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VOL. LXVII? NO. 46
l^iighlan^ JHacomnn
'FRANKLIN, N. C., THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 1952
TWELVE PAGES
Rampaging Tellico Forest Fire Is Finally Licked
Board Protests j
Phone Increase
Commerce Body Moves
To Halt Boost
In Rates
Opposition to a rate increase
being sought by the Western
Carolina Telephone company is
mounting in Franklin and it
seems likely that the company
will find the going bumpy when
it appears before the N. C. Util
ities commission in December
for a hearing on the proposed
rate boost.
The proposed increase would
boost all classes of service $1.25
per unit. Approval rests with
the commission.
At a board of director's meet
ing of the Franklin Chamber of
Commerce November 5, that
body went on record as oppos
ing the increase and prepared
a resolution stating the grounds
Jor its protest.
The board asked permission
to present its case at the com
mission hearing, slated In Ashe
ville on December 2.
It is also understood that a
number of private citizens in
Franklin are raising funds to
hire an attorney to protest the
proposed rate hike at the hear
ing.
Unfavorable reaction has been
the rule rather than the excep
tion here since the company,
which serves Franklin and
Highlands in this area, an
nounced October 23 that it had
applied for an increase. If?
granted, the boost will be the
second for the company in a
year.
In its resolution, the com
merce body board protests the
proposed increase on the
grounds that the company had
an increase last year and points
out that there has been no ma
terial improvement in service
or facilities in this area since
that time.
In December, 1951, W. C. T. C.
put a new rate schedule into
effect which, was designed to
bring in a gross increase in
revenue of $40,189.44, and soon
after announced its merger with
several other telephone com
panies in the Buncombe and
Madison county area.
The .resolution calls attention
to this merger with the Caro
lina Telephone company, the
Weaverville Telephone company,
the Madison Telephone com
pany, and the North Buncombe
Telephone company with the
comment:
. . we respectfully Insist
that the area served by the
othei; corporations Is tn no way
Integrated with the area served
by the Western Carolina Tele
phone company prior to the
merger, and respectfully show
the commission that in consid
eration of this application for
rate increase the separate areas
should be given due considera
tion, for there is neither phy
sical integration or other re
lationship as to service or any
other matters, between the sep
arate areas . .
Should a rate increase be
justified, the resolution sug
gests that it be handled on a
percentage basis and not a flat
increase per telephone.
When announcing the com
pany's application for a new
rate boost, R. E. .McKelvey, gen
eral manager of W. C. T. C.,
said the increase is essential
to adequately and reasonably
furnish telephone facilities to
the public because of 'the in
crease in labor, materials, and
supplies, the growth and de
mand for service, and to carry
on and complete the company's
improvement and expansion
program.
The proposed increase, which
would apply not oftly to Frank
lin and Highlands, but to other 1
towns served by W.C.T.C. as I
well, would bring in a gross [
revenue of $117,218, of which
SEE NO. 1, PAGE 7
rLAN 1AVM rAK i x
Nequassa chapter of the Ord
er of the Eastern Star will hold |
a benefit tacky party at Kelly's :
inn Saturday evening at 8 '
o'clock. Games, contests, auc
tions, and other entertainment I
features are planned. The event i
is open to the public.
WAYNESVILLE
BEATS LOCALS
Panthers Hold Line Up
To Last Minute;
Score, 14-0
BULLETIN
Eight Panthers have been
invited to play on the West
ern squad in the Smoky
Mountain Bowl in Bryson City
on Thanksgiving: Day, bowl
officials in Bryson City have
announced.
Coaches Ralph (Chuck) Mc
Connell, of Franklin, and Ike
Olson, of Murpihy, have been
selected to coach the western
squad. !
The eight invited to the
bowl game are Carroll Chil
ders, Carroll Keener, Charlie
Cabe, Thomas Jones, John
Henry, George Brown, Satu
rn jl Henderson, and Dick
Mashbum.
Further details of the bowl
Same, which will bring to
gether Smoky Mountain con
ference seniors in an east
west battle, will be announc
ed later.
The never-say-die Franklin
Panthers, brazenly ignoring
press clippings that rated
them as underdogs, built an al
most impregnable defensive wall
around the powerful Waynes
vllle Mountaineers here Friday
night, only to have it crumble
in the four minutes of the
game as the Mountaineers snar
ed two aerials for touchdowns
to pull their grid reputation of
the fire with a 14 to 0 victory.
An estimated 2,000 fans rub
bed their eyes in amazement as
the Panthers toed the line with
SEE NO. 2, PAGE 12
Mrs. Ropes, Formerly
Of Franklin, Is Dead
Word was received here yes
terday by Mrs. T. J. Johnston
of the death of her sister, Mrs.
L. S. Ropes, in Helena, Mont.,
Tuesday night. Mrs. Ropes, the
former Miss Nora Deal, was
reared in Franklin, and had
many friends among older resi
dents here.
, ?suit PhM by J. P. Brady
Tellico residents, state highway crews, Nantahala forest service personnel, and volunteers had their hands full last Thurs
day night and Friday morning when a rampaging forest fire threatened to wipe oat several homes in the Tellico section. Luck
ily, their efforts were successful and no homes were destroyed, although the fire was too close for comfort at some dwellings. It
burned to within a few feet of this home, and the homes of Robert Ramsey and the RevJudd Smith on the Tellico road. In
the background is a fire-blackened hillside, still smouldering from the blaze, which swept over 4,000 acres before fire-fighters
and timely rain Sunday evening brought it under control.
Murray Heads
New Minister
Organization
The Rev. C. E. Murray, pas
i tor of the First Methodist
) church, has been named presi
dent of the newly-organized
Macon County Ministerial asso
ciation.
Other officers are the Rev. W.
L. Sorrells, pastor of the Iotla
Baptist church, vice-president;
and the Rev. Robert M. Hart,
pastor of the Highlands Pres
byterian church, secretary
treasurer.
The association was formed
at a special meeting of minis
SEE NO. 3, PAGE 12
Negro Football Game
Postponed; Scheduled
Again On November 26
The Negro football game,
which was scheduled here Mon
day night was postponed on ac
count of rain, but will be play
ed the evening of November 26,
according to G. L. Hines, prin
cipal of the Chapel < Negro i
school. ,
The opposing teams will be
those from Central Consolidated
High school at Sylva and Boys
Industrial Institute, Toccoa, Ga.
Negro high school students
from this county attend the
consolidated school at Sylva,
and four Franklin boys are
members of that team.
After sweeping the field at last year's Western North Carolina Fat Stock Show and .Sale,
local Future Farmers of America and 4-H club members were shooting for a repeat performance
at the show yesterday (Wednesday), held at Enka. Pictures above are several boys watch
ing Wayne Proffit, vocational agricultural teacher, put the shears to one of Macon's 35 entries
prior to the groups departure for the show Monday. (L to R) Mr. Proffitt, Bill Bradley, Gareth
Hughes, Harley Henderson, Leroy Peek, and Joe Phillips. The calf belongs to the Franklin F.F.A.
chapter.
Youngsters
Off For Fat
Stock Show
Thirty-five Macon County
Future Farmers of America and
4-H club members are shooting
for a retreat performance at
the 18th annual Western North
Carolina Fat Stock Show ar.d
Sale, which got under way at
the Hominy Valley Horse and
Hound club pavilion near Enka
yesterday (Wednesday).
The Macon youngsters and
their entries last year made his
tory by copping the Grand
Champion, Reserve champion,
and 30 blue ribbons to com
pletely dominate tbe show. At
the sale, the 31 entries (there
was one red ribbon winner I
sold for $13,037.74. or an average
of 44 cents per pound ? eight
cents per pound higher than
the market price that day for
choice baby beef.
&nd this year, with 35 choice
entries, they agata will be after
the top spot in the show and
sale.
Hie local grotqs left for the
pavilion Monday afternoon ac
companied by Wayne Profitt,
vocational agricultural teacher
at Franklin HJ*h school. The
extra day gave them time to
put Uie animals in the pink of
condition.
Those having entries in the
show include Max Morgan, Bill
Fouts, Roger Shepherd, Leroy
Peek, Lamar Houston, Johnny
Tippett, Billy Stockton, Gene
vieve Whitmlre, Richard Gibson,
Harley Harper, Larry Ferguson,
Elizabeth Amnions. John tKins
land, Eugene Taylor. Joe ftylor,
Jack Taylor, John Taylor, Ken
neth Taylor, Charles Gregory,
Wayne Gregory, Paul Killian.
Johnny Killian. Frank Killian,
James "Pete" Setser, J. D. Hast
8EE NO. 4, PAGE 12
Macon Group Attends
Welfare Conference
i
H. H. Plemmons. chairman of !
he Macon County welfare i
>oard, Chairman W. E. Bald- ,
vin and John Roane, of the |
loard of county commissioners. |
vin, W. W. Edwards and John i !
?oane, of the board of county i
:ommissioners, and Mrs. F. H.
Jotts, superintendent, and Mrs.
'ohn Crawford, of the county
lepartment of public welfare,
ittended a district welfare ;
neeting in Bryson City last
Friday, at which Dr. Ellen Wins
ion, head of the state dep&rt
nent, was the chief speaker.
VOTE OUTCOME !
REMAINS SAME
Totals Change Some, But
Not Races; Official
Count Is Held
| While the unofficial election
] returns reported in iast week's
| issue of The Prt'ss ? following
I the general election on Tues
day?were slightly inaccurate,
there was 110 change in the out
oomc'o! anv of the races.
| The otficial count was con
| ducted Thursday morning by
Siler Slagle, chairman of the
TABULATION ON PACK 5
Tabulation of official Ma
con TOtf in all races, by pre
cincts, will be found on page
la
cuiuiiy elections ooara, at tne
courthouse With the exception
of the state house of represen
tatives race, Macon went along
with the Democrats.
I The closest race, which saw
a Republican win Macon's seat
in the state house of represen
tatives for the first time in 26
WALTER DEAN
years, was between ex-Deputy
Sheriff Walter Dean and Rep.
C. Tom Bryson, who was seek
ing his second term.
Mr. Dean was the victor by a
scant margin of 43 votes.
The last time Macon sent a
Republican to the house was In
1926, when the iate Rev. Alvin ]
Solesbee defeated the late J. A. c
Porter by a narrow margin.
Although the loser national- c
ly, the Democratic hopeful Gov.
SEE NO. 5, PAGE 12 t
RAIN HELPS
STOP THREE
DAY BLAZE
Destroys Estimated 4,000
Acres Of Timber; No
Homes Burn
Determined fire-fighting crews,
aided by a long over-due rain,
Sunday night brought under
control a rampaging forest fire
in the Tellico section, which
roared almost unchecked for
three days and burned over ap
proximately 4,000 acres of tim
berland.
Despite rumors throughout
the county to the contrary, no
families in the area were burn
ed out, although tl\e fire threat
ened to wipe out several homes
along the Tellico road soon
after it broke out Thursday
afternoon.
A few fighters were overcome
by smoke and one received
treatment for minor burns on
the feet.
Fighters faced overwhelming
odds in trying to control the
fire, which allied Itself with
stiff winds as it swept swiftly
over the tinder-dry forests, hop
ping fire lines almost as fast
as crews could rough them out.
At times the fire burned up
slope at close to 60 miles per
hour, according to Assistant
Nantahala Forest Supervisor
Paul H. Russell.
The rain, which started late
Sunday afternoon as lighters
were bringing the fire under
control, was the first mea':.,rable
amount for this county ;n mere
than a month.
Although periodic patrols were
still made of fire lines, the
weary fighters turned the chore
of putting the blaze out com
pletely over to the rain.
From the standpoint o; rapid
spread and destruction cf t.mb
er, the fire probably was the
REOPENED TO HINTING
Western North Carolina for
ests. closed to hunting last
week because of the fir* dang
er, have been reopened, fol
lowing the week-end rair. **'
ficials announced.
worst irf this county's history,
Mr. Russell^ said.
Forty to 50 NantahaK
personnel and state highway
crews, Tellico residents, and
. volunteers from several sections
, in the county, including H4~*
; lands, battled the fire on ? 12
to 15-hour rotation system -or
the better part of three days.
Sometime Friday the fire
jumped into Swain county.
An eyewitness report that the
fire popped up in three differ*
ent places about 1 p. m. Thurs
day, lead forest service officials
to believe it was intentionally
set, the assistant supervisor
said.
As the fire gained headway
Thursday night, Tellico resi
dents and a state highway de
partment crew, organized a
last-ditch fight to keep it from
wiping out several homes along
the Tellico road. It burned to
within a few feet of Robert
Ramsey's and the Rev. Judd
Smith's homes
Friday morning Tellico men
were patrolling the road watch
ing for new break-overs.
It also threatened to sweep
into the Lowdermilk Creek. Rat
tlesnake Creek, and Llcklog set
tlements, Mr. Russell said.
Several times during the
three-day fight, crews thought
they had the fire tied down,
SEE NO. 6. PAGE 12
IN* . * - ??
LMsinct Meeting
Of Garden Clubs
To Be Held Here
District No. 1 of the N. C.
Federation of Garden clubs will
hold its annual meeting In
Franklin next fall.
The invitation to meet here *
was extended by Mrs. John
iVasilik. president, and Miss
-aura M. Jones, of the Franklin
?liib. when they attended the
952 meeting at Tryon Thurs
lay.
District No. 1 erftbraces Bun
ombe and counties west.
About 100 persons usually at
end the annual meetings.