CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES '»<
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THE NEWS-TIMES
50th YEAR, NO. 62.
TWO SECTIONS FOURTEEN PAGES
MOREHEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1961
PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
Tornado Slices Through Swansboro
Spanish Pirates Will Attack Beaufort,
Fort Will Blow Up at 3 P.M. Tomorrow
Alarum! Alarum! Beginning at
3 p.m. tomorrow Spaniards will at
tack Beauforte Towne! The at
tack will be an “authentic replica”
of the 1747 invasion of Spanish
pirates!
Spectators watching the event
will be permitted to stand from
the dock at the south end of Queen
street to the steps of the Inlet Inn
on the west side, and from the
postoffice dock northward along
Pollock street. Members of VFW
and the American Legion will act
as auxiliary police, announces
Grayden Paul, who is supervising
the event for the Beaufort His
torical association, sponsor.
Things will begin exactly at 3
p.m. when the pirate ships, cap
tained by David Beveridge and
Howie Whitney, armed with guns
lent by Lt. John Riddell of the
Coast Guard, hove into view and
commence shelling the town.
As soon as the first shot is fired,
three horsemen, J. P. Harris, Gun
hilde Gunnerson and James Har
dison, will play Paul Revere. They
will go to warn the farmers con
gregated at the county library,
that the pirates are attacking.
Shore defenders, the National
Guard, will man 105 mm. howitzers
stationed in front of the Paul Jones
and Claude Wheatly homes. They
will return the pirates’ volley of
fire with blank rounds of ammu
nition. The guns will fire twenty
rounds at 1V§ minute intervals for
half an Jiour.
When the fourth round is fired,
Mr. Paul said spectators should
look toward the fort (now being
erected on Bird Shoal) because it
will be blown up at that moment.
Vance Fulford Jr. has been assign
ed the demolition job.
As soon as shot and shell arc
exhausted, the pirates, captained
by Bobby Hudgins, will row ashore
in their jolly boat to take the At
phonso (whaling museum). The
Alphonso, captained by Charles
Hatsell, will have hidden defenders
on it who will put up “a heroic
but futile fight.”
With the defenders on the Al
phonso disposed of and the cap
tain tied to the mast, the pirates
will disperse among the spectators
and capture as many wenches as
they can lay hold to.
The pirates (the Beaufort volun
teer fire department in real life)
will then take the girls back to
the Alphonso as their prisoners.
This will be the signal for the
farmers to come on the scene, Mr.
Paul declares. The farmers,' led
by Ralph Thomas, will fight from
the Inlet Inn yard. The farmers
will win,, just as they did in 1747,
and the pirates will be hauled
away to jail in a mule-drawn cart.
Among those who have served as
technical advisors and assistants
to Mr. Paul are Capt. Norman
Harris and Sgt. Dennis Goodwin
of the National Guard, Morehead
City; Bob Simpson, Neal Campen,
and Theodore (Tee) Ricks.
Mr. Paul said he had hoped that
all events of the invasion would be
a surprise. On the other hand, he
said things would be happening
rather fast and perhaps spectators
wouldn’t know what to look for or
when to look.
That’s why he consented to re
veal the sequence of events related
above.
Funeral for Leslie Long, Morehead
City, Will be at 3 P.M. Today
19-Year-Old Boy
Is County's
Eighth Fatality
• W. B. Allen Jr. Killed
In Tuesday Crash
# Three Other Victims
Remain in Hospital
A 19-year-old boy, son of a county
board of education member, be
came the county’s eighth highway
fatality Tuesday night. William
Bonner Allen, Newport, was killed
in an accident at 11:40 on the Nine
Foot road ^ short distance from
highway 24.
Injured in the accident, accord
ing to patrolman J. W. Sykes, were
Guy Walter Herring Jr., 19, route
1 Newport, driver of the car; Edna
Earl Salter, 21, and June Bennett
Salter, 18, sisters of route 1 New
port (Broad Creek); and Mitchell
D. Lewis, 19, route 1 Newport.
Lewis was discharged from the
hospital Wednesday. The others
were still in the hospital yesterday.
Herring has two broken verte
brae, Jnne has a cut on (he fore
head and face fractures, and Edna
Earl has a broken collarbone,
bruises and cuts.
The girls are the daughters of
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Salter. Lewis,
who was discharged, is the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Lewis.
Coroner David Munden said he
will schedule an Inquest after they
are out of the hospital. Impaneled
for the jury arc John Wagner, Her
bert Kelly and Dick Spears, More
head City; John B. Tomlinson,
Newport; Joe Smith, and George
M. Thomas, both of Beaufort.
Herring was driving a 1961 Chev
See FATALITY, Page 2
Legion Will Install
Officers Monday
Officers of American Legion Post
No. 46 will be installed at a dutch
supper at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the
Sanitary Fish Market and restau
rant.
Installing them will be Nash D.
McKee, Raleigh, American Legion
adjutant, Raleigh.
Officers arc William E. Wade,
commander; Clyde Young, first
vice-commander; Thurston Rice,
second vice-commander; J. B.
Rice, sergeant-at-arms; I. E. Pitt
man, chaplain; Stanley Woodland,
historian; Joe DuBois, service of
ficer; and Walton Fulcher, finance
officer and adjutant.
»—
The wicked pirates come to bo good end. They get hauled off to
gaol (jail) in a cart after being beaten into submission by the valiant
defenders of Beaufort This is a scene from last year’s re-enactment
of the favaakat
* The funeral service for Leslie G.t
Long, 34, assistant Morehead City
postmaster who shot himself Wed
nesday, will be conducted at 3 o’
clock this afternoon in St. An
drew's Episcopal church, More
head City.
Mr. Long's body was discovered
by deputy sheriffs C. H. Davis and
Bruce Edwards between 11 and
11:30 a.m. Wednesday near the old
car race track off the country club
road.
The deputies, with deputy sher
iff Billy Smith had been searching
the Morehead City and beach areas
since about 8 a.m. when Mrs. Long
notified police that her husband
had left a note at the house saying
that he was going to kill himself.
Employees at the postoffice, ac
cording to coroner David Munden,
said that Mr. Long left the post
office between 7 and 7:15 a.m. He
told them to tell postmaster Harold
Webb that he would be back short
ly.
When Mrs. Long notified police,
the postmaster checked the safe
in the postoffice and found the .38
calibre revolver, owned by the gov
ernment, missing.
The officers who found Mr. Long
spotted his car, a 1954 Studebaker,
on a side road near the abandon
ed race car track. About a hun
dred yards from it in the brush
they found him.
The bullet entered his head
above the right ear and emerged
over his left. He was still breath
iag, but unconscious. Ife was
rushed to the Morehead" Cftil' hos
pital in the Bell-Munden ambu
lance. He died at 1:15 p.m.
Coroner Mundcri said the revolv
er was lying loosely in Mr. Long’s
hand when he was found.
Over the sun visor in the car
were two letters, both stamped.
One was addressed to postmaster
Webb and another to Mrs. Long.
Each was marked “personal.”
Members of the family reported
that Mr. Long had been despond
ent recently and seemed to be un
der a strain. He became assistant
postmaster Sept. 17 last year.
Besides his wife, the former
Margaret Moore, he is survived
by five children, the oldest 12 and
youngest three weeks. They are
Leslie Hubert, Catherine, William,
Michael and James Gordon. Also
surviving are James Long Jr.,
Cape Cod, Mass.; two sisters, Mrs.
1 m o g e n e Phillips, Jacksonville,
Fla., Mrs. Linda Ditizio, Staten
Island, N. Y., and his father,
James Long, Staten Island.
Officiating at the funeral will be
the rector of St. Andrew’s, the Rev.
E. Guthrie Brown. Burial will be
in Bayview cemetery, Morehead
City.
L. D. Gore Sells
Ice, Coal Firm
L. D. Gore, president of Car
teret Ice and Coal Co., Inc., More
head City, announced Tuesday the
transfer of the corporation com
mon stock and management to V.
T. Bellamah, C. H. Ballou, and
Glenn H. Adair, Beaufort business
men.
Mr. Gore purchased Carteret Ice
and Coal in 1946 and has continued
management of the firm since
then.
Mr. Adair, spokesman for the
new owners, said, “During the
past 16 years of operation, Mr.*
Gore has built the company into
one of the finest, best-managed and
operated ice plants in the entire
district. An example of Mr. Gore’s
progressive management is the
use of the high quality water con
ditioning system which contributes
to the production of the best com
mercial ice available anywhere.
Mr. Gore will continue to be af
filiated with the company. He
stated that the new management
anticipates no change in the com
pany personnel or operation.
The new owners acquired ma
jority interest in the Beaufort Ice
and Coal Co., which they are con
tinuing to operate, in June 1959.
Part of Name Missing
The driver of the 1956 Oldsmo
bile which went into a ditch near
Stacy early Monday morning was
Charles Dawson Mason, 19, New
port. The last name, Mason, was
omitted from Tuesday’s report of
the accident.
Highway Group
To Meet Aug. 16
At Morehead
The State Highway commission
will meet Wednesday, Aug. 16, at
Morehead City.
The meeting place was decided
yesterday by the commission,
which was in session at Raleigh.
While in Morehead City, the com
mission will look over the More
head City bridge, study the Em
erald Isle ferry situation and visit
the ferry landing site at Atlantic
as well as the proposed site at
Cedar Island.
On Thursday, Aug. 17, highway
commissioners will go to Ocracoke
on the ferry, go north to Oregon
inlet where the state operates fer
ries, and conclude their tour at
noon Friday at Elizabeth City.
The commission allocated yester
day the remaining $12 million in
secondary road funds. Six million
dollars was allocated Tuesday,
July 11, of which Carteret received
$17,140. Highway commissioner D.
G. Bell, Morehead City, said yes
terday that of the allocation made
yesterday. Carteret will receive
approximately $34,000, or a total
oCalightly more than $51,000 for its
15.7 miles of unpaved roads.
Mr. Bell returned from Raleigh
last night.
Boat Operator
Pays Court Costs
Lonnie Salter, route 1 Newport,
has been found guilty in justice of
the peace court for operating a
boat in violation of life preserver
and fire extinguisher regulations.
Reuben Crumpton, law enforce
ment officer with the North Caro
lina Wildlife Resources commis
sion, said that Salter was cited
Saturday in Bogue sound. Jaypee
Elmer Smith ordered Salter to pay
court costs.
Fined $25 and costs before Jay
pee Smith was J. L. Lynch, Golds
boro, who was cited last summer
in this county for operating a boat
without registration.
Mr. Crumpton said that Lynch
failed to appear to answer to the
charge until this week. The of
ficer said Lynch’s boat is now
registered.
He added that water skiiers seem
to be more conscious of safety
regulations since publicity was
given those cited to court last
month. Any boat pulling a water
skiier must have rear view mirrors
OR someone in the boat watching
the skiier OR a life preserver on
the skiier.
Skiiers or boatmen ignoring all
three of those requirements arc
in violation of regulations and li
able for citation. They must com
ply with at least one of the require
ments.
Official to Go
To Conference
Superintendent H. L. Joslyn will
leave Monday to participate in the
School Superintendents’ conference
at Mars Hill college.
The three-day session brings to
gether the 173 superintendents of
the county and city administrative
units throughout the state.
Superintendents regard the con
ference as a short study-course for
the improvement of personal com
petence and know-how.
The conference will be under the
direction of the State Department
of Public Instruction and Dr.
Charles F. Carroll, state superin
tendent.
Public school administration,
new school laws and policy of the
State Board of Education will be
discussed and explained.
Participants go through three
days of intensive briefing and
study, constituting a professional
seminar. The purpose of the meet
ing is to improve school adminis
tration.
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Extensive damage was done to both the outside and the inside of the Kivershore Cafe.
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*
H. B. Moore’s warehouse was turned over on its roof by violent winds that hit a small section of
Swansboro. *
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The roof of Johnny Rigdon’s service station was lifted off by the storm and deposited to the right and
rear of the station. 1
Hearing on Subdivision Regulations
Will Begin at 2 Monday, Courthouse
Persons interested in learning
more about the proposed subdivi
sion regulations for the county are
invited to a hearing at 2 p.m. Mon
day in the courthouse, Beaufort.
A subdivision is an area of land
that has been subdivided by the
owner into building lots. The hear
ing has been called by the county
commissioners at the request of
the county planning commission.
At the hearing, persons who have
read the proposed regulations may
speak 'in favor of or against them.
Those who would like a copy of
them may obtain one from the
auditor’s office in the courthouse.
Jerry Turner of the division of
community planning, Department
of Conservation and Development,
will attend the hearing to explain
any phase of the proposed regu
lations.
Dr. L. • J. Dupree, Cedar Point,
chairman of the planning commis
sion,'explains that subdivision reg
ulations are designed to promote
the orderly growth of new areas
opened for building.
In areas where subdivision regu
lation* have been put into effect,
he says congestion of streets and
highways is lessened, overcrowd
ing is prevented and those buying
property in the subdivision are as
sured that they are getting land
that meets minimum requirements
for sanitation, safety, health and
their general welfare.
Dr. Dupree emphasizes that the
subdivision regulations, if put into
effect in the county, would not
Tide Table
Tides at the Beaufort Bar
HIGH
LOW
Friday, Aug. 4
2:19 a.m.
2:57 p.m.
8:45 a.m.
9:31 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 5
3:ltf a.m.
3:55 p.m.
9:43 a.m.
10:28 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 6
4:20 a.m.
4:52 p.m.
10:37 a.m.
11:19 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 7
5:20 a.m.
5:45 p.m.
11:27 a.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 8
6:12 a.m.
6:32 p.m.
12:07 a.m.
12:15 p.m.
override the authority of towns to
control any lands within one mile
of city limits.
The regulations will not affect
lands that have already been sub
divided. Neither will they affect,
in some cases, subdivision of land
where no street right-of-way or
dedication of streets is involved.
The regulations specify street
widths, right-of-way, intersections,
grades, etc. in accordance with
standard requirements. "If peo
ple develop land in accordance
with these plans,” Dr. Dupree
said, "they will stand a better
chance of having a local or state
government eventually agree to
take over and maintain those
streets.”
Blocks are to be at least 500
feet long and not more than 1,500
feet and crosswalks are to be pro
vided for blocks over 900 feet long.
The regulations would specify that
every lot shall front or adjoin a
street, thus assuring a future prop
erty owner that he need not cross
someone else’s property to get to
his home or building.
See BEARING, Page l 1
By WALTER PHILLIPS
“It sounded like a freight
train,” said Johnny Rigdon,
talking about the tornadic
storm that demolished his
gas station on highway 24 at
Swansboro just across the
White Oak river from Car
teret. The storm hit at 6:10
p.m. Tuesday.
The tornado did extensive dam
age to the Rivershore cafe, upend
ed a warehouse belonging to 11 B.
Moore's general merchandise store,
tore the roof off Hatch's Barber
shop, destroyed several cars and
damaged boats along the water
front.
"Russell Mitchell and I were
standing in the garage charging
the battery of a boat,” Mr. Rigdon
said. “First thing I knew the glass
started breaking and the roof caved
in.
“It lifted me up about 3 feet and
blew me out of the garage. I
grabbed hold of a gas pump just as
Mitch came sliding out, and I told
him to grabe something.
“Humble Oil Co. sure got a lot
of advertising when those oil cans
started blow out into the street,”
he added.
"We had a car sitting at the
pump, and the next time I saw it
it was sitting out in the middle of
the street with all the paiqt off,”
he said.
Just then, a lady drove up and
wanted to know if she could buy
some gas.
"Not today, Ma’am," Mr. Rigdon
hollered out. The lady drove away.
Still standing were the four walls
of the Esso gas station and the gas
pumps. The ceiling remained over
the office part. The roof was lying
to the right and back of the build
ing.
Pondering the extent of the de
struction, Rigdon estimated dam
age at $20,000.
E. B. Riggs, owner of the gas
station which Mr. Rigdon leases,
and owner and co-manager with
his wife of the Rivershore cafe next
to the gas station, estimated dam
age to both establishments at $45,
ooo Insurance is expected to cover
part of the loss.
Mrs. Riggs said they had just
spent $1,100 remodeling the restau
rant with tile and plywood boards,
mahogany plywood walls, new
booths and tables.
In the kitchen, the walls were
separated two inches or more from
the roof, while in the back dining
room, which looks out on White
Oak river and Adler’s island, there
was half an inch space between the
wall and floor. There was also a
sag in which water had collected on
the floor.
Mrs. Riggs stated that the storm
weakened and removed some sup
ports under the building, lowering
the foundation of the restaurant.
Talking about her car which was
demolished, she said the storm
bounced it end over end, then twist
ed it up in the air, then bounced
it end over end again. The car
finally landed upside down in a
flower bed 61 feet from where it
had been parked.
Asked if she had any indication
of the storm’s approach, she said:
“I was sitting by the window sew
ing, and heavy raindrops were fall
ing. But there was no change in
the air.
“It lasted about four minutes
when it struck,” she said. “I’m so
thankful no one was hurt,” she
added.
Mr. Moore, owner of a general
merchandise store, whose corru
gated tin warehouse was upended,
estimated his loss between $1,500
and $2,500.
“I didn’t know anything about
the warehouse going until I walked
out there,” he said. “It was a
twister, I can tell you that.”
He added that he considered it
very fortunate that no one was in
the path of the storm.
Also destroyed was the roof of
Hatch's Barber shop. Its owner
estimated that replacing the roof
would cost $500.
The tornado was the second one
to strike Swansboro in five years.
The previous one damaged nearby
tobacco barns.
Dark clouds hovered over Car
teret and light showers fell in the
Morehead City area at about the
time the tornado hit Swansboro,
but winds were almost non-existent
here.
Governor Names Two
To Advisory Fish Board
New members of the commer
cial advisory board are Clyde Pot
ter, Belhaven, and Garland F. Ful
cher, Oriental. Appointments to
four-year terms were made by
Gov. Terry Sanford Wednesday.
Mr. Fulcher is a wholesale sea
food dealer and Mr. Potter oper
ates the Belhaven Fish and Oyster
Co.
They replace W. H. Mason, Ori
ental, and Dick O’Neal, New Hol
land, on the board which serves
in an advisory capacity to the state
commercial fisheries committee.