shout ing and crys of pain. Somewhere—I couldn’t see much at first—a woman was sobbing: “Oh my God! Oh, my God.” I don’t know how many seconds or minutes it was before the fires broke out. Everything around the junction seemed to collapse like a flattened balloon and flames darted up almost instantaneously. I didn’t know then how many peo ple were dead or hurt. But I knew all too well that disaster, worse than anyone had expected, had swept across the community. But business and residential houses GURKIN’S TAVERN—This building and those adjoin ing were totally demolished. Several of the employees and a number of guests in the building at the time ot tne blast were injured. age HOME OF MR. AND MRS. T. E. COOK—Immediately back of Hotel Talton. Mr. and Mrs. Cook and three chil dren were asleep in this building at the time of the ex plosion. All received injuries. GURKIN’S FILLING STATION—Located south of the tavern. A number of persons in this building at the time of the explosion were injured. The station and cabins nearby were practically destroyed. SITE OF HOTEL TALTON^All that remained of the three-story brick building was the chimney seen to the right. Three persons lost their lives here. jiijifitfiioyr I^ NEGRO SCHOOL BUILDING IN SELMA —Dozens windows and 11 doors were blown from this building of ibe only ones to be damaged w*. bli. At V Eijerl.n M~o- r^al^ Methodist church here, eight art j , c ;hattered, entailing an esti- loss of approximately $10,000. O^^ nf these windows was an import- L from Italy, an Easter scene, ed piece from n IsiSS Mi.. Anrie lol. M.- Auley, 1831-1898. Jhi^^wm^oj,ja^^ 'building to present *^™rvSl of the windows in the Sel- “.tot The damage to the Selma white V, building is believed to be near '“Tlhc Ltai. Cotlm Mill '1>« to broken windows is reported to be heavy. The ",2ks left their looms and made tracks lor home immediately following the ex- llsion, believing that the enemy was within our gates. , u -m- n- The Selma Negro school building which is nearer the scene of the bust is said to be even greater, and may reach $2,000. In Smithfield quite a number of residential windows were shattered Tnd a few glass fronts in the business d^trkt are" reported to have been broken. Other towns reporting broken windows and a few glass fronts are Pine Level, Micro, Princeton and ^Automobile losses were^ also heavy as a result of the blast. Those losi^ cars or having them daniaged by .he explosion and fire were Hugh T^ton, Patrolman H. C. Bobbitt, Mrs. R. L. Holloman, Wade Peterson. A_ dealer car, temporarily in the posession ot Hugh Anderson, was among the cars destroyed. ^ u A taxicab belonging to a Goldsboro company was burned completely. Prom 15 to 20 cars and trucks parked in the vicinity of the blast were partially damaged or complete ly destroyed. A large transport truck belonging to the A. & P. Stores, parked in front of Gurkin’s garage, had its sides blow'n in. These car losses are in addition to the munitions truck, the Odie Lewis car and the car occupied by George Stroupe and Cecil Propst, who died instantly in the explosion. CALVES Four-H Club members of Pasquo tank county are aiding the milk pro gram by purchasing purebred dairy- heifers as ' club projects, reports Thomas S. Brown, assistant farm agent. CASUALTY LIST The knowm dead are: George Srtoup, Gastonia. Cecil E. Propst, Belwood. .Mrs. Minnie Lewis. Raleigh. Claude (Buck) Mitchell, Old Town, Maine. ■Willie Howell, Goldsboro. Miss Jessie Holloway, Goldsboro.^ .At least 60 person were injured in the munitions truck disaster of early Saturday morning. Many of them re quired only first aid .treatment which they received at hospitals or from local physicians. Others needed more than first aid and were placed in hos pitals in Smithfield and neighboring towns and cities. Close to 40 persons were given aid at the Johnston County Hospital in Smithfield. Of these only eight re mained in the hospital Monday. The others either had been discharged af ter first aid treatment or had been transferred to other hospitals. Those remaining in the Johnston County Hospital are listed below: Mrs. R. L. Hollowman, manager of Hotel Talton, mangled left arm, lac- injured Her condition was described as crit ical. Raymond O’Neal Avery, Charles ton, S. C., driver of the munitions truck, chest injuries, bruises and lac erations. Hugh B. Anderson, Smithfield to bacconist, who roomed at the destroy ed hotel, back and leg injuries, lacer ations and bruises over entire body. Odie Lewis, Raleigh, burned right hand and injured foot. Bobby Ray Lewis, 4 years old, Ra leigh, fractured leg and lacerations. Ira Rhodes, Smithfield, head lacer ations. Thelma Holloway, Goldsboro, lacer ations of hip, arm and neck. C. A. Creech, Jr., Smithfield fire man, lung injury and lacerations. Three marines who remained in the Johnston County Hospital until Saturday night when they were trans ferred to the marine base hospital at New River were: Bernard Rosenberg, Bethlehem, Pa. L. E. Greenfield, Newburg, N. Y. Jimmy Backstrom, Worcester, Mas sachusetts. Those in the Goldsboro Hospital in clude: Bruce G. Hopewell, 32, Goldsboro taxi driver, multiple lacerations of head and body, reported Sunday to be in critical condition. F. H. Lee, garage superintendent of Sanders-Mims Company, injuries to kidney and left arm. Mrs. L. Gurkin, Gurkin’s Tavern, lacerations on face and arm. Mrs. James E. Sanders, Gurkin’s Tavern employee, lacerations over en tire body. W. T. Hardister, 24, Carthage, a marine stationed at New River, was released from the Goldsboro Hospit al Sunday and carried to New River by ambulance. Those in Rex Hospital, Raleigh, are: Harold Selma, Winter Haven, Fla., serious head injuries. Roy Robertson, Winter Haven, Fla., light head injuries. Judson Strickland, Raleigh, station ed at New River marine barracks, light head injuries. Those who received first aid treat ment at the Johnston County Hos pital included: Joe Coates, Smithfield. Delma Buffaloe, colored, Gurkin’s Tavern. W. J. Baker, Princeton, Route 1. Jimmy Sanders, Gurkin’s Tavern. James Hall, colored, Gurkin’s Tav ern. 0. H. Harvey, Gurkin’s Tavern. Alfred M. Tilley, Fuquay Springs. Glenwood Dickson, New River ma rine base. Edgar Wilkins, colored, Rocky Mount. G. L. Roberts, Smithfield. Charley Lewis, 5, Raleigh, slightly erations and contusions all over body. PROPERTY DAMAGE To estimate the property damage — resulting from the ammunition truck shop, brick structure, was wrecked. $50,000 to $60,000. Gurkin’s 'Tavern, owned by L. Gur kin, wooden structure with restau rant, dance” hall, and sleeping quar ters, completely wrecked by blast. Gurkin’s garage-apartment build ing, brick structure, torn asunder by blast. Gurkin’s service station and auto blast Saturday morning is not an ea sy task, neither can it be accurately arrived at. There have been estimates rang ing from $250,000 to $500,000 and ev en larger amounts. A few rough estimates have been made, however, which may have to be revised later. Hotel Talton, brick structure of 35 rooms, owned by R. R. Talton of Smithfield, was completely destroyed by blast and fire. Luke Capps’ Service Station, form erly operated as Millard Stallings’ service station, located by the side of Hotel Talton, was completely destroy ed by blast and fire. Rough estimates have placed the loss of the Talton properties at from All received slight injuries. children. Hazel, 10; Elwood, 4, and Peggie Jean, 14 months, who occupied William Hancock, West Palm ly back of Hotel Talton. All received injuries Beach, Fla. Albert Handberger, Millis, Mass. Edward McCarter, 97th Field Ar tillery, Fort Bragg. Mrs. Minnie Portenoff, Irving.ton, N. J. Others known to have received in juries are: W. L. Hunt, 28, Rocky Mount, who received first aid treatment at a Rocky Mount hospital. John Jeffreys, Selma fire chief,cuts on face and nose, attended by Selma physician. ■Charley Straughan, Selma fire truck driver and night policeman, severely injured, treated by Selma physician and confined to home. Ferrell Carter, 21, Selma, first aid. Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Brown and 11- year old son, who lived in the vicinity of Gurkin’s Tavern, first aid. Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Bone and 8-year old son, who lived in the vicinity of ■the blast, first aid. John Hardy May nor, Dunn, colored, carried to Dunn Hospital, cut on hand and minor injuries. William Woodall, Smithfield, first aid. C. C. Hathaway, Selma, first aid, hurt by falling glass. L. Gurkin, owner of Gurkin’s Tav ern, cuts and bruises about face and head. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Dail, Mr. Mrs. J. E. Peedin, Agnes Faye Peed- , ___ _ in, 7, and Mary Jean Peedin, 3, who away, 900 window lights were shat- lived in vicinity of Gurkin’s Tavern, tered. About 55 mill village homes Gurkin’s tourist camp and all elev en cabins, were completely wrecked or badly damaged by the blast. The estimated loss to the Gurkin properties has been placed at up wards of $40,000. The home of Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Brown and of Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Bone, brick dwelling located near .the hotel site, was almost totally wreck ed by the blast. This property is was owned by Henry Talton of Rocky Mount. Mr. Bone’s feed barn was burned after being wrecked by the blast. It contained much valuable feed. The dwelling occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Dail and the J. E. Peedin family, located within 100 yards of the blast, was badly damaged. It is owned by Mrs. W. P. Sellers of Sel ma. Some object thrown from the ex plosion went .through the atic of this home crashing weatherboarding and splintering the rafters, leaving the roof in a swaying condition. The dwelling immediately back of Hotel Talton, occupied by T. E. Cook family, was almost torn to shreds. Mr. Gurkin’s brick garage was al most demolished by the impact, and even trees were blown over in the woods adjacent to the scene of the blast. Spreading out in all directions, the force of the blast was felt for many miles, and at all nearby points its force was so terrific that window panes were blown out, plastering fell from walls and even buildings were damaged. In Selma and vicinity the damage was heavy. Hardly a home escaped without some broken win dows, broken plaster or damage of one kind or another. In Selma’s business district the dagage to glass window fronts was almost unanimous, only a very few fronts escaping without damage. These were the Davis Department Store, A. L. Langley’s jewelry store. Dr. Oliver’s office. Vanity Fair Beau ty Shop, Beauty Nook and perhaps one or two others. All the others were total or partial loss—most of them and were totally destroyed. At the Selma Cotton Mill, one mile had windows broken, bursted plaster- [I LCLClVcAl iicvxi »v o l/j. »./v4i o Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Cook and three ing, upset chimneys and other minor damage. Following the blast early Saturday morning the mill closed Oean, j.** luum-ua, wiiu o:i*uuiua^ iiiuniing unc; dwelling .totally destroyed immediate- down until Monday. No estimate of the financial loss has been given by the mill superintendent S. W. Armit- Explosion of Prices! IN POUND PACKAGE 16c 9 oz. BREAD . 5c POUND 8 POUND BUCKET Pure LARD Lge. Pullman BREAD . 9c FAT BACK PURE LARD CORN FLAKES EGGS 2 EXTRA SPECIAL ! ■*■1^**** Flour 12 45c, 24 85c 3 DOZEN 13c $1.25 21c 45c CRACKERS BLUE PLATE COFFEE IRISH POTATOES 1 POUND IN VACUUM PACKED tins — POUND 10c 25c 10 POUNDS 28c EXTRA SPECIAL ! CIGARETTES Dressed Chicken at All Times Pay & Save Mkt. COME IN AND SEE OUR— BIRDS EYE PHONE 149 — We Deliyer — SELMA, N. C.
The Johnstonian-Sun (Selma, N.C.)
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March 12, 1942, edition 1
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