Bridge Crewman Becomes First Fatality in Early Morning Accident
By JEANETTE WHITE
A workman on the new
Albemarle Sound Bridge was kill
ed Tuesday when a steel cable
slipped at 9:38 a.m. and he was
thrown 60 feet from the top of a
concrete support piling into the
water.
The body of Marvin Lewis, 22,
Creswell, was recovered at 12:05
p.m. by Edenton Police Officer
Bill Phillips, who was one of two
divers searching for the victim.
The accident occurred when
Lewis and another worker were
atop a 60-foot “H-Pier”, pulling
cable from a crane loaded on a
barge and feeding the cable
through the piling. The cables are
used for reinforcement in the con
crete from which the bridge is
made.
The two men were using a
device called “Chinese Fingers”,
which uses increasing pressure to
tighten when force is applied.
Ed Parker of Eden Street,
bridge-tender on the old nearby
Albemarle Sound Bridge, was
watching the two men from a win
dow in his shack when the acci
dent occured.
Parker said the locking device
1 pulled loose from the cable, hit
Lewis and knocked him through a
steel safety guard railing around
the top of the piling. The bridge- F
tender said wire strands from the t
cable wrapped around the vie- 1
tim's body as he fell. v
“He was rolling over when he s
hit the water," Parker said. He |
also stated that Lewis was wear
ing a life jacket, but it did not ap
pear that the jacket was fastened.
According to Public Affairs Of- |
ficer Lt. Tom Cullen of the U.S. |
Coast Guard Air Base in Elizabeth |
City, an HH-3F (Pelican) Sikor- |
sky helicopter was on a training
flight and was diverted to the ac
cident site at 10:13 a.m. A swim
mer using snorkling equipment
was dropped in the vicinity of the
piling and conducted a
preliminary search for 30
minutes.
The swimmer was recovered
from the water at 11:05 a.m.,
when a 41-foot Coast Guard Cutter
arrived from Coiqjock and joined
the search.
Chowan Rescue Squad, Chowan
Sheriff’s Department and the N.C.
Highway Patrol were called to the
site to search and control traffic
on the old bridge, as motorists
slowed to watch the helicopter and
boats circling the area. x
Another diver from Washington «
County worked in the water with <
Phillips until the body was found i
artially buried in the mud at the
ase of the piling from which
ewis fell. When found the victim
'as not wearing a life jacket and
none was recovered with the body.
The other workman atop the pit *
ing with Lewis was shaken by the
accident and was removed from
the pier with u basket attached to
a crane, the same device used to
place workers on the pilings.
. Workmen on the bridge thought
I-ewis struck a concrete apron, or
“footer”, around the base of the
piling. But Parker said he did not
Continued On Page 4
TROUBLED FACES—Workmen on the new Albemarle Sound Bridge
/ere quiet and anxious Tuesday as they watched from the last install
d slab on the road surface and looked across the water at recovery
perations searching for one of their own. Workers were sent home
t lunchtime and were also given a day Wednesday to recover from
the shock caused by the loss of a fellow employee. The victim was
knocked from the top of the last pier (in the background), which is
about 30 yards from the drawspan of the old bridge. The last slab is
about one-fourth mile from the draw. (Photo by Managing Editor Jack
Grove.)
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
) . / W
Volume LLIII ■ No. 33
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, August 20, 1987
Single Copies 25 Cents
Record Getting Worse?
v~ Despite surveys showing that"
workers with two years of college
earn twice as much as those with
jj) only a high school education,
barely half North Carolina’s 68,609
high school graduates go on to col
lege during their first year out.
A survey of actual college going
rates by the University of North
Carolina’s general administration
for 1966 reported the following pat
tern for first-time freshmen:
University of North Carolina
t system, 16,707; community col
lege system, 10,272; private col
leges, 6,329; out of state, 2,470;
trade and business schools, 2,195,
far a total of 37,973, or only 55.4 per
cent of the total.
But not all of those entering
community college are doing col
lege transfer work. If you exclude
those going to trade and business
school, the total drops to 35,778
and the percentage to 52.1. And
only about 15 per cent of the 10,273
entering community college will
be college transfer students.
So, if we count only those com
munity college students doing col
lege parallel work, the total drops
to a mere 27,047, or only 39.4 per
• cent of those who graduated from
“ high school in 1986.
As if that weren’t bad enough,
a news release from the Depart
ment of Public Instruction
estimates that only about 37 per
cent of the 70,000 high school
graduates in 1987 plan to attend
four-year schools with an addi
tional 3,000 pursuing college
^ transfer work in the community
■ college system.
It is interesting to note that, of
the 70,000 graduatesin 1967, some
1,200 received certificates instead
of diplomas because they failed
the state’s minimum competency
test.
Job Corps Counselor Is Coming
Youth between the ages of
16-and 21-years old who are in
terested in job training will have
an opportunity to speak with a
counselor this month at the
Chowan Dept, of Social Services
loginning at 9 a.m. August 26..
Counselor E.J. Rascoe with the
(fjN.C. Dept, of Human Resources
will be at the local office to speak
with young people who would like
to receive training at a residential
job corps center.
The DHR information and
referral service’s Care-Line staff
will bridge a client to the Job corps
section to set up an appointment
with Rascoe. A toll-free call with
a five minute time limit can be
made to Care Line, 1-WW62-7090.
Basnight Tells Of $150,000 Funding Approved For Local Projects
Sen. Marc Basnight said Mon
day that the General Assembly
has approved $150,000 for current
Edenton projects.
Of that amount, $125,000 will go
toward refurbishing Swain School
Auditorium and $25,000 is ear
marked for a project that will
welcome center from
Barker House to a renovated
Ziegler House on North Broad
Street. Sen. Basnight said Eden
ton’s own Rep. Pete Thompson
was instrumental in getting the
appropriations.
Sen. Basnight’s remarks came
in a keynote address delivered at
the Edenton-Chowan Board of
Motorists
Are Injured
A rainy Saturday morning set
the scene for a multi-vehicle col
lision just north of Small’s
Crossroads this weekend.
Three vehicles were stopped in
the southbound lane when a
fourth, a 1975 Dodge, driven by
Robert Wilson, 16, of Sunbury,
slammed into the rear of the third
car, causing a chain collision.
The first vehicle, a 1964 Ford
truck, was pulling a boat trailer
and was driven by Paul
Woodington, 27, of Portsmouth,
Va. Behind him was Mark
Woodington, 30, of Suffolk, Va. in
a 1985 Chevrolet. The third car, a
1980 Chevrolet, was driven by
LaWonda Jennings, 25,
Hobbsville.
Highway Patrol reports in
dicate that Mark Woodington, Ms.
Jennings and Wilson sustanied
relatively minor injuries.
Damages were listed as $3,500
to Mark Woodington’s vehicle;
$2,000 to Ms. Jennings vehicle;
$1,800 to Wilson’s vehicle; and
$2,000 to the boat being towed by
Paul Woodington.
Wilson was charged with failure
to reduce speed to avoid an
accident.
Education’s “Back to School”
breakfast in Holmes Cafeteria.
In his introduction of the
senator, school superintendent
Dr. John Dunn praised Basnight
for his work toward progress in
northeastern North Carolina and
the state’s school systems after
ffie General Assembly approved
many new innovative programs.
Dunn said Sen. Basnight’s effec
tiveness in the legislature has
been proven in many ways, in
cluding his appointment to chair
the senate’s appropriation com
mittee for the N.C. Dept, of
Natural and Economic
Resources, an honor for a second
term senator. ( .
* As chairman of the committee,
Sen. Basnight is involved in the
budget process for the transports
SENATOR VISITS—Sen. Marc. Basnight, D-Dare, was guest speaker
Monday when employees of Edenton-Chowan schools met for breakfast
to kick-off the new school term. Listening to Basnight tell of major
education funding approved by the General Assembly is school board
member John Mitchener.
Theft Investigations Continuing
Chowan Sheriff’s Department is
investigating a series of breaking
and entering and larceny, most in
volving motor vehicles.
The first investigation resulted
in two arrests for Dare County
after a car belonging to Linda
Brickhouse of Route 2, Edenton,
was entered in Kill Devil Hills
Friday.
Monday John Andrew Mark, 37,
and Wanda Kay Leary, 21, both of
Kill Devil Hills, were arrested in
the Yeopim area and charged
with felonious breaking and enter
ing of a motor vehicle and misde
meanor larceny from a vehicle.
The two prisoners were picked
up by Dare County officers Mon
day afternoon.
Sunday afternoon a 1973 Ford
pickup owned by Mark Byrum,
Route 3, Edenton, was left in the
park area of Arrowhead Beach
with windows open.
Fifty-seven cassette tapes were
stolen from the truck and in
vestigation by the sheriff’s depart
ment is continuing.
A stereo booster equalizer was
stolen from a 1976 Chevrolet truck
belonging to Tony Byrum of Tyner
Monday morning and investiga
tion is also continuing in that case.
An illegal entry was made at
Albemarle Mini-Warehouse on
Davenport Lane between July 1
and 5, but was not reported to the
sheriff’s department until August
16.
Sheriff Fred Spruill said his
department is investigating the
theft of a shotgun, rifle, television
and miscellaneous items stolen
from space leased by William L.
Turner Sr. of Danville, Ark.
tion department, commerce
department, agriculture depart
ment, labor department, wildlife
commission and natural and
economic resources.
Basnight’s attention is the same
if he is “talking with a custodian
or talking with the lieutenant
governor,” Dunn said.
Sen. Basnight told the large au
dience,”..! am humbled by having
been appointed to be your political
servant..I am there to serve
you..”
The senator spoke of sweeping
changes in the legislature, after
more than 300 bills pertaining to
education were passed.
Third and fourth year funding
for the Basic Education Plan,
($800 million earmarked for
education improvements) means
1,657 new teachers will be hired
this school year with 100 addi
tional support persons, full state
• funding for vocational teachers, 69
in-school suspension teachers, 123
new assistant principals, 854 new
clerical positions, remedial sum
mer school programs, additional
textbook and equipment sup
plements and a five percent pay
raise for teachers, totaling 47.7
percent raise since 1983.
Sen. Basnight said $3.2 billion
committed to education in the
next 10 years would meet critical
school needs, determined by a 10
member committee. The only
area member serving on the com
mittee is W.C. (Billy) Owens Jr.
of Elizabeth City, chairman of
Pasquotank County
Commissioners.
The General Assembly also ap
proved $48 million to continue 16
pilot career ladder programs in
the state including the one in
Edenton’s school system. The
legislature opposed Gov. James
Martin’s proposal to extend the
program statewide until evalua
tion of its effectiveness is
completed.
New programs have begun to
Continued On Page 4
Additional Attempt Made
By JACK GROVE
A Greenville woman and
former Edenton resident is mak
ing another attempt to utilize a
portion of her property on Virginia
Road for development.
In February, Mrs. Judy Ear
nhardt Adams was granted a
rezoning from residential to CS
(shopping center) of 20 acres
which lie behind McDonald’s and
the Golden Corral.
Another request to rezone from
residential (R-20) to highway
commerical of 20 acres adjacent
to the Edenton United Methodist
Church was denied.
Both actions were taken at a
February 24 meeting by town
council after hearing over an hour
of public comment at a February
10 meeting. The issue at the
earlier hearing was continued due
to council’s concern that adequate
notice by mail had not been given
to neighbors bordering the Adams
property.
One speaker at the first
February meeting expressed con
cern that any possible subsequent
purchaser of the property near the
church might not follow Mrs.
Adams’ stated aim of developing
a professional park.
Highway commercial would
allow such other businesses as
auto repair, shops, .mobile home
parks and service stations.
Some members of the church
spoke in favor of the rezoning.
After the decision was rendered
by council, Mrs. Adams said that
she would submit a revised rezon
ing request for the property adja
cent to the church.
At an August 3 meeting of the
town planning board, Mrs. Adams
submitted ahighway commercial
rezoning request for 10 of the 40
acres she owns at the intersection
of Luke Street and N.C. 32 North.
She submitted a detailed plan
for development that would in
clude a motel and swimming pool,
a professional building that would
house doctors’ offices and a
restaurant. The board sent a
recommendation to the town
council that it approved the rezon
ing. The 10 acres front on Virginia
Road directly adjacent to the
church, separated by Luke Street.
The town is required to publish,
twice, notice of a hearing for
rezoning. One notice was publish
ed for a hearing on this matter in
The Chowan Herald with a date of
August 11, the correct date. A
subsequently published notice
carried the erroneous date of
August 10. Due to this error, the
hearing could not be held this
month.
Town manager Phillip
Whitaker said Monday that the
hearing "will probably be
September 8". He said that
published notice would be given to
the public.