? CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES ">< 43rd YEAR, NO. 84. EIGHT PAGES MOREHEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1951 PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS NEWS-TIMES OFFICE 504 AtmmMI St. City i 6-4175 Hurricane Damage Runs to Millions Stockholm Sails 20 Hours late In Sunny Aftermath of Hurricane Three Marines Held Under Bond National Guard, Police . Officers Go on Duty At Atlantic Beach Three Cherry Point Marines are being held in the county jail under $200 bond each on a charge of loot ing at Atlantic Beach. During disaster, theft is not a misdemeanor but a felony, Mayor A. B. Cooper explained yesterday. The three, Pfc. Abnam Mohamed, Pfc. Paul J. Snyder and Cpl. Aloy sius C. Peck were apprehended by Atlantic Beach Police Chief George Smith when their car wag searched. In the car were blankets, a radio and other articles allegedly taken from the Atlantic Beach Hotel and two beach cottages damaged Fri day. Members of the Beaufort unit of ihe National Guard were placed on duty at the beach over the week end. For a time, persons were not allowed on the beach Sunday un less they could prove that they were cottage owners. Chief Smith said Ije hired two men, Frank Grantham and Charles Sloan, to assist in controlling traf fic and checking cottages. For a while Sunday, cars were turned away from the beach. There were so many sightseers there was no place for the cars to park. 15 Men Will Go In Army Thursday Fifteen men fro? Carteret Coun- , ty have been ordered to report for induction into the Army Thursday at the courthouse annex, Beaufort, f rom there they will be ?ent to Ra leigh. Beaufort men who are to be in ducted are Moses B. Gaskill Jr., Robert W. Safrit III, Everett O. Styron, John C. Lynch, Alfred An derson Jr., Alfred J. Washington, Rufus Fair Jr. Also to be inducted are James M. Willis. John H. Gray, and Irvin W. Davis Jr., all of Davis; William C. Neal, Marshallberg; Robert Lee Janes and William C. Johnson, Morehead City; John Parmley Jr. and Richard A. Sutton, Newport. Robert Lee Jones, John H. Gray, William C. Johnson and Rufus Fair Jr. are delinquent. They should have tx'en inducted prior to this time but their whereabouts is un known to the draft office. Storm Cause* $80,400 Loss in Town Property Dan Walker. Beaufort . town clerk, gave a preliminary estimate of $80,400 damage to municipally owned property yesterday. The damage to street surfacing, sub-grades, sidewalks, breakwater, curbs and gutters, sanitation and storm sewers, parking meters and fire alarm .system waa caused by the hurricane Frktay. Dancer to Appear Wynema, Indian ceremonial dan cer, will provide the entertainment at 8 o'clock tonight at the meeting of the Literary and Art Depart ment at the Civic Center, Morehead City. The public is invited. ' Hustle, bustle and color markecH the first sailing of a transatlantic liner from Morehead City Sunday. The Stockholm was scheduled to arrive here at 8 a.m. after 20 hours' delay due to Hurricane Hazel. Shortly before 8 o'clock the big, white luxury liner, gleaming in the sun. crossed Beaufort bar. The ship, towering high above the dock bore an emblem painted on its white smoke stack, a blue circle with three yellow crowns in the center. As the ship pulled in, the blonde Swedish sailors began yelling at men ashore, trying to get them to fasten the lines. The sailors were shouting in Swedish but m^st of the directions were unrlers ood only by pointing and much fhiling of arms. The men on shore answer ed back excitedly, "OK, OK." Soon after the ship docked, the passengers began to arrive al though sailing time wasn't until 11 o'clock. Immune to Cold The Swedes on the ship were running around in their shirt sleeves as heavily-coated North Carolinians watched in amazed ad miration. Dignitaries had their pictures taken on the loading platform but photographers had to stop at in tervals to make way for the little tractors pulling trailers loaded with luggage. The long brick warehouse at the port was turned into an office by the ship's officials and passengers checked booking and luggage there. A Morehead City laundry had two ks there taking laundry off the ship. There was much rushing because the laundry had to be back on the ship by 11 o'clock. Flowers Delivered A Morehead City Floral Company truck was also at the dock deliver ing flowers to the passengers. Dan Walker, town clerk of Beaufort, was busy booking storage space for pMwnjeri' cms. * Two blue-suited men walked into the warehouse to serenade the pas sengers with a violin-accordion duet. The man playing the violin had once played before the crown prince of Norway. Departure Delayed The Stockholm was scheduled to leave Morehead City at 2 p.m. Sat urday but couldn't leave New York until after the hurricane had passed. The North Carolina Academy of General Practice booked the cruise for their sixth annual convention and assembly. Mrs. H. H. Allen, wife of the cruise manager, sailed on the ship and was planning to go to Nassau and then fly back to New York Sunday. When asked the reason for se lecting Morehead City as the point of departure for the cruise, Mrs. Allen said. "Mr. Allen had done some work in the south and always thought that Morehead City would be a great port." "He went out in a Coast Guard Cutter once around 1945 or 1946 and looked over this section. He decided that Morehead City had all the facilities necessary." She concluded by saying, "I think Morehead City is an up and coming port." The Morehead City band, attired in their red uniforms, stood by as the passengers went up the red, white, and blue gangplank. The band began playing and the chefs, stewards and sailors came to the rail to listen. Several took pictures of the band. One man stood admiring the tre See STOCKHOLM, Page t Hazel Had Her Lighter Moments J. P. Scott, a Carolina Telephone and Telegraph repair man, was working furiously Friday night trying to get the communications system back in working order in Beaufort after Hu*-ricane Hazel had ripped it down. Then Mr. Scott got a message from his wife saying that the roof of his house had blown off. Mr. Scott shook his head sadly but con tinued working on the telephone lines which had to be repaired. Mrs. W. E. A. Rush, Beaufort, has some chickens which were evi dently glad to see Hurricane Hazel. The hurricane blew down the fence around the chickens' pen and the chickens flew out. They imme diately got in the garden and, with their feathers blowing in the strong wind, started feasting on the garden. Beaufort High School students found time for entertainment at the expense of Hurricane Hazel Friday. The students, who helped remove merchandise from the stores, were riding skiffs down Front Street in the middle of the hurricane. The howling wind would blow skiffs down the street and then the kids would push the skiffs back up the street and take another ride down. They also hooked rides on piers that were bobbing along. Dan Walker, Beaufort town clerk, tried to show the lighter side of Hurricane Hazel. The street department on Satur day blockcd off streets that they were cleaning. At the point where the street was closed, Mr. Walker placed signs which read "Street Closed for Fall Cleaning." N ^ ?? John Lashley, Morehead City clerk court, is swearing out a war rant for the arrest of Hazel Hurri cane for malicious damage to pub lic property. Capt. Herbert Griffin, Morehead City Police Department, has al ready declared that he won't serve the warrant. Lions Schedule Broom Sale The Morehead City Lions Club will have il annual Broom Sale on Thursday and Friday, between 6 and 9 p.m. each night. Lions Club members will knock on every door in Morehead City selling brooms made by the Guilford Industries for the Blind, an organization employ ing only blind help. The proceeds from the sale will be used by the Lions Club Sight Conservation Program which helps the blind and visually-handicapped of Carteret County. Brooms will also be on sale Sat urday at Early Jewelers, Webb's, City Bakery and Rose's. This past Thursday night the Lions entertained the Cub Scouts of Beaufort and Morehead City who aided them in their recent bread sale. 'Hot dogs and all the trim mings were served to the Scouts and to Lion families. The club made $275 on its recent bread sale in Morehead City and Beai\fort. North River Bridge to Be Open to Traffic This Week J. L. Humphrey, county road su perintendent. said Saturday that he hopes to have the North River Bridge ready for traffic by the end of this week. Highway crewmen were at work Saturday repairing the washed out west end of the bridge. Creosoted timbers are being placed crosswise to meet the still-standing middle part of the bridge. The same will be done at the east end where the high waves of Friday's hurricane swept the struc ture away. Officials Make Inspection C. Y. Griffin and R. Markham. second division highway officials, were at th? bridge Saturday to make an inspection and expedite repairs. The approach to the Harkers Island bridge was damaged but one wsy traffic was maintained. Mr. Humphrey said the bridge would be safe for the school but by yes terday morning. It so happened that two highway trucks were down east when the storm hit, making it possible for work to start first thing Saturday on the Harkers Island bridge. All school busses were able to travel their usual routes yester day, according to Mr. Humphrey. Children west of North River at tend school st Beaufort and those east of North River go to Smyrna. Bridge Weakened The Beaufort draw across Gal lants Channel was weakened on the west by the turbulent water. The span has sn obvious dip. Mr. Humphrey said they're keeping an eye on it and load limit signs will be posted as soon as the strength of the bridge is determined. The highway all the way to. At lantic. east of North River is open, according to the road suptrin tendent. Traffic is flowing aa usual over Highway 24 to Swansboro but the Swansboro bridge was slightly damaged when a boat "knocked a hole in it," said Mr. Humphrey. At North River the state has rented a speedboat owned by Hay wood Snell to ferry people back and fourth. It's being operated 24 hoars a day. On the Saturday after noon shift were Jimmy Golden and Donald Knudsen. both of Bettie. People going down-east or com ing westward park their cars at the bridge, then board the boat. Those who don't have transportation are taken Into Beaufort in a state pick up truck which has been designated for taxi service. Superintendent Humphrey esti mated that SO men were at wm-k on the highways in Carteret Saturday, some of them prisoners from the New Bern camp. Beach Bears Brunt of Storm Damage from Club Col ony Through Ocean Ridge Set at $2,500,000, Mayor A. B. Cooper of Atlantic Beach has estimated total damage to cottages all along the beach area, from Club Colony west through Ocean Ridge, at two and a half million dollars. Damage to the town of Atlantic Beach, its streets, walks and other town property, according to the mayor, is at least $170,000. Mayor Cooper attended a meet ing of all beach mayors at Wil mington Sunday. The meeting was called by Mayor L. T. White of Wilmington to get a total estimate of damage to coastal municiplities so that this figure may be forward ed to Washington. The federal gov ernment has designated North Car olina as a disaster area and prom ised funds to help the communities dig out of the rubble. Mayor Cooper has suggested that the mayors of Beaufort and More heac^ City make estimates of their town damage immediately so that the figures may be sent to Wash ington without delay. Hotels Damaged Both the Atlantic Beach and Ocean King Hotels were severely damaged. The dining room of the frame Atlantic Beach Hotel, situated at the southeast corner of the first floor, now has an open exposure j toward the ocean and the east. Both of those walls were com pletely washed away when the tide undermined the foundation The hotel's front porch has collapsed. The space between the hotel and the women's bathhouse is filled with debris. The roof of the bath house and Davis's dance floor and refreshment stand toppled forward and is resting on the bf.ach. The ocean front of \he Heart of the Beach caved in and all con cession stands along the board walk are one grand mess of splin tered wood. Capt. Bill Ballou, owner, estimates damage to the Heart of the Beach at $30,000. The Ocean King hotel's con crete block wall on the ocean front was torn asunder by the waves and the front of the hotel is lean ing forward at a dangerous angle. A. B. Cooper who owns the ho tel says that at least 30 feet will have to be taken off the front. He had no idea of how much the dam age amounts to in dollars ad cents. The cottages east of the hotel j See BEACH, Page 2 Toby Westbrook Dies Friday Night Rathor (Toby) Westbrook, 50, of Mansfield, died at 9:45 Friday night from a shotgun, wound in his head. Coroner Leslie D. Springlc ruled the death suicide. Westbrook, who was reported to be in poor health, ran the West brook Grocery and Service Station with his wife, Mrs. Swannie West brook. In addition to his widow, he ii survived by a son. Sutton, 20, of the home, and a daughter, Velda, II. Coroner Springle laid that West brook got ready for bed, then ap parently put the end of the (hot gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger with hia toe while he sat on the bed. The Westbrooks lived behind the service station which was located on Highway 70. At the time the shot went off, Mrs. Westbrook waa checking the cash register preparatory to closing and another person, Charles R. Weston, was just leaving the sta tion. Coroner Springle said that a mo torist, Robert M. Russell; got in his car and reported the incident to Deputy Sheriff M. M. Ayscue. There was no phone service at that time due to the storm. The body was removed by the Dill ambulance and taken to Kins ton. then to Trenton for burial Sunday. The Westbrooks moved here from Trenton in 1952. Tide Table Titles at the Beaufort Bar HIGH LOW Tueaday, Oct. IS 1:43 a.m. 7:57 a.m. 1:10 p.m. 7:48 p.m. WctaNday, Oct. 21 2 52 a.m. 9:09 a.m. 3:21 p.m. 9:52 p.m. Thursday, Oct tl 3:58 a.m. 10:16 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 10:49 p.B. Friday, Oct. n 4:55 a.m. , 9:13 p.m. 11:19 ).m. Get Typhoid Shots, Health Officer Urges Dae U the receat flooding of many areas in Carteret County Dr. Luther Fukher, health off! cer, urges all who have not had recent typhoid shots to get them as soon as possible. This can be done by the family doctor or the county health de partment. Public health nurses j are visiting communities this week. A clinic will be held *11 day to day, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the health department offices in Beaufort, to administer typhoid shots. Town Board, Hospital Board Confer Last Night At an emergency meeting of the Morehead City town board and the Morehead City Hospital Board of Trustees at the municipal building last night, officials made estimates of the damage to municipal prop erty. Mayor George W. Dill, Morehead City, conferred with Ed Rankin, secretary to Governor Umstead, by telephone yesterday. Mr. Rank- ! in suggested that the town board pass a resolution requesting fedcr- l al aid under Public Law 875 of the 81st Congress. The resolution, passed last night, contains an estimate of the hurri cane damage. The resolution will be sent to Governor Umstead and then a field representative under Gen. Edwin Griffin, State Civil Defense commander, will survey the request and investigate the situation here. > "It is possible that we may get outright grants," the mayor com rncnted. He said, however, that the state cannot match federal funds there fore the towns hit by the hurricane have been asked to help themselves as best they can. * The mayor c^tnioe.^ed the peo ple of Morehead City for pitching in and cleaning up their property. He said the work they have done has In-en a tremendous help to the strict department and he asks that they c itinue to clean up as much as thiy can. .-ks for the private homeowner who sustained heavy loss in the hurricane, the mayor reminds him o make application to the Red Cross at the municipal building in Morehead City or to the sheriff's office in the courthouse, Beaufort. The mayor said quite a few busi nessmen are concerned about their losses. He has been advised that the Small Business Administration will have a representative in this area to survey losses with a view to making loans, long term at low interest. He said that in some cases a man who had a very small business may be given an outright grant to get htm back on his feet again. But, he added, the man must have had a substantial business be fore the storm. When the Small Business Ad ministration sends an official here, the public will be notified, said the mayor. People may also inquire as to developments at the clerk's office in the municipal building. Ducks Carry Mail At North River Three ducks, amphibious ve hicles from Camp lem along the lines. Power into Smyrna was flowing by noon Saturday and it was re stored all the way to Atlantic by 3 p.m. Repairs Sunday There was a total outtage in Morehead City from 6 to 7:15 a.m. Sunday to repair slight damage at the main Morehead City power sta tion and power was off in Beaufort from 7:45 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. Sun day to check insulators in the Beaufort station. Mr. Stovall said the street light circuit in Morehead City is a total loss. Wires were blowing into high voltage circuits and crewmen simply cut them down. Stop lights in Morehead City are out too. "We were hard hit on the beach." Mr. Stovall added. But current as far as Money Island and also westward on the beach was restored by Saturday night. On Sunday current to Fort Macon was flowing again. Most of the line damage was caused by flying debris. The vil lage of Salter Path got little dam age. Although many residents there sought shelter in Morehead City, property loss was light. A deep gully was washed across the banks west of Salter Path but had started closing by yesterday. Power was available to Salter Path by 3 p.m. Saturday. Lines to the community west of Atlantic Beach are owned by REA. ? Hurricane Hazel ripped through Carteret County Fri day, causing damage way up in the millions of dollars. Few people cared to even guess at the total loss. The areas hardest hit were those along the water. Inland parts of the county came through surprisingly well com pared to the tremendous damage the storm wrought up st ate. Sheriff Hugh Salter who flew over the county Saturday morning reports that most of the damage downeast, as could be determined from the air, is sunken boats. Buildings seem to be intact. At Harkers Island, boat damage and net loss was heavy and roofs of several houses were blown off. At Williston the boat building works re Pictures of storm damage in the county will appear in Friday's NEWS-TIMES. cently constructed by Elmer Willis was leveled and of the three boats reported sunk at Grady Davis's fish house at Davis, one is believed to be beyond salvaging. The storm literally blew Carteret County into yester year. To get eqst of North River a boat is needed. Satur day morning a body, embalmed and ready for burial, was carried on a boat, complete with flowers, to its resting place at Harkers Island. Swansboro Suffers Swansboro was severely hit. The Cedar Point drive-in theatre is a shambles. Highway 24 from about a mile east of the bridge is littered with marsh grass, mattresses, boats, and oil tanks which broke loose from their foundations and were carried high by the tides. The community center at Swansboro was set up as a Red Cross center. Fred Phillips' fishing pier, located between the two bridge spans, was washed away and the building at its end is tilted at a crazy angle. At Morehead City Fleming's fishing pier and Mom and Pop's fishing pier, which extended northward into Bogue Sound, were washed away. The Duke Marine Laboratory pier on Pivers Island was destroyed. The loss is estimated at $2,500. The laboratory boat, the Venus, was grounded and the skiffs. washed up on land. Other property damage there was minor, amounting to less than $100. Roof Blow* Off | The roof of Freeman Brothers Grocery Wore, Arendell I Street, blew off and landed across the street in front of the Outer Banks Fare All Right "The outer banks fared better in this storm than we did," reports Earl Taylor o( the Airport Service Center. Beaufort, who has mkde nu merous trips along the outer banks since Hazel struck Friday. High water was reported on Oc racoke and Portsmouth but the property damage was not nearly as extensive as it is inland. Mr. Taylor said he saw no bodies of cattle or ponies and believes that they survived the storm. "The damage along Atlantic Beach, from the air, is a sight to behold," says Mr. Taylor. However, people from upstate were here Sunday to go fishing. A party was taken by plane to Drum Inlet Sunday and made fine catches of drum. In Mr. Taylor's opinion the fishing will be good during the coming weeks in spite of Hazel's churning of the waters. It was reported soon after the storm that new inlets were cut in the banks north of Portsmouth, but Mr. Taylor said any new inlets there had been cut through by either Carol or Edna. She Packed a Wallop Hazel was no lady. She was every inch a hurricane. Carteret will be two weeks climb ing out from under the debrla of this storm. Carol and Edna were slight "blows" compared to the hurricane which hurtled north ward from Haiti, missed the Flor ida coast but barreled with unre lenting vengeance into the Caro linas Friday morning. Early advisories on the storm said she would hit this part of the coast before 7 a.m. Friday, but It was not until 8 that water start ed piling up. Five hours later blue sky pushed aside clouds that had ridden the crest of 80-mile-an hour winds. The high tides dropped sudden ly. leaving skiffs in the middle of highways Wet, brown grass was piled as high as three feet deep at high water marks, and pilings as big as telephone poles lay about like toothpicks tossed aside by ? passing Paul Bunyan. Causeway Blacked By I a.m. there waa no way of getting across the Beaufort- More head City causeway. Water 4 feet deep at the east aide of the Beau fort bridge trapped unwary motor tsts. Cars cboked, gasped, Strug gled and were silent, like (lief caught in a giant web. Their occupants rolled their pants to their knees or lifted high their ikirls and waded home. Hazel did something no zoning law or town ordinance has been able to. She moved a small tin fish house on the south side of Front Street In Beaufort to the north aide. Friday afternoon the fish house was resting intact in Miss Lcssie Arrington's front yard. About Face Erratic Hazel pulled something new out of her bag of tricks. In stead of a shift from the north eaat to northwest, she did a com plete switch, from the northeast to the southwest and that was the undoing of many small boats an chored (o withstand northerly winds. At the height of the storm, sbout 10:30, steady gales were lashing the water, snapping tree limba, pulling down TV aerials, and car rying away docka. The barometer had dropped to 28 and stayed there 'til almost 1 p.m. The courthouse in Beaufort and the town hall In Morehead City had bean designated as refuge SM WALLOP, Pafa X ?Vlorehcad Theatre and Belk's De partment Store. The tons of tin struck the theatre marquee and smashed the plate glass window at Belk's. A Carolina Power and Light truck was slightly damaged when the roof hit the ground. The truck was parked between Freeman's and the Gulf Service Station. The roof and other debris that came flying earthward were re moved by the town crew Saturday morning. The skating rink on Shepurd Street collapsed. The en tire area from 7th Street west on Shepard to 12th is littered with debris. Roofs of front porches have collapsed, trees are blown over, and skiffs and heavier boats rest as far as 100 feet from the water. The Gordon C. Willis fish house was damaged by the swirling high waters and the water rushed head long into the basement of the Morehead City Hospital. The nurses' living room, technician's laboratory and the kitchens are lo cated in the basement. Kitchen Awash No meals were cooked in the kitchen until yesterday when things started to get back to nor mal. Meals for patients were or dered over the weekend from local restaurants. As in Beaufort, waterfront prop erty in Morehead City was severe ly damaged. At one of the res taurants on the Morehead City waterfront holes were bored in the floor to let the tide surge in and out. Captain Bill Ballou estimated damage to his restaurant at about $500. Jerry Schumacher, photog rapher, said his place, which if built over the water, was just about washed away. The concrete block fence from 11th to 12th Streets on Bay blew over and at drlve-ln theatres every where throughout the county fences were blown down and fre 'See HURRICANE. Page 2 County Chairman To Call Meeting Dr. K. P. B. Bonner, Mure heart City, chairman of the county board of commissioners. said yesterday that he would call an emergency meeting of the county board the latter part of this week to get a total estimate of storm damafc throughout the county. Dr. Bonner aaid the mayora of the four incorporated towna. Beau fort. Morehead City. Atlantic Beach, and Newport would be in vited. The chairman ind the meeting would not be called immediately because commissioners living Mat of North River cannot attend dna to transportation difficulties.