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opics
The Roanoke Beacon
****** and Washington County News ******
A home newspaper dedicated
to the service of Washington
County and its 13,000 people.
VOLUME LIX—NUMBER 7
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, February 12, 1948
ESTABLISHED 188b
Neither the local bank nor the
£*post office will be closed today,
‘February 12, Abraham Linclon’s
birthday, contrary to several re
ports circuited this week. Both
will be closed, however, on Mon
day, February 23, in honor of
Washington’s Birthday. The
Monday closing will be effected
since the anniversary falls on
Sunday.
The meeting of the Plymouth
Rotary Club, scheduled to held
on Tuesday night of this week,
was postponed until next Tues
day, it has been announced.
John W. Darden, Washington
county representative to the
State legislature, is reported
by relatives to be resting com
fortably this week and has ex
perienced no set-back since suf
fering a stroke of paralysis
about a week ago. Mr. Darden
has been in ill health for sever
al months.
For the first time since the
depth of the depression in 1932,
Mayor Archie J. Riddle walked
-from his home on lower Washing
Street down to the business
section of town. The reason, it
goes without saying, was that his
well-known green pickup truck
was all covered up with snow and
the town’s streets were impas
sable except to pedestrians.
First roads in the section to
be made passible after the big
snow Monday and Tuesday
were made so by crews from
the North Carolina Pulp Com
pany. Using tractors and heavy
trucks, the crews packed the
snow on highways leading to
the mill so employees could get
to work. The highway was
first cleared to Little Richwood
and the Country Club villages,
and roads around the plant
were kept open.
A carload of bricks have arriv
ed in Plymouth and another two
carloads of cement and gravel
re scheduled to arrive this week
to be used in construction of the
new colored school at Creswell,
according to an announcement
from Roy F. Lowry, superinten
dent of schools, but, he added
how the building materials will
be delivered to Creswell with the
weather what it is at present is
as yet an unsolved problem
The meeting of the Plymouth
Lions Club, scheduled to be held
in the Legion Hall tonight, has
been postponed until next Thurs
day night, officials of the club
have announced. District High
way Commissioner John Clark of
Greenville was to have been the
featured speaker of the meeting
and was to have discussed roads
in the county with the members
of the club.
Hillbilly Concert
Is Set at Creswell
-
Creswell—A hillbilly Jambo
ree, sponsored by the home ec
onomics department of the Cres
well High School, will be present
«i in the school’s auditorium on
riday night of this week, it has
been announced.
The show is made up of local
talent who will also present im
personations of stage and radio
stars. Following the jamboree, a
square dance will be held in the
auditorium. The entertainment
will be directed by Mrs. Chelsea
Phelps, jr., Creswell home ec
onomics instructor.
♦
Urge Farmers To
Sign 1948 Plans
All farm operators in Wash
ington County have been request
ed to appear at the Triple-A of
fice in the Agriculture Building
in Plymouth as soon as possible
and sign their 1948 farm plans
if they wish to participate in the
AAA program this year.
So far, the secretary said, 463
farm plans have been signed,
leaving a total of 427 plans yet to
receive farmer signatures. Dead
line for the signing of the plans,
she added, is Monday, March 1.
News Held Out
By Nail Delays
Due to heavy snows which
delayed mail deliveries, several
county correspondents were un
able to turn news of their com
munities in to The Roanoke
Beacon for publication this
week.
Now that roads and highways
in the county are in the process
of being cleared and deliveries
of mail in this area are no long
er hampered, full reports on
community activities in Wash
ington County will be available
once more and will be printed
by the newspaper.
Triple-A Lime Quota for
County Under Last Year
Due to a slash on allocations of
minimum assistance funds in
Washington County, farm opera
tors in this section will not be
able to place orders for lime un
der the county Triple-A program
as extensively as in 1947, Miss
Miriam Ausbon, county AAA sec
retary, has reported.
Washington County has been
alloted only $16,436 for minimum
assistance in 1948, she said, as
compared with the $27,146 allow
ed the county last year, a de
crease of $10,710.
So far, she said, orders for 293
Vote on Hospital
Bonds March 26
I Officer Closes j
j County Schools j
Roy F. Lowry, county super
intendent of schools, has an
nounced that, although it prob
ably goes without saying, all
schools in Washington County
will be closed and classes sus
pended until further notice due
to the heavy snowfall occurring
in this section on Monday and
Tuesday.
As to the probable opening
date of the county’s schools,
Lowry said, no accurate an
nouncement can be made, nor,
for that matter any reasonable
guess, but it is likely at this
point that the education units
will remain closed at least un
til Monday of next week.
New Registration
Has Been Ordered
For Bbnd Election
-*
Books Will Be Open on
Week-Days From Feb
ruary 21 To March 13;
Registrars Named
A completely new registration
of voters in Washington County
will be required for the $50,000
hospital bond election being held
on March 26, according to action
taken by the - county board of
commissioners at an extension of
their regular meeting last week.
The registrars for each of the
five polling precincts in the
county will keep registration
books open from 9 a. m. until 6
p. m. each day from Saturday,
February 21 until Saturday,
March 13. The books will not be
open, however, on Sundays or
holidays.
The registration books will be
kept by the registrars at their
homes or places of business on
regular registration days and at
the polling places on Saturdays.
Polling places will be the same as
in the General Assembly elec
tions held in November 1946.
The registrars and Judges of
Election appointed by the coun
ty commissioners for the polling
precincts in the county are as
follows: Plymouth precinct: J. T.
McNair, registrar; Mrs. Hermine
Ramsey and Alton Tetterton,
judges; Scuppernong precinct: J.
A. Combs, registrar; Lee Fur
lough and W. H. Peal; Skinners
ville precinct: Mrs. W. W. White,
registrar; Arthur Phelps and W.
A. Spruill, judges; Lees Mill pre
cinct: Wade Hardison, registrar;
F. C. Tarkenton and Marvin
Spencer, judges; Wenona pre
cinct: H. J. Furbee, registrar; W.
J. Vaughn and C. S. Heynen,
judges.
Saturday, March 13, the finai
day in the registration period will
be challenge day. All persons
who have become 21 years of age
since the last election registra
tions have been urged to appear
before the registrar in his pre
cinct and have his name entered
on the books. Persons who have
registered before are reminded
that they must re-register or they
will be ineligible to cast legiti
mate ballots in the bond election
which will be conducted on
March 26.
■-«
Local Legionnaires To
Hold Meeting Friday
The Plymouth post of the
American Legion will conduct a
regular scheduled meeting at the
Legion H^l on Friday at 8 p. m.,
Post Commander W. Ronald Gay
lord has announced. He re
quested that all legionnaires at
tend the session.
tons of ground limestone have
been received here. Cost to the
farmer for farmyard delivery is
$2.20 per ton with the AAA pay
ing the remaining $3.10 per ton
to complete the final cost of $5.30
per ton. Credit rate for com
mercial lime, she said, is $3.10
per ton. All farmers have been
urged to obtain and keep lime
purchase bills, invoices, or re
ceipts as these papers will be
needed to justify lime reports
next fall. Contractor for the
liming materials, she said, is J. C.
Evans of Merry Hill.
Also Ask Voters for Opin
ion on 10-Cent Levy for
Maintenance of Medi
cal Center
On Friday, March 26, qualified
Washington County voters will
go to the polls to vote for or
against a proposed $50,000 bond
issue to secure funds for the
erection of a hospital in the
county, according to measures
passed by the board of county
commissioners at an extension of
their regular meeting here last
week.
County voters will also be ask
ed to approve or disapprove the
levy of a special tax of not more
than 10 cents upon each $100 of
assessed valuation of taxable
property in the county to finance
the cost of operating, equipping,
and maintaining the public hospi
tal. Polls for the election will
be open from 6:30 a. m. until 6:30
p. m. and will be located at the
same places as during the elec
tion of representative to the State
General Assembly. A complete
ly new registration of all voters
in the county is also being re
quired.
Voters, upon arriving at the
polls will be given ballots on
which are printed both proposi
tions, one for the issuance of the
bonds and the other for the levy
of the tax. Spaces labeled “yes”
and “no” will be located beside
both propositions and the voter
will mark either “yes” or “no”
indicating his opinion on the two
proposals. If ballots are torn or
wrongly marked, the voter is to
take them back to the poll hold
ers who will give him another.
If the bonds are issued, the
Washington County Hospital
Board of Managers will secure
through public subscription an
additional $25,000 to complete the
full $75,000 which the county
would provide as its portion of
the money needed to construct
the building.
The remainder of the full sum,
estimated at about $240,000, will
be provided through State-feder
al aid under the North Carolina
Good Health Program, now in ef
fect. Tentative plans are for the
building of a 30-bed hospital,
provided the bond issue is ap
proved.
So far as can be determined at
present, very little if any opposi
tion at all has been offered the
proposition. The construction of
the hospital has been given the
backing of (jjfry civic and relig
ious group, bi#th rural and urban,
in the entire county, as well as
by all private individuals ques
tioned on the matter.
Solicit Bids for
Refunding Bonds
According to an anouncement
by W. E. Easterling, secretary of
the State Local Government Com
mission, sealed bids for $250,000
of Refunding Bonds of the Town
of Plymouth will be received at
his office in Raleigh until 11 a.
m. on Tuesday, February 24.
Right to accept or reject any and
all bids has been reserved.
The bonds, he said, will be
awarded to the bidder offering
the lowest rate of interest cost
to the town.
Decision to have the refunding
bonds issued was made by the
Plymouth town council several
months ago, when it was pointed
out to them that interest on cur
rent bonds would increase from
3 per cent to 4 per cent begin
ning April 1 of this year. The
refunding measure, they decid
ed, would give the town a
breathing space when no money
would have to be expended by
the town on bonds now outstand
ing. This would provide extra
funds needed for immediate im
provements, they pointed out.
Raise $2,000 Fund
To Furnish Home
Economics Room
-♦
Chairman Says Response
Generous by Local Bus
iness and Industrial Es
tablishments
To date a total of approximate
ly $2,000 has been contributed to
the drive to equip the local
school’s home economics room
and science laboratory, sponsored
by the men’s group of the Plym
outh Parent-Teachers Association
unit, E. M, Leavitt, chairman of
the campaign, has announced.
Minimum amount needed to pur
chase the equipment was placed
at $2,921.
Although the campaign was ori
ginally scheduled to last for only
one week, bad weather forced a
halt to the operations of the can
vassers for a while, but they are
making the rounds once more
and all residents have been urg
ed to donate as generously as pos
sible to the drive, Mr. Leavitt
said.
Response so far, the chairman
added, has been very satisfactory
in most instances and that with
in tne next few days an honor
roll containing the names of con
tributors and amounts given will
be posted in a public place.
The campaign was inaugurated
on Monday night, January 26, at
which time civic and business
leaders of the town were enter
tained at a supper given by the
PTA and were taken on a tour of
the home economics and science
departments of the school. At
that time the guests were shown
the equipment shortages being
experienced by both sections ol
the school and a list of the fur
nishings the PTA hoped to pur
chase with donations was an
nounced.
Acting as canvassers for the
campaign are all members of the
local PTA unit's men's gfgujJ
km
Cone Is Speaks
At Bureau Meet
A. A. Cone, assistant State
soil conservationist, was featured
speaker at a meeting of the
Washington County Farm Bureau
last Friday night, speaking on
the advantages and free services
offered county farm operators bj
the Pamlico Soil Conservation
District, of which Washington
County is a member.
Mr. Cone pointed out tha1
upon request by any farmer, a
farm plan will be drawn up, sur
veys will be made, and ditching
instructions will be given free-of
charge by the county soif conser
vation agency.
In addition to Mr. Cone’s ad
dress, W. M. Darden, member oi
the county farm organization,
made a brief explanation of the
Cooley Bill under consideration
by Congress which, he said, would
combine the Soil Conservation
Service and the Farm Extension
Service. The Bureau members
were also shown a motion pic
ture on soil conservation prac
tices from the time of George
Washington until now.
A program committee for the
month of March was appointed.
Members of the committee are J.
C. Swain, Ted Rosenthal, and L.
L. Mizell. W. T. Freeman, presi
dent of the county Farm Bureau,
presided over the meeting.
Woman's Club Party Is
Postponed Until Latex
-*
Athough the bridge party
sponsored by the Plymouth Wo
man’s Club and scheduled to be
held in the Legion Hall on Tues
day night was postponed due to
adverse weather conditions, pur
chasers of the 22 tickets to the
affair have been requested to
hold them until a final date for
tlie party can be set. Date of the
bridge party will be announced
later.
Slush Ties Up Traffic
On Main Streets Here
Water Street in Plymouth, nar
row enough in good weather
was the scene of one of the most
involved traffic jams yesterday
afternoon that the town has seen.
About a dozen cars, all of
which were attempting to go from
the Jefferson to Washington
Street intersections on Water,
became mired in the packed snow
and slush which covered the
street from end to end and from
curb to curb.
Biggest Snow Since 1927
Recorded Here This Week
Local Industries
Closed Two Days
Because of Snow
-♦
jWood Shortage Is Main
Reason for Pulp Mill
Shutdown; Others Ef
fected by Weather
-♦——
All industrial plants in and a
round Plymouth have had acti
vities sharply curtailed or com
pletely stopped by weather con
ditions and shortages of one kind
or another, although most are op
erating on at least a limited sche
dule today.
Officials of the North Carolina
Pulp Company have reported
that the Plymouth mill is run
ning one machine at present.
Shutdown orders were issued by
the plant on Thursday of last
week, to become effective on
Monday of this week, due to a
wood shortage. On Wednesday,
mill officials pointed out that
blocking of roads and highways
would prolong the shortage and
the shutdown, slated to come to
an end next Monday, would pro
bably be extended another few
days. Definite date for the re
sumption of full operations at
the pulp plant will be posted at
the mill within the next few days,
they said.
The American Fork and Hoe
Company plant here was closed
down completely on Tuesday and
Wednesday, although plant offic
ers announced that they hoped
to resume production operations
sometime today. Work will be
done on a limited schedule, how
they added.
Corporation of
t similar con
ditions wert prevailing at the
company’s Plymouth mill with
all activities ceased on Tuesday
and Wednesday although plans
included a return to work, on a
limited scale, sometime today.
Production at the latter two in
dustrial plants were stopped be
cause of the heavy snow. Stores
in Plymouth, with the exception
of grocery stores, drug stores,
and restaurants as well as clean
ing establishments, were closed
on Tuesday. All were re-opened
on Wednesday, however, and
business was carried on as usual.
Hatcher Speaker
At Lions Session
-1
Featured speaker of the eve
ning at last Thursday’s meeting of
the Plymouth Lions Club, Colonel
H. J. Hatcher, director of the
North Carolina Highway Patrol
and the State Safety Division, ad
dressed the club’s members on
the State’s current motor vehicle
inspection program, requesting
that they give it all support pos
sible in this county.
Colonel Hatcher stated that the
highways of North Carolina to
day are as dangerous as the bat
tlefields of Europe, he said that
in 1947, three persons were kill
ed per hour on the highways in
the State. All law enforcement
officers in Washington County
were guests of the club at the
meeting.
In the business session, follow
ing the program, monthly club
dues were raised 50 cents to $5.
Discussion was also held as to a
means of raising a local contribu
tion toward paying for the North
Carolina exhibit at the Lions in
ternational convention to be held
in Madison Square Garden in
New York this summer.
Following the regular meeting,
the club’s board of directors con
vened. President C. W. Dinkins
presided.
Some of the vehicles were tem
porarily abandoned, while other
car drivers, assisted by volun
teers crews recruited from the
sidewalks, made valiant and fin
ally successful attempts to free
their cars from the slippery dil
emma.
After about an hour of digging
and pushing, most of the automo
biles managed to continue about
their business, although several
remained stuck for quite some
time.
Damage to Property by
Snow Said To Be Slight
Although the snow storm in
Plymouth early this week was
the heaviest and most prolonged
since 1927, a relatively small a
mount of property damage has
been reported in town.
One roof over a building in the
downtown section of Plymouth
was weakened and partially cav
ed-in by the weight of the snow,
the majority of damage attribut
able to the weather was limited
primarily to automobiles.
Local garages report that while
their wreckers have been busy
for the past two days pulling out
cars which had become stuck all
Fuel Supply Here at
New Low This Week
Oil Reserves in Town Are
Very Low; Trucks at
Standstill; No Coal in
Yard at All
Adverse weather conditions,
blocking roads in the county for
several days and sending tem
peratures down to the 20’s have
sharpened the coal and oil fuel
shortages in Plymouth and the
county considerably with several
stores and some homes in Plym
outh almost completely without
fuel of any sort by Wednesday
of this week.
One Plymouth oil dealer stated
that he had a small supply of fuel
on hand, but that his delivery
trucks had been sT * vbound in
rural sections of the county for
several days during the early part
of the week. He added that he
hoped to be able to have the
trucks operating again and de
liveries of oil made by this after
noon. Amounts of delivery, how
ever, he added, would be limited.
Another local oil distributor
stated that he was in a similar
position and that although his
trucks were in Plymouth, it
would be impossible to get them
in and out of the oil storage lo
cation until heavy snowdrifts
counld be removed.
Plymouth coal dealers have
stated that they have no coal on
the yards at all and that at pres
ent they have no immediate pros
pects of receiving shipments of
coal. Insofar as the solid fuel
situation is concerned, they said,
the outlook in Plymouth is at the
darkest point that it has been all
winter.
Despite the acuteness of the
fuel shortages, Plymouth busi
nesses are still operating and will
continue to do so although they
were closed by the snow storm
occurring Monday and Tuesday.
--
Lay Preliminary
Plan for Contest
Preliminary plans for a soil
conservation speaker contest,
sponsored by the North Carolina
Bankers Association, were laid at
a meeting of county agriculture
leaders and school teachers at a
meeting held here last week with
E. H. Liverman, chairman of the
county soil conservation com
mittee, anouncing that several
Plymouth business houses had
agreed to furnish three prizes to
be awarded winners in the coun
ty. First, he said, would be a
$25 savings bond; second a $15
cash prize; and third a $10 cash
prize.
In accordance with suggestions
made at the meeting, Mr. Liver
man agreed to make an effort to
have the prizes upped to a $50
bond, and a $25 and a. $15 cash
prize. Donald B. Jones, county
soil conservationist, reported that
he had announced the opening of
the contest to student assemblies
in the three white high schools
in the county and stated that
prospects for having a large num
ber of entries from all schools
are good.
Date of the county contest has
been set at March 12. Winners
will be eligible to enter the regio -
nal contest to be on March 19
Regional winners will enter the
State-wide contest to be con
ducted on March 26. County
contest judges have not been se
lected and will be announced
later.
over the county, no damage or a
' really serious nature had been
reported to them A telephone
car broke an axle on Water Street
Tuesday, while trying to free it
self from the snow, but other
damaged cars experienced no
more than dented fenders.
Few if any injuries to persons
suffering one mishap or another
as a result of slippery steps and
sidewalks have been noted. While
practically everyone in Plymouth
has fallen flat at one time or an
other in the past few days, in
juries, if any, were of a minor
nature.
Report oi Polio
Not Confirmed
William Edward Coburn, two
year-old son of Mr. and Mrs.
Bonnie Coburn of Plymouth,
was suddenly stricken ill on
Sunday and was removed to a
Raleigh hospital for treatment
on Monday evening, Dr. E. M.
Furgurson, attending physician
in Plymouth, has reported.
Dr. Furgurson added that in
fantile paralysis was feared and
that several rumors have been
circulated in Plymouth to that
effect. He added, however,
that poliomyelitis infection of
the little boy has not yet been
confirmed and that no quaran
tine has been imposed on the
home. The illness, he said, may
be due to an entirely different
source.
Negro Youth Is
Found Dead in
Car Near Here
County Authorities Re
port No Evidence of
Foul Play in Death of
Prince Spruill, 19
County law officials have at
tributed to unknown but natural
causes the death of Prince Spruill,
19-year-old colored boy of Plym
outh, who was found dead in an
automobile about two and one
half miles from Plymouth on the
Mackeys Road Saturday around
5 a. m. Spruill died, they said,
about 4:30.
The young Negro was discover
ed by James Baum, colored man
who lived near where the car
was found and who reported his
discovery to Sheriff J. K. Reid.
Investigation by the sheriff re
vealed that Spruill, in the com
pany of several other negroes,
Columbus Hart, 20. Inez Spruill,
16, and Gladys Moore, 19, all of
Plymouth, had been returning
from an all-night party when the
car, driven by Hart, ran off the
road and got stuck. Hart walk
ed to Plymouth to secure the
services of a wrecker and the
two girls went to the house of
Baum and from there went to
Plymouth. Baum went out to
look at the car and discovered
Spruill’s body.
The other three members of
the party, questioned by the
sheriff, stated that although ex
tremely drunk, Spruill was alive
when they left him at the car.
The sheriff said that no marks of
violence were found on the body.
The three other Negroes were re
leased after being questioned by
the sheriff.
--♦
512 City License Tags
Have Been Sold to Date
According to Plymouth City
Clerk W. A. Roebuck, a total of
512 city automobile license plates
for 1948 have been sold to date,
leaving 138 of the town tags yet
to be disposed of. He pointed out
that failure of Plymouth car
owners to display the tags is
against the law and that offend
ers will be liable to prosecution.
Price of the tags is $1.
Depth Estimated at 12
Inches Here; Storm
Centered Over Eastern
Carolina
-4
Business Is Halted
-»
A blanket of snow, varying in
depth on level places from 6 to
15 inches and piling into drifts
three and four feet deep, covered
Washington County, as well as
the entire northeastern section
of the state Monday and Tues
day of this week, completely dis
rupting business, transportation,
and severely limiting mail and
freight services throughout the
area.
J. L. Rea, assistant director, in
charge of the Tidewater Experi
ment Station, near Plymouth, an
nounced that 200 level measure
ments made on a 10-acre field
varied from 6 to 13 inches, with
an average depth of 9 inches.
Greater depths were measured in
Plymouth, the unofficial approx
imate average being about 13
inches, with drifts, especially in
the business section, being as
much as four feet deep.
Although Mr. Rea stated that
this week’s snowfall cannot com
pare in depth with that of March,
1927, when a 24-inch average was
recorded at the weather station—
at that time located in Wenona—
several Plymouth residents main
tain that the storm this week at
least equals the 1927 “big snow”
in depth here and has caused a
great deal more inconvenience.
The first flakes began to fall
locally around 10 o'clock Monday
morning, and the icy precipitate
continued uninterrupted for the
next 26 hours, finally ceasing
about noon Tuesday. There was
some rain and sleet, but the
amount was too slight to cause
any notice. The snow was said
to be the driest ever to fall here
over any extended period of time.
Streets in Plymouth and roads
in the county generally were
passable Monday night, but by
Tuesday morning the snow had
completely blocked all travel
lanes, delaying mail and freight
deliveries for quite some time.
Grocery store, some of the drug
stores, restaura ts. and cleaning
establishments in Plymouth were
open for business Tuesday, al
though most other places of busi
ness were closed all day or not
opened until noon.
With one or two exceptions,
offices in the county courthouse,
agriculture building, and munici
pal building were closed Tues
day and Wednesday. Industrial
plants in and around Plymouth
suspended operations for several
days, announcing that they would
make an effort to begin operating
again today.
All schools throughout the
county were ordered closed by
education officials Monday night.
No date for reopening has been
definitely set so far, although
classes may be resumed Monday.
Two mail deliveries were re
ceived Tuesday by Norfolk Sou
thern trains, but they were lim
ited and several hours late. The
first mail truck managed to get
through shortly after noon Wed
nesday, bringing the first daily
newspapers since Monday. Lirn
'ted travel was possible on the
main highways, but officials ad
vised that cars be kept off the
roads except in cases of absolute
necessity.
Reports from other sections of
the South indicate that the snow
storm struck the Carolinas, Ten
nessee and Virginia, but were
most severe along the North Car
olina coast. The center appeared
to be in the northeastern coastal
(See BIG SNOW, Page 10)
■
County Is First j
To Close Drive !
According: to a report from
State headquarters of the over
seas clothing: relief drive, con
cluded here on January 31,
Washington County was the
first county in North Carolina
to report its drive over and
relief supplies shipped.
Special mention was given by
the State report to the three
pitchforks given Mrs. Woodrow
Collins, county campaign chair
man, for shipment to parts of
Europe where farm equipment
is almost unobtainable. In ad
dition, 1,534 pounds of cloth
ing, shoes, bedding and toys
were contributed here.
amt.