PRIZE-WINNING
NEWSPAPER
of th.
TAR HEEL COAST
CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES
46th YEAR, NO. 85. EIGHT PAGES PLUS COMICS MOREHEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROUNA TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1957 PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
Freighter Picks Up Melvin L. West
Parents of Mel West
Believe Son is OK
By BOB SEYMOL'R
When Mr. and Mrs. Barry West
told their son goodbye at Atlantic
Beach Thursday morning they had
"all the confidence in the world"
that Mel would make it to Bermuda
in his open motorboat.
"1 couldn't see the point in his
going when he first mentioned it,"
Mr. West says, "but after we talked
it over I saw he had his mind set
and I knew he wouldn't give up."
Before making the trip, he took
his uncle, B. L. Merrill, on a test
run about 30 miles offshore. Mr.
West says that he has also been off
shore with his son.
Yesterday the Wests were still
confident that Mel was all right.
"He has been on the water all his
life and he knows what to do," his
father says.
A former Coast Guardsman him
self. Mr. West is pleased with the
way.the Coast Guard and other ser
vices are looking for Mel. "If he
can be found, they will find him.
1 don't think they will give up the
search until they exhaust every
possible chance of finding him," he
added.
"This is the first long trip that !
Mel ever tried in a boat, lie has j
had ? I don't know how many ? j
boats and always tinkered a lot ;
with motors, but he never went
more than about 6<) miles offshore j
before, lie always was adventur-j
oiis, though.
"When he was younger he used
to take long trips around the coun- j
try. Once he makes up his mind, (
you can't change it," he noted. i
Mr. West first came to Morehead J
City in 1927. He was a member of
the Coast Guard unit stationed)
here, lie married Miss Archie Mae j
Merrill of Newport and settled ,
down in Morehead.
Mel graduated front Morehead :
"ity high school and served in the
Army after graduation, lie was in
jured in the service and is classi
fied as partially disabled.
lie is married to the former
Esther Ycager of Morehead City.
They have two sons, Morty, 9, and
Barry J., 16 months, and a daugh
ter, Melva, 2. They live at Camp
Glenn.
Both his parents and wife have
been flooded with messages from
friends and strangers alike. They
say that most of the people calling
are sure that Mel is all right and
will soon be found.
Play Tickets
Placed on Sale
Tickets to the Carteret Commun
ity Theatre play. The Bishop's
Mantle, arc now on sale.
In Beaufort they arc available [
at Potter's dress shop and the I
Duchess beauty shop; in Morehead j
City, at D. B. Webb's, Dee Gee's,
and Helen's beauty shop.
Tickets arc being sold at a dol
lar each only for the evening per
formance at 8 o'clock Saturday,
Nov. 9. No tickets arc necessary
for the Saturday afternoon show- j
ing, Nov. 9, for school children.
Kenneth Fischler, president of'
the theatre, urges persons to get
their tickets before the day of the
performance because it is antici
pated that extra chairs will be
needed for the auditorium.
If advance ticket sales arc low,
no extra chairs will be obtained.
In that case, a large admission
sale at the door that night might
mean that there will be "standing
room only."
Early purchase of tickets, Mr. |
Fischler said, will guarantee scats
for everybody.
Board to Consider Bid
For Newport Town Lot
Royal D. earner's bid (or the
town lot at Newport will be eon
firmed or denied by the Newport
town board at its meeting Nov. 5.
The lot was put up at auction
Thursday, Oct. 10. Mr. Garner's
bid of $750 was the only one sub
mitted. The lot is located next to
Mr. Garner's grocery and was
bought several years ago by the
town. It was anticipated then that
it would be used as a site for a new
town hall.
Auctioning of the lot was conduct
ed by George W. Ball, town attor
ney.
Highway Meeting
County commissioners will meet
at 2:30 this afternoon in the second
district highway office, New Bern,
to learn of the state'! policy on
secondary roads. Harold Make
peace. director of the department
of secondary roads, will preside.
i uoio by Bob bcyniour
Mr. ard Mrs. Harry West
. . . "Mrlvin made up his mind"
Historians Start Fourth
Year; Officers Elected
The quarterly meeting of the
Carteret County Historical Society
Saturday afternoon in the Episco
pal Parish House at Beaufort,
lynched the fourth yew of the
society.
The nominating committee, se
lecting officers for the coming
year, named F. C. Salisbury, pres
ident; Mrs. T. T. Potter, secre
tary; Mrs. Luther Hamilton Sr.,
treasurer. They were elected. In
the absence of Mr. Salisbury due
to illness, the retiring president,
Thomas Rcspess, presided.
A most interesting paper pre
pared by Mrs. Earl Davis, cover
ing the history of Markers Island,
was read by Mrs. Nat Smith in
the absence of Mrs. Davis.
In a comprehensive summary of
the island's history, Mrs. Davis
dealt with the early Indian life,
the various ownerships and the
growth of the community, which
today offers its people the best in
religious, educational and civic
life.
Cemetery records of the county
now being compiled were present
ed by Mrs. Essie Smith of Boguc,
covering several old plots in that
section. Records of the Pellctier
cemetery at Mitchell Village and
the Pigott cemetery on Crab Point
were given by F. C. Salisbury.
During the three years the so
ciety has been functioning, much
interest has been manifested by
its members in searching out and
presenting county history. Such
material on file in the archives of
the society will form a nucleus for
the publishing of a county history
in the near future.
Scouts Offer Training
Course at Camp Lejeune
There will be a junior leaders
training course for Boy Scouts
Saturday at Cainp Knox Trailer
Recreation Center, Camp Lejeune.
Scout executive Rudolph Alexan
der says that all Boy Scout lead
ers from the county will be wel
come.
A $2 fee covers cost of a fried
chicken supper, a handbook, grad
uation certificate, junior leaders'
training patch and a drink to go
with lunch. Each boy is advised
to bring his own lunch.
Dredge Loses
Suction Head
Emergency dredging operations
to remove shoals in the Beaufort
bar came to an unexpected halt
Saturday when the starboard suc
tion head on the Army Engineers
dredge Gcrig tore loose.
The suction head fits on a pipe
line from the dredge and picks up
sand from the bottom. When the
head came off it also pulled its
supporting boom overboard. The
boom was recovered immediately,
but the suction head was still un
recovered yesterday afternoon.
Dredge captain Jarvis Midgctt
reported the accident to the Fort
Macon Coast Guard station and
Coast Guardsmen helped drag for
the suction head. SK/2 Edward
Privott, EN/1 Taft Pilchcr and SN
Aulcic Farmer worked on the job
Saturday.
Yesterday two Army Engineer
boats and the Coast Guard buoy
tender Conifer were dragging for
the lost equipment.
Mrs. D. G. Bell's
Condition Improves
Mrs. D. G. Bell, 705 Bridges St.,
Morchead City, was reported to
be getting along well yesterday in
the Morehcad City Hospital. Dr.
W. M. Brady, her physician, said,
however, that Mrs. Bell should not
have visitors at present.
"Miss Madic" as she is familiar
ly known, was taken ill Saturday
night and was in a coma when she
was taken to the Morehcad City
Hospital by ambulance Sunday
morning.
Dr. Brady said that her illness
could not be diagnosed as a typi
cal stroke. She may have suffered
a cerebral spasm or had a reac
tion to a certain type of medica
tion she had been using.
Mrs. Bell is the mother of Car
teret's representative to the legis
lature, D. G. Bell.
Beaufort Church to Host
Free Will Baptist Meeting
The 62nd annual session of the
North Carolina Free Will Baptists
will be held in the First Free Will
Baptist Church. Beaufort, tomor
row and Thursday.
Conference sessions will begin at
10 a.m. tomorrow with devotional
services. Presiding throughout the
conference will be the Rev. D. W.
Hardy, Kinaton, moderator. The
Rev. J. W. Alford, Morehcad City,
is clerk.
Ministers, delegates and visitors
from the g2 churches in the con
ference are expected.
Reports to be heard include those
on the state united program, Mount
Olive Junior College and the Chil
dren's Home at Middlesex. The
Free Will Baptist state league
chairman, the president of the dis
trict Woman's Auxiliary, and pres
ident of the district Sunday School
convention will give reports.
W. A. Hales, pastor of the
church, says, "Much progress for
the year ia in evidence and the
reports are expected to be very
interesting."
Carl Goerch Points to Value
Of Small Native Industries
Small native industries do more
good for a community than one
large industry employing the same
number of people, according to
Carl Goerch, speaker at the More
head City Chamber of Commerce
banquet Thursday night. The ban
quet was at the Blue Ribbon Res
taurant.
Mr. Goerch, who is co-publisher
of State magazine, said that the
human element was the most im
portant factor in the development
of an area. "You must have an
attractive tax struc !re, plenty of
labor, a good climate and trans
portation but the people living in
the area are the final factors," he
said.
"Courtesy and friendliness are
your two biggest assets. The cap
tains of your sports fishing boats
are some of the biggest boosters
of Morehead City," he added.
Guests Recognized
Mr. Goerch was introduced by
Dr. Ben Royal. Other guests rec
ognized by chamber president W.
B. Chalk were Olan Wright, man
ager of the New Bern Chamber
of Commerce, and Moses Howard,
chairman of the county board of
com inissioners.
The following organisations were
recognized: Morehead City town"
board, Morehead City Hospital
board, Rotary Club, Jaycees. Lions
Club, Emeritus Club and Elks.
Shows Letters
Mr. Chalk showed a display of
over 300 requests for information
received and answered by the
chamber July 15-Aug 15. He ex
plained how each letter is ans
wered and what information is in
cluded.
Three new directors were elect
ed. They were J. D. Holt, Rufus
Butner and J. Morton Davis. Their
terms will expire in 1960.
Retiring directors are Mr. Chalk,
W. C. Carlton and L. D. Core.
Other directors are J. R. Sanders.
P. H. Geer Jr., Walter Morris.
George Whittle, Dick Parker, Bud
Dixon and Jack Lewis.
Members present were asked to
fill in questionnaires to give cham
ber officials an idea of what pro
jeets are considered most impor
tant.
Some projects listed were con
struction of a four lane highway
from Cherry Point to Morehead
City, eonstruetion of a convention
hall-armory combination and ex
pansion of the' chamber's adver
< Using program.
Marines to Use
NewBombTarget
The new bombing target near At
lantie at Point of Marsh is ex
pected to go into use soon, accord
ing to the Cherry Point public in
formation office.
The Fifth Naval District reports
that the target consists of simu
lated steel ship structures with
three observation towers. Cost of
target construction is approximate
ly $173,000.
The contract was awarded July
19, 1956 and construction started
soon thereafter, according to the
Navy.
The target will be manned by
personnel from Cherry Point.
Dummy bombs will be used. The
new targets are on a former bomb
ing range and are located about
five miles from the auxiliary Ma
rine airfield at Atlantic.
Navy information on the target
was supplied by Capt. Francis J
Lovelace, USN. Norfolk. Va.
Photo by bob Seymour
Rufus Butncr, left, and J. D. Holt, right, were two of the three new directors elected at the chamber of
commerce meeting Thursday night. J. Morton Davis, the third new director, was not present. Second from
left is the speaker, Carl Gocrch, and next to him is W. B. Chalk, president of the chamber.
Debra Comes Home
Debra Margo Garner, 3, above,
of Morchcad City returned from
Baltimore last week after under
going heart surgery Sept. S. Doe
tors at Johns Hopkins Hospital
used a meehanical heart to keep
her alive while they operated.
Before going to the hospital.
Debra was unable to run and play
and was taking five different
kinds of medicine. Today she can
run as fast and play as hard as
any normal 3-year-old.
Her mother. Mfs Caroline
Garner, says that Debra weighs
40 pounds now, more than Ac
baa ever weighed.
Atlantic Water
Hearing Set
H. S. Gibbs Jr., chairman of the
county water committee, an
nounces that the water hearing at
Atlantic has been scheduled for
7:30 Friday night at the Atlantic
School.
Two meetings were held last
week, at Smyrna School Thursday
and at the Merrimon Community
building Friday. Eleven attended
the Smyrna meeting and 10 the
Merrimon meeting. R. M. Wil
liams, committee member, showed
a film on water usage at each ses
sion.
The hearings arc being held
throughout the county to learn
what water problems face the peo
ple. A report on the findings will
be made to the state board of wa
ter commissioners.
Mr. Gibbs said that the major
problem thus far seems to be that
roads and highways arc built with
out sufficient consideration to
drainage, thus complicating drain
age problems.
The hearing at Newport is ten
tatively scheduled for next Mon
day night. The date for the hear
ing in Beaufort has not been set.
Attends School
Dan Walker. Beaufort town clerk,
attended the school for municipal
administrators over the weekend at
Chapel Hill.
Tide Table
Tides at the Beaufort Bar
IIIGII LOW
Tuesday, Oct. 22
7:08 a.m. 12:57 a.m.
7:32 p in. 1:32 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 2.7
7:58 a.m. 1:16 a.m.
8:20 p.m. 2:22 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 24
8:44 a.m. 2:33 a.m.
9:12 p.m. 3:10 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25
9:34 a.m. 3:20 a.m.
10:M p.m. 3:57 p.m.
Morehead Band
Invited to Raleigh
The Morchcad City Band Asso
ciation has received an invitation
from the Raleigh Merchants Bu
reau to participate in their annual
Christmas parade Saturday, Nov.
23, at 10 a.m.
The invitation was issued by G.
Wesley Williams, executive secre
tary. with the comment ... "I
would like to have your band at
tend as we felt that the Morchcad
City band made a fine showing the
last time it was here."
The band association is consider
ing this invitation, but it is unlike
ly that the band will be able to
make the trip due to the cost of
transportation, according to Clyde
Burr, president of the association.
Also, other invitations arc pending
which might conflict, he said.
Boat Repairs Made,
Voyage Continues
Mclvin L. West was on his way to Bermuda again yes
terday after a freighter, the SS Aldebaran, picked him up
at 3;20 p.m. An intensive search for West, which started
yesterday morning, was called off as the daring voyager
was reported by the Coast Guard, Norfolk, to be all right.
The Aldebaran picked West and his boat up 240 miles
from Capo Lookout at a point 342 ?
miles from Bermuda. Although the
Chilula, Coast Guard cutter from
Morchcad City, was ordered to ren
dezvous with the Aldebaran, the
meeting was called off when West
decided to continue his trip.
The message from Norfolk Coast
Guard station said that West's boat
was "repaired" while with the Al
debaran, but no further details
were given. West was also given
additional supplies. He was direct
ly on his plotted course when pick
ed up.
The 28 year-old Morehead City
native left Morehead City Thurs
day morning in a boat 15 feet 3
inches long, lie expected to make
the 580-mile trip in less than 50
hours, but had fuel for approxi
mately 78 hours and was prepared
to spend several days traveling on
the ocean if necessary.
West, an outboard motor enthusi
ast, wanted to show that he could
reach Bermuda in a small craft.
He was backed in his venture by
several county businessmen, and
nuhlicitv for the expedition was .be
ing handled by Charles Markey,
New Bern.
Mr. Markey flew to New York
after West left Morehead t'dv and
from New York he flew to Hamil
ton, Bermuda, where he hoped to
greet Mel on his arrival there.
Left Here T.mrs. .y
West . left the. Morehead City
yacht basin at 3:15 a.m. Thursday,
but after noticing a break in his
fuel line returned to a dock at At
lantic Beach, repaired it and set off
again. That was at 8:25 a m.
At 8:30 Sunday morning 72 hours
had passed and West had not ar
rived at Bermuda. According to
Mr. Markey, Bermuda Coast1
Guardsmen did not expect West un
til late Sunday afternoon, but a
search plane was scheduled to start
out at noon that day.
lie had still not arrived by yestcr-'
day morning, and an all-out search
was begun, six planes searching the
ocean from Bermuda bases, in ad
dition to the weather ship. Rock
away, stationed at Hamilton, Ber
muda.
Three Weekend
Accidents Occur;
Two Cars Upset
State Highway Patrolman W. J.
Smith Jr. investigated three auto
mobile accidents over the weekend.
At 5:45 p.m. Saturday Ronald
Keith Chadwick, Markers Island,
failed to make "dead man's curve"
on the Markers Island Road in front
of Yeomans' store. Mis car turned
over.
Chadwick has been charged with
reckless driving and improper
registration. No one was injured
in the accident.
Chadwick was headed east in a
1950 Pontiac. Me ran off the right
! shoulder of the road, skidded and
, upset. Damcgc to the car was csti
I mated at $150.
A? 5.15 p.m. Sunday Patrolman
Smith was notified that an old
model DeSoto was in the diteh. up
side down, on Highway lot west of
; the intersection of the Mill Creek
Road The license plates had been
removed. The patrolman had the
car towed in to Morchcad City.
Two ears were damaged in an
accident at 5:40 p.m. Sunday in
front of the James Willis home,
Williston. One car was the parked
ear owned by Willis and the other
was a 1056 Ford driven by Calvin
Earl Johnson. Beaufort.
According to Patrolman Smith,
Johnson was headed west when he
ran off on the shoulder on the
wrong side of the road and hit the
parked car.
Damage to Johnson's car was
estimated at $100, and damage to
Willis's car, a 1957 Chevrolet, was
$350. No one was hurt.
Johnson has been charged with
driving on the wrong side of the
road.
Two flying box cars from Cherry
Point joined the search yesterday.
A plane was reported down yester
day but the report was not official.
A merchant ship reported to the
Coast Guard that it saw a flare
Sunday night in an area about 90
miles southeast of Cape Hatteras.
A Coast Guard plane from Eliza
beth City flew to the area but could
find no sign of the lost voyager.
The Coast Guard cutter Chilula
left Morehead City at 10:10 p.m.
Sunday to search that vicinity but
by press time had made no report.
Warmly Clothed
West was warmly dressed in
heavy clothing and he was carry
ing a windproof jacket and plastic
coveralls. His mother even put in
some extra wool socks and warned
him to keep his feet dry. The ex
posed portions of his body were
protected by zinc oxide.
Drinking water should be no
problem since he carried a small
still to convert sea water. His sand
wiches probably didn't hold out
very long, but he has an emergency
fishing kit.
Included in West's equipment
were a life raft, six flares and six
sea markers. Bob Simpson of the
Fabulous Fishermen organization,
Morehead City, says that there
were probably three red, one white
See SEARCH, Page 2
How Mosquitoes
Cause Losses
George If. Rowles, 1011 Bridges
St., Morchead City, told THE
NEWS-TIMES Friday that Morc
head City wastes its money getting
people down here, only to have
them eaten by mosquitoes.
"Morehcad City spent thousands
of dollars on the Centennial and
spends thousands on advertising.
When the people get here, they
like it, but the mosquitoes cat
them and they go back home.
"Mansfield Park," he continued,
"is one of the most beautiful de
velopments around here. People
see it and are delighted with it,
but they're here just five minutes
after they get out of the car. The
mosquitoes get on them, they jump
back in their car and go on back
home."
Mr. Rowles' comments were
among several received at the
newspaper office last week by peo
ple who were distressed about the
reappearance of millions of mos
quitoes.
Opinions Vary on Mel West Voyage
People's opinions vary on whether
Melvin West, of Morehead City,
should have attempted a trip to
Bermuda in a small outboard
motor boat.
Some think he was out of his
mind, others give him eredit for
"attempting the impossible." Their
opinions follow:
Mrs. Lawrence B. Ambrose, 2011
Bridges St., Morehead City ? "I
think it was quite foolish to take
off like that in a little outboard
motorboat, especially when he has
a family. Hope of finding him
looks slim?I do hope they find
him, though."
A. B. Cooper, Atlantic Beach? i
"I'm quite disappointed. We're all I
worried. I think Mel's just had r
motor trouble though. 1 think he's
a Seaman and I know he had taken
all precautions. 1 think he is still I
alive and out there, just hoping i
someone will see him."
Charles B. Noe, 122 Ann St., I
Beaufort?"I think the boy showed i
a lot of courage. He was trying to I
prove that small boats arc capable I
of taking long voyages over open
water. I think he wa.i publicizing
this coaat, showing how close it
is to Bermuda. If he had suc
ceeded, it would have shown that
people could go from here to Ber
muda in small boats.
"I hope he's there by now. I
didn't think he could make it in
42 hours, or average IS miles an
hour, considering the drift of the
tide, wind and waves. I think S to
10 miles an hour would have been
a good average."
Sonny Ballou, 609 Evans St.,
Morehead City?"I think that when
he's found, he'll be found alive.
It was probably foolish for him
to try what he did." Mr. Ballou
runs a restaurant on the water
front. He added, "Everybody who
comes in here is talking about
Mel's trip."
Miss Mamie C ? d w i n, 1006
Bridges St., Morehead City?"I'm
rio authority on things like Mel
West's trip, but I think it was a
foolhardy thing to do. Having lived
and grown up here, and watched
these waters. I don't see how he
lias a chance."
SUcey Chadwick, Glcndale Park,
Beaufort?"I hope they find hiin.
I think he had a good ehance of
making it if the weather was pret
ty. But he's so long past due now
that it looks Wry mueh as though
he's gone."
James Gillikin, ilarkers Island?
"I think he should have seen a
psychiatrist. There's a lot of water
out there to drink. I don't have
much hope for him at this point."
Mr. Gillikin, a boat builder who
is an experienced boat handler,
said "I certainly wouldn't want to
take that trip in a 15 foot outboard
motor boat."
Mrs. Aaa Buck Jr., 305 Marsh
St., Beaufort ? "I don't think
they'll ever find him. I hclicve
that with his responsibilities, a
wife and family, his trip was very
foollah."
Charles S. Walters, Atlantic
Beach ? "1 think he's just lost out
there somewhere. He shouldn't
have attempted the trip in the first
place. 1 have a boat that size and
I wouldn't go over the bar in it. I
was in the Navy and I know what
that ocean iai"