NEW BANK—Construction continues at Home Federal Savings and Loan Association’s Edenton
branch at 101 West Queen Street. The Greenville based financial institution announced that the building
FRONT ELEVATION
should be complete by October 1984. Shown above is an artist’s rendering of the structure.
f1
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Ora M And Bolts
That catalog of overpriced hard
ware critics of military buying
practices recently published serves
to point Up once again the Pen
tagon’s blind side to cost when it
comes to defense contracts. Indeed,
that military-industrial complex
against which President Dwight
Eisenhower warned on leaving the
White House is now a frightening
fact of life.
In Nuts and Bolts at the Pen
tagon, the critics catalog such
items as an $11.67 tool box bringing
$652, a $1.69 screw driver bringing
$258.03 and, believe it or not, a
13-cent nut bringing $2,043 in the
military marketplace.
There are literally thousands of
such over-priced items among Pen
tagon purchases, some of which are
being caught by internal audits, but
many of which are not. It would be
bad enough if only smaller items
were involved, but the full catalog
of defense partiality for the high
dollar would include ‘everytiling
from ships and sails to sealing wax.
One of the best examples is the
fighter plane that doesn’t cost
enough. But first a little history.
Back during the administration
of President Jimmy Carter it
became apparent that many third
world nations were seeking'to buy
from the United States front line
fighter aircraft, whether or not they
could afford them, whether or not
their security needs justified them
and whether or not their air force
could fly them.
This led President Carter to con
clude that a new fighter plane,
designed specifically for our
foreign customers, was needed. So
he asked defense contractors to
develop such an aircraft at their
own risk and expense. He assured
the contractors the State Depart
ment would help create a market
for such medium-capability
fighters.
Not all of the defense contractors
were enthusiastic, some giving on
ly a half-hearted response. But Nor
throp put its heart and ingenuity in
to bringing out the P-20, an almost
new fighter, smaller and cheaper
than front line fighters, easier to
fly, easier to service and maintain.
But something unexpected hap
pened as well. The F-20, if given a
fair test, might prove to be as good
as our best fighters, nearly equal to
the F-15 and F-16 in some respects,
better than they are in others.
No such test is scheduled,
however. The Pentagon is trying its
best to ignore the F-20 and will not
add it to the active American inven
tory, thus throwing another stumbl
ing block in the way of foreign
| Meanwhile, some comparisons
are of interest. The F-20 is design
ed around a new engine developed
by General Electric for the Navy’s
F-18, which has 19,000 fewer parts
than the Pratt & Whitney engines
used in both the F-15 and F-16. Its
navigational system has a “mean
time between failures” of 2,000
hours; the gyroscope system on thfe
F-16 has a mean time between
failures of 750 hours. The F-20’s
. SSL’ & : ? 2*.' v. ■»
'..
Volume XLVIII - No. 80
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, August 9, 1984
Single Copies 25 Cents
Boat Explosion Among Series Or Freak Accidents
by Ron Anderson
A boat exploded while pulling
away from an Edenton Marina pier
last Saturday. \
The August 4 explosion and fire
occured on the stern of a 1975 24ft.
inboard-outboard Fiberform. Boat
owners Charlie and Margaret
Farhey of Route 4, Edenton, were
in the vessel at the time of the
blaze.
At approximately 3:50 p.m.
David Rosenblatt, whose father co
owns the marina with Scotty Har
rell, filled the Farhey tank with
fuel. He then walked inside the
marina building and sat down with
three men: Scotty Harrell, Dawson
Rascoe, and Bob Partin.
Farhey was waiting at the dock
for a boat to pass before moving
away from the pier. When the boat
passed, Farhey hit the switch to
start the engine and it exploded.
Board Discusses
Road Petition
by Maru Am burn
Chowan County Commissioners
Monday moved to proceed with
Cape Colony’s petition for $41,112 in
improvements to several roads
within its subdivision. The petition
will be subject to adoption follow
ing a public hearing September 4.
Petitions, submitted last year by
70 percent of subdivision residents,
requested an assessment for im
provements to Coral Lane,
Blackbeard Road, Seaview Drive
and Beachview Drive so the roads
can be added to the state
maintained system.
Commissioners earlier postponed
action of the road improvements
because many prior assessment
payments remained unpaid, thus
reducing the county interest
income.
County manager Cliff Copeland
Continued on page 4
“We heard a big boom and saw
a seat cushion fly through the air,”
said Harrell. “It sounded like the
sound barrier had been broken.”
Harrell and Rascoe grabbed fire
extinguishers and ran out to the
dock while Partin called the fire
department and the rescue squad.
By the time the men were out
side, Charlie and Margaret Fahrey
had jumped overboard. Charlie
was unharmed and managed to
swim to a dock and pull himself out
of the water. But Margaret, who
Skiing Accident
A skiing accident on the Chowan
River near Rocky Hock landing
resulted in a Kinston man’s severe
neck injury Saturday, August 4 at
approximately 7:00 p.m.. Steven
Gerrit Spaanbroek, who suffered a
broken neck, was skiing in 4 feet of
water when he fell forward
presumably striking his head on the
bottom.
Spaanbroek was immobilized by
his friend Kingsley Platts and was
held in suspension by friends until
Unit No. 3 of the Edenton Chowan
Rescue Squad arrived a very short
time later.
Squad Chief Chuck Noble prais
ed Platts for his not having remov
ed Spaanbroek from the water and
perhaps causing further injury.
Both Noble and EMT Mike Slades
used extra precautions while
wading in waist deep water and
removed Spaanbroek from the
river into the Rescue Squad
vehicle.
Upon arrival at Chowan Hospital,
Spaanbroek was afforded the ex
pertise of Dr. Lawrence Galea a
neurosurgeon having received his
education at the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Galea’s
critical preparation allowed Spaan
broek the benefit of smoother in
Continued on page 4
Carriage Tours Begin Business
by Maru Amburn
The faces of young children as
the buggy rounds the corner of
Broad and Water Streets is enough
to convince Mary Rich and her
Edenton Carriage Company part
ners that their enterprise is
worthwhile.
Children jump, smile and point as
the horse, Dollie, and the green, six
passenger carriage travel a plann
ed route through Edenton’s historic
district. *
Rich and her three high school
aged associates Beth Rinehardt,
Kinnan Lane and Donna Ashley
began conducting 30-minute buggy
tours, similar to those offered on
Charleston’s Battery, last Friday.
The four guides, who all have ex
perience with horses, are en
thusiastic about the prospect of giv
ing foul's,throughout die summer
and on weekends and special occa
sions jn the bill.
Rich said.
Rich and her parents, Cy and
Nancy Rich of Route 2, Edenton,
toyed with the carriage tour idea as
they traveled through the Amish
Country of Pennsylvania in April of
this year. Mary’s father planned to
travel to Pennsylvania and
Michigan to purchase the horse and
carriage, but their idea was not a
reality until the Town Council ap
proved their plan in June. Rich’s
mother traveled to Williamsburg to
purchase costumes for the guides:
tri-cornered hats, colonial blouses,
vests and khaki shorts.
The mayor, the police chief and
representatives of Historic Edenton
have expressed their pleasure with
the venture and its potential
positive impact on tourism.
“We have a lot of fun ideas for
special buggy rides other than our
reguhtr tours,” Rich said. “We are
available for weddings, birthday
parties (including balloons) and
moonlight drives.”
received 1st and 2nd degree burns
from the blast, needed some help.
Dawson Rascoe assisted her and
began to administer first aid.
Continued on page 4
Fatal Fall
A man died Tuesday in Chowan
Hospital after he fell from the scaf
fold he was working on at the
Chowan Storage Company on West
Carteret Street.
Merle Holt,48,from Sedley, Va.
fell 30 feet onto a cement floor at ap
proximately 3:30 p.m.. Holt work
ed for Holt Metal Works.
The Edenton-Chowan Rescue
Squad rushed Holt to the hospital
where he was being treated when
T5e'dTea at 5:10 p.m..
The Nightingale helicopter was
waiting to fly Holt to Norfolk
General Hospital, but his condition
never became stable enough for
him to be moved.
Bridge Struck
Last Friday at 8:20 a.m., the
overhead structure of the draw por
tion of the Chowan River Bridge
was struck by logging equipment
being hauled on a trailer on the
Car Break-Ins
On The Rise
Edenton Police Chief Parrish
said that beginning on August 2
there have been a number of in
cidents involving people breaking
into cars and stealing valuables.
“Sometimes they unlock a door,
sometimes they smash a window
and sometimes the car door is just
unlocked,” said Parrish.
Parrish advises car owners to not
leave valuables in a visible place in
their parked vehicles. He suggests
locking valuables in the truck or
taking them inside the house.
bridge.
Approximately $30,000 damage
was done to steel horizontal “I”
beams as all 10 were struck, shear
ing 1 inch diameter bolts and
knocking a steel 300 pound protec
tive guard off the tractor onto the
bridge’s southbound lane. No one
was injured and no other vehicles
were involved in the collision.
A tractor and flat bed trailer rig
owned by Phelps and White Con
struction Company of Windsor,
operated by Timothy Lewis Phelps,
also of Windsor, was hauling a “225
Caterpillar” tree shearer to Eden
ton when the improperly lowered
boom of the crane type tractor
struck and ripped pieces of steel
Continued on page 4
East Edenton Project
Receives Block Grant
by Maru Amburn
A major community develop
ment need in Edenton came one
step closer to reality last Friday
when the state announced that the
town has been awarded a 1984 Com
munity Development Block Grant.
The $750,000 award to Edenton,
one of 69 in the state totaling $31
million, will fund the East Church
Street Community Revitalization
project and a Senior Citizens
Center.
Aside from the rehabilitation of
45 dwellings on East Church, Gale
and Oakum Streets, $55,000 of the
grant will fund improvements to
the Senior Citizens Center, accor
ding to project director Lorenzo
Carmon. Work on the projects for
older adults should begin in
December or January.
The 550 square foot addition to
Edenton’s recreation building will
provide a heating system, fur
nishings and kitchen im
provements, Carmon said.
“I am particularly pleased that
these federal block grant dollars
will work to create or save 445 jobs
and will be used to rehabilitate
more than 1600 substandard
houses,” Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr.
stated when making the grant
announcement.
Hunt said the unfortunate aspect
of the program is the very small
amount of funds available, com
pared to the large number of re
quests for federal dollars.
Town manager Sam Noble said
that he felt Edenton was very for
tunate to have received the funding,
considering the large number of
very competitive requests.
“Although our economy appears
to be improving, the $112 million re
quested by cities and counties in
dicates a continued scarcity of local
resources,” Gov. Hunt added. “But
it also shows that local officials
have not decreased efforts to im
prove the quality of life in North
Carolina, especially for low to
moderate income citizens.”
The governor also noted that over
80 percent of each project’s funds
will benefit low to moderate income
individuals.
The grant announcement marks
the third time in just over five years
that Edenton has benefited from
community revitalization funds:
$627,000 v«Mg82 for the Oakum
Street projeet aft«f^445.000 in 1977
for the Blades Street area, Carmon
noted.
“While jobs are the most direct
indicator of economic growth,” the
governor said, “better housing and
improved public facilities also will
Continued on page 4
spar'-, 4k ^ f?
HORSE-DRAWN TOUR—-Mary Rich (left) and Beth Rinehardt (right) describe Edenton’s history
as their American Standard horse, Dollie, pulls the Edenton Carriage Company fringed, green buggy.