North Carolina Newspapers

THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BT OVER 3,H* MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE THE ENTERPRISE IS READ Rv OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTS FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME LVI—NUMBER 20 = Williamaton, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, March 10, 1953 ESTABLISHED 1899 Fires Double Up On Department Sunday Block Oi Homes On Perry Street Threatened Here ——<*• Loss In Three Fires Sunday Estimated In Excess Of $4,200.00 For the first time in nearly twenty years, Williamston’s vol unteer firemen were called upon to fight two fires at the same time, and the two calls were only half of those received jduring the week-end, not to mention a false alarm that squeezed its way near the middle of the double call Sun day afternoon. The busy period for the firemen started last Saturday morning at 10:30 o’clock when they were called to a burning caterpillar tractor owned by Henry Griffin, a member of the department. Us ed in logging operations, the trac tor was parked near Farmer Paul Peel's tobacco barn a few miles from here on Highway 17. It is believed that some one threw' a lighted cigarette into the seat of the tractor and started the fire. Damage was said to have been limited. All was quiet on the fire front until shortly after 3:00 o'clock Sunday afternoon when fire broke out in the Louis Brown home on Perry Street, near Sunny Side. Located about a thousand feet from the nearest hydrant, the house was burning rapidly before the long hose line could be laid and the equipment hooked up. The home was a total loss, but the firemen were able to check the fire after it had done consider able damgg^ tq, tbae Mary Clark home, a few feet away. Fanned by a high northeast wind, the fire threatened the entire block of houses, and all fire-fighting equipment was moved to the area Brown said he had just poured three gallons of oil into a heater and went into the street. While talking there with a neighbor, he heard a roar and the fire was burning rapidly. Even before the fire-fighting equipment could reach the section, smoke and fire % sred- Shi be seen more than a mile away. One report stated that neighbors had to hold Brown to keep him from returning to the burning home. Catching fire several times, the Clark home needs extensive re- j pans to the roof and weather boarding on one side. Fire Chief G. P. Hall estimated the Clark house damage at about $400 and the loss to the furniture at about $100. Most of the furniture dam age resulted when chairs, beds and other household goods were literally thrown out of the house when it looked as if the building1 was going to be destroyed. One report stated that the Brown house fire started from the 0.5! bentthat the toss theie would run in excess of $3,uo0, in cluding the loss of the house and about $1,000 worth of furniture.1 Brown only recently installed a $400 television set and a $200 re frigerator. lie has insurance to j cover most of the loss, Fire Chief j Hall said. Insurance was carried | on the Clark house also, but none 1 on the furniture. Just about the time the Perry Street fires were brought under control, a second truck was re turned to the fire station, reach ing there just in time to take a call to Mack Nicholson's home on (Continued on Page Five) MEANEST MAN J Another bid to be the meanest man was recorded here yesterday when Lion Pete Austin was servicing the candy gum machines main tained by the Lions Club in the name of the needy blind. Mr. Austin fnund fifteen “slugs” in one machine, the total count for all the mach ines running up to a farily sizeable number. It is bad enough to steal, but it’s down right common • to steal from the blind, Mr. Austin reasoned. 3,766 X-RAYS 'l v___/ Following up a county wide tuberculosis survey made last year, two mobile X-ray units, operated by the State and County Boards of Health in cooperation with the Martin County Tubercu losis Association, last week took 3,766 pictures, 2,303 in Williamston and 1,563 in Rob ersonville. The units were in the county less than five days, and the patronage measured up to expectations. However, health officials were a bit dis appointed when the service could not be made available to every person in the coun ty. Reports on the pictures are expected within the next twd or three w'eeks. Brief Review Of Activities In The State Legislature -«> l on^rr Session* Face Legis lators Who Will Visit Lejniiip Thiirsilav -* (This is another in a series of weekly summaries prepared by the legislative staff of the Insti tute of Government on the work of the North Carolina General Assembly of 1953 It is confined to discussions of matters of gen eral interest and major import ance). As the 1953 General Assembly completed its fifty-first legisla tive day on Friday, sessions were noticeably longer, with mount ing calendar action occupying most of the legislators’ time. The joint appropriations committee with its hearing completed had already begun its work trimming additional requests. Unless a pro longed fight develops over Gover nor Umstead’s budget proposals, legislators may soon begin to eye a prospective adjournment date, although little is heard as yet on that subject. Next Thursday the legislators take a holiday to visit Propositions and Grievances The public hearing on the “all or nothing” referendum liquor referendum bill before a House committee last Tuesday brought hundreds of citizens from all over the State to Raleigh Charges ranging from lightly veiled sug gestions of liquor r terest bribery (later retracted) and communist dictatorship by past legislative committees to failure to recognize the democratic right to vote made by the dry forces. Others plead ed for consideration of the issue not as a revenue measure but as a moral one, as suggested by the Governor in his inaugural mes sage. The Governor himself re iterated his position as favoring some kind of liquor referendum, but stated that he would not push the legislature further. No com mittee action was taken on the bill. Meanwhile, not even a murmur went through the House as the veterans’ bonus bill, once regarded as a potential storm center, received its last rites through an unfavorable report. The Senate passed by a very nar row margin the bill to legalize cap pistol caps, which now is in the House Committee on Propositions and Grievances. Appropriations and Finance Although the joint appropria tions committee put in only two days last week actually whittling on budget requests, it still may be in a position to complete its work by the end of this month. A public welfare request for $1, 396,500 was turned down and many lesser requests were ear marked for study by a subcom mittee, shortly to be appointed to handle major controversial items and periodically bring in re commendations to the full com mittee. Amid rumois that Senate lead ers will permit no tax increases and may refuse to go along with the Governor’s recommended $15 million bond issue for education al institutions and hospitals, tax reduction proposals dominate the (Continued on Page Eight) Few Accidents In This County Over The Past Weekend —«— No Ouo Reported Badly In jured in Three Vehicle Wrecks During Period No one was badly hurt but pro perty damage was said to have exceeded $1,600 in three vehicle accidents on town streets and county highways during the past week-end. William Harrell Everett, Jr., suffered minor arm and shoulder bruises when his car, a 1949 Olds mobile, was in collision with a 1951 Nash at the corner of Haugh ton and Warren Streets in Wil liamston about 7:30 o'clock last Thursday evening. Leaving his home, Everett was driving north on Haughton and was struck at the intersection by the Nash driv en by Edward Ray Edwards, salesman from Chocowinity. The Everett car, knocked almost in the Getsinger yard, was badly damag ed, unofficial estimates placing the loss at about $800. It was also estimated that the damage to the other car would approximate $700, according to a report gained from Officers Rogerson and Ches son who made the investigation. Edwards was driving west on Warren Street when the cars crashed. A freakish accident was report ed on Oak City's Main Street at 1:00 o'clock last Thursday after noon when a mule belonging to Farmer Claude Green broke loose and ran away. Pulling a cart, the mule ran across the railroad and pulled one wheel over County Sanitarian W. B. Gaylord's Chev rolet, doing about $65 damage to the machine. The cart, undam aged, then struck a truck belong ing to Edmond Early which was also parked at the curb. A light was damaged on the truck. The animal continued on down the sidewalk, stopping in a vacant lot a short distance away. Driving on the Be Bop or Rob erson Bridge Road in Robcrson —-• Income irom Court And Fees $4,391.06 -- - Income from the Martin County Recorder’s Court and from the fee system in the several county offices last month added up to tom*,-,co ed with the county auditor. The county court reported fines in the amount of $1,845.00, the court costs boosting the total to $3,187.05. The clerk of court also reported miscellaneous income in the amount of $344.91 Register of Deeds J. Sam. Get singer reported fees in the amount of $682.10, including $593.60 for recordings, $60 for marriage licenses and $28.50 foi various types of certificates such as death, birth and marriage. The sheriff’s office reported $77 income, most of it for serv ing various types of papers. Tax Collector M. L. Peel re ported that all but $59,309.93 of the 1952 tax levy of $393,842.50 had been collected. He also re ported 'hat $358,542.49 of the $372,268.32 levy for 1951 had been collected, that about $7,000 of the 1950 levy anti about $4,000 of the 1949 levy remain uncollected, ville Township about 5:30 o'clock Sunday evening, Louis Mobley, of (Continued on Page Eight) Serviceman Dies Friday Aiiernoon —♦— Willie Marsh Brown, .'12, mem ber of the U. S. Air Force, died in Walter Reed Hospital, Wash ington, D. C\, last Friday after noon. Critically ill for several weeks following his return from Korea last November, he was flown to the hospital from a base in Kansas about two weeks ago for treatment. A son of Saphronia Brown Sherrod, of Williamston, he was born in Georgia, and had been in the service nine years. He mar ried in Boston and is survived by his widow, two children, his mo ther, step-father, William Sher rod, of Williamston, and a brother, Freddie Brown, of Newark, N. J. Funeral services are being con ducted this afternoon in Wash ington and interment wiil be in Arlington Cemetery. Fix Definite Location For Truck Route Around Town - following numerous surveys j and quite a few conferences, a I definite location was fixed last week-end for a truck route around the town. Just when work is to be started on the by-pass could not be learned, but it was unofficially learned that appro priations had already been set aside for the project. It is pos sible that State forces will grade the route running from the Roan oke River bridge a westerly course, crossing Highway 64, East, near the Heilig-Meyers ware house, and on across Highway 17 .iust beyond Sunny Side Inn and connecting Highway 64, West, near Chesson’s store. While most of the newly pro posed belt line will be out of town, it runs within about nine hundred feet of Williams Street just back of the Th-idore Rober son home, and possibly one hun dred feet closer just off the S. Claud Griffin home on Williams Street. It was first proposed to run the by-pass about 1,500 feet or more from Williams Street and have it cross Highway 17 between Pee'c’s Blacksmith shop and Sunny Side. The latest survey, and it has been virtually agreed to by the proper ty owners, places the road cross ing the main north-south route just beyond Sunny Side or Hunt's Maytag building. From that point the route is located just beyond the town's pumping station, tak ing a small portion of the Ske warkey churchyard at the point. It connects with the old Skcwar key road back of Gordon's store in West End, and maintains u 150 foot right-of-way. f IRONING OUT KINKS v___ Completing the construc tion work and installing the latest type machinery, G and H Builders Supply Company is "ironing out" the kinks in its new $100,000 lumber mill just off Jamesvllc Road here. Except for a few conveyor chains and minor adjustments the hand saw mill measured un to expectations in the ini tial tests last Saturday and yesterday. However, it will take several weeks to tune the mill up to capacity pro duction. During the mean time, operations are encour aging, it was reported. Charles Johnson In Co-op Contest Charles Elliott Johnson, son of Mr, and Mrs. Joe Johnson, Sr., of RFD 1, Robersonville, represent ed Martin County in the Farmers Cooperative Exchange district public speaking contest held in Williamston Tuesday, March 3. He is a junior at Robersonville High School and was also winner of the county contest last year. Winner of the northeastern dis trict competition was John Wesley Cowand, Windsor High School $25. He will compete with six other participants in a statewide contest for a $1,000 scholarship. Other winners were Bobby Long of Woodland, second place, and Bobby Smith of Perquimans High School, third place. ' \ nr, a vyvyi ci. Wins Oratorical District Contest —«— Miss LaVernc Fleming, daugh ter of Mrs. Edith D. Fleming of Rocky Mount and the late Dr, W. H. Fleming of Martin County and Enfield, won the district high school oratorical contest held here last week. After winning district honors here, Miss Fleming, a senior in the Rocky Mount High School goes to Liberty on Friday of this week to compete for the top State honor. She is a niece of Mr. L B. Flem ing of Hassell. Youth Fellowship Session Attracts 176 Young People —i— Hassell Church Is Host To Gathering; Last Friday \iul Saturday One hundred and seventy-six persons registered for the World Fellowship meeting of the north eastern Carolina district of the Christian Youth Fellowship at the Hassell Christian Church Friday and Saturday. Theme of the session, yzhich be gan Friday afternoon at 4:30 o'clock, was "Africa” and tl}e Rev. Olin Fox, pastor of the Hassell Church, and Mrs. Cox decorated the assembly hall to carry out the theme and set up replicas of the ten Christian Church missions in Africa. Billy Tucker of Grimesland, ministerial student at Atlantic Christian College and state Chris, tian Youth Fellowship director, was on hand for the sessions as well as Miss Ruth Haislip, student at East Carolina College and state CYF president. Among those directing youth activities were the Rev. George Downey of Belhaven, the Rev. Wilbur Wallace of Robersonville; Mrs. H. H. Settle of Grcenvlle, the Rev. Bill Waters of Bath, Miss Barbara Hutchins of Winston of -Wab-Yi ington, and Mrs. John Goff of Williamston. Miss Ruth Leslie was mission ary speaker for the gathering and Miss Hutchins directed dedication of the CYF gift of clothing to the Ha/el Greene Academy. ■The Elizabeth City CYF led the! worship Friday night and the Plymouth CYF directed it Satur day morning. The consecration service Saturday night was di rected by the Robersonville CYF. The Hassell Church used its new annex for the first time for the banquet that closed the ses sion Saturday night and the wo men of the church served the meal. Miss Sue Edmondson, president, and Miss Ellenor Eubanks, direc tor, led the Hassell CYF in mak ing arrangements for the gather ing. Williamston CYF’ members at tending the meeting were Billy (Continued on Page Five) Advance Plans For Peanut Growers Unit In The State Meeting in Scotland Neck last Friday afternoon, farmers from the'- peanut producing counties perfected the North Carolina Pea nut Growers Association, Incor porated, and took action to pro mote the consumption, use and marketing of peanuts, and to study quotas, price supports and price differentials. Officers are to be named later when the board of directors, in cluding Sidney Mailory of Martin County, meets in Scotland Neck on the 19th of this month and hears a report from the nominat ing committee. The newly formed organization, patterned after Tobacco Associ ates, Inc., proposes an assessment of one cent pe r bag or 15 cents an acre on peanuts to finance a program designed to expand con sumption of peanuts in this coun try. It was also pointed out by lead ers in the organization that stor age problems will be studied with the view of making ample facili ties available for the 1053 crop whieh will cover an estimated 190,000 acres. Following a directors' session Friday morning, a mass meeting was held in Scotland Neck that afternoon, and it was agreed by the group representing twenty one of the thirty-four producing counties in this State that some thing must be done if the peanut program is to be saved. A special act, enabling peanut growers to levy the small assess ment, is due to reach the State Legislature shortly, and it is be lieved that the plan when submit ted to thi- people in a referendum will be approved by a large ma-j jority. Sixty-Four Drawn For Jury Service April Court Term -—<fv INo Judge Vet Bern Assign* rd To Preside Over Spc eiai Two-Week Term -- Sixty-four Martin County citi ! zens, including a few women, were drawn recently by the Mar tin County Board of Commission ers for jury duty during the two week special term of the superior court beginning April 13. The court, created by special legis lative act about a dozen years ago, will hear cases of a civil na ture only. * No judge has yet been assign ed to preside over the term, but an assignment is expected short ly. During the meantime, a regular term of the superior court opens next Monday for the trial of both criminal and civil cases during two weeks. The names of the jurors drawn by Little Miss Beverly Daniels, include: For First Week—April 13 Jamesvi^le Township—A. F. Coltrain and Floyd Simpson Williams Township—Henry F. Williams. Griffins Township—Thurman L. Griffin, W. A. Manning and Arthur Corey Bear Grass Township—Thurs ton Wynne Williamston Township—Thom as Reginald Griffin, Vivian Mor ris, Hoke S. Roberson, Nathaniel Coltrain,, K. P. Lindsley, Nathan Modlin, Lonnie Rhodes and Dan iel Gardner Cross Roads Township—Geo. W Taylor, Jr. Robersonville Township—Hugh Roberson, L. T. Harney, H. B Bowen, Gladys Bailey, Edgar R. Ballard, and Asa Ward. Hamilton Township—William Bland, H. L Purvis, A. D. Bul lock, Jim Scott, Miss Martha Council, Miss Mildred Purvis. Goose Nest Township-—Wiley Craft. ('. W Copeland, Mack Hunting and Minton Beach. | For Second Week—April 20 Jamesville—Edgar E. Brown, i A. W. Ange, Dempsey Williams Williams Wendell Griffin and Daliner Gurkin Griffins—Julius M. Manning, 11. Thomas Daniel Bear Grass—Ai thur Peel, S. C. Cowin, H. L. Taylor Williamston—R D. Elliott, Jas. A Bowen, J C'. Eubanks, Garland |nett, Frank Weston, C. E. Brit Iton, J. Kelly Gay and K. D. Wor rell Cross Roads—Joe Wynne and H. M. Ayers Robersonville—L. M. Purvis, li - ving Roberson, Jaivis Perkins and John Pitt Poplar Point —Lester Keel Hamilton—Robert Pierce, Thel ma Reaves and Harry S. Peel Goose Nest—H. M. Ain.sley, Joe L. Moye and W. E. Early, Jr. Canadian Loses Amount oi Money —*>— Accusing uni1, but pointing out hr could offer no explanation for its disappearance, Vein M Floss, Canadian tourist, reported Saturday that he lost a billfold containing $95 in Canadian money and several U. S $50 bills. Floss and his family, touring this section, spent Thursday night at a nearby tourist court and continued to Emporia, Virginia, Friday. While en route to Vir ginia he missed the bill fold, and returned here Saturday. He posted a reward with Sher iff M W Holloman and continu ed his trip, using the combined family funds. The Floss temp ‘ or ary address is 513 Fifth Street. Clean, N. Y. Suffer* llroken Ann In Full From River Itiuil ..* -— Mr. J. Robt. Leggett, popular carrier on RFD No. 2 out of the local post office, suffered a brok en right arm in a fall from a small boat into Roanoke River close to the wharf here last Saturday aft ernoon. Powered by an outboard motor, the boat literally ran out from under him, witnesses declass ed. Although painfully hurt, fu made it to shore where he was picked up. Running wild, the boat made several wide circles and finally crashed into other boats, doing considerable damage. Port’s First Cargo For Local Coinpa try | INKED VOLUNTEERS *)! -_-j | Dr. James S. Rhodes, Jr., today issued another urgent | call for blood donor volun teers, explaining that the Red Cross Bloodmobile would make its eighth visit to W'il liamston on Friday, March 20. The chairman of the Red Cross Blood Program in this \ chapter stated that 100 volun teered last September to give blood when the mobile unit returned this month. lie went on to explain that an additional 100 volunteers are needed to make certain that the 150-pint quota will be met. Volunteers are earnestly urged to contact the Red Cross office or I)r. Rhodes this week and make ready for the visit on Friday of next group ranged from 21 to 47 4:00 p. m. Experiment With Liquid Fertilizer At State College —«— Trying To Learn Wliul Hap pens To Nicotine In Tile Human Hotly (Striving to keep ahead of the pests and various diseases and open the way for n better agrieul ture, scientists at State College have built and are continuing to build all types of machines for use in conducting expei iments Dur ing a recent newspaper and radio institute at the college, Dr. Me Auliife demonstrated a special machine which is described in the article below.) You might nick name it a "sci entific Rube Goldberg," but ac tually the mass spectrometer built by Clayton McAuliffo, North Car olina State College agricultural scientist, is a delicate and accur- I ate instrument as you'll find any-1 where. It's being used to pry into some pretty basic questions relating di rectly to Tarheel agriculture and flow does a plant use nitrogen when it’s put on as a leaf spray? | In this new method fertilizer dis-j solved in water is sprayed on plant leaves instead of spreading dry fertilizer on the ground. The! mass spectrometer can discover; the inner workings of plant life processes and thus test the ef fectiveness of leaf sprays. Another related question —' what’s the effect of leaf sprays on the nicotine content of tobacco? Nicotine is made in the root: Do I leaf sprays change this process? If they do, what are the changes and how do they occur? Also, scientists and farmers have been puzzled by apparent; disappearance of chemic al nitre-J gen fcilili.a r when it's put cm a Ladinn-glass pasture If H00 pounds of nitrogen an acre is add ed, only about 4(1 pounds of that ! fertilizer nitrogen shows up in the! forage. What happens to the rest? The mass spectrometer will help] find the answer And with humans, Dr. McAu-j lifft* has cooperative work until i way with the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake I-m est to learn what happens to nico tine in the human body. You can buy a mass spectro meter for about $25,000, but Mi - Auliffe built this one at a saving of several thousand dollars He built it first in a Withers Hall lab oratory. Then, with the several hundred parts working perfectly, the agronomy department moved to Williams Hall. So he had to take it apart completely and build it for the second time. The spectrometer is about (i feet tall by 5 feet wide by 11 feet long. Inside this area is a mass of glass tubes sticking every di rection, many stainless steel metal parts, a powerful magnet, 1,000 volts of electricity, many elec tronic circuits, and a maze of other equipment—all working to gether in the most exacting way that only a scientist can make them work. Plant and animal compounds (Continued on Page Five) German Freighter Damps Potash For Williamston Firm - •— Fertilizer Material, Enough To Fill A Train, To Move Here By Rail By Norwood Young Morehead City.—Special to The Enterprise).—A trim, black-hull ed freighter, with her white streamlined superstructure tow ering well above the low-roofed dock warehouses, is tied up here this week, unloading a 3,300-ton cargo of muriate of potash The bulk cargo is consigned to the Standard Fertilizer Company, of Williamston, a division of Mathie son Chemical Corporation. The 6,171-ton German vessel, Carl Fisser, of Emden, arrived at 9:00 a. m. Sunday, from Hamburg, after fourteen days of plowing through stormy seas. She came steaming into the harbor under the guidance of Captain Charlie Finer, well known pilot. Her all German crew of 38 men quickly readied the ship for inspection by U. S Immigration and Customs officials. Her master, Captain Henry Jelden, met Dr. Ben F. Royal, local physician, aboard ship, and a check of the ship’s crew by the physician resulted in a clean bill of health. It was a very special occasion for the port officials, as the Carl Fisser carried the first dry cargo to be consigned to the new More head City terminal. It marked the beginning of a new business era for Morehead city, as well as for eastern Carolina. The firm of Stevenson and Young, well-known North Atlan tic stevedoring agency, has open ed offices at the terminal and is unloading the ship's cargo. H I). Stevenson and Andrew J. Clancy, the firm’s president and vice president, are on hand to person ally supervise unloading opera tions. Port authorities predict an increase in stevedoring activities, immigration and customs opera tions at the terminal this year. In the latter half of the 18th century and up until the Civil War. the section enjoyed a brisk mm m Coh - ducted through the Port of Beau fort. Sailing vessels of shallow draft came into port bearing goods from England and the West indies, as wel as from such coast wise ports a . Charleston, Savan nah, Cape Fear and New York. today, the Men head City ter minal is equipped for handling practically all vy; \s of cargo con signed to and from the great agri cultural and the growing manu facturing section that comprises eastern Carolina. Geographical ly speaking, it is one of the most accessible ports on the Atlantic Coast. It is located 3.5 miles from the open ocean, is protected from storms by the natural land tv.-".vr.»*v\‘ ■ Cape ;>krv.t. u? lies on the most direct route to South American ports. A well defined channel, leading from the port to deep water, is capable of handling all but the largest ocean going ships. N Its proximity to the eastern Carolina agricultural section adds immeasurably to its importance as a deep water terminal. The port officials predict that its lo cation will, in the near future, amount to considerable savings in the port to discharge their cargo. In addition, there has been an (Continued on Page Eight) ROUND-UP j Members of the patrol, county and local police offi cers were busy last week-end rounding up and jailing elev en persons charged with vari ous infractions of the law. Seven were booked for public drunkenness, one each for operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license and disorderly conduct, and two were detained for being ab sent without leave from the armed forces. One of the eleven was white, and the ages of the group ranged fsom 21 to 47 years.