The
Little Town
In North
Carolina
Gateway To
Roaring Gap
And The Blue
Ridge
The Elkin
TRIBUNE
CAROLINA'S
NO. 1 NEED
VOL. No. XXXV No. 12
PUBLISHED WEEKLY ELKIN, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1947
$2.00 PER YEAR
18 PAGES—THREE SECTIONS
1940 FLOOD INUNDATES ELKIN — Photo shows a scene looking- southeast from the top of the
Sydnor-Spainhour building during the record flood of 1940. Such disaster will be prevented if funds
are set aside by Congress for the Yadkin River Flood Control Fropect. The matter is now under con
sideration by the Appropriations Committee. —Tribune Photo
^Yadkin Flood Control
Appropriation Sought
Seek To So Dam River That Future
Floods Will Not Plague Section
w -—
By THOMAS WILSON
Seven years soon will have
passed since the Yadkin river
stormed ’ over its banks in the
worst flood of Yadkin valley his
tory.
On the afternoon of August 13,
1940, a thunderstorm broke over
the valley and, as the rains fell
on into the night, telephone wires
hummed with the ominous warn
ing: ‘"The river is rising!”
• The next day, in the early light
Jt)l dawn, Elkin residents watched
anxiously as the swirling river
swept out of its channel and
reached for homes along the wat
er’s edge. Families worked fran
tically to move what property
they could to higher ground. But
by noon the rampaging river was
rushing through Elkin streets,
bearing the wreckage of homes
and buildings on its muddy crest.
When the flood waters had re
ceded, Elkin was an isolated com
munity. Communication lines
were washed away. Bridges were
out. Railway and transportation
service was halted. Water lines
and power plants failed. Nine
were dead along the valley and
hundreds were homeless. The
threat of fire and disease struck
fear in the hearts of citizens.
No one knows what the flood
cost. Destroyed property in Elkin
alone was estimated at half a mil
lion dollars. In North Wilkesboro
the trail of destruction was even
greater. The toll in human fear
and suffering was immeasurable.
V
Today, the only evidences or tne
flood are high water marks on
buildings that withstood the im
pact of the raging river.
But the threat of destruction
that another flood would bring
still hovers over the people of the
valley. Farmers look down on
their fields along the fertile river
banks and wonder whether the
angry waters will come again to
destroy their crops before the
harvest season comes. Anxious
faces scan the skies when storm
clouds rise on the horizon. Fami
lies along the Yadkin prepare for
the worst when the message
JERSEY CATTLE
MEN WILL MEET
Everyone Interested In Form
ing Cattle Club Is Invit
To Attend
IN ELKIN CITY HALL
Farmers of Surry and surround
ing counties who are interested ir
forming an organization of Jersej
cattle owners have been invited bj
County Agent Neill M. Smith anc
Assistant Agent G- Mark Gofortl
to attend an organizational meet
a in the city hall here tomorrow af
* ternoon at 1:30.
Speakers on the program wil
include John A. Arey. head of th<
dairy extension office at N. C
State College, and Ray Morrov
and Harry K. Lutz, officials of th<
North Carolina Jersey Cattle Club
^tewhich is sponsoring the meeting.
Paul Burch, of Mountain Park
has been appointed chairman o
the group, which will consist o
Jersey cattle owners from Surry
Wilkes, Yadkin, Stokes, Forsyth
-AAsbe and Alleghany counties.
comes that the river is rising.
Rains bring urgent queries for
weather reports, for the swift
flowing Yadkin reaches flood
stage quickly.
But there is hope that one day
the threat of flood will be ban
ished. The Yadkin River Flood
Control Committee, composed of
citizens from Surry, Yadkin,
Wilkes and Forsyth counties and
headed by J. E. Justice, Jr., of
North Wilkesboro, has worked
long and hard for a plan to build
detention dams on the upper
Yadkin that would hold back
flood waters.
And in Washington, Represen
tative John H. Folger has devoted
unceasing efforts to have the
flood control plan enacted into
law. Chiefly through his efforts,
the 79th Congress authorized an
expenditure of $7,194,000 for the
construction of four dams on the
Yadkin above North Wilkesboro.
Appropriation of funds for the
propect would be a routine mat
< Continued On Page Six)
WILL SPEAK AT
LOCAL CHURCH
Dr. J. S. Hiatt And Lewis
Alexander To Fill In For
Rev. Ralph Ritchie
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Dr. J. s. Hiatt and Lewis Alex
ander will be guest speakers at
Elkin Presbyterian Church at the
eleven o’clock worship services on
February 23 and March 2, respec
tively.
‘•The Steward With Open Eyes,
1947,” will be the topic of the
message to be presented by Dr.
Hiatt, general superintendent of
Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospi
tal. Dr. Hiatt is a former district
superintendent of the Western
North Carolina Methodist Con
ference.
Mr. Alexander, a local attorney,
was graduated from Wake Forest
College and served as a lieutenant
in the Navy. He is assistant sup
erintendent of the Presbyterian
Sunday School and is active in
the religious and civic activities
of Elkin.
Rev. Ralph v. C. Ritchie is
spending two weeks in Richmond,
Va., attending the Sprunt Lec
tures at Union Theological Sem
inary.
Elkin Zoning Law
Amended By Board
Aii amendment to the zoning
■ regulations of the town of Elkin
has been enacted by the mayor
and board of commissioners, and
becomes effective upon publica
I lion today.
The amendment add three
sections of the town to the terri
tories listed in the original zoning
ordinance of July 17, 1939. The
, new areas include sections on Oak
land Drive, Hawthorne Road and
. Highway Number 268.
A ropy of the amendment, sign
: ed by Mayor Garland Johnson and
, attested by City Clerk Dixie Gra
, ham, appears in today’s issue of
The Tribune.
ELKS LOSE TWO
TO JONESVILLE
Yadkin Team Also Defeats
Yadkinville At West Yad
kin Monday Night
TEAMS ENTERTAINED
The Jonesville high school bas
ketball teams won four games over
the week-end, defeating Elkin at
Elkin Friday night and Yadkin
ville at West Yadkin Monday
night.
The Elkin games were marked
with many fouls which slowed
both teams considerably. The
Jonesville girls turned in their best
performance of the season in win
ning 41-28. Fisher lead the at
tack with 22 points to take top
honors in the scoring column.
The boys’ game was a thrilling
contest. The height of Jonesville’s
players accounted for a 25-22 vic
tory.
After the games Elkin high
school staged a buffet supper in
the home economics department
for both teams and coaches.
Monday night the girls defeated
Yadkinville 25-15 and the boys
avengpd an earlier defeat by
emerging victorious, 20-17.
The Jonesville teams will invade
Boonville tomorrow night for a
pair of games. Boonville is the
only school to defeat Jnesville in
both boys’ and girls’ games this
year and those were by very close
scores.
CHATHAM TALK
WELL RECEIVED
Elkin Industrialist Appears
Before Legislative Com
mittee At Hearing
FORMER BOARD MEMBER
Raleigh, N. C„ February 18.—
No talk on behalf of the North
Carolina Wildlife resources bill at
the recent Legislature committee
hearings was more heartily re
ceived than that one made by
Thurmond Chatham, Winston
Salem and Elkin manufacturer.
Chatham spoke eloquently and
with a note of sincerity that mov
ed the packed House chamber. A
former member of the State De
partment of Conservation and De
velopment commission, he could
talk from both sides of the issue.
His experience had convinced him
that complete separation of the
game and Inland fisheries division
from the Department was the
only salvation for the State’s
wildlife resources.
“As a former member of the
Conservation Board,” he said, “I
have believed for years that there
must be complete separation.”
Young Democrats To
Hold Rally March 1
The .state - wide Young Demo
cratic Organizational Rally will be
held at the Sedgefield Inn, near
Greensboro, on Saturday, March
1, at 7 p. m.. according to an an
nouncement by Frank Freeman,
chairman of the organization com
mittee.
Mr. Freeman suggested that
Young Democrats who plan to at
tend the rally make reservations
at the hotel in advance.
The meeting was orginally sche
duled for February 8, but was
postponed because the speaker in
vited to address the group was not
available on that date.
REFEREE NAMED
IN GREENWOOD
CASE BY JUDGE
Hearing Is Held Before Judge
Last Wednesday
FILED AGAINST TOWN
North Wilkesboro Man To
Report Findings In Air
port Matter In June
LIST SEVERAL COUNTS
Attorney W. H. McElwee, of
North Wilkesboro, was appointed
referee in the case of Andrew
Greenwood vs. The Town of Elkin
at a hearing before Judge Frank
M. Armstrong last Wednesday in
Dobson. Mr. McElwee will report
his findings in the case to the
June term of Surry County sup
erior court.
Motion to appoint a referee was
brought by Roy L. Deal, attorney
for Andrew Greenwood, after
Judge Armstrong had denied the
plaintiff’s motion for judgment
on the pleadings.
The defendants’ objection to
the appointing a referee was over
ruled.
Mr. Greenwood filed the com
plaint against the town of Elkin
I last fall, charging the mayor and
board of commissioners with ir
regular conduct in connection with
the leasing of lands on Swan
Creek road to the Blue Ridge Avi
ation, Inc., for the construction of
a municipal airport. Several
charges were listed in the com
plaint, among them that town of
ficials had acted illegally in auth
orizing expenditure of funds for
construction of the airport without
submitting the question to the
voters.
Tire complaint also alleged that
Commissioner Carl C. Myers war
a principal stockholder in the Blue
Ridge Aviation, Inc., and that he
violated a state statute which
makes it unlawful for members ol
a municipal governing body to dc
business with themselves where
public funds are involved.
In answer to the complaint, the
town alleged that the board ol
commissioners did not deem it
necessary to submit the questior
of construction to the voters, since
the funds to be expended were tc
•come from a treasury surplus, and
that monies collected as ad val
orem taxes on real estate were not
to be used in construction of the
airport.
At the same time Mr. Myers de
nied the charge that he was a
stockholder in the aviation com
pany while also a member of the
board of commissioners.
Listed as defendants in the com
plaint were The Town of Elkin;
Mayor Garland Johnson; Com
missioners Carl C. Myers, R. C
Freeman, Charlie N. Myers, J. W
L. Benson and J. O. Bivins; H. H
Vestal and wife, Charity Vestal;
and Blue Ridge Aviation, Inc.
Appearing for the defendants at
the hearing were city attorneys W
M. Allen and Hoke Henderson
Folger and Folger, and Woltz anc
Barber, of Mount Airy, and Miltor
Cooper, of Elkin.
Jonesville Boy
Winner Of Medal
James Robert Martin, son ol
Sam C. and Myrtle Cummingt
Martin of Jonesville, now attend
ing Valley Forge Military Aca
demy at Wayne, Pennsylvania
will run in the National Track
Meet at Madison Square Garden
New York City, on February 22
1947.
He previously won a medal at
Convention Hall in Philadelphia
Pennsylvania, also for running, on
January 29, 1947, and is now
training f6r the Olympics. Foi
some time he was Physical Direc
tor at the Y.M.C.A. in Boston
Massachusetts.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin and
Frances Swaim will accompany
him to Newr York City this week
for the meet in Madison Square
Garden.
Tribune Advertising Gets Resultt
Yadkin Valley Cage
Meet Starts Monday
All is in readiness for the
Yadkin Valley Conference
Basketball Tournament which
will open Monday night in
the Gilvin Roth YMCA.
Made up of teams from
Surry, Yadkin, Wilkes and
Alleghany counties, the tour
nament is expected to feature
some fast basketball as the
best teams of the section
come hete to compete fur the
championship. Capacity
rjrowds arc expected as the
tournament rolls along: in the
large gymnasium at the Y.
Among the teams to show
here will be Pilot Mountain,
Jonesvilte, West Yadkin, Elk
in and other high ranking
squads. Competition ‘is ex
pected to be spirited through
out the entire session.
Further details concerning
the tournament will be found
on page 1, section 2.
1
WINNER IN SPEAKING CONTEST — Alton Weaver, of Ashe
County, is shown as he was presented first prize of $25 as winner in
the semi-finals of the annual soil conservation speaking contest
held in North Wilkesboro last week. Forrest Jones, left, secretary
of the North Wilkesboro chamber of commerce, is making the
presentation in behalf of the Kiwanis and Lions clubs.
Farmers Urged
To Return Cards
For Tickets
Farmers who have received
invitations to the annual Farm
ers’ Day Program here March
6 are urged to return their
cards so that tickets may be
mailed for the banquet.
County Agent Neill M. Smith
stated that February 25 was the
deadline for returning the cards
and that banquet tickets would
go to the first 400 fanners re
turning their cards.
Invitations have been limited
to 400 farmers of Surry, Wilkes
and Yadkin counties.
ELK GIRLS IN
CAGE FINALS
Topple Over Pilot Mountain
Tuesday At Flat Rock By
Score 35-31
HANES DEFEATED HERE
Elkin high school girls were tc
play Flat Rock at 7:30 o’clock
Wednesday night in the finals ol
the Surry basketball tournament
staged in the Flat Rock schoo]
gymnasium.
Due to the fact The Tribune
went to press prior to the playing
of this game results cannot be
given.
The Elkin girls defeated Pilot
Mountain Tuesday night to fight
their way into the finals, playing
an exceptionally fine game anc
upsetting their rivals 35-31. Park
er scored 21 points to lead the at
tack for Elkin.
Flat Rock girls, who played
Elkin in the finals, had to go twc
overtime periods before downing
Franklin 18-17 as M. Midkif]
dropped in a free throw to turn
the track. The two teams went
scoreless in the first overtime
period.
Monday night Elkin captured
two victories from Hanes, of Win
ston-Salem, in the local gym, the
girls winning the opener 20 to 14
and the boys winning a 31 to 24
victory. Parker and Royall lec
the Elkin attack with a total ol
13 points.
In the boys’ game the Elkf
pushed into a quick lead and were
never headed. Ketchel Adams
led the attack with 8 points, C
Eldridge with 7, and B. Osborne
with 6.
Eltyn will play Pilot Mountain
here Friday night at 7:30 in a
twin bill.
Piedmont Quartet
To Be At Clingman
The Piedmont Quartet and
Johnnie Miller, of Radio Station
WSJS, Winston-Salem, will be at
Clingman school Saturday night
February 22, at 7:30 o’clock, feat
uring a program of fun and sing
ing. The program is being spon
sored by the W.O.W. of Cycle.
Clingman school is located three
miles south of Ronda.
JAYCEES HOLD
REGULAR MEET
Number Of Business Matters
Are Discussed Following
Dinner Meeting
HEAR TOURNEY REPORT
The Elkin Junior Chamber ol
Commerce held its regular dinnei
meeting Monday night in tht
YMCA. Business matters were dis
cussed in lieu of a program follow
ing the dinner.
Stauber Flynt, in charge of dis
bursements for the recent Jaycee
sponsored basketball tournament
gave a financial report of the pro
ject, and Dr. Vernon Taylor dis
cussed briefly the work of the
tournament committee.
President Bob Lankford ap
pointed Sam Atkinson, Gilberl
Meed and Hoyle Cranford as com
mittee men for the 1948 tourney
with N. H. Carpenter, Dr. Vei'nor
Taylor and Ab Crater to act in ar
advisory capacity.
Dr. Taylor and Ab Crater, co
chairmen of the tournament com
mittee, were given a rising vote o:
thanks for their work in tlii:
year’s tournament.
STATE ROAD
MAN INJURED
Section Of Top Of Car Driver
Through Leg When Car
Turns Over Saturday
IS IN LOCAL HOSPITAL
Ray Russell Bauguess, of State
Road, suffered serious injuriei
Saturday night when the car he
was driving swerved off the high
way between Elkin and State Roac
and turned over. A section of the
top of the car was driven throng!
his leg by the impact, which threu
him in the rear seat. The sectior
had to be cut off with a saw be
fore he could be removed from the
wrecked car.
Mr. Bauguess was reportedlj
traveling alone toward Elkin wher
he lost control of the vehicle. He
was taken to the Hugh Chathan
Memorial Hospital here, where he
is receiving treatment. His con
dition was reported slightly im
proved yesterday.
DODGHTON MAY
NOT RUN AGAIN
Hickory Daily Record States
Veteran Congressman
May Retire
SUCCESSORS MENTIONEE
Eighty-three-year-old Robert
L. Doughton, representative from
the ninth congressional district
and veteran of 38 years of service
in Congress, may not be a candi
date for re-election in 1948, ac
cording to a story in the Hickory
Daily Record this week.
A hast, of possible successors tc
the job have been mentioned, in
cluding Ed Anderson, West Jef
ferson newspaper publisher; for
mer U. S. District Attorney Car
lyle Higgins of Sparta; Walter
Woodson, Sr., and W. D- Kiziah of
Salisbury; Eugene Bost of Con
cord; Tom Wolfe, former high
way commissioner, and Senator
Erskine Smith of Albemarle; Sen
ator John McLaughlin and form
er Senator Hugh Mitchell of
Statesville; Representative Max C.
Wilson and former highway com
missioner V- D. Guire of Lenoir;
and Kidd Brewer, of Boone, ad
ministrative assistant to Senator
William B- umstead.
Objection To
Moving W. U.
Office Made
Deadline For
City Tags Set
At March 1st
The time limit for purchas
ing city automobile license has
been extended to March 1, ac
cording to an announcement
from the town clerk’s office.
Attention was called to the
fact that some car owners have
purchased license but are not
displaying them on their cars.
After March 1, motorists who
fail to display tags, even
though they purchased them,
will be subject to citation, Po
lice Chief Wall stated.
A notice concerning city li
cense appears elsewhere in The
Tribune.
STATE FINALS
HERE THIS P.M.
Contestants Representing 45
Counties To Speak Start
ing At 1:30
SPONSORED BY BANKERS
Contestants representing 45
counties will compete in the state
finals of the annual soil conserva
tion speaking contest to be held in
the Gilvin Roth YMCA this after
noon (Thursday) at 1:30.
Winner in the contest will be
awarded a $200 savings bond and
will receive an expense-paid trip
to the annual convention of the
• State Bankers’ Association in
Asheville, which will be held in
> May. Runner-up in the contest
will receive a $100 bond and the
third place contestant will be
awarded a $50 bond.
Alton Weaver, of Ashe county,
winner in the semi-finals of the
contest held in North Wilkesboro
I last week, will represent the dis
trict composed of Surry, Yadkin,
Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany coun
. ties.
Other contestants who will
speak today, and their home coun
ties, are Bill Mitchel, Franklin:
Leonard Dean, Granville; Francis
i Pressly, Iredell: Mattie Sue Car
penter, Cleveland; Boy Hopins,
: Stanley; Baxter Luther, Ran
; dolph; and Edward Storie, Cald
: well.
W. H. Neal, president of the
l North Carolina Bankers' Associa
! tion, will preside at the program
i this afternoon. Judges in the
’ contest will be Dr. J. H. High
i smith, of the department of Pub
■ lie Instruction; Dr. Jane S. Mc
■ Kimmon, retired assistant director
of the N. C. Agriculture Extension
■ Service; Dr. R. W. Cummings,
. head of the Agronomy department
; at N. C. State College; Gurney P.
i Hood, State Commissioner of
■ Banks; and M. G. Mann, of the
. North Carolina Cotton Growers
Cooperative.
The contest is sponsored an
nually by the State Bankers’ as
sociation with the cooperation of
the soil conservation extension
service and vocational agricultural
teachers of schools participating
in the program. Garland Johnson
is chairman of the association’s
agriculture committee which laid
plans for the contest.
Contestants in the finals today
are speakers who won elimination
contests held in their respective
schools, counties and districts.
Copeland Bureau
To Meet Friday
The Copeland Community Farm
Bureau will meet Friday night at
7:30 in the Copeland school audi
torium. it was announced yester
day by F. E. Laync, president of
the organization.
Miss Gaye Taylor, of Ararat,
will give the speech on soil con
servation which won her third
place in the county contest re
cently. 4-H club members will al
so participate in the program with
a skit on health education. S. H.
Atkinson, president of the Surry
County Farm Bureau, will make a
report on the state farm bureau
convention held in Asheville Feb
ruary 2 to 5.
Members of the county agent’s
staff will discuss oat production
and permanent pasture improve
ment to conclude the program.
Tribune Advertising Gets Results
Would Place
On Commission
Basis Locally
At a special meeting of the Mer
chants’ Association in the city hall
Monday afternoon, E. C. Mc
Broom, Western Union District
Manager of Charlotte, discussed a
proposal of his company to place
the Elkin Western Union office on
an agent and commission basis.
Under the plan, the office would
be moved from its present loca
tion on main street and operated
as a commissioned agency of the
bus station, or some other business
establishment.
Both the Merchants’ Association
and the town board of commis
sioners have raised objections to
the proposal. A letter was re
cently forwarded from the town
commissioners to Senator Clyde R.
Hoey and Representative John H.
Folger, requesting that they file a
protest against the proposed move
with the Federal Communications
Commission.
Mr. McBroom stated that no im
pairment of service would result
from the change, which the tele
graph company considers neces
sary because of increased operat
ing costs.
Several merchants and business
men expressed the opinion that
the reasons given for the proposed
change were insufficient inasmuch
as the office has been operated on
the existing basis for nearly 20
years, including depression periods,
and presumably at a profit.
At the request of Mr. Mc
Broom, Hoyle B. Cranford, presi
dent of the Merchants’ Associa
tion, drafted a letter setting forth
the objections to the move, and
recommending that the office be
maintained at its present loca
tion.
a copy oi mi . uaniora s ieuer
follows:
Dear Mr. McBroom:
Confirming our decision at a
meeting of the board of directors
of the Elkin Merchants Associa
tion and other interested parties,
we urge and recommend that the
Western Union office be maintain
ed at its present location. We are
of the opinion that same has been
on a paying basis for a great num
ber of years. We would like to be
shown that the Elkin office is be
ing operated at a deficit.
If it be found absolutely neces
sary and advisable to convert this
office into a commissioned agency,
we urge and recommend that this
be located in its present office.
We are of the opinion that you
will experience no trouble in find
ing a capable agent among our
business men, such as insurance
agents, etc., if your plan is made
known to the citizens of this com
munity. We have no objection to
converting your service to a com
missioned agent, so long as we
continue to be given satisfactory
and confidential telegraph service.
It is our further belief that an
agreement can be reached which
will benefit all parties concerned.
KIWANIANS TO
HEAR WINNERS
First F*lace Speakers To Be
Guest Of Club At This
Evening’s Meeting
BOY SCOUTS ARE GUESTS
The Elkin Kiwanis club will be
host this evening at its regular
6:30 meeting at the YMCA to the
winning contestants of the Soil
Conservation Public Speaking
Contest. Each of the three win
ners will repeat his talk.
Among other guests will be of
ficials of the North Carolina
Bankers Association and of State
College extension service.
At last week's meeting Boy
Scouts of Troop 46, under the
leadership of their scoutmaster,
Fred Norman, staged a very in
teresting program, beginning with
the various activities of scouting
and ending with an impressive
candlelight oath and law service,
and the scoutmaster’s benedic
tion.
R. W. Harris, chairman of the
Kiwanis boys’ and girls’ work
committee, appointed a building
committee to engineer and push
to completion the scout hut. The
committee is made up of Lee
Neaves, chairman; Ezra Shamel
and Harry Hensel.