NEWS-TIMES OFFICE
504 Amd*U St.
Morekwd City
<-4178
CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES '?<
44th YEAR, NO. 69. EIGHT PAGES MOREHEAD CITT AND BEAUFORT. N'OftTH CAROLINA TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1955 PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
County Farm Loss Set at $1,200,100
150 Attend Disaster
Meeting at Courthouse
Directors Seek
New Manager
For Chamber
After accepting the resignation
of Ted Davis, manager of the More
head City Chamber of Commerce,
the board of directors Thursday
night decided to start accepting
applications for the job. Applicants
will then be called before the
board for interviews.
The Thursday night meeting *as
a special session. The regular ses
sion was held last night. Appli
cants interested should mail their
qualifications to Walter Edwards,
President, Morehead City Cham
ber of Commerce.
The directors expressed their ap
preciation to Mr. Davis for hii
splendid service. The chamber
manager has accepted a position
with the commercial department
of radio station WRAL, Raleigh.
Prior to coming here, Mr. Davis
was head of Serv-Air Aviation,
public relations firm at Stallings
Air Force Base, Kmston. Mr. Da
vis was also affiliated at one time
with his brothers, Ferd L. and
Barrie S., in the commercial pub
lishing house, Theo. Davis' Sons,
Zebulon. He later was employed
in the composing room of the Ra
leigh Times.
Mrs. Davis and their four chil
dren moved to Raleigh Saturday.
Mr. Davis will leave here tomor
row.
At Thursday night's meeting the
chamber directors voted to pay
Mr Davis for a two-week vacation
which he did not take. Attending
the meeting in addition to the
president, were Truman Kemp, Al
bert Gaskill, P. H. Geer Jr., Jas
per' Bell, 'W. /. Blair and W. C.
Matthews Jr.
Pine Tree Inn
Burns Yesterday
The Pine Tree Inn, west of
Morehead City, burned to the
ground at 1:30 yesterday morning.
The one-story frame building
stood in a plot of pine trees on
Highway 70, west of the Perry
Park Motel. The inn had been
closed because its beer license
was suspended several months ago.
Owners and managers of the
place were Mr. and Mrs. Dyer
Jones.
Some boys passing the building
in a car reportedly saw the flames
and Morehead City firemen were
called. But the fire had too much
of a head start and the building
was beyond saving.
Sheriff Hugh Salter said yester
day that he believed the owners
were out of town.
Beginners May
Register Friday
For first graders who were not
registered at the pre-school clinics
in the spring, there will be pre
school registration at Camp Glenn
and Morehead City Schools Friday
from 9 a.m. to noon.
All children living on the west
side of 24th street and from there
westward will register at Camp
Glenn school as they did last year.
Those living on the east side of
24th Street and eastward will at
tend Morehead City School.
The principals. Ramie Davis of
Camp Glenn and Lenwood Lee of
Morehead City School, request pa
rents to bring child's birth certi
ficate. Beginners must be 8 years
old on or before midnight Oct. 18,
1955.
Capt. Al Edwards Shows
Boy Scouts How to March
Capt. Al Edwards presented the
program for Newport Boy Scout
Troop 61 Tuesday night. Captain
Edwards explained and demon
strated the basic positions and for
mations In marching.
Boy Scout troops ocassionally
march in parade*, he explained.
After the main program he pre
sented new membership cards to
the troop.
Dick Lockey of the Rotary Club
is the new institutional represen
tative for the troop. The National
Camping Award was also received
last week for the troop's activities
in outdoor camping during the
year.
? The average listener knew little
more, after the disaster meeting
at the courthouse Friday, than he
knew before he went. Approxi
mately 150 persons attended.
The speakers, representing var
ious government agencies, told
what type of service they could
offer with all good intention. But
as usual with government people,
they cluttered what they had to
say with recitation of public laws,
rattled off percentage rates charged
on loans, and talked about "what
heading" such and such a law
comes under. Other than Vance
Swift of FHA, most speakers had
nothing new to offer the farmer.
Town and county officials, as
the result of their experience af
ter Hazel, already knew pretty
well what they had to do to get
Civil Defense funds. But the in
dividual farmer was still some
what puzzled.
As one reporter commented af
ter the meeting: "What all this has
meant is if you have a lot of mon
ey yourself, you'll be able to make
out all right."
To clarify, however, the talks
made Friday morning at the court
house, the places to obtain loans
and who can apply for them, is
published elsewhere on this page.
Apparently the best thing a per
son can do, if he needs help, is to
go to the agency which can handle
his case, tell them his problems
and let the man in that office de
cide what kind of loan he can give
him. The borrower isn't particu
larly interested under what law
the loan can be made or which
Congress passed it, he's mainly in
terested in whether he can get
some money and when.
Inter*'-* rates are low and the
loans do not have to be paid back
as soon as do loans that are NOT
obtained from the government.
(Interest is the amount of "rent"
that has to be paid when you bor
row money. If you live in some
body else's house, you pay for
that privilege. Borrowing money
is "renting" money. You pay for
the use of it. Interest is the
amount of "rent" you pay on the
money you borrow. In this case the
lender is the federal government).
Speakers at Friday's meeting
were Congressman Graham A.
Barden, Gen. Edward Griffin,
State Civil Defense director; John
A. Winfield of the State Depart
ment of Agriculture; Miss Agnes
Waldron, American Red Cross; N.
M. Caldwell, district sanitarian, N.
C. State Board of Health; Andrew
H. Graham, Small Business Ad
ministration, l4ew Bern; and C.
H. Bacon, New Bern area direc
tor, American Red Cross.
County and town officials were
also inroduced and comments were
made by Mayor George W. Dill,
Morehead City; Moses Howard,
chairman of the Board of County
Commissioners; and Mayor A. B.
Cooper, Atlantic Beach.
Farmers Take
Leaf to Market
A number of Carteret County
farmers took their tobacco to mar
ket Thursday when the 17 markets
of the eastern belt opened.
There was a lot of tobacco on
the flooD6, quality was generally
good but there was little interest
on the part of buyers. Many farm
ers rejected the bids made and
took their tobacco back home.
The general price average was
approximately $50 per hundred
pounds; between 40 and 50 per
cent of the leaf, however, went to
the Flue Cured Stabilization Corp.
W. P. Hedrick, tbbacco market
ing specialist with the State De
partment of Agriculture, warned
farmers against rushing tobacco to
market. He advised growers not
to work up and tie too much of
their leaf ahead of time, since it
picks up moisture very easily, espe
cially in humid weather; and de
teriorates in quality.
Committee chairmen oi the
American Association of Universi
ty Women met at the civic center,
Morehead City, last night.
Tides at the Beaufort Bar
Tide Table
HIGH
LOW
Tuesday, Aug. 30
6:14 a.m.
6:27 p m
12:07 a.m.
12:15 p.m.
Wednesday. Au(. II
6:55 a.m.
7:06 p.m.
12:50 a.m.
12:50 p.m.
Thursday, SepL 1
7:33 a.m.
7:44 p.m.
1:31 a.m.
1:42 p.m.
Friday, Sept. t
8:07 a.m.
8:20 p.m.
2:00 a.m.
2:23 p.m.
Blast Damages Boat
/ i '? <
They still don't know what did
it, but there's the hole. Sammy
Hughes, Morehead City, left, owner
of the 22-foot sail boat damaged
by an explosion a week ago Sun
day, surveys the hull with two of
his friends. The second man from
the left with faee hidden, eould i
not be identified.
The man closest the 16 inc h hole
is Gilbert Arthur. Morehead City, i
Miss Nlaxine McLohon, Morehead
City, a passenger in the boat, was
slightly injured but has fully re
covered.
Photo uy Jerry Schumacher
The accident occurred at Shack
leford Banks when something float
ing in the water hit the boat and
blew up. It is believed the boat
may have struck a detonator float
ed into inside waters by either of
the recent storms. The boat was
towed back to Morehead City.
Marines in Car Clip Two
Pedestrians with Stick'
Where to Seek Help
Where to apply for financial assistance if your farm, home or busi
ness was damaged in Cpnnie or Diane:
IF YOU ARE A FARMER ? Go to the office of Mr. 15. J. May i)ij
the second floor of the postoffice building, Beaufort. There an applica
tion will be given you which you must fill out. These are applications
for FHA loans. If you want, you can go to New Bern to the FHA su
pervisor's office there. That office is open in room 206, Dunn Build
ing, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 5.
The supervisor, I. M. Robbins, will be in Mr. May's office in Beau
fort from 9 to noon Thursday, Sept. 8, if you need help in filling out
your application.
IF YOU ARE NOT A FARMER ? IQ you are in any other oecu a
tion and need money to make business or home repairs, contact the
Small Business Administration office at the postoffice building. New
Bern. If you get in touch with them, they will send someone to your
home or business to study your problem and help you apply for a loan.
This applies to fishermen who may need help in buying new gear or
making boat repairs.
IF YOU CANT WAIT FOR A LOAN ? If you need money to buy
food for your family, make a necessary repair to your home or need
any kind of help immediately to carry on routine living, go to the Red
Cross office on the second floor of the courthouse annex. Beaufort.
The Red Cross office is opposite the draft office. The Red Cross
makes an outright gift if your case requires it.
IF YOU STILL NEED MORE INFORMATION on where or how to
apply for a loan, contact the town clerks in either Beaufort or More
head City, or inquire at the auditor's office in the courthouse, Beaufort.
State Commission Sends
Spraying Equipment Here
Schools Will Open
At 8:30 Tuesday
Schools throughout the county
will open their doors next Tues
day, Sept 6. at 8:30 a.m., as sum
mer vacations come to an end
for another year.
According to H. L. Joslyn,
county superintendent, it is his
hope that the students will go to
school a full day on opening day
but he stated that it was up to
the individual principalr to de
cide that matter.
Last year schools opened prior
to Labor Day.
lO-Year-Old Turned Over
To Juvenile Authorities
Turned fjver to the juvenile
court last week was a 10-year-old
boy from the western part of the
county. ,
According, to Sheriff Hugh Sal
ter, the lad took a radio out of Ed
Carraway's electric ahnp. took a
check-writing machine from Hibbs
Furniture Store and "loaded up
with ice cream" at the Penguin
Co. in Newport.
Preliminary inveatigatoin of the
case was made by Newport'a au*
Uiary police. The missing goods
*aa returned within ? short time.
The State Mosquito Commission
last week sent mosquito-spraying
equipment to Newport, Atlantic
Beach, Morehead City and Beau
fort.
A. D. Fulford, county sanitarian,
saki those four towns were sprayed
from Wednesday afternoon through
Friday night. The equipment went
back upstate Saturday.
Towns to receive mosquito con
trol aid were designated by Charles
White of the State Department of
Health who is also on the mosquito
commission.
The truck which sprayed here
was lent to the state by H. L. Bur
dett, city manager of Hickory. Op
erators uere Tom Childers and
Jean 1-ackey. Hickory is a part of
the Catawba-Lincoln-Alexander Dis
trict Health Department.
Other trucks were sent to Wil
mington. Belhaven and Elisabeth
City under the mosquito control
program.
Before spraying was carried out
at the beach and the three other
Carteret towns. Mr. Fulford said
permission of town officials was
obtained and officials were shown
the spraying equipment.
He said that the state is also dis
tributing spray to towns which
have equipment to do their own
work.
The spraying was intended only
to kill some of the adult mosqui
toes. Mr. Fulford said reaction to
the spraying was varied.
? Three Marines, aped 18, 19 and
20 were each fined $50 and costs
for assault with a stick on two
Necro residents of Morehead City
Friday night on Fisher Street.
Assistant Judge Luther Hamilton
Jr. fined the defendants after they
pleaded guilty in Recorder's Court
yesterday.
The three, Larry I). McLeod, 19,
l)< iair Pugh. 18, and Robert L.
Jo- < 20, must also pay $16.67
c.?' . to the court for the use and
L; nefit of Lila Bell Mcars and
1 5 .33 each for Alexander Williams.
hey also were given suspended
six months sentences on the roads.
n uiiiHn i\ imkhki uuwn
j According to Lila Bell Mears'
testimony, she was struck by a
stick trom a car as she walked east
on Fisher Street. She told the
court that she was hit on the shoul
der and back and that the blow
blocked her down. She was bruised
and suffered a stiff neck.
An unidentified man picked her
up after she was knocked down.
The "stick" was about 4 feet
long, about 3 inches in diamater
and was covered with bark.
Alexander Williams stated that
he was struck by McLeod as he
walked along the west side of
Fisher Street. He said the car came
from behind him and that the ve
hicle put its lights out. When he
was struck he said he stumbled,
;md then saw McLeod pull the stick
back into the car.
He told the court that the car
circled around the block and that
he saw Lila Bell Mears struck by
the same assailant who struck him.
Throws Rock
As he worded it, "She was about
50 feet from Dudley's when she
was struck down." Williams re
vealed that he threw a rock at the
car before it struck Lila Bell
Mears so that he'd be able to recog
nize it later on.
He said that he and Deputy
Sheriff Bobby Bell went up to New
port where the three Marines had
been booked for speeding and he
identified the car and the occu
pants there. He said he saw the
stick that was used on him and
Lila Bell Mears when it was taken
from the car at the Municipal
Building in Morehead City by Lt.
Carl Bunch of the Morehead City
Police D<*partment.
Mc Leod took the stand and stated
that there wasn't any reason for
what they had done. He admitted
that he and the others had been
drinking and that they had had be
tween 10 and 12 beers.
Judge Hamilton said that they
showed complete disregard for the
persons struck and that in all prob
ability they had had too much to
drink.
Hurricane Headed North
According to reports at press
time yesterday. Hurricane Edith
was passing east of Bermuda and
seemed to be headed north on a
path which would take her away
from the mainland of the United
States.
Tanker Loses
Kerosene Friday
In Morehead Port
Vessel Hits 'Submerged
Object,' Hole Ripped
In Hull
Kerosene floated all over More
head City harbor Friday when the
Esso Charlotte lost part of its car
go due to a hole ripped in her hull.
The Charlotte came into port
Friday from Baton Rouge with
kerosene and other petroleum pro
ducts for the Esso terminal. Ac
cording to C. L. Hoke, terminal
manager, it is not known how
much kerosene was lost nor has
it been determined what damaged
the tanker.
?Thomas K Laughton, captain of '
the tanker, said he "felt a jar" but
heard no explosion. Neither .the
captain nor other members of the
crew could state exactly when the
jar occurred. According to J. D.
Holt, state port manager, the of
ficial report on the incident says
the tanker "hit a submerged ob
ject."
It is not known whether the ac
cident occurred within the harbor
or during the approach to the
Beaufort bar.
The Coast Guard reported that
the Charlotte also lost its port
anchor. At 3 p.m. Friday the Coast
Guard was summoned to the port
with fire-fighting equipment to
guard against fire outbreak, since
the floating kerosene constituted
a dangerous hazard.
The Coast Guard stayed on the
alert 53 hours, until the danger
was past.
Mr. Hoke said no estimate was
made on cost of repairs to the
tanker. The hole was knocked
"right in the bottom" and was
spread over two compartments.
The one hole which could be seen
was about 2 feet in diameter.
The ship left Morehead City at
3 o'clock Sunday, bound for New
port News where she will go into
dry dock for repair. No attempt
was made to make repairs here.
Agents Hear Talk
By John Curtis
John Curtis, marketing special
ist of the farm management dc
partment, Raleigh, spoke at the
six-county Farm Agents meeting
Friday at the civic center, More
head City.
Mr. Curtis discussed corn, com
menting on grain damaged in the
storms and the supply of corn in
the country and in this state.
Corn prices, he said, dropped to a
six-year low, $1.20 per bushel this
year.
A record crop, three and a half
billion bushels, was produced na
tionwide this year. North Caro
lina's crop this year will total 75
million bushels as compared with
50 million last year. The govern
ment support price for corn in
commercial corn counties is $1.74
a bushel.
Carteret is not classified as a
commercial com producing coun
ty so the support price here is
less, about $1.30 a bushel.
Attending the meeting were
Paul Cox. assistant agent. Craven
County; Bill Shackelford, assistant
agent, Jones County; Jim Allgood,
Donald Ilausley and Robert Bry
an, all of Onslow; J. P. Stovall,
county agent and his assistant,
Shepard Moore, Pamlico County;
R. M Williams, county agent, and
A1 Newsome, assistant county
agent, Carteret.
Hurricane Damage
Group to Organize
Carteret's agriculture losses as the result of the two re
cent hurricanes have been estimated at $1,200,100 by
county agriculture agencies.
The estimate was made at the request of llr. C. B. Ratch
ford, assistant director of the state agriculture extension
service.
The extension division has also requested that a com
miltiin luri)i>ln (if fal' IYI ? ? ? ? '
leaders, be organized here "to meet
the emergency now existing" and
to deal with agriculture problems
which may arise in the future as
the result of storms.
The committee, to be called the
Carteret County Hurricane Dam
age Committee, will hold its organ
izational session at 2:30 tomorrow
afternoon at the ASC office on the
second floor of the postoffice
building.
Committee Members
Members of the committee are
R. M. Williams, county agent; H.
J. May. ASC manager; David Jones,
county soil conservationist; Neal
Cam pen, chairman of the Soil Con
servation Supervisors; Roy Keller,
chaiiman of the ASC county com
mittee;
I. M. Robbins, district FHA su
pervisor; Lcland Morris, chairman
of the County FHA Supervisors; C.
S. Long, vocational agriculture in
structor; Milton Truckner, repre
senting the County Farm Bureau;
Moses Howard, chairman of the
County Board of Commissioners;
James R. Sanders. Morehead City
banker; and Bill Pigott, farmer at
Gloucester.
The damage to crops in dollars
and cents and the percentage of
the total crop loss breaks down as
follows:
Corn. $112,500 ? 40 per cent;
cotton, $6,000 ? 50 per cent; to
bacco in field, barn and pack
house, $494,000 ? 40 per cent ; pea
nuts, $1,000 ? 25 per cent; soy
beans, $40,000 ? 50 per cent.
Milo, $1,000 ? 25 per cent; les
pedeza, $20,600 ? 50 per cent;
home gardens, $20,000 ? 25 per
cent; sweet potatoes. $500,000 ? 80
per cent; pastures, $5,000 ? 25
ner cent.
Saltwater Damage
It was estimated that 500 acres
of farmland were covered by salt
water and the value of. crops on
those acres $10,000. Two thousand
acres were estimated covered by
fresh water. Approximately $20,000
damage was caused to farm build
ings (excluding homes).
Officers of the farm hurricane
damage committee will be chosen
at tomorrow's meeting.
The state requests that the com
mittee obtain and distribute infor
mation on hurricanes. Its specific
duties are to undertake, from the
agriculture standpoint, immediate
cmergcncy procedures and plan
long - range protection against
storms.
i
Beach Mayor Seeks
Immediate Action
A. B. Cooper, mayor of Atlantic
Beach, urges ocean front property
owners to take action immediately
to push up dunes in front of their
homes or establish some protection
against future storms.
At the disaster meeting at the
courthouse in Beaufort Friday,
Mayor Cooper asked Gen. Edward
Griffin of the State Civil Defense
Administration, what could be
done to get help at once.
"Is there anything that can be
done to help us today?" Mayor
Cooper asked. General Griffin's
failure to reply indicated, evident
ly, that any municipality or beach
area of the county wanting civil
defense funds has to go through
the usual government channels.
At Long Lost
Dredge Widens Mouth
Of Pelletier Creek
Mayor George Dill announced
yesterday that the mouth of Helle
tier Creek ii being dredged.
This action has been lonit sought
by boat-owners in this area because
the creek, west of Morehead City,
is a refuge for boaU during seven
storms.
The mouth of the creek, however,
is shoaled over and vessels have
been having difficulty entering.
The entrance is from Bogue Sound.
Dredging was started by Capt.
Charlie Piner, Morehead City, who
has been employed to do the job
by the Corp* of Army Engineers.
The entrance will be dredged to
a depth of 9 feet and the spoilage
placed in the sound.
Mayor Dill said authorization for
(he Job wu obtained through Con
gresaman Graham Barden. Con
gressman Barden attended the hur
ricane diaaater meeting in Beau
fort Friday and at that time peo
ple interested in having the ereek
opened asked him what could be
done.
Congressman Barden sent a tele
grain "and pulled the right
firing*," in the words of Mayor
Dill, and by Sunday Captain Finer
had been authorized to proceed
with the dredging.
The dredging of Pelletier Creek
ban long been approved but no
funds were ever set up. Mayor Dill
said the depth of the creek itself
is all right but the shoaling at the
mouth had been the major diffi
culty.
I
Ports Manager
Says Stevedores
Did 'Good Job'
J. I). Holt, state port manager,
commended longshoremen for a
"good job" in loading the MS
Baerenstein with tobacco Friday.
"1 think we're on the road to
improvement." Mr. Holt said.
"There were a lot of longshore
men on hand and good ones too.
They indicated a degree of interest
that brought results."
The Baerenstein came into port
Thursday afernoon. A vessel of the
North German Lloyd line, it was
built in 1953 at Bremen Master of
the Baerenstein was Capt. Karl
Timmermann.
J. D. Holt, port manager, said
approximately 850,000 pounds of
tobacco was loaded. The Morehead
City Shipping Co. served as agent.
The cargo was provided by an
Eastern Carolina shipper and will
be delivered at Hamburg to one
of Germany's largest tobacco deal
ers. Mr. Holt said the tobacco was
the seventh through Morehead City
this year.
The Baerenstein was named for
a castle on the Rhine and is a
part of the line's "stein" fleet.
Others are the Brandenstcin and
Bieberstein.
In addition to the latest in
freighter facilities, the Baeren
stein has state room space for six
passengers.
20 Farmers Apply
For FH A Loans
I. M. Robbins, FHA supervisor,
who had office hours at the ASC
office, Beaufort. Thursday, said
approximately 20 farmers applied
to him for loans.
FHA" offers various types of
loans to farmers, long term real
estate loans for purchase of farms,
loans for improvement of farm
buildings, for drainage and since
the hurricanes a "production emer
gency loan" has been set up which
will allow the farmer to borrow
money at 3 per cent. The loan can
be obtained for as long ps 10 years,
depending on the borrower's abil
ity to pay.
All types of FHA loans were ex
plained by Vance Swift of the
Farmers Home Administration at
the disaster meeting in the court
house Friday.
Mr. Robbins said that farmers
who came to him Thursday were
those seeking help to survive
storm damage.
Sign Goes Up
At Wood Plot
Put up Saturday at a woodlot
demonstration on Highway 24 near
Swansboro was a sign calling farm
era' attention to the plot where
hardwood trees have been killed
by chemical methods.
The plot is on A. D. Ennctt's
farm two and a half miles cast of
Swansboro.
R. M. Williams, county agent,
said that trees, such as hickory
and oak, have little commercial
value and unless they are eliminat
ed, the softwoods, such a* pine,
are stunted.
The demonstration was started
last winter by the farm agent's of
fice with the assistance of W. T.
Ellison, district forester from
Washington, N. C.
Mr. Williams said a time will be
set soon when farmers will be in
vited to the plot and explanations
given of the chemical tree-killing
system.
The sign at the plot was paid
for by the Carteret-Craven Elec
tric Membership Corp.. W C. Carl
ton. manager. The firm also paid
for erecting the sign.
Morehead City firemen answer
ed a false alarm Saturday at 4:30
p.m. The alarm was sent in from
box 28 at Shacklelord and 17th
Streets.