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NEWSPAPER
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TAR HEEL COAST
CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES w
46th YEAR, NO. 30. FOUR SECTIONS TWENTY-SIX PAGES MOREHEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1957 PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
Explosion Kills Broad Creek Youth
Contractor
Gives Report
Harold Wilton, Newport,
one of the partners in the
firm of Wilton and Morton,
who employed the men
working on the Joyce home
at Broad Creek, on Wednes
day gave the following re
port. on the explosion and his
investigations :
The men had been working on
the new agriculture building at
Smyrna School and had run out of
materials. Because they couldn't
continue on that job, they went to
Broad Creek to work on the Joyce
place, a concrete block home lo
cated on the creek across from the
A. J. Dixon store.
With them at Broad Creek was
Mr. Wilton's partner, Joe Morton.
The workmen were cleaning up
tile glue from the kitchen floor.
They were using a burlap rag and
gasoline, but Mr. Wilton says there
was no surplus gas being used nor
was there any open flame in the
kitchen.
Doors. Windows Open
He also rcporlfc that two doors
were open as well as four windows.
In the kitchen were a gas stove and
gas heater. The gas heater was
disconnected, he said, but the stove
was not. He believes that in mov
ing the stove out from the wall,
the men may have sprung a fitting
on the copper tubing, causing a
leak.
The men, he continued, were
using chiscls and a putty knife to
work on the floor and a spark may
have been created. In the kitchen
was a two-gallon gasoline can with
gasoline in it, but this didn't even
burn in the explosion.
Gasoline Moved Out
Mr. Wilton says the can with the
gasoline was moved out afterwards
and put in one of the trucks.
Mr. Wilton talked with Moody
Morton, father of Danny, the boy
who was killed, and Mr. Morton
said that the first indication he had
of any trouble was a loud "Whoot!"
Flame suddenly was all jr him.
Jimmy Lewis was in the living
room at the time and Danny was
in the corner behind the stove.
Leo Dixon, who is in a serious
condition at the Morchcad City
Hospital, was badly cut with glass
as well as burned.
"It was all over in 5 minutes,"
Mr. Wilton said. A frame building
probably would have been destroy
ed. Proof of the heat intensity are
the blistered kitchen cabinets,
breakfast bar, burned curtains and
scorched appliances. Mr. Wilton
estimates damage to the house at
$1,200 to $1,500.
Cause Unknown
At Mr. Wilton's request, Sgt. G.
T>. Brown, who is in chargc of a
demolition squad at Cherry Point,
has visited the house. Although a
gas leak may have been a factor
in causing the explosion, no one
has been able to pin-point the
cause.
Sergeant Brown ventured the
opinion that Danny Morton was
knocked unconscious by the con
cussion. The flames then partially
consumed his body.
Early reports of the explosion
stated that a blow torch was being
used in the kitchen. Mr. Wilton
?aid the workmen had a blow torch
with them but it was outdoors on
the side of the house opposite the
kitchen where the explosion oc
curred.
Toastmasters
Elect Officers
Dr. Russell Outlaw, Morehead
City, was elccted president of the
Carteret County Toastmasters Club
Wednesday night. Gerald Hill was
named administrative vieepresi
dent, and Dr. T. R. Rice was
named educational vicc-prcsidcnt.
Other officers arc Hugh Salter,
sergeant-at-arms, and Clifford Fag
lie, secretary-treasurer.
Officers were elected as part of
the regular program at the Beau
fort town hall.
.laaper Bell was awarded a cer
tificate of merit in special train
ing. He has completed the basic
training course offered by the
Toastmasters national organiza
tion.
The new officrrs will be inatalled
at the next meeting. Wednesday
night at the Morehead City muni
cipal building. A special ladies
night program will be conducted.
First AM Class
Dr. Berl Lewis, Morehead City,
will teach the remaining classes
in the Beaufort Fire Department's
first lid course. Instructor Jack
Carter has been transferred by
Carolina Power and Light Co. The
claaaea will continue to be con
ducted each Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Alford Bell, Morehead City, who was putting glass in the windows
of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Joyce's home, Broad Creek, ran across
this shoe. It is believed to have been Danny Morton's. The stain be
low the window is blood.
Mrs. Sim Crocker, left, and Mrs. Johnny Snipes look at the re
mains of a parakeet which burned to death in the explosion at the
n?be> t P. J one home, Broad Creek, Tuesday.
Woman Who Gave Child
Intoxicants is Fined
Juanita Hester was found guilty
Monday in Morehead City Record
er's Court of giving intoxicating
beverages to a minor. Judge Her
bert Phillips ordered her to pay all
doctor and hospital bills for Dolly
Marbly, 9, who became violently
ill after drinking a beverage given
her by the Hester woman. In ad
dition to the doctor and hospital
bills, she was ordered to pay the
girl $20.
Three drunken driving cases
were on the docket. Larry Delmar
Smith requested a jury trial and
bond was set at $150. Charles Q.
Willis and George Willard Owen
were found guilty and fined $100
and cost! each.
Found Guilty
Willie Lee Cannon was found
guilty of racing, running a stop sign
and speeding 70 miles per hour. He
was fined $75 and costs and re
quired to surrender his license to
the clerk of court for 30 days.
Marc S. DUpont was fined $50
and costs for carelcss and reckless
driving. John D. Perry was fined
$25 and costs for using loud, pro
fane and vulgar language in a pub
lic place in the presence of ladies.
Hoyt Lee was fined $10 and costs
for being drunk and disorderly. He
got a 30 days sentence suspended.
William Guthrie was fined $10 and
costs for public drunkenness.
Fined $15
Carl D. Fulcher was fined $15
and costs for speeding 70 miles
per hour in a 35 zone. James E.
Stanton was fined $10 for speeding
and $25 and costs for driving with
out a license. The $25 fine will be
returned if he presents a valid li
cense within two weeks.
Charles I). Mayo and llarold Eu
gene Laffcrt.v were found guilty of
driving without licenses Each was
fined $25 and costs, the $25 to be
returned if a valid lieennc is pre
sented within two weeks.
Julian Wade was tried on two
Club Members Invited
To Chamber Dinner
J. A. DuBois, manager oC the
Morchead City Chamber of Com
merce. announced yesterday that
Lions. notarial!*, Jaycees, F.mcri
tus Club and all other civic club
member* arc invited to the cham
ber dinticr at <:3U Thuradav,
April 25, at Uic recreation build
ing. Their wives arc welcome too.
A buffet supper will be served
ta 6 30 p.m. at $1.50 per person.
For further information on the
banquet speaker see story on US
Highway 70 Association page 6
section 2.
charges of public drunkenness, lie
was fined $10 and costs for one
offense and costs for the sccond.
Those who paid costs were Willie
B. Stocks, David Wood Perry, Wil
liam M. Brown Jr.. Robert G. Gar
ner, William Lee Kiblcr and Daniel
B. Alford, speeding; James Dean
Taylor, running a stop sign.
James W. Laughman, improper
muffler and running a red light;
PhjJIip D. Lutes, following too
clflsc; and Tugene llessee, and
William Mann, public drunkenness.
Cherry Point Welcomes
Argentine General
A red carpet welcome including
a 13-gun salute, was accorded Rear
Admiral Pedro Favarom, com
mandant general of the Argentine
Marine Corps, when he arrived
Wednesday morning for a two-day
visit at Cherry Point Marine Corps
air base.
Admiral Favarom will return to
Washington this morning after two
days spent inspecting the Cherry
Point base. One of his guides
through the mammoth Overhaul
and Repair building was llarry
Shadlc of Newport.
iA??ot<?? by Bob Seymour
Sim Crocker, right, opens the door of a ruined refrigerator in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P.
Joyce, Broad Creek. Mr. Crocker represents Crocker Insurance and Realty Co. of llavclock with whom
the contractors, Wilton and Morton, have insurance. Looking on are Alford Bell of Russell's Glass Shop,
left, and Johnny Snipes, llavelock.
Saturday Postoffice Closing
Due Unless Congress Acts
State Assessment
Board Decides
Pulpwood Case
The State Board of Assessment,
to whieh the North Carolina Pulp
wood Co. took its eomplaint on val
nation of land in Carteret County,
has ruled that two thousand aeres
of land designated as "pulpwood
land" was really "cut-over" land.
The land is located in Merrimon
township. The resultant reduction
in valuation will mean a saving to
the pulpwood company of $275 a
year in taxes.
The State Board of Assessment
ruled on the case the latter part of
March. It found that all other
pulp company land classifications,
as set up by the E. T. Wilkins firm,
which revalued county property,
were fair and accurate.
Cut-over land is valued at $20 an
acre as compared with $35 an acre
valuation for pulpland.
North Carolina Pulpwood Co.
was the only taxpayer to contest
the changes made during last
year's revaluation of real property.
The firm made a request for
change in valuation before the
Board of Equalization in March
1956, but the board found no error.
The State Board of Assessment,
to which the pulpwood company
appealed, heard the case Dec. 11
at Raleigh. Notification of the
board's ruling was mailed last
week to Moses Howard, chairman
of the county board of commis
sioners.
County schools will close next
Friday, April 19, and Monday,
April 22, for Easter.
' Unless Congress coughs up some*
emergency funds today for post
office operation, the postoffices in
Beaufort, Morchead City and New
port will closc tomorrow and start
shorter hours next week.
Postmastcg Gen. Arthur Sum
mcrfield has issued orders to all
first, second and third class post
offices to closc down Saturdays.
Unless Corfgrcss acts today to give
Ijir? $47 million to operate through
'30, the o.Mcr will stick.
Not only will the postoffice win
dows closc, but Postmaster Harold
Webb, Morehcad City, and Post
master J. P. Betts, Beaufort, re
port that there will be no city or
rural deliveries on Saturday.
Mail will be put up in the boxes
as usual, however, and the pres
ent mail dispatches from the post
offices maintained.
If Congress doesn't crash through
with the needed money, the post
offices next week will open at 8:30
a.m. instead of 8 and closc at 5
instead of 6 p.m.
The postmaster general's order
affects 37,000 postoffices through
out the nation and 508,000 postal
employees as well as all citizcns
served by the postoffice depart
ment.
Tide Table
Tides at the Beaufort Bar
HIGH LOW
Friday, April 12
6:22 a.m. 12:17 a.m.
6:48 p. in. 12:36 p.m.
Saturday, April 13
7:13 a.m. 1:09 a.m.
7:36 p.m. 1:26 p.m.
Sunday, April 14
8:02 a.m. 2:00 a.m.
8:23 p.m. 2:13 p.m.
Monday, April IS
8:50 a.m. 2:48 a.m.
9:10 p.m. 2:59 p.m.
Tuesday, April 1(
9:40 a.m. 3:35 a.m.
10:00 p.m. 3:43 p.m.
High Court to Hear
Water Case in May
The State Supremo Court will
hear the Newport water ease
sometime during the first full
week in May.
George W. Ball, attorney for
Newport officials who seek to
borrow money for a water sys
tem, received word yesterday
that the court would hear argu
ments on the appeal sometime
during the week of May 6, prob
ably toward the end of the week.
Borrowing of $120,000 to put in
a water system at Newport is be
ing fought by a group of citizens
who have carried the case to the
Supreme Court because lower
courts have upheld Newport town
officials.
Town Will Elect
Court Officers,
Hospital Trustees
In addition to the mayor and
commissioners, the town of More
head City will elcct a judge of re
corder's court, and two hospital
trustees May 7.
Mayor George W. Dill and the
present board, as well as the court
officers have all filed for re
election.
Members of the board are Com
missioners S. C. Holloway, Gibbic
Sanderson, Ted Garner, D. J. Hall
and Jasper Bell. Herbert Phillips
III is recorder's court judge and
John E. Lashley, clerk of court.
Hospital trustees whose terms
expire this year arc Mrs. E. A.
Council and Mrs. J. C. Taylor.
All candidates for office will be
elected for a two-year term. Dead
line for filing is Saturday, April
27.
County's Newest School
Carteret's wwnl school oa Harkers Inland *11 oecapied tar the
first time last Friday. The hulldia* cm! HU.aM and haaaea grades
I Ihroagh S. Na one appeared al the eaarthaaie Satardajr aaaa to
hid aa the aid achaal hooae. Thua the hlghaat hid, aahnUttod alter a
I'hulo toy Bob Seymour
previous (lie, la M,?M offered by Jofca L. Ciaem, Kalelfh. la the
Interest of a (roup of Raleifk sportsmea. If Ike tMN kid la not
railed Moaday, H. L. Joalya, coaaty saperlatendeat of ickeah, kaa
keea aalkorlaed to clou tka deal ?Mk Ike Ralelfk fiaap.
Danny Morton Rites Held;
Leo Dixon Severely Burned
Danny Morton, 18, of Broad Creek was killed instantly
in an explosion in the kitchen at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Robert P. Joyce, Broad Creek, Tuesday afternoon. Leo
Dixon, also of Broad Creek, was critically burned. He is
in the Morehead City Hospital and is not expected to live.
Jimmy Lewis, Broad Creek, is lieiiii? treated in the hos
piiai, diii nis conmuon is reported *
as good. Moody Morton, father of
the dead man, was treated for
burns around the hands and dis
charged. Vernon Morton, brother
of the dead man, was not injured.
The funeral service for Danny Mor- 1
ton was held Wednesday afternoon.
The five men were at work in
the Joyce home. Gasoline was be
ing used to clean rubber tile glue
from cement floors in the house
when the explosion occurred. The
tile on the floors had begun to
buckle, and Wilton and Morton
Contractors, Newport, had con
tracted to lay new tile.
Sturdy Construction
The house was virtually fire
proof. It was of cement block con
struction with cement floors and
steel window sashes. A fireproof i
fibre board covered the wooden
lathes in the ceiling.
The explosion smoked the walls
and peeled the ceiling material
from the lathes which were scorch
ed by the intense heat. Most of the
appliances in the kitchen were
ruined. A telephone and television
set, usually considered to be deli
cate instruments, were still in
working order, though both were
in the kitchen.
Dog Survives
A clou. Smoky, was in another
pari of the house and was not in
jured. A parakeet, which was in a
cage in the kitchen was burned so
quickly that its ashes still main
tained the shape of a bird.
Mi's. Joyce said that she and her
husband were at work at Cherry
Point when a neighbor called and
told them of the explosion. They
came home and found their kitchen
demolished.
The house was covered by insur
ance but the furniture and appli
ances were not. A refrigerator,
stove and several smaller appli
ances were put out of order. An
electric clock stopped at 12:57 p.m.
The house was completed last
November, and Mr. and Mrs. Joyce
moved in the same month. They
had built the house as a summer
home and liked it so well that they
moved from New Bern permanent
ly
The funeral service for the youth
who was killed in the freak ex
plosion, was conducted at 2:30 Wed
nesday afternoon in the Broad
Creek Methodist Church. The Rev.
Claude Barrett, pastor, officiated.
Burial was in Broad Creek ceme
tery.
Surviving besides his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Moody Morion, and
the brother, Vernon, arc a sister,
Connie Diane, two other brothers,
Kddic and Milan, all of the home
and the maternal grandmother,
Mrs. Rilla Dixon, Broad Creek.
Witness Asks
Further Report
H. G. McGcc, Gloucester, who
was the prosecuting witness in a
case in superior court last week,
has requested that testimony re
ported by A. H. James, clerk of
superior court, be reported. Mr.
James was called to the witness
stand in a ease that was the out
growth of a controversy between
McGee and his 22-year-old son.
Mr. James testified that McGee
was not under the influence of
whisky when McGcc came to the
Jimcs home the night of Sept. 9,
1956. He testified that McGcc was
not drunk and if he had been
drinking, he didn't notice it.
Mr. James also told the judge
that he didn't know how long it
had been since the time of the
argument between McGcc and his
son and the time the elder McGee
appeared at his house to swear
out a warrant against the boy.
The case ended In a mistrial.
Port Calendar
?
Marine DowCbem ? Due at
stale port tomorrow for a cargo
of glycol for the Dow plant at
Free port, Te*.
Pioneer Wave ? Due at state
port Wednesday for a cargo of
fish oil for Rotterdam.
Krtaagea? Due at slate port
Tuesday, April 23. for a cargo
of tobacco lor Hamburg and fish ,
oil far Holland. ?
Dredge Gerl| ? Now doing I
maintenance dredging on the i
channel to the state port. The |
dredge will be here unlU the
cud of the month. I
C&D Board Will
Convene Here
This Summer
Fisheries Problem Aired;
C&D Investigates Bear
Island Proposal
Even though a new bill allows
the Board of Conservation ami De
velopment to hold its July meeting
at any town on the coast, the
hoard, meeting at Kinston this
week, deeided to return to familiar
summer haunts, Morehead City.
The meeting will be held in .July
at the eommercial fisheries build*
in#.
J. A. DuBois, manager of the
Morehead City Chamber of C'om
merce, appeared before the !>oard
and extended the invitation in per
son. And Mayor George Dill sent
a telegram to Leo Harvey, Kinston,
a member of the board, reaffirm
ing Morehead City's interest in.
playing host in July.
Several other invitations from
coastal cities were also received.
The board heard a delegation
from the North Carolina Fisheries
Association and took action to
establish a state park on Bear
Island, three miles south of Swans
boro.
Problem Presented
Garland Fulcher of Oriental,
president of the North Carolina
Fisheries Association, and a dele
gation representing that group ask
etf the toax'd's. eommercial fish
eries committee to enforce regula
tions designed to prohibit out-of
state fishermen from fishing in
state territorial waters unless they
have North Carolina licensee to do
so.
The matter was precipitated as
result, Mr. Fulcher and others said,
when at least 23 Virginia commer
cial fishing boats appeared in state
waters off llatteras and made a
huge haul of trout and croakers
last month as they headed toward
Virginia waters.
Cecil Morris of Atlantic, commit
See C&D, Page 2
Engineers Report
On Sea Level
The Corps of Army Engineers has
announced that since property own
ers along the waterfront at Sea
Level have agreed to plans for
dredging the harbor, there will be
no further study necessary.
Brig. Gen. Henry J. Hoeffer,
USA, division engineer, says how
rvcr that anyone having any com
ment to make on the work should
place it before the Board of En
gineers for Rivers and Harbors,
Washington, D. C., no later than
May 9.
A Senate resolution of April 1950
authoried "further study" of the
Sea Level harbor project. General
Hoeffer explains, however, that ac
cording to a letter and petition
from Sea Level residents, local co
operation has been assured and the
project is "acceptable as author
ized".
Clouds, Rain Give
Way to Clear Skies
Monday's overcast skies and
brief showers of rain gave way
Tuesday to the clear skies. The
temperatures, even on Monday,
have been quite warm during the
day, and cool during the evening*
and nights.
Violent weekend winds, ' which
damaged fragile spring blooms and
whipped up shingles on many
roofs, had subsided by the middle
of the week.
Maximum and minimum temper
atures and wind direction for the
week follow:
Max. Mln. Wind
Sunday 74 52 SW
Monday 72 61 SW
Tuesday 8 41 NW
Wednesday 68 41 SW
Two Woodrow Wilsons
The Woodrow Wilson a I Beat*
fort, who has been booked an *
charge of assaulting a 12-year-old
girl, la not the Woodrow Wilson
who is an employee at the Colonial
More, Morehead City.