CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES
Helping
The Heart Fund
Helps Your Heart
10/
47th YEAR, NO. 15. TWO SECTIONS FOURTEEN PAGES 1IOREHEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1958 PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
Close Frien^J^esf
TrueStorvoti*
(Kditor's Note: The following background information on More
brad City's headstrong outboard inotorboat adventurer mas obtained
from persons mho knew him in Swansboro and Jacksonville. They
requested that their names not be used).
By BOB SEYMOUR
Mcl West wax a man driven by
obsession. Close friends of the
motorboat adventurer at Jackson
ville say that his only desire in
life was to make an ocean cross
ing to Bermuda in an outboard
motorboat. "Mel wasn't afraid to
die." one of them said.
"He showed me the log of his
first voyage, telling of his hunger
and thirst. Never once did he men
tion being afraid. What Mel was
afraid of was life," the friend ad
ded.
"All his life he had never con
sidered himself to be a success.
After getting out of the Army Mel
never stayed at one job for a very
long time. He worked for a couple
of radio stations before going to
Jacksonville, where ho worked at
a radio station and tried to op
erate a restaurant.
"The name of the restaurant
was Mel the Beachcomber's. It
was a classy place with big sail
fish printed on the awning at the
entrance. He went into the bus
iness with two partners but bought!
i them out before the restaurant !
I failed, another friend related.
Devoted to Trip
| "When Mel finally made up his
| mind to go to Bermuda the first
; time, he devoted his time to noth
j ing else. He felt that he was fully
(prepared to make the trip and 1
i think he would have made it if he
See MEL WEST, Page 2
Photo by Bob Seymour
The Impossible, a 15-foot motorboat used by Mel West on his first
Bermuda trip, sits outside Casper's Marine Service in Swansboro. As
soon as it gets a coat of paint it will go on sale like any other used
boat.
Two Embezzlement Cases
Set for March Court Term
Two cases scheduled for trial
during the criminal term of su
perior court, March 31-April 4, in
volve prominent Morehead City
residents.
11. Earle Mobley, former pwner
of Mobley Buick Co. and now disc
jockey for a local radio station,
is docketed for trial March 31 on
en embezzlement count. Also
charged with embezzlement is
Bruce L. Goodwin, Morehead City
real estate developer and insur
ance agent. The Goodwin case is
docketed for April 3.
Mobley's case is the first one
on the criminal calendar. He was
scheduled for trial during the last
criminal term but his lawyer got
the case continued when Mobley
went to the hospital just before
the term opened. Goodwin's case
is slated for the fourth day of the
week-long term.
Goodwin is charged by Wilfred
Bay Lewis of accepting $1,150 of
Lewis's money as down payment
for a house and then converting
it to Goodwin's own use. The grand
jury returned a true bill on the
case in November 1956.
The court docket was set up
Monday and released Monday af
ternoon by the clerk of superior
court, A. H. James.
Grand Jury Cases
Cases against 10 defendants will
go before the grand jury. The de
Historical Review
Reports on 1957
Centennial Issue
The North Carolina Historical
Review, in its January 1958 issue
mentions that the Carteret County
News-Times published a special
edition Aug. 13, 1957 in observance
of the Morchcad City Centennial.
The item mentioned the types of
articles in the edition and stated
that it was dedicated to F. C.
Salisbury, Morchcad City, local
fiiatorian.
Also reported in the review was
the October meeting of the Car
teret Historical Society. At that
time officers were elected, with
Mr. Salisbury as president.
The review mentioned too that
Mr. Salisbury was among the win
ners of historical awards given in
December 1957 by the North Caro
lina Society of County and Local
Historians.
Deadline Tomorrow
All commercial fishermen must
have their 1958 boat licenses by
tomorrow. Fishermen who do not
have their 1958 tags by then will
be subject to prosecution.
fcndants and charges against them
follow: Ernesto. Lewis, speeding;
Larry Del mar Smith, Claude Tem
ple Bullock. George Gray, Andrew
Midgett, and Richard Palmer Jol
liff Jr., driving drunk; Edward S.
Washington, robbery; Elbert
Mann, violation of fishing laws;
Arthur Days, fraud; and Harvey
Earl lee, driving drunk and mo
tor vehicle law.
In addition to the Mobley case
scheduled for March 31, the fol
lowing are also docketed: James
Leary and Frederick E. Anthony,
false pretense; Edward Slim Wash
ington, robbery.
Sonny Sykcs, Allen Moore, Bill
Moore and Harry Moore, assault;
Alfred Anderson, violation of whis
key laws; Carlton Pittman, public
drunkenness; Arthur Days, fraud.
Bernard Cooper Willis, non-sup
port; Andrew Midgett4, William
Henry Jones, Richard P. Jolliff
Jr., drunken driving; David Lewis
Jeter, speeding.
Tuesday, April 1: Lester Wheeler
Gillikin, John James Jr., Richard
Furlow Hill, Larry Delmar Smith,
See COURT, Page 2
MHvin L. West
. . . prior to first trip
Chilula Goes
To Italian Ship's
Rescue Tuesday
The Coast Guard cutter, Chilula,
based at Morehead City, was sbll
searching yesterday for the body
of one crewman from the Italian
freighter which sank 120 miles east
of Cape Ix>okout Tuesday.
Twenty-seven crewmen from the
freighter, Bonitas, were tossed into
the gray waters when their life
boat capsized. Five were reseued.
but 22 drowned. Bodies of 21 were
recovered The Chilula was look
ing yesterday for the 22nd.
The Bonitas sent out its first dis
tress signal at 2 30 p.m. Tuesday.
It was picked up by a commercial
ship and relayed to the Coast
Guard.
The Bonitas said then that her
holds were leaking and she was
in immediate danger of sinking.
The ship actually went to the bot
tom early Wednesday. It was
bound from Brazil to Baltimore
with a cargo of manganese. The
vessel's home port was Genoa. She
was of 5,633 gross tons and 447 feet
long.
In addition to the Chilula, the de
stroyer escort Hartley and three
merchant ships went to the rescue
of the Bonitas.
Searching for survivors Wednes
day were the freighter, President
Adams, five merchant ships, the
Chilula, three Navy destroyer es
corts, two Marine Corps planes and
a Coast Guard plane.
The five men saved were the
ship's master, Capt. Enazin Marini,
Tireman Giovanni Barbaro. deck
Ih>> Alfredo Contessi, cheif officer
Albo Cardilo and machinist Guisep
pi Valinti.
Drawbridge Breakdown
Delays Motor Traffic
The Morehead City drawbridge
across Newport River was hung up
for half an hour Wednesday morn
ing, from 7:55 a.m. to 8:25 a.m.
Motor traffic was blocked.
David Nelson, bridge tender, said
that the power failed due to a short.
He believed the short was brought
on by extreme cold.
People were delayed getting to
work and teachers were held up on
their way to school. Mr. Nelson
made the bridge repairs himself.
Small Home
Burns Yesterday
In Beaufort
Firemen Answer Four
Alarms, in Freezing
Weather, Since Monday
Beaufort airmen nave answered
four alarms since Monday. The
fourth alarm, turned In at 7 30
a m yesterday, proved to be the
worst fire.
A three-room bouse behind Ed
Henry's home on Cedar Street
burned Mr Henry's daughter
Nancy Beard and thiW small chil
dren lived in the house, according
to firemen.
Anyone having clothes they
'Would like to give the stricken
family is asked to ca'l the fire
department Firemen will pick the
clothes up.
Firemen s^id that when they "ot
to the fire they found that two
sections of hose and a nozzle for
the hose on the pump truck had
frozen solid in the fire station.
"You can throw a cat through
the cracks in the doors of the fire
station and the town tries to heat
the place with a little oil stove,"
one of the firemen said, assempt
ing to explain why the hose was
| frozen.
At 7 a.m. Wednesday a fire
broke out at Luce Johnson's house,
607 Cedar St. Firemen got the
blaze under control in less than j
an hour. The flames had broken J
out between the ceiling and the |
roof of the house
At 4:3ft p.m. Monday firemen
I were called to Cecelia Stanley's
home on Pine Street. She had been
under her house frying to thaw
j out water pipes and caught the
sills on fire. There was practically
iu) damage.
? Tuesday afternoon the Beaufort
rural truck went to Crab Point to
I take more water to a fire being
fought by Morehead City firemen.
Judge Hears 10
Cases Monday
| Ohty It cases were*dti the docket
for Morekead City recorder's court >
Monday. Ten case? were tried and
' ewe, with Elizabeth Gray as de-;
1 fendant, was continued.
Wayland Sheafc was defendant
in two cases. He was ordered to i
pay costs and honor a $20 check
he had given to Hoy B. Winstead.
In a second case he was found
not guilty of stealing a portable
radio.
William Guthrie drew a 60-day
road sentence for public drunken
ness. It was his fourth conviction
within a year.
? Mack Lane Davis was fined $25
and costs for driving with an ex
pired license. Judge Herbert Phil
lips explained that the $25 would
be returned if Davis got a license
within a prescribed time.
Husscli E. WUlis Sr., also
charged with driving with an ex
pired license, showed that he had
a new one and was taxed court
costs.
Lydia Bratcher wa? fined $15
and costs for public drunkenness.
Willie J. Nolan and William James
Griffin were charged costs. Nolan
was fined for driving with expired
out-of-state plates. Griffin had to
pay for allowing an unlicensed
minor to drive his car.
Two defendants, charged with
speeding, forfeited their bonds.
They were Hazel B. Small and
Pasquale "Pat" Marino.
Wins Public Speaking Contest
HWlo ny Mob xeymour
Anne Herbert r??i?f? a *25 uvln|ii bond from American I .talon pott commander Joe DuBoia Anne,
a freshman at Morebesd CKy High School, woo first place In a Legion apeakiag coo teat at the achool
Tuesday. She represented Unrobe ad City at the district contest ia Jacksonville last night. BUI Maaden,
left, waa rnaner np and Virgil But, akcaad from left, waa third la the contest. Jadges were Mr. DnBois,
Floyd Chad wick 8r. aad B<
12-Degree Temperature Sets
New Low for Carteret County
Calico Creek, above, drains into Newport River north of Morehead City. A solid sheet of Ice*, right
above, stretches from shore to shore. The skiff. Miss Calico, sits tight in the ice. North River was almost
frozen solid. Only pockets of black water showed through here and there.
Photo by tioo aeyuiour
During Sunday night thr Carolina Water tank at 5th and Arendell Streets overflowed and the water
froze at every point It fell. The cedar tree above is bowed under the ice. Icicles drip from the stop
sign. Fifth Street, at the right, was a sheet of ice for two days.
Wilmington Bares Iron Fist
Again in Port Rate Inquiry
Students to Aid
In Heart Drive
Mr*. Bryan Loftin. chairman of
the Junior Woman's Clubs Heart
Fund drive. Beaufort, announced
that high school students who will
assist in the drive Sunday after
noon will meet at Guthrie-Jones
dm it store at 2.
Junior Woman's Club members
will take them by car to the neigh
borhoods where they will make col- ?
lections. After the house-to-house
canvass has been made, the club
will treat the students to hot choco
late at the drug store.
Students in the following organ
izations will assist with the drive,
according to Mrs. Loftin. Future
Homemakera of America. Debating
Club. I ibrary Club, Varsity Club,
Tri lli-Y.
H-Y. Four-H, Prayer Group. Fu
ture Teachers of America, Beta
Club, and home economics stu
dent ?.
Tlastic heart containers have
been placed in' business houses
throughout town. Persons may al
so place their contributions in
them.
Trerv Moved
Cargo trees along Cedar Street.
Beaufort, which will be the new
hiiihway 70 through town, arc be
ing moved. Public utility poles
will be moved soon. Grading op- j
?rations were under way yester '
day. I
Following an informal inquiry
Monday by the State Utilities Com
mission, Raleigh, on Southern's
proposal lower rates into More
head City, Mason King, vicc-pres
ident of Southern in charge oi
traffic, said that Southern will pro
ceed with its plan to put the lower
rates into effect.
Wilmington is bitterly opposed to
the proposal. Wilmington, thi
state's other deep water port, waf
represented at the hearing by
Mayor J. E. L. Wade, Frank A
Downing, who is employed by WU
minvtton as a traffic rate consul
tant, and Wilmington's attorney
Mr. Yow.
Present from this county were
Mayor (ieorpe Dill, Robert Dar
den of Southern Railway. J. R
Sanders, Rttfus Uutner, all from
Morehead City; A. T. I eary Jr,
of the Beaufort and Morehead
Railroad, and the RAM's legal
counsel, I)r. Beverly Lake. ?
Representing the SPA was Col
lier Cobb Jr.
Utilities ommisaih ? rs conduct
ing the inquiry were Stanley Win
borne, chairman. Sam Worthing
ton and Harry Westcott.
Governor's Rcquetf
The inquiry o*v Southern's pro
posed rates into Morehead City if
being co ducted by the utilities
commission at the request of the
governor. The governor has asHW
the commission fir an impartial
report on how the lowered rates
would affect the state's economy.
Mr. King, in speaking to the
commissioners, said that he saw
no reason why Southern could not
haul freight the additional hundred
miles to the port of Morehead City
at no extra cost to the shipper.
See RATE INQUIRIES, Page 2
Beaufort Chamber
Announces Holiday
Schedule for 1958
Members of the Beaufort Cham
her of Commerce will observe the
* j some holidays this year that they
did in 1957 Chamber president
?i Konald Earl Mason announced the
' j following results of balloting by
j chamber members:
I Thirty-eight ballots were sent
out and 22 were returned. Seven
Voted for Easter Monday, 19 for
July Fourth, 17 for Labor Hay,
21 for Thanksgiving, 22 for Christ
mas. 22 for the day. after Christ
mas. eight for the second day
aftbr Christmas, and 19 for New
Year's Day, l?.r>9.
Since a simple majority deter
' mines the holidays, all the days
listed except Easter Monday and
fhe second day after Christmas
will be observed as holidays.
Tide Table
Tides at thr Beaufort Bar
HK.1I IXV.V
Friday, Feb. 21
j 10:00 a.m. ] SJ a m.
. 10:25 p a. 4:13 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 22
] 10:33 a m. 4:28 a.m.
10:58 p.m. 4.39 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 23
, 11:04 a.m. 4 57 a.m.
11:30 p in. 5:00 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 24
11:37 a.m. 5:26 a m.
5:23 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 25
12:04 a.m. 6 03 a.m.
12:13 p.m. 5:37 p m.
A low of 12 degrees Tues
day was the coldest it has
been hero since the freeze of
1917-18, E. Stamey Davis,
weather observer, has re
ported. No official records
are available on that freeze
of World War I days.
Temperatures in the forties yes
terday seemed like a heat wave in
comparison to the near zero wea
ther Carteret has been experienc
ing since Sunday.
The thaw, which started as the
mercury climbed to 39 Wednesday,
caused many a bursted water pipe.
Plumbers have been on the jump
ail week, thawing pipes and patch
ing those that "busted out all
over" when the water started flow
ing again of its own accord.
The icy winds stopped blowing
Wednesday. Through the early part
of the week, the intense cold
seemed even mere frigid because
of the high winds Some gusts on
the outer hanks were reported as
high as 50 miles an hour.
Core Sound Freexes
Coast Guardsmen at the Core
Sound station were ice-bound this
week. Guy M. Styron, Beaufort
RFD, reported that Core Sound
had not been frozen since 1941.
The icc prevented the Core Sound
Coast Guardsmen from taking
their boats into Atlantic for sup
pi lUtf.
Instead they had to go along the
beach by jeep to Cape Lookout
and then by boat to Markers Is
land. James Hunnings, command
ing officer at Fort Macon, said
Wednesday that no boat had been
able to go from the Core Sound
station to Atlantic for three days.
Bookmobile Change
The weather prevented the book
mobile from making its usual Mon
day and Tuesday tour this week.
Miss Dorothy Avery, director of
the county library, says that the
schedule announced for this week
will be followed next week.
Moses Howard, Newport, called
this week "the coldest time I've
ever seen." Lota of others agreed
with him
R M. Williams, county farm
agent, says farmers believe the
lasting intense cold has done lots
of damage to newly-set cabbage
plants.
One farmer told Mr. Williams
that he was going to forget about
a cabbage crop and put his now
planted cabbage land in irish po
tatoes.
Other farmers expect to hang on.
hope for a good cabbage crop and
make some money, since the price
will probably lie fairly good due
to general truck crop damage
along the eastern seaboard.
Potato demonstration work that
was supposed to be started this
week has been deferred until this
coming Tuesday because of the
cold. Howard Garris and Henry
Covington, agriculture specialists
from Raleigh, will be here, Mr.
Williams said, to get the project
started.
Meetings Cancelled
Some meetings were cancelled
due to the cold. Although many
schools closed upstate, Carteret
schools operated as usual.
Due to ice, ferryboat operations
on the outer banks stopped. The
only travel possible between Ocra
coke Island and the mainland was
by air. The mail boat, which us
ually runs between Ocracoke and
Atlantic, could not get out of its
Silver Lake mooring at Ocracokc
because of the ice.
Boats Break Loose
lee breaking up in the channel
in Newport River and along the
shore caused shrimp boats to
break loose from their moorings
this week. The boats belonged to
John Weeks, Henry D. Smith, Ro
land Buck, Stanley Buck. Stanley
Earl Buck. Winfield Buck. J A.
Smith and Tom Watson, all of the
Crab Point area.
Mr. Weeks reported yesterday
that all of the boats have been
recovered but they're damaged.
He said it was impossible to an
chor a boat with a rope because
the ice cut the rope right in two.
He said chains were the only thiug
that could hold an anchor and boat
together in ice.
The temperature went down to
22 early yesterday morning but
had climbed back to 29 by 8:30
a.m.
Mr. Davis, weather observer,
said that weather should get
warmer this weekend, but some
showers may fall Saturday.
Temperatures and wind direc
tion Monday through Wednesday
follow:
Max. Mia. Wind
Monday 32 14 WNW
Tuesday ... 27 12 WNW
Wednesday 39 17 WNW
Ainlt Meet
Farm agents of six counties, in
cluding Carteret, will meet today
in Beaufort County. They wdB be
taken on a tour of poultry cntcr
prisca.