T'own
opics
J. W. House returned home
Thursday from Asheville after at
tending a Chevrolet meeting held
at the Grove Park Inn. Accom
panying Mr. House on the trip
were J. H. Edwards, of William
ston, and J. G. Taylor, of Rober
sonville. Mr. House reported that
the weather was “very hot Mon
day and Tuesday but nice Wed
nesday.”
J. D. Haddock left Wednesday
for Wrightsville Beach to attend
the convention of the life insur
ance company which he repre
sents. He expects to return to
Plymouth late Friday.
A. L. Singleton is undergoing
treatment at a veterans’ hospital
in Kecoughtan, Virginia. It is
thought that he will be able to
return to his home here within
the next few days.
We lifted this one from “Fut
ure,” a Jaycee periodical, figuring
it merited reprinting:
“When you need to tighten
your belt, it’s a recession: when
you don’t have a belt to tighten,
that’s a depression. When you
don’t have any pants to hold up,
that's a panic.”
Mute testimony to the torrid
weather this section has been sub
jected to in recent weeks (or is
it months, now?) are the wax
crayons melted down in the dis
play window of a Water Street
store.
“if you haven't yet paused to
observe the display of pictures,
news stories, features and column
material in the window of the
Coca Cola Bottling Works on
Water Street, you’ve missed an
attractive piece of work. Spon
sored by the Pamlico Soil Con
servation District and arranged
by County Conservationist Harry
Newland, it tells in picture and
story the beneficial work the
Soil Conservation Service is ac
complishing.
Mayor Reynold Spruill, of
Roper, was in Plymouth yester
day with his right leg in a cast.
He lost his balance and fell about
6 or 7 feet from a retaining wall
back of his home Monday, severe
ly spraining his right knee, but
breaking no bones. Although the
injury was very painful, the
mayor said he was getting along
all right and he expects to have
the cast removed in about 10 days.
The Plymouth Municipal Build
ing has had its face lifted in the
past week by the application of
a couple of coats of paint. The
fording "Municipal Building”
Rlso was repainted, and the
structure now presents a much
improved appearance.
The Washington County Selec
tive Service Board recently re
ceived a directive ordering that
all dentists and physicians in
Priority No. 3 be classified. Only
one man in the county, a physic
ian, is affected by the order. The
local board has no inf mmation
as to whether or not his classifi
cation is a preliminary to being
ordered to report for active duty
with the armed forces.
CpI. C. W. Ange
Visiting Parents
-1
Cpl. Clarence W. Ange, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Levin Ange, of the
Angetown section just over the
Washington County line in Mar
fan County, was a visitor in Plym
outh Tuesday afternoon. Cor
poral Ange returned home last
Friday after three years of serv
ice with American occupation
forces in Germany.
The young man said he had
been stationed at Landstuhl,
Germany, with the 583rd Medical ,
Ambulance Company (Sep.), ser- ,
ving as driver of an emergency ■
ambulance. He has been in the ,
Army almost four years, reenlist- i
ing last Septmeber for an addit- i
ional hitch of six years.
Ange said that he liked being j
stationed in Germany very much, ,
and he hopes to be reassigned to j
duty there at the conclusion of his ■
present furlough. He said he had
run into several boys from this ,
general section, including Ralph ]
LeFever, of Wenona; James Mod- <
lin, of Jamesville; and Morton i
Critcher, of Williamston. Ange is (
a subscriber to The Beacon, while
■jtoung Critcher receives the Wil- (
Tiamston Enterprise, and he said ,
they would get together and ex
change papers every now and
then.
The Roanoke Beacon
****** and Washington County News ******
A home newspaper dedicated
to the service of Washington
County and its 13,000 people.
I VOLUME
LXIII—NUMBER
32
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, August 7, 1952
ESTABLISHED 1889
| LIGHTNING DAMAGES METHODIST BUILDING HERE I
■ 1
A bolt of lightning Wednesday night of last week “peeled”
the tall chimney at the new educational building of the local
Methodist church, doing a considerable amount of damage. Bricks
and mortar from the chimney wrecked a portion of the guttering
around the edge of the building and on the furnace room below,
as well as knocking out several panes of glass in the windows!
It is understood the loss was covered by insurance.—Polaroid 1
Minute staff photo.
Board To Close Last
One-Teacher School
Gcamril Meeting
Put Off Monday
The l'lymouth City Council
did not hold its meeting Mon
day night of this week, as origi
nally scheduled, but will meet
next Monday night instead, ac
cording to City Clerk W. A.
Roebuck. Delay in receiving
the report of the recent audit
and absence from town of two
councilmen were given as rea
sons for the postponement.
, Auditors recently completed
audit of the town books, and a
study of the report was sched
uled to be one of the main
items of business this month.
When the report was not re
ceived in time for consideration
Monday, it was decided to wait
a week and avoid having to
call a special meeting for that
purpose.
Total Rainfall in
July Recorded at
Farm 7.06 Inches
-f
Precipitation Recorded on
12 Days of Month; August
Total i'hus Far Stands at
1.64 Inches
-♦
Total rainfall for the month of
fuly, according to figures releas
;d by the weather station at Tide
vater Test Farm, was 7.06 inches,
vith rains of more than an inch
ailing on the 9th, the 23rd and
he 30th.
The heaviest rain during July
ell on Wednesday, the 30th, the
neasured precipitation being 1.18
nches. That of the 9th was 1.07
nches, and the 23rd, 1.05 inches
There was some precipitation
luring 12 of the 31 day's of that
leriod. Rain fell on five succes
ive days from the 6th through
he 10th, the total for the five
lays being 2.86 inches.
Nearly an inch of rain fell on
he 6th and almost a half-inch
vas measured on the 18th and
9th but on the 10th and 16th it
(See RAINFALL Page~12)
Deep Bottom Colored Pupils
Will Attend Other Schools
In Plymouth and Roper
Districts
& —♦— \r*
x-ie last one-teacher school in!
Washington County was ordered
discontinued at the monthly meet
ing of the board' of education
here Monday. The school is at
Deep Bottom, a colored unit, lo
cated on the Plymouth-Mackeys
road at Westover.
The Deep Bottom school, which
had an average daily attendance
of only 22 last term, is consider
ed by the State Department of
Public Instruction to be too small
to carry on an adequate program
of instruction. The order passed
by the county board of education
Monday directs that children who
would have attended this school
are to be absorbed into the ele
mentary schools of the Plymouth
and Roper districts. County of
ficials say some of the pupils will
go to Roper, some to Plymouth,
and some to the Mount Delane
school.
Contracts of four teachers,
three at Roper and one at Cres
well, were also approved at the
board meeting Monday. The
teachers are Mrs. Beulah W. Gay
lord, Mrs. Cordulia Hassell and
Mrs. Pattie Starr Willis, all to
leach at Roper; and W. E. Bate
man, who will teach at Creswell.
Request of the J. T. Pearson
Plumbing & Heating Company,
5f New Bern, to transfer its con
tact to install heating equipment
n the Creswell physical educa
:ion building to the Henry Baker
Heating Company, of Wilson, was
ipproved. The Baker firm has
:he heating contract for the union
tolored school at Roper and i
igreed to take over the Pearson i
-ontract at the bid figure sub
mitted by the New Bern firm.
Members of the board of edu- ■
•ation and the county superin
endent met witn the board of 1
:ounty commissioners and re- :
juested use of two wings of the I
'ormer county home for school !
jurposes beginning September 1, <
1952. The request was granted by
he commissioners. One wing of 1
he old1 countyr home was used '
ast year to provide three class- 1
moms. It is understood that two
more classrooms will be utilized
here during the coming term. 1
Soil Conservation Meet Here Today
-*- -♦- -1- '
E. H. Liverman, Carl Hevnen ;
and Hoyt Davenport, Washington <
County supervisors of the Pamli- 1
co Soil Conservation District, are i
hosts today (Thursday) to the 1
regular quarterly meeting of the <
district.
The meeting was scheduled to i
open at 10 a. m. at the Agricul- <
ture Building here, where the
regular business session is being (
held. i
The group will recess for 1
lunch at the Mayflower Restaur- <
int and in the afternoon will go
>n a tour of the Test Farm near
iere \nd also a group of Dismal
arms, among them the farms of
I. H. Liverman, Edward L.
)wens and Tom Harrison.
Good soil practices, as carried
iut on the various farms, will be
ibserved and discussed.
The Pamlico District takes in
he counties of Washington. Tyr
ell, Beaufort, Hyde and Dare.
Supervisors from each of these
•ounties are expected to attend
he meeting and participate in
he tour.
A native of Washington Coun
y, Herbert D. Bateman, will be
i special guest for the occasion.
Mr. Bateman, who now lives in
A’ilson and is president of the
branch Banking & Trust Com
pany, was born on one of the
arms which will, be included in .
he afternoon tour.
Plymouth was host to a regular
juarterly meeting of the Pamlico ^
District in August of last year, ,
ilso.
Action by Board
Only on Routine
Matters Monday
Commissioners Agree to A1
low Necessary Space in
County Home for School
rooms
-♦
Action was taken on several
routine matters at the regular
monthly meeting of the Washing
ton County Board of Commis
sioners held here Monday. The
board meeting opened at 11 a. m.
in the commissioners' room at the
courthouse with the following
members present:
Frank L. Brinkley, chairman;
J. C. Knowles, H. L. Davenport
and H. W. Pritchett.
The county attorney advised
the board that the county had no
authority to issue a beer license
to Mrs. C. C. Gibbs, of Roper,
since the licensing of establish
ments to handle beer is under
supervision of the State Alcoholic
Beverage Control Board and the
county has no jurisdiction in the
matter.
Members of the county board
of education, along with Superin
tendent of County Schools Roy F.
Lowry, visited the meeting re
garding additional rooms to take
care of the students this Fall. The
board of commissioners agreed to
allow the necessary space in the
old county home to take care of
the extra classroom space and
Lowry was authorized and in
structed to notify any tenants us
ing the apartments in the wing of
the building near the hospital to
vacate those apartments needed
to take care of the school chil
dren.
The clerk to the board, J. Ro
bert Campbell, was instructed to
write Henry W. Lewis for infor
mation regarding the counties
which had a revaluation of pro
perty during either January of
this year or of last year. The in
formation is to be forwarded to
Hubert L. Davenport, the Wash
ington County tax supervisor.
County Tax Collector E. J.
Spruill reported to the board that
the sum of 107.'H had been
Collected by nis office during the
month of July.
Mrs. Frances M. Darden, home
agent, and W. H. Pruden. county
agent, read their reports of work
accomplished during the month
of July.
Mrs. Darden extended an invi
tation to the commissioners, the
clerk and the county agent to
have dinner at her home. The in
vitation was readily accepted and
following recess for the noon
hour, the group enjoyed Mrs.
Darden’s hospitality at a de
lightful repast.
Border Belt Had
$54 Average for
First Day Sales
-♦
Price About $4 Higher Than
On Opening Last Year,
Despite Heavy Offering of
Inferior Grades
-*
Despite inferior quality of the
jfferings, tobacco prices averag
ed about $54 on the opening sales
n the border section of North
Carolina Monday, according to
jreliminary reports reaching
rere. The price is about $4 per
lundred above the average re
jorted on the opening day sales
> year ago.
Those grades of average quali
y and even the common grades
;old about $10 higher than they
lid a year ago. and prices for the
setter types averaged about $4
>er hundred higher, the prelim
nary report indicated.
The bulk of the tobacco sold on
>pening day ranged in price from
140 to $69 with the practical top
>egged at $70. There were a few
cattered sales at $71 per hun
Ired.
Although the quality of the op
>ening-day “break” was said to
lave been inferior, it was rated
lightly better than the quality of
he offerings a year ago.
Sales were comparatively light,
ind farmers, hardly complete
vith harvest, did not attend the
ipening in great numbers.
Takes by the Stabilization Cor
loration did not average more
han three per cent Monday—one
>f the lightest transactions in sev
■ral seasons for this government
iriee-supporting agency—and the
luying companies usually stayed
veil above the support price on
he competitive grades.
This was seen in a sampling of
trades picked at random as fol
ows: Low orange primings, with
i support price of 28 cents,
nought from 37 to 52 cents per
lile; good orange primings, 53
■ent support. 66 cents; good lem
>n primings, 56-cent support. 59
o 70 cents; nondescript, 17-cent
Tsee^BORD ER^ELT^Page^7~)
Plymouth Schools Facing
Crowded Situation Again
Necessary To Use Two
More Rooms at County
Home and Two in Build
ing Being Constructed
Principal J. S. Fleming, of the
Plymouth white schools, is be
ginning to realize what the old
lady who lived in a shoe was up
against. Come September 3rd,
when county schools are sched
uled to open, and he will have
so many children that already he
doesn't know what to do.
Going over the records last
week, Mr. Fleming learned that
absolutely minimum require
ments would be 30 classrooms, 21
for the elementary department
and 9 for the high school. Class
rooms available, including a num
ber of substandard and makeshift
rooms, totaled exactly 26, leaving
him two rooms short in the ele
mentary department and two
more in the high school.
Since that time, the county
board of education has obtained
permission to use the former
county home for two more class
rooms and the contractor for the
school additions here is doing
everything possible to complete
construction of a small structure
to provide two classrooms by Sep- i
tember 3rd, when the schools
open. If everything works out i
right, the schools will at least ,
open, but there will be no room
for any further growth in the ,
foreseeable future.
me local schools have earned
two additional teachers as a re
sult of the decreased teacher load
authorized by the state depart
ment and increased average daily
attendance last term. There will
be 21 teachers in the elementary
department, 20 for grade sections
and one public-school music
teacher. There are nine high
school teachers, eight for grade
sections and one for the home
economics department.
Classrooms in use last year in
cluded six at the old Hampton
Building three at the former
county "Aime, and three in the
basement at the high school
building. All these will be in use
when school opens next month,
as well as the two added1 rooms
at the county home and two in
the band and industrial arts
building now under construction.
Mr. Fleming said there would
be three sections of each of the
first four grades during the com
ing term, two sections each of the
fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth
grades; and two sections in each
of the four high-school grades.
In addition, there will be several
extra teachers, including physical
education, public school music
and band, home economics and
the principal.
Last term's total enrollment
was 931, membership was 867,
and average daily attendance
was 825. The local principal ex
pects the enrollment figure to
climb above the 1,000 mark dur
ing the early days of the new
term. It is expected that the sen
ior class in high school will have
a minimum enrollment of 46 at
the start of the term.
In addition to the band and in
dustrial arts building, now un
der construction, the foundation
has been poured for an addition
containing 11 classrooms. This
will be added at the south end
of the present high school annex.
These structures, when complet
ed. with the gymnasium and
principal’s home, take up prac
tically the entire high school lot,
and playground space will be at
a premium. Unless additional
space can be secured in the im
mediate future, there will not
even be room to park the school
busses while school is in session.
Despite the crowded outlook,
Mr. Fleming said it was expected
the local school would open Sep
tember 3rd with a full comple
ment of teachers, and every ef
fort will be made to make the
best of existing conditions.
■ i
Services Sunday
For Moore Infant
-♦
Funeral services were held
from Saints Delight Christian
Church Sunday for Joseph How
ard Moore, jr., two-months-old
son of Joseph H. Moore and Sybil
Woodley Moore, of Orlando, Fla.
The child died Friday morning
at 5:25 o’clock at an Orlando hos
pital.
Surviving are the parents; the
maternal grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. L. E. Woodley, of near
Roper; an aunt, Miss Jo Ann
Woodley, of Raleigh; three uncles,
A. B. Woodley, of Washington,
D. C., M. W. Woodley, of Union
City, Pa., and W. O. Woodley, of
Tacoma Park, Md.
Services were conducted by the
Rfv. Paul B. Nickens, pastor of
the Ludford Memorial Baptist
Church, of Plymouth. Burial was
in the church cemetery.
LIGHTNING STARTS FIRE; DESTROYS PACKHOUSE |
■■ -—...-J
Tins is all that was left of a pack barn on the Dr. White
farm, just east of the Plymouth city limits, after it was struck
by lightning and destroyed by fire during an electrical storm Wed
nesday night of last week. The farm is under lease to J. I, in wood
Knowles, who had three curings of tobacco, a quantity of hay,
and numerous small farming implements in the packhouse when
it was destroyed. The loss is estimated to exceed S3,000. Local
volunteer firemen managed to save the tenant house just across
the road in the background.—Polaroid 1-Minute staff photo.
First Draw for Trade
Prizes Here Saturday
Registraiion Reported Light
For Silver Harvest Day
Event, But Interest Said
Mounting
-♦
Interest is retportedly mounting
as the time approaches for the
first prize drawing in the Silver
Harvest Day trade promotion be
ing sponsored in Plymouth by 37
firms.
The first drawing is slated to
be held at 2:30 p. m. Saturday of
this week. The place—in front of
the City Market on Water Street.
Registration for the first draw
ing began Friday of last week but
most participating merchants
have stated that registrations
have been rather light. It is ex
pected. however, that interest
will really grow following the
first drawing.
Receptacles are displayed in the
stores of all member firms and
tickets are available to anyone
over the age of 16 who wishes to
sign his name and address and
drop into the box. The tickets are
free and there is absolutely no
obligation to buy anything.
Saturday, the boxes from the
various stores will be emptied in
to a larger box which will be lo
cated at the point where the
drawing will be held. Promptly
at 2:30 o’clock the box of tickets
will be well shuffled and a ticket
drawn out. If the lucky person
is in the crowd he will be asked
to draw out a token from a bag,
determining just what percentage
of money he will receive out of
the treasure chest established by
the participating merchants.
If the person whose ticket is
drawn is not present someone
else will be permitted to draw
a token for him and the two will
split the winnings 50-50, accord
ing to the rules of the event.
Many merchants declared this
week that they find it necessary
to explain to a large percentage
of their customers how the con
test works, but it is hoped that
after the first few drawings
everyone will become familiar
with Silver Harvest Day and ex
planations will be no longer
needed.
Following the drawing Satur
day, everyone eligible will be free
to register for the next drawing
to be held the following Satur
day. Drawings will be held each
week thereafter so long as the
event is sponsored here.
-•
No Fire Alarms Turned
In Here in Past Week
— ♦
No alarms were turned in here
during the past week. Plymouth
Volunteer Fire Department offi
cials reported.
Tax Collections j
In July Record !
The month of July was a
record-breaker for the collect
ion of town of Plymouth taxes,
it was learned yesterday from
P. W. Brown, chief of police
and tax collector. More than
$30,000 was collected from all
sources, as against about $24,
000 in July of last year, the
previous high.
A sizeable proportion of last
month’s collections was ac
counted for by the $28,000
worth of 1952 taxes, on which
a 2 per cent discount was al
lowed during July. About $1,
100 was collected on the 1951
levy, with the remainder being
for license taxes and other mis
cellaneous levies.
Light Receipts of
Bell Peppers Here
As Season Begins
-+
Lang Pickle Plant Gets Ear
ly Harvestings from Con
tracted Acreage in This
County and Pitt
-♦
Small quantities of Bell pep
pers have begun to trickle in at
;he Lang Pickle plant on Brink
ey Avenue, C. W. Dinkins, plant
nanager, reported late yesterday.
The Plymouth plant is the re
ceiving station for peppers pro
iuced on 120 acres in Pitt and
Washington Counties. There are
!0 acres planted to the crop in
his county. It is the first time
hat peppers have been contract
’d for in Dinkins’ experience and
he growers who have planted
he crop in this county are also
lew at the game.
Mr. Dinkins reports, however,
hat the crop is pretty, especially
nentioning those of Dick Nor
nan. Harold Turner, Mamie
Smith and A J. Riddle. Norman
las the largest acreage devoted
o the crop, with four acres of
leppers.
Some other farmers who are
‘rowing peppers this year in the
county are Eli Phelps, jr.. Floyd
\sby, Richard Sutton, E. G. Arps,
Fames H. Ward and Melvin Tet
erton.
The peppers are used in mak
ng sweet mixed pickles, a large
iright red square usually being
~7seT PEPPERS^P^Tt)
Damage Run High
In Couniy Wrecks
During Pasi Week
Total Estimated Damages to
Four Autos Involved in
Three Recent Accidents
Of $1,150
-»
An estimated $1,150 damage re
sulted from three highway acci
dents which happened in this
county during the past several
days.
The most serious wreck hap
pened Friday afternoon at 4
o’clock on N. C. Highway 94 at
Kilkenny. A. 1947 Dodge 4-door
sedan was damaged to top and
sides approximately $500 when it
turned over after the driver,
Cedric Arthur White, of Bath,
fell asleep at the wheel.
The car was traveling south on
the highway when it went out
of control. The car hit a roadside
ditch on a sharp curve and rolled
over. White received cuts on his
right arm and was carried to a
Columbia hospital for treatment.
State Highway Patrolman J. E.
Morton, of Roper, investigated
the accident and stated that there
was no evidence of high speed.
No arrest was made.
The left rear fender of a 1941
Ford belonging to Walter Edison
Knowles, of Roper, was damaged
to the extent of about $50 in a
wreck Tuesday on U. S. Highway
64 a mile east of Roper. The car
was driven by Walter Edison
Knowles, jr. It collided with a
1940 Ford driven by Thomas El
borne Gaylord, also of Roper, and
owned by Gerald G. Gaylord.
Patrolman Carl Gilchrist, of
Plymouth, reported that it was
raining hard at the time of the
accident and that visibility was
poor. Both drivers were charged
with operating a motor vehicle to
the left of the center line. Dam
age to the front of the 1940 Ford
was placed at $150.
Thursday evening at 6:30
o'clock a 1941 Nash going north
on the Piney Woods Road over
turned and did about $450 dam
age to the top and sides. The
driver, Hal Eugene Moore, color
ed, of Plymouth, told Patrolman
Gilchrist that the coil spring at
the left rear of the car dropped
off and caused1 him to lose con
trol of the machine.
Me ore was unhurt and no ar
rest was made.
Gel Call for 27
Men Next Month
-♦
Washington County will not
have an induction call in Sep
tember, the local selective board
was notified this week, but 27
registrants will be called1 for pre
induction examination on Thurs
day, September 11. September
will be the second straight month
without an induction call, as none
are to be sent during the current
month.
One-half of the group called to
leave September 11 for examina
tion will be composed of men
previously rejected. They are
now in 4-F, but are subject to
reexamination under a directive
issued earlier this year. However,
very few of those reexamined
have passed on their second trip
to the reception center.
A special bus will be chartered
to take the 27 men to be called.
They will report to the office of
the local draft board in time to
leave at 8 a. m., on September 11
for the reception center at Ra
leigh.
New Sewer Lines Installed
Recently by Town Workmen
-*—
The town of Plymouth street
force has been busy this week
laying some new sewer lines. An
B-inch line was put down from
the veterans building to Peacock
Swamp, a distance of about 1,100
feet, according to Chief of Police
P. W. Brown.
A small storm-sewer line was
taken up and replaced with 36
inch pipe in the vicinity of the
old union station. This line hand
les much of the water from the
Brinkley Avenue section, and it
is believed the larger pipe, will
end the flooded conditions that
have prevailed in that area after
heavy rains.
Easy for State Service Men to Vote
-♦- -A_
North Carolina has made things
easy for military personnel who
want to vote in this fall’s general
election.
Secretary Raymond Maxwell
of the State Board of Elections
pointed out that State law pro
vides three methods service men '
and women can use to register!
and vote. ,
They can send an application ;
to vote to the Secretary of State ■
or to the Chairman of their coun- <
ty board of elections or members
:>f their immediate family can ap
ply for them.
If the service people are eligi
ble to register and vote, their ap
blication will serve to get them !
m the registration book even if
hey are not registered.
Maxwell said several thousand
jersons in the military forces vot
;d in the recent primaries. Their
ipplications for primary ballots
vill entitle them to receive gen
ral election ballots.
In fact, added Maxwell, North i
Carolina has gone farther than a
strict interpretation of the Con
stitution would permit in its laws
tor voting by service personnel,
fhe Constitution indicates that
voters should appear in ^person
when they register, but Maxwell
said he doubted if anyone would
:ontest the law.
“We’re listed among the favor
able states by a War Department
agency which has been investi
jating the problem of voting by
iervice men,” said Maxwell.