PROGRESS SENTINEL ^
VOL.XXXXVNO.il USPS 162-860 KENANSV1LLE. NC 28349 MARCH 13. 1980 10 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
TRAINS DERAIL IN WARSAW - The firsi derailment was
March 2nd, and was said t? have been caused by a faulty
switch Only tw>> days later, in the same spot, a second
train derailed, and this derailment was also said to have
been caused by ihe faulty switch. Railroad crews worked
all day Wednesday, repairing the track and gci'ing four
derailed ears back on the track.
Emergency Services And The Snow
Emergency Calls Double
Duplin Emergency Service
employees and local fire and
rescue volunteers began
answering snow-related calls
Saturday afternoon, said
Emergency Services Director i
Hiram Brinson.
As the snow increased,
Brinson said, so did the list
of calls for help. "We an
swered 47 ambulance and
fire calls, which is about
double the usual number of
calls," he added. "There
were so many calls that a
priority list was made and
each call was ranked."
"We have snow tires on all
our vehicles and at first that
was enough to get us through
but as the snow piled up we
could only use the two four
wheel drive vehicles the
county department has."
Brinson said. "However, we
had plenty of help because
there were people calling in
and volunteering to help.
Farmers were helping with
their tractors, and people
with four-wheel drive trucks
were helping to transport
nurses to and from the
hospital and Guardian
Care," he added.
The local fire and rescue
volunteers manned all the
local fire stations day and
night, Brinson said. Anyone
traveling through Duplin
County or living in Duplin
but unable to get home was
taken to the nearest fire
station where they were pro
vided a cot and food. Brinson
said.
"We took the cots and
pillows and blankets from the
Emergency Department's
packaged portable hospital to
'.the fire stations for tne
people who were stranded."
Brinson said. "There were
about 35 stranded at the
Warsaw fire department, 10
in Kenansville. and 6 or 8 in
Beulaville, and the majority
of these people were from
out of the county."
"And each time we sent
out the ambulance, we had to
send out a tractor to pull it
through the snow." Brinson
said. "Monday we had a call
in Chinquapin, and it took
the Chinquapin ambulance
over four hours to get to the
hospital, and then the patient
had to be transported out of
Duplin General by helicopter
to another hospital for an
operation.
"On another one of the
calls we had to deliver a
baby. The call came from the
Potters Hill area, and on the
way back. Dr. Nichols
(Emergency Room doctor at
Duplin General) was brought
out to meet the ambulance
and he delivered the baby
before the ambulance arrived
at the hospital. Dr. Nichols
returned to the hospital in
the jeep with the baby."
Brinson said.
there were no deaths re
lated to the storm. Brinson
said, But, he added that one
death occurred during the
snow in February when a
man froze to death. As part
of the emergency services,
Brinson said wood was taken
to two peopte, and sevacat
other persons were trans
ported to and from the
grocery stores.
Brinson added that only
local dispatchers and jailers
worked at the Sheriff s and
emergency services depart
ments during the snow
storm, and like the rest of the
employees, they slept when
they could. Many employees
worked double shifts, if not
completely through the
entire snow storm, Brinson
said. And. according to
Brinson, the jobs did not end
when the snow stopped
falling; volunteers with four
wheel drive vehicles and
tractors continued to work
day and night scouting the
roads for stranded motorists
and transporting hospital
and nursing home staff
members.
"I would like to thank all
the people with four-wheel
drive vehicles and tractors
who helped us during the
storm, and I think everyone
worked really well together,
which made everything run
very smooth," Brinson said.
"It was a team effort when
the Piggly-Wiggly roof col
lapsed in Faison. We had
local fire and rescue units
from Faison, Mount Olive,
Warsaw and Kenansville
answering the call," Brinson 1
said. "The entire county
worked as a team to aid
anyone in trouble," he
added.
After the roads were
cleared and transportation
back to normal in the county,
the emergency services de
partment began to survey
damage, Brinson said. The
emergency services was
among the first county de
partments to contact govern
ment officials such as Repre
sentative Doug Clark.
Senator Harold Hardison and
Insurance Commissioner
John Ingram with requests
for aid to poultry farmers and
private citizens suffering a
loss due to the storm.
The latest Duplin Agricul
tural Extension Service
figures indicate that 148
poultry houses were com
pletely flattened by the snow
and wind, killing about 50%
of the birds in the houses.
Snow Pay Approved
By Commissioners
Duplin County employees
will receive administrative
leave for the three days the
offices were closed this past
week because of the weekend
snow and ice storm.
The board of commission
ers authorized the leave dur
ing its storm-delayed meet
ing Thursday.
Administrative leave
means that each employee
will be given straight pay for
the lost days. Persoris who
worked regular hours during
the three days will be given
time off for time worked.
Persons paid hourly wages
who had to stay on duty extra
hours will be paid time and
one-half for hours worked in
excess of the standard 40.
During the three-day
period, the dispatchers at .'he
sheriffs department handled
47 ambulance and fire calls,
I
about double the normal
amount for that length of
time. Civil Preparedness Co
ordinator Hiram Brinson told
the board.
After a 30-minute execu
tive session, the board, by a
split vote, failed to adopt an
ordinance that would have
required the county manager
to inform the commissioners
prior to hiring or firing any
employees. TTte motion was
made by D.J. Fussell and
seconded by Allen Nether
cutt. Voting against the
motion were Commissioners
W.J. Costin, Franklin
Williams and Calvin Turner.
James Sprunt Technical
College was authorized to
transfer SI,300 from a
budget line item, S3,000
from building contingency
funds and SI7.930.S6 from
unbudgeted cash reserves to
meet costs of repairing the
1
roof over the diesel shop.
The roof has been leaking.
The Airport Commission
received permission to install
a jet fuel tank at the P.B.
Raiford Airport. The com
mission will advertise for
bids on the project.
The board authorized
David Underhill. supervisor
of the county landfill, to
transfer SIS.000 from auto
repair funds to supply funds
to pay for the increasingly
high cost of fuel. He said last ,
year he paid 57 cents a gallon j
for diesel fuel, and he is now ]
paying 97 cents. He said
gasoline had increased from
67 cents a gallon to $ 1.04.
Representatives of the
Department of Transporta
tion will discuss highway
work plans for Duplin County
for the next year at the
board's March 17 meeting.
Governor Hunt Declares
County Disaster Area
When Governor Jim Hunt
visited Duplin County last
week, he announced action
had been taken by his office
to support the request that
Duplin be declared a disaster
area.
As a result of the late
winter snow storm, Duplin
County poultry producers
lost 200,000 turkeys and half
a million broilers, and 138
poultry houses, with several
hundred more houses receiv
ing partial damage, county
agricultural extension
service figures indicate. Re
sponding to the $10 million
loss, Representative Charlie
Whitley of the third con
gressional district (Duplin,
Sampson, Wayne, Onslow,
Pender, Bladen, Johnston,
Harnett and Lee counties)
asked President Carter to
declare the third district a
disaster area.
The declaration would
allow farmers and other
property owners to be eli
gible for low interest loans to
rebuild. As the Governor
toured poultry operations in
Duplin County, he explained
to farmers that he had sent a
letter requesting the small
business administration to
make assistance available to
disaster victims.
Later, during Hunt's visit,
Rose Hill
Rejects
Water Bonds
Voters in Rose Hill re
soundingly defeated mere
than $1 million in water and
sewer bonds in a special
referendum.
Fifty-one percent of the
town's 641 voters turned out
at the polls despite deep
snow, election officials said.
The $650,000 in water bonds
were defeated 80-245 and
$435,000 in sewer bonds
were denied 87-243,
The project was valued at
more than $3.8 million, with
$2.7 million of the total to
come from state and federal
sources, including the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency and N.C. Clean
Water Bonds, in addition to
other sources.
Mayor Ben Harrell said
before the vote that if the
referendums were defeated
this time, he would try to put
them on the ballot again.
he addressed a group of
Duplin citizens at the
Warsaw fire station. Hunt
commended Duplin for their
quick action toward asking
for disaster assistance, which
would also benefit counties
adioining Duplin.
"1 am concerned about the
damage from the storm.
Duplin County is one of the
worst damaged areas that 1
have seen as Governor of this
state," Hunt stated.
"And 1 have sent a letter
to the Small Business
Administration in Wash
ington, D.C. requesting that
Duplin be declared a disaster
area," Hunt said, "and my
office will follow this request
up with telephone calls and
visits, or whatever it takes
in order to get the fastest
results. 1 am not going to let
a lot of red tape slow this
down.
"If Duplin is declared a
disaster area, then adjoining
counties will also be declared
a disaster area and will be
eligible for low-interest
loans," Hunt said.
Progress in the state must
be kept moving. Hunt said.
"Over the last three years.
North Carolina has been
progressing steadily, with $6
million in new investments,
which is more than was made
in the preceding eight
years," he said. Resulting
from the $6 million in invest
ments, 300,000 new jobs
have been generated, Hunt
said, with 300 of the jobs
being in Duplin.
Hunt' added that the
balanced growth program
REA Loan
For Four
County EMC
Third District Congress
man Charlie Whitley
announced last week that the
USDA Rural Electrification
Administration has approved
a loan of $2,857,000 for the
Four County EMC with head
quarters at Burgaw. The
REA lists three purposes for
the loan: To finance service
for 2,000 additional
customers, to finance 112
miles of distribution line, and
to finance system improve
ments including substation
facilities.
was aimed at communities
like the towns in Duplin
County. With the aid of
Highway 40. Duplin will
grow economically, with new
industries locating in the
county. Hunt said.
"Education determines
where industry will locate,
and this county has believed
in good education and has
been under some of the
greatest leadership in the
state with men such as Dallas
Herring." Hunt said.
Hunt added that Duplin
County is the leading agri
cultural county in the state,
and through his trips to the
Middle East a tobacco
market has been established
between China and R.J.
Reynolds. And this year
more North Carolina tobacco
has been bought by Euro
pean buyers than from anv
other state. Hunt said.
Georgia had been the leading
supplier for foreign markets
until this year, the Governor
added. The increased foreign
demand for North Carolina
tobacco will be what saves
the state tobacco farmers.
Hunt said.
"The joint venture be
tween R. J. Reynolds and
China, where a Chinese ciga
rette factory is supplied to
bacco from R.J. Reynolds
might be what saves the
North Carolina farmer."
Hunt said.
Leadership of the state is a
team effort. Hunt said, and
the people of North Carolina
are positive people working
every minute of every day to
continue the state's prog
ress.
ctA IJfc . ' ?? :y ? ~ "*~
DIPLIN SWINE PRODUCERS SUFFER SNOW
DAMAGE - Wendell Murphy of Murphv Farms in Rose
Hill. : >ld Governor Hum thai while Duplin swine
producers did not suffer ihc loss of buildings, ihey would
face lie f >ss of many pigs during ihc nexi three weeks due
In severely cold leniperaiures which accompanied the
sh'-w s orm lasi week Murphi esiimaicd iheir hog loss
w uId ' al 5(H) in ihc nexi few weeks from pneumonia
caused by ilie o ld icmpcraiurcs. This would be a $50.(XK)
FAISON PIGGLY W1GGLY HOOF COLLAPSES - Utc in the sh ipping day
Tuesday. March 4. ihc snow-covered roof of the Faison Piggly Wiggly
collapsed injuring f >ur persons Three store employees and a customer
were rescued from the front of the building in the check-out area where
the ro< f fell without warning. All except the customer, who was
>
hospitalized, were treated and released. The following day store
employees worked to salvage what items they could as the snow melted
and poured from the roof into the building According to store employees,
the store will be closed until repairs have been completed, a..d no estimate
of how long that will be was given.