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70th Year ? No. 18
Franklin, N. C., Thursday, May 5, 1955
Sixteen Paget
? 5 taft Ph0to by J. f. Urady
Demolished Auto That Injured Men
Centennial Caravan Leaves
Today For Trip To Raleigh
A motorcade of "Brushy
Brothers" and "Belles of the
Bustles" pulled out of Franklin
early this morning, heading for
Raleigh and a 10 a. m. Friday
appointment for Centennial talk
with Gov. Luther B. Hodges.
Among those in the caravan ?
?which plans to spread the cen
tennial "gospel" in a number of
cities down and back ? are
Mayor W. C. Burrell, Sheriff J.
Harry Thomas, Register of
Deeds Lake V. Shope, and
School Supt. Holland McSwaln,
celebration co-chairman, who
arranged the special appoint
ment with the state's chief.
Invitations to make the trip
to the capital city were passed
verbally to "Brushy Brothers"
and "Belles of the Bustle" over
the week-end when the govern
or's confirmation of the ap
pointment arrived too late for
publication in last week's issue
of The Press.
Let Stopper Out
Meanwhile, officials of the
mid-June (16-17-18) celebra
tion marking the town's 100th
incorporated birthday said this
week "we're going to let the
stopper out about the 15th."
In order to simplify sales of
souvenirs by the committee, a
booth will be set up in the
downtown area near the "cali
boose" within the next week.
All badges and other fund-rais
ing articles will be withdrawn
from stores and will be sold
only at the booth.
King And Queen
The "King and Queen of Cen
tennial" contest is about ready
for unveiling, according to
chairman Bruce Palmer. Nomi
nations of men over 55 and
women over 50 to run as a
couple for the royal title in the
penny-a-vote contest still are
coming in from businesses and
communities, he said. Voting
will be at a central polling place
near the booth. Mr. Palmer said
his May 1 deadline for nomi
nees has been extended to allow
communities to meet and se
lect couple' However, all must
be in by the !5th. h" added.
As of Tuesday night, the fol
Mr and Mrs. C-raham Grind
staff, by the Bethel community;
lowing had been nominated:
John Jones and Mrs. Nellie
Katenbrink. V. F. W. : Mr. and
Mrs. G. B. Woodward. Higdon
ville community; Mr. and Mrs.
A. R. Higdon, Franklin Garden
Club: Sam J. Murray and Mrs.
Nellie Katenbrink, Reeves Hard
ware Company; Mr. and Mrs.
H. W. Cabe, Burrell Motor Com
pany: the Rev. and Mrs. W. N.
Cook. Macon County Supply
Company and Reece Motor
Company; Bob Davis and Mrs.
Nellie Katenbrink; Mr. and Mrs.
J. H. Long, Baldwin's Market;
and Alex Moore and Mrs. P. F.
Callahan, Franklin Jaycees.
Polio Chapter Meet
Called By Stockton
J. H. Stockton, county chair
man, has called a meeting of
the Macon chapter of the Na
tional Foundation of Infantile
Paralysis committee for next
Wednesday, May 11, at the
courthouse.
Set for 8 o'clock, the meeting
is for all interested in the
March of Dimes and the Salk
vaccination program.
'Dowser
Is Answer?
An almost high and dry
Town of Highlands has turn
ed its water troubles over to
a professional "water dows
er", a modern-day Merlin
who locates the precious fluid
with a dry stick.
But, the town officials feel
this un-gaologfcal approach to
their biggest governmental
headache is going to pay divi
dends for they obtained the
services of one of the coun
try's top and very famous
"water dowsers", Jerry Smith,
of Barstow, Calif.
This gifted water stick
wielder, whose art has been
featured in national maga
zines and on TV, flew in
from the coast to Anderson,
S. C., at the request of the
Highlands town fathers and
spent Tuesday and Wednes
day "dowsing" out spots for
wells. He also spotted some
locations for private parties
while here.
An abortive attempt to
bring more water by drilling
its latest well deeper preced
ed the decision to hire Mr.
Smith and his amazing stick.
At 802 feet, only 25 gallons a
minute came in.
But Mr. Smith ? his stick
vibrating ? paced off some
75 feet from this unproduc
tive well and informed the
group of officials and spec
tators a well sunk about 590
feet at that point would bring
in 190 gallons a minute. He
explained that in sinking the
well, the shaft had missed the
water table and seepage from
a crack in the table account
ed for the small a.mount it
was producing. He further
suggested a charge of dyna
mite in the shaft might open
up the table.
Whether th<- more than .S500
the town paid Mr. Smith for
his trip and servires pays
dividends will be up to the
new town commissioners.
It will be their decision to
digr f.ny new wells.
2 Men Injured
In Auto Mishap
Early Monday
Two Macon County men were
seriously injured shortly after
midnight Sunday when the 1949
Ford in which they were riding
failed to make the Lowery curve
on US 23-441 (south) and over
turned several times.
They are the driver, Henry
Odell Sti winter, 23, of Cullasaja,
and Paul Jenkins, 40, of Gneiss.
Stiwinter received a broken
neck and cuts about the head
and face and Jenkins a frac
tured pelvis and scalp lacera
tions, according to officials at
Angel Hospital.
The patrolman said both men
had been drinking heavily. He
has charged Stiwinter with
drunk driving, reckless driving,
and speeding.
A passing taxi driver is re
ported to have spotted the over
turned vehicle's headlights soon
after it missed the curve and
rolled three and a half times
into a yard at the south end
of the Blossom town stretch. The
vehicle, which the patrolman
said was traveling at a "very
high rate of speed", covered 291
feet in rolling. Both men were
thrown clear of the wreckage.
Patrolman Ferguson listed the
Ford as "demolished" on his re
port.
Proposal
Protested
Opposition to a proposed ad
ditional license levy on motor
vehicles flared quickly here
Monday and a protest petition
reportedly containing the signa
tures of some 250 persons is
now in the hands of Macon
Rep. G. L. Houk in Raleigh.
The proposal ? now being
considered as an alternative to
a tobacco tax increase ? calls
fof a stamp license tax on all
motor vehicles. This would be
approximately half the present
cost of motor vehicle license
tax, up to maximum of $10, it
is understood.
W. C. Burrell, of Burrell Mo
tor Company, Inc., circulated
the petition here.
The brief paper declared:
"We the undersigned protest
actively the proposed stamp
privilege tax on vehicles or any
similar tax to be placed on ve
hicle; in addition to the pres
ent tax."
AT SECOND MEETING ?
?.??? ."st.'-v Esecteci
A second meeting of interest
ed persons within a week has
spawned the frame work of a
supervised youth center for
Franklin's young people.
Meeting Tuesday night to
make final plans as a follow
up of an organizational session
a week earlier, the group of
adults and students decided to:
(It Accept Dr. G. R. Mc
Sween's offer of the use of a
large garage at the rear of his
clinic for a temporary center.
(2 1 Appointed B. B Scott, W.
K. (Ken) Hooker, and Prelo
Dryman to make arrangements
for facilities In the garage, and
(3) Appointed B. L. McGlam
mery, C. B, Hussey, and Ralph
L. Smith to find a director for
the center this summer.
Approximately $1,000 is need
ed to put the center on its feet
and in operation. About half
this arnount would be to hire
a director.
It was voted to raise funds
with a Sunday dinner at an
early date. Mrs. Harve Bryant,
Mrs. C. B. Hussey, Mrs. Doyle
Blaine, and Mrs. Roy Biddle, are
planning this event.
Mrs. Elizabeth McCollum has
been named secretary of the
sponsoring organization and
Robert (Bob) Carpenter is
treasurer.
Another meeting is scheduled
this coming Tuesday night at
7:30 at Slagle Memorial Build
ing.
X-RAY UNIT
OFFERS FREE
SERVICE
In Franklin For Six
Days; Highlands Stop
Scheduled Today
A mobile X-Ray unit rolled
into Macon County this week
under the sponsorship of the
Macon Tuberculosis Association,
offering free chest x-rays to
all over 15 years.
The unit's first stop was in
Nantahala Tuesday and yester
day (Wednesday) it pulled into
Franklin for a six-day visit. It
will be in operation here today,
Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday.
Another unit is in Highlands
today.
While the unit is in Franklin,
members of the Junior Woman's
Club and the V. F. W. Auxiliary
are serving as clerical help and
hostesses.
Fred Dowdle Is chairman of
the local TB association.
City Hall
Is Started
Construction of Franklin's
new municipal building moved
ahead this week with the break
in the weather and the masonry
work already is under way.
Contractor Wiley Clark said
Tuesday afternoon his schedule
calls for having the walls and
roof up by July 1, if material
shipments are not delayed as
they have been In recent weeks.
Steel for the modernistic
building should arrive within a
week, he sald
The 951,000 structure is being
built by the town on a continu
ing contract basts in order to
avoid cut-backs In construction.
Who're Town's
Oldest Folks?
Who is the oldest person in
Franklin?
What persons in Franklin
are 90 years of are or older?
The Press wants to run pic
tures, in its centennial edition,
of every Franklin person who
has attained the age of 90.
It doesn't want to miss any
of them, and so is asking
those who know Franklin
persons 90 or older to tele
phone the paper.
A. C. S. Halts
C. A. P. Unit
A Civil Air Patrol unit in
Franklin has been pigeon
holed temporarily.
Officials of the Asheville
C. A. P. unit were scheduled
to meet here .Sunday with
local citizens to organize a
unit.
But they besrged off, accord
ing to Frank Plyler, tempor
ary chairman.
The reason: Present identi
fication pictures would be
worthless A. C. S. (After Cen
tennial Shaving).
Burley Vote
Carries Here
Macon burley tobacco pow
ers joined tho-? in the rest of
the belt last Thursday in ap
proving marketing quotas and
price supports for 1955.
In the referendum, local
growers left no question of how
they stead by polling 135 "yeas"
and no "neas."
Only those who grew burley
last year were eligible to cast a
vote in the congress-sponsored
referendum.
7ie1d Day
Is Friday
The annual Rotary-sponsored
Elementary School Field Day is
expected to bring some 200
school children to Franklin
High School tomorrow (Friday).
Featuring the day-long agen
da are academic tests and ath
letic contests. Eighth graders,
who will move up to high
school in the fall, also will tour
the high school register for
courses.
Fires Break
Out As Dry
Spell Sticks
Federal and state foresters
and volunteers have been bat
tling a rash of small forest fires
over the county this week. All
were either out or under control
Tuesday night.
Ranger W. L. Nothstein, of
the Wayah district of the Nan
tahalas, predicts the situation
is due to get "progressively
worse" if dry weather continues.
He urged the cooperation of
all citizens, particularly hikers
and fishermen, in stopping fires
before they start. The ranger
noted that "things that wouldn't
have caught fire a week ago will
do so now."
During the week, he said, the
fuel moisture figure in the
woods has been as low as two
per cent.
"And that's almost oven dry",
the ranger declared.
Fires mopped up by crews
this week included:
Saturday ? six acres of gov
ernment land in the Flat
Woods section, near the Maid
en's Chapel church.
Saturday night ? Onion
Mountain, four acres of private
land on the Ammons and Stew
art properties.
Monday morning ? Ashe Flats
section, prompt action by feder
al and state crews held dam
age to about one acre; but, "It
could have developed into a
large and bad fire", Ranger
Nothstein said.
Monday ? about 40 acres of
private lands owned by Brown
and Miller in the Salt Rock
Gap vicinity.
Monday night ? approximate
ly 40 acres of private land on
Anderson Branch near Byrd
Gap. Government land threat
ened.
The ranger estimated that
about 150 man hours were spent
fighting each fire.
GYM ABOUT
COMPLETED
Whitmire Says Job
Will Be Finished
Inside Of 30 Days
E. J. Whitmire, general man
ager of Macon Construction
Company, Tuesday said his
company will finish construc
tion of Franklin High's rough
ed-in gymnasium within 30
days.
Masonry work on the gym
nasium is finished, he said, and
crews will begin erecting steel
for the roof today (Thursday).
All materials tp finish the job
are on hand.
With the end of "part one"
of the gymnasium's construc
tion, roughly $60,000 more will
be needed to complete it, ac
cording to School Supt. Holland
McSwain. This figure does not
include furniture and other
equipment, he added.
Exactly when funds will be
available for "part two" of the
program is not known, the su
perintendent declared.
SING SUNDAY
The second Sunday sing of
the southern division of the
Macon County Singing Conven
tion will be he'd at the Bethel
Methodist Church beginning at
1:30 p. m.. Tom Henson, sec
retary. has announced* All .sing
ers 'tid the public are invited
WHAT MORE proof does one need that warm weather has
arrived than this catcher's heel view of the grea.t American
sport. Franklin's Panthers dropped their opening same of the
season Friday to the Cherokee Braves (See picture and story,
front page Second Section), played Murphy here yesterday (Wed
nesday), and today at 1 p. m. meet Rohbinsvllle on the local
diamond. Tuesday they play Robbinsville away.
Incumbents Back
In Office In Towns
Franklin and Highlands voters ?
Tuesday returned all incum
bents to office, but polled some
close races for vacant seats on ,
the governing boards.
Here are the unofficial out
comes:
Franklin
Aldermen J. C. Jacobs polled
high man with 242 votes to lead
his three incumbent running
mates back in office for third
terms. The three are A. G.
Cagle, 229 votes, Oscar Ledford,
221, and J. Frank Martin, 212.
Receiving the second highest
number of votes was a newcom
er to the board, J. L. West, Jr.
He got 229.
The sixth and final member
is Sam Gibson, who squeezed
into office by one vote over
Prelo J. Dryman. W. K. iKen)
Hooker received 181.
The Gibson-Dryman-Hooker
race for the last seat was a
nip and tuck affair right up to
the end of the count-out. At
times, the three were deadlock
ed.
?Mayor W. C. Burrell, unop
posed for reelection, received
275 of the total vote of 307.
Highlands
Highlands has a new mayor
in V. W. (Bill) McCall, former
town clerk and now cashier
with the Jackson County Bank.
He swept into office with 186
votes over Carlton Cleaveland's
77. W- H. Cobb, mayor for five
straight terms, did not seek re
election.
Four incumbents were reelect
ed to the five-man board of
commissioners. They are Carter
Talley, 204 votes, for his second
term; L. W. Rice, Sr., 174, for
his 14th non-consecutive term;
Tudor N. Hall, 180, third term;
' and Steve Potts, 170 second
term.
A three-way race developed
for the fifth seat, with H. S.
Talley, a former board mem
ber, who collected 161 votes.
Also after the seat were J. Phil
Tate, 130, and Frank Crane,
159.
Highlands total vote was 266.
Craft Center
Opening Set
The Nonah Community Cen
ter Craft House on Cartooge
chaye is scheduled to open
Monday under the supervision
of Miss Sally Kesler.
Miss Kesler plans to keep the
center open the first three days
of each week for those inter
ested in learning handicrafts.
Mondays, she plans to offer
instruction in silk screening.
Weaving will be taught on
Tuesdays, and other crafts on
Wednesdays.
Hours will be 10 a. m. to 4
p. m. A charge of $1 per day
will be made.
Cutback In Funds
Kills Water Gauge
Station In County
A cutback in funds is giving
the axe to the T. V. A. water
gau;? station on the Cullasaja
River at Cullasaja
The station is one of 1G oper
ated in Western North Carolina
by U. S. Geological Survey.
Water Resources Division, bein^
discontinued.
A reduction in funds for oper
ating the stations is the reason
given for the move.
NEW PLANT '
TO OPERATE
ON MAY 30
Bundy Gives Date
For Production;
Work Continues
Stephen A. Bundy, superin
tendent of Burlington Indus
tries' new plant here, arrived
Monday night and Tuesday an
nounced that operations at the
$3,000,000 hosiery mill will get
under way May 30.
Meanwhile, construction of
the plant just outside the city
limits on US 23-441 is 90 per
cent complete, according to J.
P. Whitt, Jr., superintendent ol
construction for Daniels Con
struction Company. Mr. Whitt
said his men will be through
with the building between the
15th and 20th and then will
concentrate on outside jobs.
Airconditioning, heating, and
electrical work also is under
way in the building.
In announcing the opening
production date for the plant,
Mr. Bundy said approximately
60 persons will be working at
first. A gradual expansion pro
gram is expected to swell this
number to more than 300 in a
year and a half.
A native of Jamestown, Mr.
Bundy has been superintendent
of the company's HUlcrest Plant
in High Point for nearly a year
and a half.
He is living in the new house
built by Dr. Edgar Angel just
o f Maple Street and expects
to bring his wife and two chil
dren here in early June.
BRIEFS
VOTE TO BUILD
Members of the Masonic
Lodge voted Tuesday night to
raze the old lodge on Church
Street and begin construction
of a new building at an early
date.
? ? ?
BOARD HAS MEETING
The Macon County Board of
Education met last (Wednes
day) i night to review district
committee recommendations of
principals and teachers for the
school year 1955-56. Actions
taken by the board were not
available at presstime.
There'll be a touch of a typ
ical day in May in the Franklin
High cafeteria Saturday night
when the annual Junior-Senior
banquet and dance material
izes.
A May Day theme will be
carried out, even to the point
of decorating the cafeteria like
a flower-covered garden.
Eli Evacson Henson. 82. a native
of Macon County, died Sunday at
11 a.m. at the home of his son,
,U s.s Hen on. in Waynesville.
A farmer. Mr. Henson had been
il cr i vhivt time.
The Weather
? v :? ? - i .???! :.?!!, a?
'? i'i !iv Ma ?? : Stile#.
? l>v
! V A
Wed.. Apr
Thursday
Friday
Satumay
Sunday "
Monday
Tuesday
FRANKLIN
Temperatures
Hich Low Rain
78
75
3f>
34
34
36
34
35
54
Wed., Apr.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
83
83
72
HIGHLANDS
Temperatures
High Low Rain
27
70
69
72
38
36
36
71 37
74 37
COWEETA
Temperatures
High Low Rain
37 __
Wed., Apr. 27 75
Thursday 74 36
Friday 76 36
Saturday 77 39
Sunday 80 36
Monday 79 37
Tuesday 83 38