THE ZEBULON RECORD
VOLUME 37. NUMBER 24. ZEBULON. N. C.. JULY 10. 1962
CP&L LINEMAN BURNED
Close Brush with Death
A lineman with the Zebulon
branch of Carolina Power & Light
Company had a narrow brush with
death early last Monday morning
but miraculously lived to tell the
tale.
Ernest T. Driver, 30, a first class
lineman with the company, was
rushed to Rex Hospital after com
ing in contact Monday morning
about 5 o’clock with a 6900 volt
power line, according to F. T.
Scarborough, manager of the local
branch office.
Scarborough said Driver suffered
third degree burns on the left
shoulder, arm, leg and foot. He
was resting comfortably Tuesday
in Memorial Hospital in Chapel
Hill. He was transferred to the
Chapel Hill hospital Monday after
noon.
Scarborough said Driver was
with a crew of repairmen who
had worked all Sunday night re
pairing storm damaged power
lines in the Pine Ridge section
10 miles east of Zebulon when the
accident occurred.
Driver, he said, had climbed a
Two Auto Wrecks
During Weekend
No charges were preferred
against the drivers of two cars af
ter they collided Saturday at an
unmarked intersection in the town.
Calvin Richardson, 19, and
James Edward Lee, 27, ran togeth
er at the intersection of North and
Poplar Streets. Richardson was
driving a 1962 Chevrolet; Lee was
driving a 1957 Chevrolet.
Policemen Wilson Stallings and
Wendell Perry, who investigated,
estimated damages to Richardson’s
car were $250 and damages to
Lee’s were $400.
A wreck occurred last Sunday
on the premises of Paul Brantley’s
No. 2 Service Station. The cars
involved belonged to John Henry
King and Stumpy Hicks.
No report of damage was made
and no charges preferred.
Night Policeman Wendell Perry
was the investigating officer.
pole to change a cross-arm which
supports the power wires. Acci
dently, Driver came into contact
with the “hot” wire with his left
shoulder.
The ground crew, composed of
R. E. Kitchings, line foreman,
Charles Hawkins, Johnnie Horton
and Hardin Hinton, reportedly saw
the flashes of light from the arcs.
When the flashes were over they
saw; Driver slumped over.
Driver, whom the crew thought
dead, finally answered Kitchings
after he was called many times
by his boss.
Driver murmured audibly:
“Captain, I’m sorry I messed up
your record. I’m sorry I messed
up your record.”
Kitchings has been with the
company 35 years and this was the
first major accident which has oc
curred under his management.
“They were the sweetest words
I think I have ever heard,” Kit
chings is reported to have said
when he heard Driver’s voice com
ing from the top of the power pole.
Driver was cautioned not to
move. Somebody was coming up
to get him. Horton rescued him
and he was rushed to Dr. Durwood
Stallings who administered first
aid.
Rex Hospital authorities advised
transfer of Driver to Memorial
Hospital in Chapel Hill.
Driver and his family reside on
East Sycamore Street.
School Board
Still Undecided
No decision was reached by the
Wakelon School Board Monday
night in the selection of a prin
cipal.
Board Chairman Philip Olive
said only two applicants were in
terviewed Monday night. They
were principals of Middlesex and
Pikeville schools.
Olive indicated that quite a few
more persons would be screened
before a selection is made.
QUEEN AND MAYOR . . . Jackie Mitchell, the reigning Miss
Zebulon, and Mayor Ed Hales are shown dancing together at a ball
given for the beauty queens throughout the state who vied in the
Miss North Carolina Pageant held in Charlotte last week. Miss
Mitchell did not come home with the state crown, but the town is
happy all the same to have such a fine young lady to represent them.
The Zebulon Jaycees sent Miss Mitchell to the pageant.
Wendell-Zebulon Surgeon Does
First Asthma Operation in N. C.
Wendell Barber Enjoys Relief
Following Unusual Surgery
i
A “first” occurred at Wendell
Zebulon Hospital last week when
the hospital’s surgeon performed
what is believed to be the first
operation done in North Carolina
for the relief of asthma.
Dr. Lee Sedwitz did the rela
tively simple operation on Otha
Mullen for the relief of an asth
matic condition. Mullen, a Wen
dell native, had a chronic case of
the antagonizing disease.
The surgeon said Mullen had un
dergone many treatments for the
disease and had found no relief.
In fact, he was getting worse and
was being hospitalized with each
attack.
Dr. Sedwitz told Mullen that an
operation could be performed
which had been successful in many
instances. Mullen was agreeable.
He said he would have agreed to
anything to clear up the condition.
The surgeon said the operation
was developed in Japan about 20
years ago by a Japanese professor,
Komei Nakayama of the Chiba
University.
Dr. Nakayama found that a min
ute organ buried in the fork of an
artery in the neck and no bigger
than a grain of rice is important
in breathing control. This organ
is called the carotid body and
there is one on each side of the
neck.
The Japanese doctor’s research
indicated that the carotid body is
not only a junction point for many
I nerves but by its responses to min
ute changes in the composition of
the blood, it does much to regu
late breathing.
Dr. Sedwitz said the Japanese
doctor discovered that an increase
in the blood’s carbon dioxide con
tent sets off a carotid body reac
tion that can bring on a choking
attack of asthma by causing fast,
shallow breathing in lungs unable
to handle the added load.
After tests on animals, Dr. Na
kayama began taking carotid
bodies from his patients, and the
results were favorable.
Dr. Sedwitz, who was a surgeon
in the Navy following the second
World War, observed the Japanese
physician-professor perform the
operation in 1958.
Dr. Richard H. Overholt, whose
Overholt Thoracic Clinic is one of
the world’s most distinguished
centers for treatment of chest di
seases, ' has been practicing the
' treatment of the disease since May
OTHA MULLEN
. . . patient
of 1958 and has had outstanding
results.
Dr. Sedwitz said Mullen felt re
lief the instant the carotid body
was removed. Only one body was
removed from Mullen; however,
in some instances it may be neces
sary to remove both bodies.
Dr. Sedwitz is very pleased with
the operation performed on Mul
len. He said he is looking for
other chronic asthmatic persons
for whom he may do the same
operation.
The fee for such an operation is
smaller than that of an appendec
tomy, the surgeon said.
Alcohol Cause of Court Cases
Judge I. D. Gill pronounced
judgment on the following cases
in Zebulon Recorder’s Court ses
sion Wednesday, July 11.
James P. Robinson, operating
without license, $25 fine and costs.
James P. Robinson, second of
fense for operating without li
cense, $25 fine and costs.
George Laster, public drunken
ness, $10 fine and costs.
Henry Clyde Cromartie, public
drunkenness, $10 fine and costs.
Louis T. Farmer, driving on
wrong side of road, $15 fine and
costs.
Rupert Franklin May, speeding,
$15 fine and costs.
Daniel Theodore Towns, disre
garding stop sign, $10 fine and
costs.
Curtis Pulley, driving without
operator’s license, $25 fine and
costs.
John W. Harris, public drunken
ness, $10 fine and costs.
Charles Richardson, public
drunkenness, $20 fine and costs.
Oliver Wade Parks, speeding and
failing to stop for stop sign, $20
fine and costs.
(Freddie Ellington, improper
registration, costs of court.
Cleamon Richardson, public
drunkenness, $10 fine and costs.
Leroy Pretty, assaulting Lillie
Mae Cotton, court found the prose
cution witness is taxed with cost.
Kirt Tuck, failing to transfer
title within 20 days after date of
purchase, not guilty.
George Jones, assaulting Bessie
Williams with hands and fists,
eight months on roads suspended
on payment of $50 fine and costs
and remain on good behavior for
two years.
George Sprite Barbee, careless
and reckless driving with revoked
license, 8 months on roads. Notice
of appeal given. Bond set at $500.
Eddrew Miles, public drunken
ness, 60 days on roads. A second
charge of public drunkenness
brought a judgment of 30 days on
roads to run consecutively with
above judgment.
Dwight Moody Strickland, park
ing without lights, not guilty.
Issac Linwood Thomas, larceny
by trick, taking $6 from Bobby
Baker by telling him he had a new
pistol and would bring him one
for $2 and later telling him he
would have to have $4 and did not
have any pistol and did not bring
pistol to him, six months on roads.
A second charge of public drunk
enness brought a judgment of six
months on roads to run consecu
tively with above sentence.
Earnest Wiggins, assaulting La
sel Carpenter, 60 days on roads
suspended on payment of $25 fine
and costs. A second charge of
taking Carpenter’s car brought a
judgment of one year on roads
suspended on payment of $75 and
costs.
Moses Lee Dunn, disorderly
conduct and engaging in an affray,
two years on roads. Notice of ap
peal given. Bond set at $500.
Clarence Ferrell, disorderly con
duct and engaging in an affray,
two years on roads suspended on
payment of $200 fine and costs and
remain on good behavior for six
months.
John L. Fowler, disorderly and
engaging in an affray, two years
on roads.
Little League
Is Organized
Little League baseball practice
will be held on Monday, Wednes
day and Friday afternoons from
5:30 to 7:30 for the next four
weeks at Wakelon School. All
boys between the ages of nine and
14 are urged to take part in this
program.
The teams are sponsored by the
civic organizations of the town.
Thurston Debnam and Randy
Creech are the coaches.
AFTER PRIMING I & 1-2 ROWS
Decides to Ride
Sheriff’s Deputy S. J. Blackley
jailed James Edgar Harris Monday
after charging him with larceny
of an automobile belonging to W.
Raleigh Sherron of Route 4, Zebu
Ion.
The Negro primed about one
and a half rows of tobacco for
Malcom Martin Monday morning,
according to Sheriff Blackley. He
was discharged by Martin and
then walked across the field to
Sherron’s and took the car.
Minor damage was done to the
1953 Chevrolet. Some extra tick
ing was noticed in the motor which
was assumed that Harris had driv
en it at a high rate of speed.
Harris was driving with a re
voked license and was also under
the influence of an intoxicating
beverage, according to Blackley.
He will be given trial in Zebulon
Recorder’s Court July 25.