Newspapers / Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids, … / May 1, 1930, edition 1 / Page 1
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I CITY I 1 NO ROOM FOR 1 br ’ JTULAT,ON! I KNOCKERS NOW!- | * I _ fN 19341 ^ j J WATCH US GROW § VOLUME 16._ROANOKE RAPIDS-ROSEMARY, N. C.THURSDAY, MAY 1st, 1930. --NUMBER^. HUGE BRIDGE SPAN CRASHES 166 FOOT SPAN OVER R1VERHERE COLLAPSES EARLY THIS MORNING __ i TRUCK DROP 50 FT. WITH |TWO MEN Driver Injured But Low Water In River Saves Lives Two Wilmington, N. C., men had a narrow escape from death a few minutes before five o’clock this morning when a 3-ton In ternational truck, half loaded with vegetables, crashed thru the middle span of the Roanoke River Bridge, here, dropped nearly 50 feet through the air and landed in about five feet of water. The truck, said by auto mobile men to be worth around 14,000, was completely demol ished. Low water saved the lives of two men. C. Leeuwenborg, of Wilmington, who was driving the truck at the time of the crash, was being treat ed at the Roanoke Rspids hospital this afternoon for injuries received in the accident. He was injured about L the head, face, side and one arm was ^ slightly injured. He was extracted from the fiver’s cab by H. T. Morris, also of Wilmington, who was asleep in the reserve driver’s berth, in the rear of the driver’s cab, when the crash occurred. Leeuwenborg took the wheel about ten miles from Em poria. Morris drove the truck from Richmond to the point from Emporia, where Leeuwenborg relieved him. Leeuwenborg was unconscious wnen taken from the wreckage by Morris. He was pinned in the driver's cab v/ith his head submerged in the water. Morris escaped uninjured. An auto mobile was furnished by H. M. Hud son, night foreman at the Halifax Pa per Corporation, to take the two men to the hospital. They were driven there by A. P. Woodruff and Harvey Moon. Morris related his story to a rep resentative of The Herald this morn ing. He said he drove thetruck, en route from New York to Wilmington, from Richmond to about ten miles out cf Emporia, when he turned the wheel over to Leeuwenborg. He was asleep ^ in the reserve driver’s berth when the % truck crashed through the biridge. f Morris naid he woke up when the bridge start’d to give away, but stac ed he was unaware what was hap pening. Who l tilt uuck landed in the wat^r, he kicked open the door, which was submerged in the water, and worked himself out through the wreckage. He said he thought Leeu wenborg had left the road and acci dently ran into the river. The truck was owned by a Wil mington trucking firm. It had a light load of vegetables, including potatoes, lettuce, pineapple and peppers. J. F. Welch, night watchman at Roanoke Mill No. One, was the only eye witness to the crash. Mr. Welch said he was standing in the doorway of the boiler room at the mill about ten minutes before five o’clock this morning when he saw the ill-fated truck drive upon the bridge. A few minutes before its arrival, he stated, a hog truck, driving north, passed ov er the bridge with safety. The ve getable truck was traveling South. Before the truck arrived on the mid dle span, Mr. Welch said, he turned around to look at a boiler, and when m. he again looked toward the bridge, he saw the big truck crashing through the air. He left his post and ran toward the scene of the wreck. Later he tried to secure help by telephone, but stated he was unable to get anyone at the telephone office to respond to his call. Then he said he heard some one whis tle, the sound coming from the di rection of the wrecked truck. He lat er found it was Morris, who was whistling in hops' that he might at tract the attention of some one who IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SCHOOLBUS For the last ten years this commu nity has fought to get something in the way of real bridges and roads from the State Highway Commission and from road associations. Promises have been as numerous and beautiful as the apple blossoms in the Shenendoah valley. This morning, a three ton truck, only half filled with light merchan dise, crashed through the huge 800 River. Aspan 166 fee tin length had given away. Fortunately for the two men on the foot bridge which spans the Roanoke truck that the water was extremely 1 Jow else they would have been drown ed. - ' * '' More fortunate for the State High way commission that it was not one of the many passenger buses which daily crossed that bridge, or a bus full of school children. They would have had to account for many lives. This accident has aroused the en tire community and the 12,000 people in Roanoke Rapids Township with those of Northampton County across the river are going to raise cane from now on to see that this section gets everything Coming to it in the way of roads and bridges. We mean business. % ATTENTION CORRESPONDENTS Due to the importance of the bridge story which “broke” this morning, several letters and other items of interest had to be left out this week, but will appear in the next issue. would come to his and Leeuwenborg’s rescue. Mr. Woodruff and Mr. Moon were near the office of the Halifax Paper Corporation when the crash tbok place. They were starting on an early morning fishing trip, but abandoned this idea when they arrived at the bridge. Mr. Woodruff said he and Mr. Moon heard the crash, but didn’t know what it was. He said the noise sounded more like two large trees falling. They were told wha thad hap pened by Mr. Welch when they ar rived at the bridge. Mr. Moon se cured a boat and brought the two men front the truck to shore, where they were placed in an automobile and rushed to the hospital. Both Mor ris and Leeuwenborg were examined by hospital physicians. The exami nation disclosed that Morris was unin jured, but that Leeuwenborg receiv ed injuries that are not of a serious nature. The two men were water suaaeu • when they were removed from the machine. The hands on their water soaked watches, which had stopped running, pointed to ten minutes be fore five o’clock. Nearly three thousand persons view ed the wreck this morning. Early risers received news of the accident 'shortly after it occurred, and as the morning grew nearer noon, several hundred automobiles carried anxious spectators to the scene. Traffic be tween Virginia and Roanoke Rapids was directed around another route. Although a little nervous from his narrow escape from death, Morris was in a calm mood when describing the accident later in the morning. His clothes were- nearly dry when he talk ed to a representative of The Herald, and he said he was waiting for one of the owners of the trucking firm he was employed by to come to Roa noke Rapids and take him and Leeu wenborg home. Neither Morris nor Leeuwenborg are married. It is ex pected Leeuwenborg will be discharg. ed from the hospital late this evening. Morris spent a few hours at the hos pital, but left after learning that Leeuwenborg's condition was not se rious. He waited in Roanoke Rapids untl a representative from his em ployers arrived. ^ HISTORY OF OLD BRIDGE One third of the huge bridge which spans the Roanoke River here is gone. There are five spans, but three of them compose thlfc bridge proper, while the other two are approaches. The bridge is approximately 800 feet in. length. The demolished span was approximately 166 feet in length. The bridge w’as built in 1907, twen ty three years ago. They evidently did no tevr.n have double team wagons for the floor is equipped only for single horse wagons and buggies. It was built by the Roanoke Bridge Co., of Roanoke, Va. for the Roanoke Rapids Bridge Co. Mr. J. T. Chase built the concrete foundations and the piers which are the only decent part of the bridge, but you can’t cross on the piers. In 1907 H. C. Cooper was president and S. B. Pierce, secretary and treas urer of the Bridge Co. Other officers were J. L. Patterson, T. L. Emry and B. H. Pugh. It was a toll bridge. About ten years ago it was sold to the Counties of Halifax and North ampton. A few years ago it was tak en over by the State. _ “WE TOLD YOU SO” mfc ^ ____ An official of the State Highway Department will be here today. On April 3 of this year, this news paper carried the folllowing editorial, marked copies-of which were sent to the Highway Department. “We do not begrudge Weldon its successful fight for a new bridge and a new highway, but we would like to, know why we are unable to have just as good highway as any other sec tion of the State and why traffic should not be routed through here just as much as by any other route in the same direction. Why are we not entitled to a new bridge over the Roa noke River in place of the antiquated, one-wagon affair which still holds forth?” Is this Route 40 or isn’t it? We are going to demand a concrete road from Route 481 to this city and a new 1.ridge over the Roanoke River here —and we intend to worry away with it until the State gi/es it to us in, sheer weariness and despair. WE WANT NEW BRIDGE It developed today that the State is more or less aware of hedge; con ditions here Blueprints and plans, engineering work, etc., have been completed for some time cn a pro posed new bridge. The bridge would cross the river about the Roanoke Mills Co. and the center piers on the first island. The new bridge wolud eliminate two of the smaller birdges now in use. It would shorten the distance. It would throw the road much higher than the present level which was covered by high water early this Spring. It would be a modern bridge built to handle the heavy traffic which now travels every highway of consequence. It should be built at onde. There is no excuse for delay. -□ High School Orchestra Wins First Place At Greensboro State Meet The orchestra of Roanoke Rapids High School under the direction of R. L. Martin, won first place in the class B. contest of the State High School orchestras at Greensboro last Friday. Major trophies were won by Greensboro, China Grove and Brag town. More than 2,500 High School boys and girls of the State took part in the different contests. This was the 11th annual high school music contest attended by winners in di vision contests over the State. Sixty seven local boys and girls of the or chestra, glee clubs and choruses at tended from here. -□ Nearly 100 million pounds of tea are imported into the United States each year. DRIVE FOR CHARITIES NEXT WEEK Hope to Enroll Every Ci tizen In Community in Worthy Cause An advertising campaign arranged to reach every man, womap and child j in the Twin Cities is being carried out this week in an effort to sell to the comunity wholehearted support of Associated Charities, a drive for funds starting on Wednesday, May 7, and lasting one week through May 14th. Speakers at the schools, churches, lodges, clubs and theatres will par ticipate in an appeal which is the most widespread attempted here since the days of the war-time Liberty Loan drives. W. v. Wood roof, local merchant, started the ball rolling Tuesday night at the Peoples Theatre with ‘ a three minute appeal to patrons pf the Thea tre. His talk like those of others, js confined to telling the.people what Associated Charities is atod what is intended in the drive of next week. Other speakers at the Peoples Thea tre will be Carroll Wilson tonight and J. T.( Chase on Saturday night. The drive will be carried into ev ery room of the mills and key men are being chosen for this work. W. J. .Norwood is in charge of the work in the South end of the community. Leon Hall has charge in the North -end. Associated Charities has been very successful in every city where it has been instituted. It is a ewwmunity wide organization with everyone. in< membership and a Board chosen of representative citizens of the commu nity. This Board serves without pay. | Its duty is to collect all monies for charity work, investigate all cases brought to its attention, pass on them and if possible render financial and other aid. The aid given is of temporary na ture. Associated Charities nor any other organization other than the State can give permanent aid to pau per cases. But when a man is sick and out of work, Associated Charities can step in and help tide the family over with food and heat until the man is able to work again. In many cases, it lends the man a few dollars and when he is able he pays it back so that the organization can help some other family in temporary dis tress. It has been estimated tne peo ple of this community give away sev eral thousand dollars a year to beg gars and other similar people. Many of these eases are unworthy of help while there are many worthy cases where pride keeps people from telling their temporary troubles. By donat ing all money to one fund, there is given the opportunity to do real ser vice in all worthy cases. It also re lieves the citizens of being bothered by beggars and the like, because all one need do is tell the beggar that one has contributed to Associated Charities and cirect the party to one oi the members of the Bo.-rl. If the case is worthy, help will be given in the proper way. The amount to be raised for this kind of work, which will be spent here at home for home people in distress, is $1,500. It is estimated there are more than 2,000 wage earners in this* community. If half of them will give one dollar each, then the balance can be raised by the school children lodges and other organizations. So everybody will be asked to give one dollar for membership. Then don’t feel lik eyou have to give to any beg gar or plate holder on the streets for you have done your share of local charity work for the year. Give your dollar, get yfur button, wear it all during the week, and lets see a button worn by* every person in the Twin Cities. Business like, sys tematic charity giving that counts— I that’s Associated Charities. -□ Berries Bury Junction A huge strawberry truck crashed into a signal post at Roanoke June- I tion late last night and practically buried the Junction with berries. The truck was on its way from the Sou- | them part of the state to New York markets. Berries were selling cheap at the Junction today. The truck was not badly damaged but it played ha* yoc with the strawberries and crates.' HALIFAX DIPLOMAS FOR 96 • • , * ** - Commencement E x e r cises of County Rural Schools Friday A. T. Allen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, while address ing the ninety-six seventh grade graduates from the rural schools of Halifax County last Friday, said that “there has been accumulating for two or three years an agricultural crisis. This is followed by a financial cris is, resulting in a school crisis. “Schools cost too much, some say. How much is too much ? How much should schools cost ? How much should parents invest in schools for their children? In the United States as a whole there is invested in schools out of public funds $18 for each man, woman and child. In North Carolina, less than $9 per inhabitant is spent, doing only half as well as the nation. If compared with California, New York and New Jersey, we are spend ling less than one-third as much. Re cently the city of New York increas ed in one year per child more than the State of North Carolin is pending per child.” The sixth and seventh grades from all the rural schools, about two hun dred, gathered at the Halifax school house about 10:30s*. m., Friday, April 25. At 11:15 a group of children from Aurelian Springs School rendered musical selections ( after which the program was as follows: Hymn, Lead On, O King Eternal. Invocation, Rev. Watson of Halifax. Devotional, 7th grade led by Marvin Taylor from Au relian Springs. Nineteenth Psalm. Chant, The Lord’s Prayer. Chorus, Welcome Pretty Primrose, South Rosemary sixth and seventh grades. Address, Dr. A. T. Allen, State Su perintendent of Public Instruction. Chorus, Over the Meadows, Aurelian Springs seventh grade class. Pre sentation of seventh grade certifi cates. Hymn, America. The auditorium was filled to over flowing with* parents and interested citizens from every part of the coun ty. In the afternoon about 80 slides, snapshots from real life in Halifax County Rural Schools, were presented to a full house. These pictures were divided into the following groups; namely: Health, Nature Study, Mu sic appreciation, Pleasure Reading, Free Activities, Children of Other Land and Live-at-Home. The Live at-Home group, the largest of them all, grew out of Governor Gardner’s Live-at-Home program. Every school in the county had # one or more pur posive Live-at-Home projects dis played on the screen. Recently the world’s largest p*»arl was offered for sale in Shanghai, China, for $ 1 ,(>50,0(10. -□ Marriage Announcemnt Mr. and Mrs. Walter McKelly Lew ter announce the marriage of their daughtpr, Rose Mavis, to Mr. William Edward Spencer on Sunday, the 20th of April 1930, at Severn, N. C. HIGfTwINS Crush Wilson 11-6 — Johnson, Grant and C. Womble Star With blood in their eyes over their first Conference defeat by Wilson last week, the local High School fell on the same team here Tuesday after noon and annihilated them 11 to (5. In the terrible seventh, the local boys sent six runs across the plate, four of them coming when Johnson poled one over the fence with the bas es loaded. Womble kept his hits well scat tered, pulled out of several bad holes, and finished the day with 12 strike outs to his credit. Grant had* a per fect day at the bat with a double, two singles and a walk out of four times up. Jimmy Womble and Bur nett were good for two singles each. The game was loosely .played by both teams but interesting enough* to the good crowd of spectators, made larger by the sale of season tickets for the balance of the games. Re claming home games for the High School are May 2, with Tarboro; May 6, with Henderson; May 9, with Washington. SHEARIN MOTOR CO. OPENING Public Invited to Inspect New Business Satur day, May 3 An informal opening of the Shearin Motor Co., Inc., local Oakland-Ponti ac dealers will be held Saturday, May 3, during the usual business hours. A cordial invitation is extended to the public to visit the Twin Cities new est industry in their quarters on Roa noke Avenue, inspect their new home and view the new automobile models that will be on display. The Shearin Motor Company occu pies the new brick building in Roa noke Rapids which they recently pur chased from the Paragon Develop ment Company. The building is a one story structure, 50 fee tin width and 140 feet in depth. After its pur chase by the motor company addi tional floor space was added, making it one of the most spacious business buildings in the Twin Cities. organized m Weldon, jn. C., in 1926, the Shearin Motor Company en tered the automobile field in Halifax County with the Chevrolet agency, a product of General Motors. At the close of its first year in business it surrendered the Chevrolet franchise and in its stead took over another General Motors product, Oakland Pontiac. The Company was organ ized by N. M. Shearin, and in addition to selling automobiles, conducted a general garage business. The Sfrearin. Motor Company of Roanoke Rapids was incorporated in March, 1930, Mr. Shearin, its origi nal organizer, being elected to the offices of president and general ma nager. The company moved its busi ness from Weldon to Roanoke Ra pids early this year, bringing to a close a four year period as being iden tified with the business interests of the neighboring town. During the three years period tKe company has held the Oakland-Pon tiac franchise in this territory they have sold around 500 new automobiles representing approximately $500,000. This doesmot include the second-hand cars disposed of by the firm. The Shearin Motor Company’s business here represents an invest ment of $30,000. Ten persons are em ployed by them at present. Included in its personnel are N. M. Shearin, president and general manager; M. F. White and O. S. Suitor, salesmen; H. E. White, shop foreman; Miss Ma ry Hall Brenn, bookkeeper and Edgar Mountecastle, who has charge of the parts department. HALIFAX TOWNSHIP Mr. John H. Taylor of Littleton was here on business Wednesday. Miss Bertha Thomas of Rocky Mt. spent the week-end with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Thomas. Miss Bonnie Millikin is spending the week with her aunt Mrs. E. L. Branch in Rich Square. Rev. and Mrs. J. L. Midgette of Norlina spent Tuesday and Wednes day with Mrs. Wr. A. Wilcox. Mrs. W. G. Kearney of Henderson is reporting court here this week. Mrs. W. T. Eure and sister, Miss Dorothy Bennette went to Rocky Mt. Saturday. Mr. Gavin Hyman-of Scotland Neck was here Saturday on business. Miss Bertha Lee Hux has return ed from a visit to Pinetops. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Norman of Rocky Mount were visitors here on Monday. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shields of Hobgood were here . Sunday as the guests of Mrs. S. S. Norman. Mr. Guy Caudle and Mr. N. L: Stedman went on a business trip to Pennsylvania Monday. Court opened with a large attend ance Monday at 10:30 with Judge Clayton Moore of Williameton pre siding. About eighty cases were dis posed of but we still have a large number of cases. Mr. James Liverman of Scotland Neck, who has just completed a law course at Wake Forest, was sworn in before Judge Clayton Moore Mon day. t u YEAR ON THE ROADS FOR JOHNSON Hospital Escaper Is Sen tenced in Liquor Case; Other Court News Roy Johnson, he who has gained so much notoriety by escaping with the aid of friends from the local hospital, with one leg in a plaster cast, and eluding capture for a month, pled guilty in Halifax Superior Court this week to a whiskey charge and was sentenced to twelve months on the roads. He was not tried for escaping ar rest but it is understood those who helped him make a get-a-way will face trial at a later date. Those who have seen Johnson at Hose quarters say his leg is not healed good yet and he has difficulty \n walking. He and his friends re moved the cast while officers were searching some three weeks after the escape from the hospital. I on tne mgnt ot Feoruary lyth, lo cal officers, receiving information that Johnson would pass over the Weldon Bridge with a load of whis. key, awaited him. He refused to stop his car and the officers fired. One bullet struck Johnson in the leg. In the car the officers found 40 gallons of liquor. It was on this charge he pled guilty and was sentenced. The officers broughtthe wounded man to the hospital here where it was necessary to put the entire leg from foot to hip in a plaster cast. Johnson was helpless tQ move alone yet on March 12th, in the- early hours, he' • dis&ppeard, nor was he captured or seen for three weeks. It later de*» veloped that two men had entered his room on the second floor with a ladder, carried Johnson to the window placed him on the back of one of the men who carried him down to a wait ing car in which he was whisked away to Virginia. On April 1, local officers picked up a trail and fol lowed Johnson and his party half way across Virginia. At one time they. missed them by only a few minutes. This was when the cast was removed from the leg and found still warm by . the officers at the home of a relative of Johnson. The trail was lost near Franklin, Va. Three days later the officers sur rounded a house six miles from Eliza beth City, with the knowledge that Ernest Shearin, wanted on several charges, was staying there. The cap ture was successful and in another room they also found Johnson. Shear in, who later escaped from the Ha lifax jail, only to be recaptured last week, has not been tried yet. He faces more than a half dozen charges of criminal nature. Superior Court this week, crowded with criminal cases, partly disposed of another local case when Joe Bates, Ernest Peavey and James Peavey were found guilty of charges grow ing out of the robbery of the Oak. Stores here a few months ago. Bates, was charged with robbery, pled not guilty, was tried and found guilty.. Sentence had not been passed yes terday. The two Peavey boys pled guilty, James to a robbery charge and Ernest to a charge of receiving stolen property. They have not been sentenced yet. Another local robbery is partly cleared up with the arrest last week of Percy Moore and Paul Evans char ged with robbery of the freight de pot here some months ago. S. A. L. detectives have been working on the case ever since and finally unearthed evidence to arrest the two above and are said to have others implicated who have not yet been arrested. The tw owere als ocharged with robbing the freight office at Thelr^a. They are in jail at Halifax, Moore in de fault of a $5,000 bond and Evans fail ing to make good a $3,000 bond. Trial date has not been set. t The grand jury returned a trufe bill this morning against Clarence Bush, negro truck driver, who hit and killed B. B. Higgins on Roanoke Avt- * . nue here a few months ago. Gert Driggler, in jail on a whiskey charge, who broke jail with Ernest Shearing and James Peavey two weeks ago, only to be recaptured a few days later near South Rosemary, pled guilty and wiR be sentenced lat er. (Continued on back f«ge)
Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.)
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May 1, 1930, edition 1
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