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AND STAR-TIMES—(CONSOLIDATED ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1941)—ALLEGHANY COUNTY’S ONLY NEWSPAPER.
culture and Tourist vmi,
With A Population of MO.
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VOLUME 58, NO St
y County
SPARTA, NORTH CAROLINA THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1947
$2.59 a Year Out of County
Sparta Joins Va.
League; Spring
Practice Begins
Baseball Players Urged To Be
On Local Diamond Sat
urday At 3:00 P. M.
The Sparta Baseball club met
vtith eleven Virginia teams Mon
day night at Elk Creek when
plans were made for the Virginia
League, which begins its season
May 10.
M. C. Huff was named as presi
dent of the league and Grant
Smith was named as treasurer.
Teams composing the league are
first group, Grant, Flat Ridge,
Bridle Creek, Independence, Elk
Creek and Sparta; second group,
Cole Creek, West Galax, Moun
tain View, Stevens Creek, Pine
Mountain and Speedwell. At the
end of the season, leading teams
in each group will play each
other in the finals.
During the meeting, it was de
cided that each team would pay
an entrance fee of 110.00 and
that the limit for a roster was
18 men. All money and list of
players should be in the hands
of the treasurer, Grant Smith, of
Elk Creek, by May 1, it was stat
ed. Games will begin on May
10.
In the play-off games, it was
decided that the winning team
would take 60 per cent, the losing
*01 -per certt
There will be an important
meeting of the managers of all
of the teams at Elk Creek at the
agriculture building on Thurs
day night, May 1.
Plans haveubeen made to be
(OMWurtc. n. 0
phe: Chemical Plant Is
Completely Wiped Out
Texas Citv. Texas.—A chain of
blasts, set off by the explosion of
a nitrate-laden ship, smote this
■ gulf port Wednesday, killing an
estimated 1,200 persons , and in
juring more than 1,000.
It was the worst American dis
aster in the past 10 years.
Much of the boom industrial
city of 15,000 population was de
stroyed or damaged. Property
loss will run into millions of dol
lars.
Fires followed the blasts. Poi
sonous gas from exploding chem
icals was reported to be filter
ing through the area.
The first blast rocked the sur
rounding region for 150 mQes, in
flicting heavy damage in Galves
ton. All aboard the ship, the
French freighter Grandcamp,
were killed.
Midwestern headquarters of the
Red Cross at St. Louis reported
that 500 bodies had been brought
out of the explosion area late
yesterdav and that more bodies
Jwere being found constantly.
The estimate of dead was re
ported by G. B. Finley, State
Highway Commission mainte
nance engineer, on fhformation
from the disaster area.
“Rescue parties bringing out
casualties from the blast area es
timated that about one out of
every three persons had been
killed,” Finley said, “which
would indicate around 1,200
dead.”
He referred to the dock area
where principal damage occur
red( and where there were some
(Continued on page 8)
Two Men File For
Office Of Mayor
Only two candidates. R. J. Ran
dolph and G. Glenn Nichols, had
filed for the position of mayor
of Sparta, it was learned yester
Among those to file for the
town council are Duke C. Bled
soe, C. A. Miles, C. C. Castevens,
Board Of Directors,
Committees Named
Of C. Meeting
VFW COMMANDER
Cecil JF. Mutray, who ww
named commander of the
local post of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, at the meeting,
Thursday.
Murray Is Named
As Commander Of
Local VFW Post
Succeeds Anon Edwards; In
■taliation Of Officers To
Be Held April 24
Cecil J. Murray, of Oa
fsiof
eceeds _ _
served in that capacity for the
past year.
Other officers named included
frank Osborne, senior vice com
mander: Cleo Reeves, junior vice
commander; Gene Irwin, quar
termaster; Floyd Crouse, judge
advocate; Ernest E. Edwards, ad
jutant; Glenn Busic, chaplain and
trustees, Odell Crouse and Rod
ney Busic.
Officers will be installed at the
next meeting to be held on
Thursday, April 24. All mem
bers are urged to be present.
Wildlife Club To
Meet April 25
The Alleghany Wildlife club
will meet at the county court
house Friday, April 25, at 7:30
o’clock, it was announced this
week by the president, G. Glenn
Nichols.
A moving picture on Wildlife
and Soil Conservation will be
shown the group by H. E. Single
tary and Ralph Cheek. All mem-1
bers are urged to' be present.
Town Improvements Are Dis
cussed; R. E. Black Is
Named Secretary
At the meeting of the Sparta
Chamber of Commerce, last Fri
day night, the board of directors
and committees for the coming
year were named and several
town improvements were dis
cussed.
Named on a special committee
to work with the Northwestern
Bank and David Lavietes, in en
couraging the growth of the
Sparta Pipes, Inc., were R. F-.
Crouse, .Dr. C. A. Thompson and
R. J. Randolph. Plans are being
made at the local plant for the
manufacture of cigarette holders
as well as the finished pipe
product, it was learned.
Construction of a sidewalk
from Whitehead street, south to
the prison camp road was also
discussed and Alton Thompson,
David Higgins and W. F. Osborne
were named on a committee to
work with town officials toward
this project.
Also during the meeting R. E.
Black was named as secretary
of the chamber of commerce to
replace Albert Richardson, who
had resigned. Ways and means
of increased membership were
also discussed at the meeting.
Named on the board of direct
ors were Dr. C. A. Thompson,
chairman; Lon Mack Reeves, C.
G. Richardson, Glenn Richard
son, Ted Wyatt, R. H. Walker,
Vance Choate, Claude Miles, R.
fetaffelP Porter, Dr. B.
■KMgh, J- B. Reed,
* Membership committee—Amos
Wagoner. Alton Thompson, and
Gene Irwin.
Advertising committee—R. L.
Allison, Dr. T. R. Burgiss and
David Higgins.
Finance committee — Floyd
(Continued on Page 4)
Lions Club Has
Meeting Tues.
At the regular meeting of the
Lions club, held at the Shell
Cafe, Tuesday night, books of
tickets for the horse show were
issued the members.
Following a discussion of horse
show plans, the'board of direct
ors met and named Dr. B. O.
Choate as the club’s first honor
ary member. Dr. Choate has
given generously of. both time
and money to the club and was
especially interested in the horse
show last year, it was reported.
Members of the agricultural
committee also held a brief meet
ing.
Koy Ellison, president, was in
charge of the meeting.
Local Officers Continue To
Raid Stills; 9 Men Arrested
Some of the stills of Alleghany
county come to a standstill be
fore they get started as Chief
if Police C. Brant Taylor, and
Oeputy-Sheriff Wade Hoppers
made a raid on the Bull Head
section and destroyed the foun
dation of what the operators had
planned for their still.
The sheriffs deputies were
right on the job while he was
iway, as Wade Hoppers and Chief
Taylor made a raid near Ennice
in the Glade Creek township Fri
day afternoon. Dewey Evans, of
Ennice, was released on $300
bond when three and one-half
gallons of whiskey were found in
his possession. A hearing will
be held for Evans, April 34, be
fore B. F. Wagoner.
Several arrests were made by
local officers on charges of pub
lic drunkenness. Frtd McMll
lian, (Col.) of Sparta, charged
with public drunkenness, was
confined t© the county jail Sat
bad released on $50
pending hearing
ssssfew .•*©&>'
' mSI&k^ * > *' *’■
Allen, Qf
before Wagoner, April 24. Benny
McMillan, of Sparta, charged
with public drunkenness, was
released on $50 bond pending
hearing before Wagoner on Sat
urday. George Upchurch, of
Sparta, also charged with public
drunkenness, was arrested by the
chief of police Saturday night. A
hearing will be held before Wag
oner, Saturday.
Garnet Todd, of Ennice, was
arrested Monday for public
drunkenness, and following a
hearing on Tuesday before B. F.
Wagoner, was fined $10 and costs.
R. D. Barker, of Ashe county,
ordered to appear before G. Glenn
Nichols Friday for a hearing on
an assault and public drunken
ness charge, was again arrested
for public drunkenness Friday.
He was released Saturday under
the $500 bond, pending another
Page
on
Plans Underway To Convert Raw Coal Into High-Test Gas
A. project which is expected to start within two years where in a mammoth plant
will convert 6,600,000 tons of raw coal annually into huge quantities of high-heat
household and industrial gas and IM test gasoline will be erected at Pittsburgh at a
cost>el $120,000,000. Photo is an artist’s conception of the proposed plant.
Special Program
At Piney Creek
. Saturday Night
To Express Appreciation To
Donors Of New Chairs
Now In Auditorium
John l(. Halsey, chairman of
the Piney Creek school commit
tee, announced this week that
there will be a special musical
program, showing appreciation of
the donors of the new chairs now
installed in the auditorium, on
Saturday night at 7:30 o’clock,
given by Dale Weaver and his
"Alleghany Hay Boys.” SSMfe
will be^no admission charge and
everyone is cordially invited to
attend. Refreshments will be
sold, it is pointed out.
Mr. Halsey said he was grati
fied that the 342 opera-type seats
had beeh installed and appreci
ated the fine spirit of coopera
tion shown by alumni and friends
in making this possible, through
donations. ”
He explained that some, who
had pledged to give seats had not
yet paid their pledges and were
waiting for the seats to be in
stalled and added that he felt
sure that they would do so now
in order that the Account could
(Continued on page 8)
Fishing Season
Opened Tuesday
With Many On Job
Spring Weather Proved Too
Much Of Temptation To
Local Fishermen
The trout season, which offi
cially opened on Tuesday proved
an unfortunate one for the fish,
but a lucky one for most fisher
men as many reported catching
the limit.
The spring weather proved too
much of a temptation for a large
number - of the business people
here, who left their posts of duty
to go fishing. Amos Wagoner,
of Farmers Hardware, accom
panied by Mrs. Wagoner and
Amos, Jr., had a lucky day, catch
ing the limit with little trouble.
Roy Ellison and Joe B. Reed,
members of the Sparta faculty,
who fished in Glade Greek, re
ported that they caught several
trout, and even admitted that
some of the other fish they
caught, were “not very big.” Also
fishing in Glade Creek were
Frank Osborne and Anton Ed
wards.
“Doc,,'Burgiss, accompanied by
Tommy Burgiss and J. M. Ben
nett, also did a bit of fishing.
Most of these fishermen started
measuring from the shoulder for
length of fish caught, but final
ly wound up telling the ttuth
about it. “They were nice size,”
Dr. Burgiss said.
Dr. Leff Choate and Charles
Dean fished in Garden Creek in
Wilkes county and camped at
Stone Mountain • Camp ~
hftd pl' ' oStj *
also brought home
K'
Alleghany Farmers Receive
$104*533 In AAA Payments
For 1946 Improved Practices
Clinics Being
Held In County
April 22-May 20
Children Who Pita To Enter
School Next FaH Urged
To Attend
. Pre-school clinics will be held
at the Alleghany schools fbr chiT
dren who plan,to enter' school
next fall. Clinics have already
been held at Sparta and Piney
Creek. The remainder of the
schedule announced by Dr. Rob
ert R. King, Jr., has been given
as follows: |
Laurel Springs school, April
22; Wolf Branch and Pine Swamp,
April 29; Cherry Lane and Glade:
Valley, May 6; New Hope and1
Stratford, May 13; and Little
Pine, May 20.
(Continued on Page 8)
Grass Seed Now
Offered By AAA
Grass seed available through
the AAA office here has been
announced by Herbert Osborne,
chairman of the county AAA
committee.
Seeds available include lespe
deza, alsike clover, blue grass, or
chard grass, white clover, ladino
clover, red top, red clover and
sweet clover.
Purchase orders are available
at the AAA office, farmers are
reminded, and those wishing to
obtain them should come by as
soon as possible.
Figures Reveal Wide Variety
Of Practices Carried Out
By Farmers
Alleghany county farmers com
plying with 1946 AAA practices
have received a total of $104,
533.31 in payments so far, ac
cording toreport released from
the AAA office this week. The
report further shows that a wide
variety of practices for farm im
provements were carried out.
In addition to lime and phos
phate, which totaled $30,389.93,
other practices used included
16,691 tons of lime at $55,080.30;
16,052 c.w.t of phosphate at $12,
841.60; 104.64 c.w.t. of potash at
$219.66; 6185 lbs. crimson clover
at $927.75; 1623 lbs.- vetch at
$194.76; 1462 pounds of rye grass
at $117.04; 650 acres of permanent
pastures at $2,811.84; 115 acres of
pasture improvement at $1,577.78;
137 acres of strip cropping at
$137.00; 36 acres of row crops at
$36.00; 2418 feet of 4 inch tile at
$120.90; 450 feet of 8 inch tile
at $36.00; 225 feet of 8 inch tile
at $33.75; two acres of forest tree
planting at $9.00.
Murphy Returned
To Dobson Jail
Sheriff Glenn D. Richardson
flew from Deadwood, South Da
kota, to Mt. Airy Friday to return
Fred Murphy to the Dobson jail.
Murphy will be tried here April
28, when Superior court opens.
Sheriff Richardson, in his first
plane trip, flew a distance of 2200
miles in 14 hours. The sheriff
admitted that was pretty fast
traveling.
Some Firms Cut Prices After
President Truman’s Request
New York.—A few new price
reductions, led by one company’s
cut in anthracite quotations to
dealers, broke through Tuesday's
discussion of whether business
could heed President Truman’s
plea for lower prices.
The Glen Alden Coal company
at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., cut anthra
cite 20 to 45 cents a ton to retail
ers, who did not indicate imme
diately If they would pass the
savings on to consumers. Anthra
cite trade sources said the com
pany, first to take such action,
was resuming a prewar seasonal
custom of summer price cuts to
keep coal moving from the col
liery and production going in the
slow months.
E. W. Edwards & Son cut
prices in its department stores in
Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse,
New York, “convinced that the
public has stopped buying and
that, to avert a depression, busi
ness generally must make
Saks Fifth Avenue, cut nylon
stockings 30 cents a pair.
New York hardware merchants
said wholesale prices on soipe
standard iteips, such as garden
ing tools, have dropped about 10
per cent, and are in much better
supply.
Hariy F. Hall, president of'the
Furniture Manufacturers Repre
sentatives of New York, said that
“no over-all price reductions ap
pear imminent, but price adjust
ments downward have been made
in individual items, and retailers
in the last 90 days have received
more value per dollar because of
better styling and materials.”
The American Meat institute
reported wholesale meat, prices
in Chicago were down 10 per
cent ftom a month ago. *'
Lit Brothers, Philadelphia de
June 20-21 Dates
Fur Annual Event,,
Name Ccpnmittee*
Requests For Rtatry Blank*
Are Received From
Several States
. Tickets for Sparta's annual
horse show to be held June 30-21
under the sponsorship of the
Lions club, went on sale this"
week, when some special com
mittees were named and others
activated.
Tom Greene, manager of the
show, announced that inquiries
for entry blanks had already"
been received from Michigan,
Massachusetts, Kentucky, Ten
nessee, and Virginia, as well as
from many cities in North Caro
lina, including Elkin, Statesville,
North Wilkesboro, Mount Airy,
Hickory, and Winston-Salem.
“All advance * indications am
that the show will draw entries
from a large area,” Manager
Green said.
The following committees.have
already been named and some of
them are already at work: Ad
vertising, Kern Wagoner, chair
man, Joe Bill Reed and Roy El
lison; entry and classes, Tom
Greene, chairman, Dewey Stur
divant and Earl Calhoun; seating
and entry lanes, Ear! Calhoun;
ribbons and trophies, R. L. Joines
entries at the time of show, R. u
Joines and Ralph Cheek; gate,
Munsey Crouse; lighting, Eugene
Higgins; policing, O. D. Richard
son. -
Entry blanks, together with the
rules, listing of various classes
and prizes are being mailed out
this week, Mr. Greene said.
E. B, “Shine” Ogan will serve
as judge and H. Glenn York as
ring master. Dr. W. W. Wilson
will be the veterinarian foe the>*1
shosr. jt.
Class entries will jwrhsrla the* '
five-gaited division; walking
horses, three-gaited division,
roadster division, fine harness
division, jumper division, hunter
division, children’s division and
miscellaneous. Prizes will total
around $1850. Details of classes,
and prizes will be'published later.
Two From Sparta
Join Ball Club
Thompson And Atwood Left
Monday To Begin Practice
With Statesville Owls
Dan Thompson and Boyden
Atwood, both of Sparta, left
Monday to begin practice with
the Statesville Owls. Thompson,
Alleghany veteran, who only re
cently finished his studies at the
University of Alabama, is be
ginning his career as a profes
sional ball player. Atwood, 16
year old Sparta high school stu
dent, finished his studies here
early in order that he could ac
cept a position with the States
ville Owls.
Thompson plays the position of ,
short stop and Atwood, second.
baseman.
Several of the teams which play
in the league with Statesville
are Lexington, Thomasville, Sal
isbury, Kannapolis and Landis.
Earl L. Joines and Jack Thomp
son, also went to Statesville to
try out for the league. D. '
Thompson and Atwood were the
only two accepted, however.
Mrs. Plummer To
Be Buried Today
Funeral service will be held
today in Hunnington, .W. Va., for
Mrs. Lula Plummer, 65, who died
at her home there after a lin
gering illness, on Wednesday.
Mrs. Plummer, a sister of Mrs.
Ida Pruitt, of Sparta, was mar
ried to the late Hooker Plum- .
mer. She is survived by three
sons and one daughter, Mrs.
Blanche Quick, of
W. Va.; Roy
Kees Rock, Pa.; Ke
Plummer, also of
Two sisters,!
er, of Por