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FIRE NEWS. PHOTOS:
PAGES 1. 8 AND 'A'
FIRE NEWS. PHOTOS:
PAGES 1. 8 AND 'A'
VOL. 43—NO. 21
TWENTY-TWO PAGES
SOUTHERN PINES, N. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1963
TWENTY-TWO PAGES
PRICE: 10 CENTS
FLYING COTTAGE OUT OF RACE
Thousands Expected for
Stoneybrook Saturday
Flying Cottage, winner of the
recent Carolina Cup, has been
eliminated from Saturday’s 23rd
running of th>3 Sandhills Cup in
the Stoneybrook Hunt Race
Meet here, due to a recurring leg
injury. Denied a chance to repeat
AT EASTER
The Pilot greets its sub
scribers and friends this
Eastertide which has been so
tragically overshadowed by
fires that caused huge losses
in this area—blessedly, how
ever, with no loss of human
life.
Surely, this is a time to
tfind solace in the spirit of
Easter—a time for new be
ginnings andt faith in the fu
ture.
While large areas of the
county lie blackened and
barren, other areas are fresh
and colorful with Springtime
blossoms and new green
leaves.
As worshipers from all the
churches of this area join in
Holy Week and Easter ob
servances in the next three
days, they can find much for
which to be thankful and
strength ifor the tasks ahead.
Council Praises
Service Of Mayor
A resolution formally adopted
by the four other members of
the town council-Tuesday night
recognizes the outstanding serv
ice of Mayor John S. Ruggles “in
his many years of activity as a
public servant,” on the occasion
of the mayor’s retiring from pub
lic office at the end of his term.
May 8.
The resolution cites not only
the mayor’s local service but his
work as a member of the North
Carolina Hospital Board of Con
trol and expresses gratitude “for
a job well done.”
The mayor expressed his ap
preciation for the action, after
the resolution was read by Mayor
Pro Tem J. D. Hobbs, and said
that “without the constant coop
eration and support of those I’ve
worked with, nothing could have
been accomplished.”
Full text of the resolution will
be published next week.
last year’s winning effort in the
local race, the Irish-bred gelding
has been shipped from his quar
ters in Camden, S. C. to the Vet
erinary School of the University
of Pennsylvania to undergo sur
gery on a leg bone.
With J. Blan Van Urk’s winner
of his last six races over timber
out of the feature, Mrs. Joseph
Mangione’s Burraidh moves into
the favorite’s role in the three-
mile, $2,000 test. Last Saturday
the ‘chaser from Lexington, Ky.,
made his seasonal bow a winning
one in the North Carolina Hunt
Cup at Tryon. In 1962 Burraidh
captured the famous Carolina
Cup at Camden, and the North
Carolina Hunt Cup.
Aside from the timber feature,
other races will be run over the
turf and hurdle courses, with a 2-
year-old trial over the training
track. Paddock time for the in
itial race is 1:30 p. m.
Gates of the track grounds on
the Stoneybrook training farm of
Mr. and Mrs. M .G. (Mickey)
Walsh will open at noon, to ac
comodate the thousands of per
sons expected for the afternoon’s
events, many coming early to oc
cupy hillsid.2 parking spaces and
enjoy a picnic lunch.
Parking spaces in the grounds
(Continued on Page 8)
Vast Acreage Swept by Fire in Moore County;
Businesses, Homes, Barns, Outbuildings Lost
Flames enter Pinebluff, leap the Wane highway...
^
OTHER FIRES DO |
EXTENSIVE damage!
The “Big Fire” that ravag
ed Pinebluff was one of
three large blazes and sever
al smaller ones that burned
in Moore County Thursday.
Its destructiveness and
human drama took the spot
light from what otherwise
would have been at least two
other exceptional fires—one
between the Fletcher South
ern plant and Aiken Road,
near Southern Pines Thurs
day afternoon and another
fire, burning thousands of
acres, at its height Thursday
night, northeast of Southern
Pines, threatening the exten
sive Youngs Road horse
training establishments, out
through the Lake Bay area
and into Fort Bragg. A third
fire was put under control
(Continued on page A, 1st Section)
Town Election
Filing To End
Filing time for candidates in
the municipal election to take
place May 7 will close at noon,
Monday, April 15.
Six candidates had filed up to
noon today: Felton Capel, Morris
Johnson and Fred Pollard, incum
bents; and three new candidates,
Donald D. Kennedy, C. A. Mc
Laughlin and William S. Thomas-
son.
If more than 10 persons file, a
primary will be held April 29
to reduce the number to 10 can
didates for the five seats on the
council.
GARDENS OPEN
Mr. and Mrs. Denison K. Bul-
lens invite the public to visit
their “Homewood Gardens” in
Knollwood, one of the places on
yesterday’s Garden Tour. Visit
ors are asked to please park out
side or in the parking lot at the
service entrance.
THE WEATHER
Maximum and minimum tem
peratures for each day of the past
week were recorded as follows at
the U. S. Weather Bureau obser
vation station at the W E E B
studios on Midland Road.
Max Min.
Churches To Join
In Friday Services
Six Southern Pines churches
will join together to commero-
rate Good Friday in a special
service in Emmanuel Episcopal
Church tomorrow (Friday) from
noon until 3 p. m. “The Preach
ing of the Passion,” the tradition
al meditations on the seven last
words of Christ from the cross,
will be given by the Rev. Martin
Caldwell, the Rev. Jack Deal, the
Rev. Julian Lake, the Rev. May
nard Mangum, the Rev. Robert
Mooney, and the Rev. Carl Wal
lace.
Those who attend the service
may come and go between the
various meditations. Members of
all the churches of the communi
ty are invited to participate.
$40,000 Disaster
Relief Planned By
Red Cross Chapter
The American Red Cross ex
pects to spend around $40,000 in
disaster relief funds in Moore
County, helping families critical
ly affected by the fire to get back
on their feet.
Trained personnel was rushed
immediately into the area, making
an investigation which has so far
revealed 14 families with critical
losses, and no insurance, or in
sufficient insurance to offset
them. A few more are expected
to apply.
Brig. Gen. L. W. Miller of Sou
thern Pines, chapter vice-chair
man in charge of disaster relief,
noted that the families qualifying
for help are those who lost not
only homes, but rather the farm
buildings, tools and equipment,
livestock and feed and other
means by which they made their
living.
The names, and amount of help
rendered, are confidential Red
Cross records, but it is known that
(Continued on page A, 1st Section)
April 4
87
59
April 5
78
37
April 6
56
37
April 7
65
42
April 8
75
37
April 9
74
55
April 10
71
45
A building burns, dense smoke obscures the sun...
No Serious
Casualties
Are Listed
The B'ig Fire started at about
10:30 a. m. last Thursday at a
saw-mill site on the West End-
Hoffman road, west of Pinehurst.
Its exact cause has not been de
termined. No money value can
yet be placed on its vast damage.
Seven hours later, racing east,
and then south before the wind,
it had hit Pinebluff, eight miles
away. By midnight, the fire was
roaring into Camp Mackall and
Drowning Creek swamp.
During that day the flames
gobbled up thousands of acres of
pine forest and numerous homes,
barns, chickenhouses, sheds and
other objects in its path.
That no human life was lost,
that dwellings saved far out
numbered those destroyed, was
due only to the monumental bat
tle put up by thousands of men.
Historic Fight
It was a historic fight. Said
the district forester, J. A. Pip
pin of Rockingham, who this
week estimated the acres burned
at 25,000, “We’ve had bigger
fires in the district but mostly
over timberland. This was the
worst for people, homes and com
munities involved.”
A lew brilliant spring days of
sun and wind had produced con
ditions of tinder-dryness. Forest
fires were a problem across the
State and in many counties, in
cluding Moore, burning permits
had been banned.
The N. C. Forest Service hop
ped on the fire as soon as it
started and for a while it appear
ed to be “just another forest
fire.” Bulldozers and tractors
were used in the effort to stop
it but within an hour or so the
wind took over. Said Moore
(Continued on Page 8)
CATHOLIC SERVICES
On Good Friday (tomorrow) at
St. Anthony’s Catholic Church,
the Rev. Francis M. Smith will
conduct services at 3, 6 and 8 p.
m.— Stations of the Cross at 3
and 8 and the Liturgical Celebra
tion in Honor of the Passion and
Death of the Lord, at 6.
School Superintendent Adams Resigns
To Accept Similar Post In Stanly Co.
Luther A. Adams, superinten- fered presents, his letter stated,
dent of schools of Southern Pines
City Administration District, has
resigned effective at th.e close of
the present school year, in order
to accept the position of county
superintendent of schools of Stan
ly County, it was announced this
week by N. L. Hodgkins, board
of education chairman.
In his letter of resignation, Mr.
Adams stated that this decision
was a most difficult one for him
to make, since his term of serv
ice in Southern Pines “has been
most enjoyable and fruitful.”
Stanly County is, however,
“home territory” of both Mr. and
Mrs. Adams, and the situation of-
“a considerable challenge.”
The Southern Pines City Board
of Education, at a meeting Mon
day, accepted with regret _Mr.
Adams’ resignation, and praised
the work which he has done
while in Southern Pines. The
Board felt that, during his in
cumbency, Mr. Adams has work
ed in close cooperation with his
faculty and with patrons of the
school, while maintaining in the
school high academic standards,
Mr. Hodgkins said.
Action by the board of educa
tion has been initiated toward se
curing a successor. Several appli
cations have be.en received, the
board chairman stated.
Pinebluff Mayor,
Chief Thank All
Who Fought Fire
Fire Chief W. K. Carpenter, Jr.,
and Mayor E. H. Mills, who is al
so a member of the volunteer fire
department, this week issued an
expression of thanks and appre
ciation to all the fire-fighting
units, civilian and military, also
the Rescue Squad units, which
aided in the' successful fight to
save Pinebluff from destruction
by fire last Thursday.
“Without the help of all these
fine outfits we could not have
done the job,” Chief Carpenter
said. “Our community would be
just a pile of ashes today.
“They came immediately, as
(Continued on page A, 1st Section)
Bliss-Spence Firm
Plans To Rebuild
The Bliss-Spence Corporation,
horseshoe manufacturing plant
that was completely destroyed by
last Thursday’s Big Fire, south of
Pinebluff on No. 1 highway, this
week was making tentative plans
to rebuild and re-equip its mod
ern forge shop.
The shop, with its electrically
driven machinery for making
horseshoes shipped to all parts
I of the country, was valued by
[David Spence, partner in the
[ business, at about $40,000 partial-
I ly covered by insurance.
I Max D. Bliss, Sr., of Bellows
Falls, Vt., the other partner, ar-
I rived here this week to talk over
[rebuilding plans with Spence.
A trailer near the plant, oe-
I cupied by an employee of the
I business, was damaged by the
[fire and a pickup truck at the
isite was burned.
p
r S' *0 \ _
HEAVY DAMAGE— Thomas Kittredge manages a smile de
spite heavy fire damage to his home in Pinebluff. A garage (not
shown), storage shed (rubble in foreground) and kitchen wing
of his home burned. Volunteers saved rest of house.
McKEAN STABLE. HORSESHOE PLANT HIGHEST
TOTAL LOSS— Elmore Smith, left, tells Mayor E. H. Mills
of Pinebluff how his dairy farm was consumed by the flames,
with total loss. In background, day after the fire, friends and
neighbors build shed for cows that escaped.
THE SKY WAS FILLED WITH FIRE ... *
13 Homes Destroyed, Other Losses Big Elmore Smith. Dairyman, Hit Hard
Thirteen homes, including one
trailer home, and a business place
were rated a “total loss,” while
four other homes were extensive
ly damaged, according to a pre
liminary checkup completed
Monday by Moore County Forest
Ranger Travis G. Wicker, assist
ed at Pinebluff by W. K. Carpen
ter, Jr., fire chief, in last Thurs
day’s woods fire that swept the
southwest corner of Moore Coun
ty-
£.even of the destroyed homes
were unoccupied and unfurnish
ed. The others were lost with
all or most of their contents.
An earlier report of 30 or more
homes lost was occasioned by the
destruction of many old and un
occupied former dwellings of lit
tle monetary value, scattered
about in the rural areas, accord
ing to Wicker’s findings.
Far costlier losses were sus-1
tained in the burning of a large'
number of other buildings in
cluding many well-filled feed
barns; tobacco barns, chicken
houses, storage buildings, sheds,
etc. Two autos and two pickup
trucks are also known to have
(Continued on page A, 1st Section)
PHOTO CREDITS
Top, center: Humphrey.
Bottom: V. Nicholson.
With sympathy for several
hard-hit victims of the fire, it’s
impossible to say who was hurt
the worst, but Elmore Smith cer
tainly qualifies for that category.
Fine fell from the sky without
warning on Smith’s modest dairy
farm on the outskirts of Pine
bluff. He had seen the smoke
from afar and thought, if it
should come his way, there’d
be plenty of time. For one thing,
the home and outbuildings were
surrounded by open fields and
pasture—the woods were some
500 feet off.
But coming in from the field
with his tractor, he suddenly saw
“the sky was filled with fire.
boiling in the air.” The fire had
browned” in the wind from per
haps a mile away, far outracing
the firefighters. Smith’s shouts
brought his wife and 18-year-old
son running from the house.
While the boy, a school bus driv
er, rushed the bus to the end of
the lane. Smith turned out his
mule and seven cattle, smacking
them to make them run off and
save themselves. In their old car,
which fortunately started at
once, the Smiths got to a neigh
bor’s.
Soon Smith was back, hunting
his animals.i The home, barn fill
ed with feed, tractor, station
(Continued on page A, 1st Section)