all who read
THE NEWS-TIMES
■H| 9
&
51st YEAR, NO. 5,
RIGHT PAGES " KORE^aP CTTY AND BEA&FORT, NORTH CAROLINA TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1962
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14 Years Ago Two Ice Storms
Created Hardships in County
This picture was taken on the Beaiifort-Morehead causeway Sat
urday, Jan. 31, 1948. The top half of the power pole is lying across
the B&M railroad tracks. The falling pole cut telegraph wires on the
pole that’s still upright.
Gloucester Store
Fire Loss Set
At $25,000
Bill Pigott and Miss Florence
Pigott, who operated the J. S. Pig
ott General Merchandise store at
Gloucester, estimate that $25,000
would be needed to rebuild the
store and stock it as it was when
fire destroyed it Thursday after
noon.
The Pigotts said yesterday that
they expect to rebuild. Bill dis
covered the fire around the flue
,in_the store Thursdag^eaen., after
1 p.m. and tried to get it out him
self. But by the time he got to the
source of the fire, then to his hose,
he discovered that the electric
pump had frozen and he had no
water..
A Morehead City fire truck and
the Marshallberg fire truck went
to the scene, but the store was
almost destroyed by the time they
got there. .
The Beaufort rescue ambulance
also went to the fire. In it were
Harry Gaskill, N. E. Gaskill and
Tom Hewitt. Using Marshallberg
equipment, they helped put out
the remaining flames.
As of Jaly this year, the store
would have been in the same build
ing in its same location for fifty
years.
Gloucester Store Blazes
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Southern Defends Lower Grain Rate
Proposals Before ICC in Washington
In hearings before the Interstate
Commerce commission, tender way
in Washington, Southern Railway
is defending its proposal to slash
grain rates. Southern operates the
railroad, the Atlantic and East
Carolina, which serves the state
port at Morehead CHy.
' Through the development of new
rail cars, Southern says it can cut
the cost of transporting grain by
an estimated two-thirds. It hopes
that the reduced rates will lure
the grata business back to the rail
roads’by making it less attractive,
price-wise, to ship by unregulated
trucks.
At present unregulated trucks,
Dumbo to Play
At Schools Friday
The Walt Disney movie, Dum
bo, the story of a flying elephant,
will be shown for children in
Beaufort and Morehead City Fri
day.
The film is in color and is be
ing sponsored by the Beaufort
Morehead branch of the Ameri
can Association of University
Women.
The movie will be shown at
3:30 p.m. in the Morehead City
school auditorium and at 7:30
p.m. in the Beaufort school audi
torium.
Admission will be 25 cents for
Children and 50 cents for adults.
Dumbo is a full-length feature
Proceeds will go to the
AAUW funcf for establishing fel
lowships for women students.
Motorist Cited
After Accident
Mrs. Carol W. Dennis, Charlotte,
was charged with passing at an
intersection at 6 a.m. Monday fol
lowing an accident on highway 24
two miles east of Swansboro.
State trooper W. J. Smith Jr.
said Mrs. Dennis, in a 1955 Ford,
attempted to pass a 1960 Dodge,
driven by Thomas L. Hilburn,
USMC, New River, as Hilburn was
making a left turn.
No one was hurt. Damage to
the Dodge was estimated at $200
and to the Ford $100.
that operate through brokers, are
handling much of the grain. The
brokers tell truck drivers, for a
commission, where some grain can
be picked up and returned to the
general area from where the truck
set out.
Southern says that thousands of
little people, as opposed to big en
terprises such as TVA and barge
operators, are for the Southern
program.
“We have had the active support
of thousands of so-called ‘little
men,' — poultrymen and livestock
raisers, cooperatives and small
feed mills,” the railways says.
“Supporting Southern's proposal
The intense cold of Wednesday,
followed by freezing rain, sleet
and Snow of Thursday and Friday
was almost like a page out of Jan
uary and February 1948 in Car
teret.
The entire nation was gripped
in. sub-freezing weather, suffering
under a shortage of fuel oil. Car
teret was no exception. In More
head City the Jaycees set up an
emergency fuel oil committee.
Jaycees themselves delivered fuel
oil in 10-gallon lots to homes where
the need was critical. Commercial
trucks were too busy. One firm
was making no deliveries unless
the home tank was less than a
fifth full.
People were asked to make their
oil last longer by using fire places
and coal grates.
On top of this, an ice storm
struck Friday, Jan. 30. The power
went off in Beaufort at 11:10 p.m.
that night and was not restored
until 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1. Water,
therefore, could not be pumped in
to the town water tank and salt
water was turned into the lines so
that there would be water for fire
fighting in case fire broke out.
People got drinking water from
artesian wells. School was limited
to half-day sessions because of the
lack of water. On Thursday, Feb.
5, Dr. N. T. Ennett, health officer,
said the water was still contami
nated, even though fresh water
had been turned back in the lines.
Persons were warned to boil drink
ing water unless they had had ty
phoid fever shots.
In Morehead City mayor George
Dill declared a state of emergency
-for 24 hours because live wires,
snapped under weight of the ice,
were lying on the ground through:
out town. Mail deliveries through
out the state were off schedule.
Western union lines here were
down- The only contact with the
yfeet of the world was by hidltway
patrol radio •and" sttp-tcNShere -rw
dio.
Then on Sunday, Feb. 8, another
ice storm hit. Schools closed Wed
nesday, Feb. 11. Sections of Beau
fort were still without electricity
because of the previous storm.
Utility wires snapped under ice
and wind.
High winds sent the ice-coated
274-foot transmission tower at
WMBL on Radio island toppling to
the ground Monday, Feb. 9. Dam
age was estimated at $10,000.
Carolina Telephone Co. and Tide
Water Power Co. estimated their
damage in this county alone at a
total of $100,000.
School bus drivers will attend a
lunch at noon Wednesday at the
recreation center, Morehead City.
also are the US Department of
Agriculture, the Southern Govern
ors’ conference, the Southeastern
Association of Railroad and Utili
ties commissioners, and virtually
every farm and related organiza
tion. Among the latter are the
National Grange, Farm Bureau
federation, state farm, commodity,
poultry and livestock groups.' ’
“Facts are facts,” Southern said,
“and the fact is that on Dec. 18
the Interstate Commerce commis
sion had received nearly 3,000 pe
tions, letters and telegrams on
Southern’s proposal, of which over
90 per cent were favorahle to
Southern’s rates.”
News-Times Photo by Lorry McComb
It was pretty to look at Saturday. Sun shining through the ice decked every tree with diamonds.
Ice covered many of the small creeks in the county Friday and Saturday. This is a view of Calico creek
looking toward the cemetery and east from the bridge. Snow can be seen along the shoreline.
i ni'iiim—rii'innmirtw vnu'M uni i
David Warrick
Heads Council
David Warrick, assistant agri
cultural agent, was elected presi
dent of the County Agricultural
Workers council Thursday after
noon at the postoffice building,
Beaufort.
Other officers elected were Mrs.
Harry Mizelle, Newport, vice-presi
dent, and R. M. Williams, Beau
fort, secretary.
Mrs. Floy Garner reported on a
meeting at Raleigh where rural
community and area development
was discussed.
B. J. May read a letter from
H. M. McNeill, area secretary, sug
gesting that re
ports of council
meetings be for
warded to t h e
area office.
I. M- Robbins,
Farm and Home
supervisor, re
ported on the
Rural Area De
velopment act,
passed by Con
gress early in
1961. Mr. Robbins stated that 500
out of approximately 6,000 counties
in the United States were taking
advantage of this program to in
crease the income of low jneome
families.
A list of men and women repre
senting different types of busi
nesses and organizations was
made. They will be contacted and
invited to a meeting Jan. 25 at the
courthouse, Beaufort. There a
number of out-of-county represen
tatives will'explain the aims and
purposes of the program.
At the meeting, officers will be
elected to assist with making a
county survey to determine coun
ty needs. The proposed plan will
be sent to Raleigh and Washington
for approval.
Attending the meeting, in addi
tion to those mentioned; were May
nard Owens, Mrs. Nancy Dunn,
and Mrs. David- Beveridge..
David Warrick
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Stevie Buck, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Buck, Frosty the Snowman,
and Cecil Goodwin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Goodwin, decorate
THE NEWS-TIMES lawn. The boys built Frosty Saturday afternoon,
using the inch snow-fall of Friday night. Stevie is a NEWS-TIMES
carrier boy.
Newport Fire Chief Reports
On Activities During 1961
C.'-A. Gould Jr., chief of the New
port fire department, has. released
the -following report .on activities
of the Newport Fire department
during the past year:
The Newport Fire department
answered 31 fire alarms during the
year Jan. 1, 1961 through Dec. 15,
1961. Of these, 18 were brush or
woods fires, 9 structural fires, res
idential and commercial. Two
were oil truck fires, 3 mutual aid
calls, 2 to Morehead City, and 1
to MCAS, Cherry Point.
Of the 31 alarms, 7 were in the
town, 3- grass fires, 1 oil tank
truck and 2 overheated oil fur
naces in residential' structures.
One alarm was to the town water
plant to extinguish gasoline fire
caused by electrical spark while
filling gasoline engine.
Property involved in town fires
totals $95,000. Of this, $400 dam
age by fire was done. Total prop
erty saved in town was $94,600.00.
There were 24 out-of-town fires,
15 woods fires, 6 structural fires,
and 3 mutual aid calls. Property
involved (not including mutual
aid) totaled $135,000. Property
damaged in out-of-town fires total
ik.
Repair Crews to Continue
Working This Week
Winter struck the county with a vengeance Thursday.
A drop to 15 degrees above zero early Thursday morning
was followed Friday night with an inch of snow. Power
and telephone lines went down and heating plants went
off.
Ice was the big trouble-maker. Rainfall Friday totaled
.83 of an inch. The fain froze, put-**
ting a coating of ice an inch thick
on wires, weeds, bushes, trees —
everything outdoors.
Utility lines snapped under the
weight of the ice. Perhaps the only
thing that prevented the situation
from being a duplicate of 1948 i(e
storms was the absence of high
wind.
Power crews are expected to be
working all this week, mending
lines, according to George Stovall,
manager of Carolina Power and
Light Co. here, and W. C. Carlton,
manager of the Carteret-Craven
Electric Membership Corp.
L. A. Daniels, Morehead City
manager of Carolina Telephone:
and - Telegraph, said extra crews
brought in to work on phone lines
will be here this week. As of yes
terday, lots of local phones were
still out, Mr. Daniels said, but all
toll lines had been restored.
The circuit into Marshallberg
was restored Friday night and the
one to Atlantic Sunday- night.
All utility managers reported
conditions down east “terrible,” so
far as line problems go. Because
of the wide open spaces, repair
crews worked under conditions that
only a polar bear could enjoy.
Where people depended on elec
tricity to operate heating plants,
they had to turn to open fire
places, move in with neighbors who
had heat, and some went to hotels
and motpls.
Mr. Stovall estimated that by 6
p.m. Sunday night all Carolina
Power and light customers had
power. If any didn’t, he said his
office didn’t knpw about it. He an
nounced that there will be periodic
interruptions for short intervals
throughout the next two weeks
while crews are getting thing* back
to normal.
Carolina Power had a total of 77
men on the job and 19 extra pieces
of equipment. Crews under con
tract and five CP&L crews from
Wilmington, Jacksonville and New
Bern moved into the county Fri
day. Mr. Stovall said this county
was hit harder than any othor in
the CP&L area.
Crewmen on the trucks from
other areas said driving conditions
were so hazardous, they had to
creep.
CP&L’s major breakdown was
on the line down east. It went out
at 12:15 p.m. Friday. Repairmen
worked through Friday night. They
had the line up twice and it came
down. Power was restored to At
lantic at 6:33 p.m. Saturday, ac
cording to power company records.
Mr. Stovall said CP&L lines are
designed to take a quarter-inch of
ice in an “8-pound wind.” The ice
was three times heavier than that. ]
Things would have been much
worse had there been wind. He
said tree limbs crashing over lines
would have added to the trouble.
CP&L had to interrupt service
themselves frequently to get au
tomobiles out from under live
wires and rescue people in cars.
Fortunately, none of the major
transmission lines, feeding power
into this area, went down.
See STORM, Page 2
Tide Table
Tides at Beaufort Bar
HIGH LOW
Tuesday, Jan. 16
4:52 a.m. 11:17 a
5:18 p.m. 11:27 p.
Wednesday, Jan. 17
5:47 a.m. 12:08 a
6:14 p-.m. .
Thursday, Jan. 18
6:37 a.m. 12:16 a.
7:03 p.m. 12:58 p.
Friday, Jan. 19
7:22 a.m. 1;03 a
7:48 p.m. l:44p.
s a Si HE SB
ed $10,100. Total out-of-town prop
erty saved: $124,900.
Property involved in the 31
alarms totaled $230,000. Total
Total property damaged by fire,
$10,500; total property saved,
$219,500.
During the year the fire depart
ment .answered 31 emergency calls
with the emergency ambulance.
Twenty of these calls were for
emergency illness and/or injuries
where doctors recommended trans
portation by ambulance (not high
See REPORT, rage 2
■ V ■ ,
Luther Hamilton i
Plans Return
To State Senate
Sen. Lather Hamilton, Morehead
City, .will seek re-election to the
state senate, subject to the primary
in May.
Senator Hamilton, who has serv
ed during the past three legisla
tures, announced his intention yes
terday to seek renomination. »
“I’m going on in,” the senator
remarked. “You know we have a
great deal at stake in this heck of
the woods.” He said he didn’t
want to seem presumptuous but
“I do know what’s going on better
than a lot of
people who don’t
live here ’.'
He said he
would expend
every effort in
the Senate to do
what's best for
Morehead City,
Carteret county,
the seventh sen
atorial district
and the state.
The senator,
who for many years was a superior
court judge and* served in the leg
islature early in his political ca
reer, said there is a possibility
that he might change his mind
about running. But as of yester
day, he doubted that there would
be any likelihood of his pulling
out of the rate.
Thomas J.' White, Kinston, the
other senator from the 7th district,
announced his intention last week
of seeking renomination. Both
candidates are Democrats.
Senator Hamilton
Rites Conducted
For R. W. Safrit
The funeral service for Robert
William Safrit Sr., 85, Beaufort,
was conducted in the Ann Street
Methodist church at 2 p.m. Sun
day by the Rev. Dwight L. Fouts,
pastor. Mr. Safrit, who had been
in ill health, died Saturday at his
home.
A native of Cabarrus county, he
moved to Beaufort 31 years ago
and founded what is now the Safrit
Lumber Co. He formerly lived in
Concord and Mt. Gilead.
Mr. Safrit was a veteran of the
Spanish-American War, a member
of the Ann Street Methodist church,
a Mason and a Shriner. He was
married to the late Mrs. Ila Jane
Goodman Safrit.
Surviving are three sons, Robert
W. Jr. and Leonard, Beaufort, Mer
lin, Dallas, Tex.; three daughters,
Mrs. Lucille S. Smith and Mrs.
Betty Jane S. Merrill, Beaufort,
ana Mrs. Arlene S. Moore, Mt.
Gilead; one brother, Clarence Sa
frit, Troy; two sisters, Mrs. Grace
Lippard and Mrs. Mary S. Casper,
Concord, and fifteen grandchildren.
Burial was at 2 p.m. yesterday
in the Sharon cemetery, Mt. Gilead.
The home of county school super
intendent H. L. Joslyn, 2806 Evans
St., Morehead City, was damaged
considerably Friday night, due to
a fire.
The blaze apparently started be
tween the walls of the Joslyn home
when an electrical short occurred
during a power failure, Mr. Jos
lyn said. Firemen had to tear
down two walls in the house to
get to the blaze.
Mr. Joslyn discovered the fire
after he noticed a loud buzzing in
side the walls, following the out
tage.
The alarm was turned in at 10:10
p.m. Firemen from the More
head City fire station were on the
scene for an hour. Mr. Joslyn re
ported Saturday morning that the
loss was covered by insurance.