Edenton Asks Credit For Road ‘lmprovements’
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Town Objects To Service Station Driveway at Left
public parade
Hot As Fire
As hot as it has been of late it is hard
ly the time to be talking about subjects
such as fire. Nevertheless some sober
ing statistics came across our desk this
week and we pass them on as food for
thought.
October traditionally is the month in
which we set aside one week as Fire
Prevention Week. One week a year
hardly seems enough when you consider
the grim statistics.
The National Environmental Systems
Contractors Association (wheel) reports
that every day of the year, fires claim
an average of:
33 lives, 1,510 dwellings, 167 apart
ments, 23 schools, 10 churches, 21 hos
pital and nursing homes, 149 farm build
ings, 126 industrial plants, and 208
stores, restaurants and offices.
We devote, a total of one week a year
in lip service to fire prevention. In 1968
there were 12,100 deaths attributed to
fire; 551,160 dwellings (not apartments)
valued at $365 million lost to fire; 46,-
020 industrial properties destroyed by
fire.
Yet over 70 per cent of all fires are
caused by carelessness.
We should make fire prevention our
business all year round.
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Critics Proven Right
Politics and highways have been close
-1 ly associated since the horse and buggy
days. Their closeness is even more evi
dent to those who meander along the
Public Parade as result of a second de
cision involving the “triangle” intersec
tion on North Broad Street.
From the time the intersection “im
provement” project was announced crit
ics have never missed an opportunity to
yell waste. Even at the first estimate
of $90,000 they said it would be wasted.
It would put one person out of business
and while it would tidy up the busy in
tersection it would not solve the prob
lem, they stated.
When all the bills were paid the “im
provement” tab came 1 to $135,753.08.
Quite a bit more than $90,000, isn’t it?
But that isn’t the point for discussion
here.
The Town of Edenton didn’t get much
in the way of Urban Bond Funds from
the S3OO-million state-wide bond vote.
So, district highway personnel pasted a
top priority label on the intersection of
U. S. 17 and Highway 32.
They contended their plan would
make the intersection safer for both the
traveling and walking public. From the
first meeting pedestrian safety was on
their lips. Those little school children
in northwest Edenton were given first
billing.
Even after the $135,753.08 “improve
ment” was completed, the town went in
and constructed a nice sidewalk so the
Continued on Pago 4
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mOOTTRY COOPERATES IH PROGRAM-L.G. Dayton, pa»«®»l
Craft Corporation * Edenton StUoo, k *hown rjcelrtag » ch*ek for pwßdpatong tea
•tete-wideOn the Job Training Program from D. H. Keck. manpower and work pro
- .... uni-ialiit with the State Planning Task Force. Other* in the picture are Rati
Security Communion lcral ollice manager; Earl Jonee, Job develop-
Sts?- iTSsreSg
PWyd Spellman, EIC manpower director. Eight men bare been tramea at vnne-wai*
under the program.
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Volume XXXVI—No. 31.
Jones Gives
Bill To Aid
Landowners
Rep. Walter B. Jones announced to
day that he, along with other members
of Congress, had introduced legislation
to assist the owners of ocean front prop
erty in the matter of erosion and of the
hazards.
This bill would Have the effect of de
leting the requirement that federal shore
protection participation be allowed only
on publicly owned property. It adds
language to existing legislation which
would allow private property owners af
fected to qualify for assistance. This
assistance, in the nature of abutments
and jetties to break up the strength of
the waves and to form natural sand and
gravel barriers, would be given by the
Army Corps of Engineers in accordance
with already established procedures for
civil projects.
' The Congressman stated the present
law provides that the Army Corps of
Engineers can provide assistance for
damaged privately owned property only
when the President declares that a disas
ter exists. The Office of Emergency
Preparedness does not have available
funds or programs for shoreline erosion
relief. The SBA, which can purported
ly lend money at 3 percent interest rates,
cannot lend to a private property owner
Continued on Page Four
Chris-Craft Training Unskilled Men
Chris-Craft Corporation has been paid
$1,956 in reimbursements funds for
training unskilled and untrained young
men.
The local boat manufacturing firm has
been participating in the state-wide On
The Job Training Program being push
ed by anti-poverty groups on the local,
state and national level. One of the men
trained at Chris-Craft has assumed a po
sition equal to foreman of a shift.
L. G. Deyton, personnel manager,
speaks highly of the caliber of men cho
sen of OJT. He said the local firm
has benefitted by cooperating in the
program.
tight men have been trained at the
plant. They have each developed job
skills to the point where they have be
come permanently employable.
William M. Copeland, Jerry P. Harris,
James White, Gary Gene Allen, Willy A.
Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, Thursday, July 31, 1969
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SHRINE PLANS BIG EVENT—The third annual Edenton Shrine Club benefit C»h
fiy on September 13 will have a festive flavor with a big parade through downtown
E;’enton. Kermit Layton, second frem right, club president, and other local Shrine
officials met with those planr'nq parades in the area recently. There will be between
250 and 300 parlicioating in the parade. Shown here are, left to right: BUI Staiunqs,
parade committee member; Robert L. Pugh, Scottish Rite secretary; BUI Easterling, pub
licity chairman; Dusty Rhcades, director; A. A. Kafer, parade master of Sudan Temple.
Willie Bunch, vice president; Nelson B. Banks, recorder, Sudan Temple; West Byrum,
parade committee chairmarj Layton, and Gsorge Twiddy, director.
Young Marine Placed On Probation
A 17-year-old Marine -from Bertie
County was convicted in Chowan County
District Court Tuesday for assault, in
flicting serious injury His companion
was acquitted.
Archie M. Bowen. Jr., alias, Jay Bow
en, was sentenced to six months on the
reads, suspended and placed on proba
tion for two years. He was ordered to
pay SI 18.05 to Chowan Hospital; $l2O
to Dr. Roland H. Vaughan; and SSO to
Jimmie Ward. He was also ordered to
pay court costs.
Witnesses said Bowen assaulted Ward
at Arrowhead Beach in late June.
Harrell, William E. Harris, James Ed
ward Hill and Melvin R. Roundtree have
completed the OJT program.
Economic Improvement Council work
ers under the supervision of Earl Jones,
job developer, recruited the trainees and
the local Employment Security Com
mission office, under the supervision of
Neil Thagard, screened them.
The OJT program is funded jointly
by the Office of Economic Opportunity
and the Department of Labor. A por
tion of the administrative costs is borne
by OEO and funds for a portion of the
training costs are provided by the De
partment of Labor.
The program is statewide in scope and
sponsored locally by the Community
Action Agencies. The Economic Im
provement Council, Inc., provides tech
nical assistance Floyd Spellman
Manpower Director, job developers and
clerical help in the implementation of
the program. In the first year of op
eration, more than 95 per cent of the
500 available job slots were filled.
■ The main thrust of the program is to
help provide meaningful employment to
indigent heads of households and others
who heretofore had little or no market
able skills. This type of training is over
Continued on Pago Four
Family Night Set
Family night will be celebrated Tues
day by Edward G. Bond Post, No. 40,
American Legion and Auxiliary. The
event begins at 8 P. M. f at the legion
hut on U. S. 17.
A special feature of the program will
be reports from high school students who
recently attended Girls’ State in Greens
boro and Boys’ State in WinstonTSalem.
Watermelon will be served
the program.
Commander Troy Toppin, and Mrs.
J. L. Chestnutt, auxiliary president, said
they hope to make the family nigjht ac
tivity a quarterly affair.
The Town of Edenton is asking State
Highway Commission for credit of $135,-
753.08 spent improving the intersection
of U. S. 17 and Highway 32 because of
a driveway permit issued Quality Oil
Company.
W. B. Gardner, town administrator,
in a strongly worded letter to Chairman
Lauch Faircloth Monday, said allowing
the service station access to Highway
32 would make the intersection as dan
gerous as it was before the Triangle Sta
tion and Restaurant was removed.
Gardner said the town has many oth
er worthy projects which could be com
pleted if “we had the use of $135,753.08,
which we feel, as of now, has been com
pletely wasted.
“I bring this information to your at
Single Copy 10 Cents
Ward testified that he accidentally
bumped into Steve Daniels and they had
a few words. Bowen then took it up and
assaulted Ward, inflicting serious eye in
juries and breaking his ankle.
Two witnesses said Bowen was wear
ing a steel ring with sharp points on it.
Daniels, charged along with Bowen,
was found not guilty.
In other cases called by Solicitor Wil
ton Walker, the following action was tak
en by Judge W. S. Privott:
Brenda Joyce Privott, reckless driv
ing, 30 days, suspended upon payment
of $35 fine and costs.
Ernest 1 Malthon Baum, drunk driving,
eight months, suspended upon payment
of S2OO fine and costs.
Robert Gene Coffield, assault on a
female. 10 days, suspended upon pay
ment of $5 fine and costs.
David Wilson, assault, 10 days, sus
pended upon payment of costs.
Melvin Elmer Chappell, using profane
language over the telephone, prayer for
judgment continued upon payment of
costs.
Branch Is Sought
First National Bank of Eastern North
Carolina has applied to the U. S. Comp
troller of the Currency in Washington for
permission to establish a branch in
Hertford, according to M. F. Allen, Jr.,
president of the Jacksonville-based bank.
“Hertford and the surrounding Per
quimans County area have long been
recognized as a prosperous agricultural
area and a potentially prosperous indus
trial community,” Allen noted in the
announcement.
“We believe that, with additional eco
nomic resources such as we hope to
help provide, the area can achieve‘a pro
gressively healthier position as a com
mercial and farming center serving an
ever-larger portion of the northeastern
section of the state.”
Allen also noted that First National
now has an office in Edenton, some 12
miles away, and that “a substantial num
ber of both deposit and loan accounts
from the Hertford area already are be
ing serviced by the First National office
in Edenton.”
Allen did not give an indication as to
when the Comptroller of the Currency
might act on the First National appli
cation. One observer, however, indicat
ed a decision can be expected within the
next 90 days.
Norman Stump, chairman of
the Edenton Jaycee fishing rodeo
committee, reminds boys and
girls, 14 years of age, that the
event will be held August 9-19.
tention simply because the Town of
Edenton feels that it spent sorely need
ed road fnnds on very poor advice oi
commission employees, that the commis
sion has, by its action, created the same
problem only a few feet from the origi
nal site, and for these reasons we should
be credited with these funds to use on
some other projects,” Gardner wrote.
Gardner pointed out that the Triangle
project was undertaken in order to re
lieve a dangerous situation where a ser
vice station was discharging traffic into
two heavily traveled highways. “We
were advised by officials of the high
way commission to complete this project
as a first priority in order to relieve
congestion anil make the intersection
safer for the traveling public and for
pedestrians,” he wrote. “With this ad
vice in mind, we agreed to use our funds
in what we thought was a worthwhile
project.”
“We now find that we have spent this
large sum of money and put one man
out of business to no avail. Over the
written objections of the Town Council,
the highway commission granted Quality
Oil Company a driveway permit for in
gress and egress into Highway 32, thus
creating the very situation we attempted
to correct.
“We were not informed of this until
we saw that the curb and gutter had
been torn up as well as a portion of town
sidewalk recently built for use by a
large number of school children living in
northwest Edenton. If we had been in-
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Lightning Strikes
Temple Chimney
Lightning during a severe electrical
storm last Wednesday night struck the
Masonic Temple causing a great deal
of damage.
During the same storm, about 10
P. M., three cars collided on U. S. 17
near Albemarle Restaurant, causing
heavy property damage and sending six
people to the hospital.
The lightning struck the chimney of
the Masonic Temple knocking it off at
the roof-line. It also hit the electrical
panel and quick action probably kept
the building from catching fire.
Damage to the structure was estimat
ed at near $3,000.
Ltate Trccper Charlie Thomas said
Mrs. B. L. Knox, Sr., was the most seri
ously injured of six persons carried to
Chowan Hospital for treatment after
the mishap.
Mr. and Mrs. Knox were traveling
north in their 1964 Chevrolet when they
were involved in a collision with two
southbound vehicles—a 1967 Ford op
erated by John Edward Holley of Merry
Hill; and a 1965 Chevrolet pickup truck,
operated by Frank James Curtiss of
Suffolk, Va.
Mrs. Knox was admitted to the hos
pital. The others who were injured were
treated and released.
No charges were filed following in
vestigation.
Trooper Thomas said it was raining
extremely hard at the time of the ac
cident.
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CHIMNEYLESS TEMPLE —The Muonic
Tempi* on Eut Water Street wu heavily
damaged last Wednesday night by light
ning. The chimney wu destroyed and the
electrical system damaged. One auto ac
cident wu reported during the storm.
Call To Gridders
The call was issued this week to those
who want to try out for a spot with
the Edenton Aces this fall.
Marion Kirby, athletic director, said
all boys who are interested in playing
football at John A. Holmes High School
will have their physical examination
Monday at 8 P. M., at Chowan Medical
Center.
Coach Kirby instructed all boys to
meet him at the Holmes gym at 6:30
o’clock prior to going to the medical
center. Anyone who is unable to have
their physical Monday should contact his
family physician, be said.