jggK&,y.
ALL WHO READ
READ
THE NEWS-TIMES
Slit YEAR, NO. 19.
EIGHT PAGES
MORE HEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1962
PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
Newport Youth Survives High
Voltage Shock on Causeway
Tommy Garner Says His
Brother Saved His Life
Tommy Howard, 22, Newport, shook hands with death
Saturday. Death was in the form of a steel cable, on a
boom that hit a high-voltage wire, on the Atlantic Beach
causeway. But Howard is alive today, due to the quick
action of his brother, Joe, 24, who was operating the boom.
Both boys are sons of L. W. Howard, Newport, who
Tommie Lewis
Fills Vacancy
On Board
Tommie Lewis, Harxers Island,
has been appointed to the county
board of commissioners, to fill the
unexpired term of David Yeomans,
Harkers Island.
Mr. Lewis assumed his duties
with the county board yesterday
and was welcomed by Moses How
ard, chairman of the board.
A. H. James, clerk of superior
court and chairman of the county
Democratic committee, who made
the appointment, made the follow
ing statement yesterday:
“I have, this morning, filled the
vacancy on the County Board of
Commissioners created by the
resignation of David Yeomans of
Harkers Island.
•‘Four, eight, twelve and sixteen
years ago, the voters of Carteret
County have elected one of the five
members ofthe Board from Harp
ers Island and 1 could not, on my
own volition, fill the vacancy from
another community.
“I am not unmindful nor disre
spectful of the position of those
friends that would have changed
the Geographical placement of this
appointment, but I feel sure had
they been in my position they
would have done the same.
“Mr. Lewis is 62 years of age
and is retired from the US Coast
Guard, having distinguished him
self with the government, retiring
as a warrant officer. The people
of the Island have known of this
proposed appointment for several
months and no ons has come
through with any objection to or
any criticism of this man, which,
it seems to me, is mighty com
mendable.”
'Mystery Man'
Finds Check
A check for several hundred dol
lars was lost last week—and later
returned to the owner.
The lucky fellow is Carey Wilson,
Newport, who dropped a federal
government check, in its envelope,
.on a sidewalk in Morehead City.
But nobody seems to know who
found it, other than the finder’s
name is Carl and he works for a
firm in Wilmington.
He found the check on the walk
in front of the First-Citizens bank
and gave it to Mrs. Ralph Willis,
a cashier at the Morehead City
Drug Co. She, in turn, took the
check to Harold Webb, postmaster.
Mr. Wilson, meanwhile, had
phoned the postmaster to report
that he had lost the check. When
it showed up, Mr. Webb turned it
over to its owner.
Mr. Wilson, whose nickname is
Woodie, is employed by Sealtest.
Mrs. Wilson called to thank Mrs.
Willis for turning in the check.
Mrs. Willis explained that she
hadn’t found it ... the credit
should go to a man named Carl.
Durham Firm Low Bidder
On County Road Projects
Low bidder, with $69,592.20, on
three road projects in the county,
was Nello L. Teer Co., Durham,
according to the State Highway
commission. Bids were opened in
Raleigh Tuesday. They will be re
viewed by tb* highway commis
sion Thursday, March 15.
The Carteret work includes re
surfacing highway 70-A from the
Morehead City western limits to
24th Street, thence southward from
highway 70-A to Arendell street;
9.17 miles of resurfacing on high
way 70 from highway 101 to the
North fiver bridge, and the Mer
rimon road from Hardesty’s cor
ner to^Che Laurel road, a distance
► operates a heavy construction firm.
The accident happened about
12:50 p.m. The Howard 10-ton
truck crane with 60-foot boom, was
at the Atlantic Beach Bait and
Tackle shop (operated last summer
by George Smith as a fish market),
putting gasoline tanks in the
ground. The shop is across from
the Blue Marlin motel.
The boys were working fast to
get .each of two thousand gallon
tanks, for gasoline pumps, in the
ground. One had already been put
in place and the other was ready
to be lowered.
Joe swung the boom and Tommy
grabbed the cable with his left
hand while reaching with his right
for the tank to which the cable
was to be attached. Just then the
boom hit an overhead electric wire,
shooting 12,000 volts of electricity
down the cable to Tommy.
The shock, knocked Tommy to
the ground, unconscious. Fire flew
where contact was made with the
wire. Joe saw the brilliant flash,
as did several passing, motorists.
He instantly hit the lever which
dropped the boom away from the
wire and thus probably saved his
brother’s life.
Ttite cat the flow of electricity
because Tommy said he couldn't
have released the cable. “I knew
I was being shocked or electro
cuted,” he related later, '“but 1
couldn’t turn the cable loose. The
muscles in my hand contracted. I
couldn’t let go.” Even the soles
of his feet were slightly burned.
He was wearing cotton working
gloves.
The Dill ambulance from More
head City rushed him to the hos
pital, but he had started to regain
consciousness before the ambu
lance picked him up. He said he
realized he was being take some
where in an ambulance.
Dr. John Gainey treated his
burned left hand in the emergency
room at the hospital. “He told me
I was mighty lucky,” Tommy ob- j
served.
George Stovall, manager of Caro
lina Power and Light Co. went to
the scene. He told the yooth,
“Everything was in your favor.
You had dry clothes on and crepe
soles on your shoes. If your right
had had been on the tank at the
time the boom hit the wire, the
tank would have beeh a perfect
ground and everything would have
been all over for you.”
Two hours later, drinking a pepsi
in the tackle shop where the acci
dent happened, Tommy said, “All
I can say is I’m nervous and
thankful.”
His brother, Joe, took him in a
pickup truck from the hospital
after he was given first aid, back
to the causeway where their equip
ment was. Joe seemed a bit nerv
ous, too.
The boys didn’t know who called
the ambulance. The Morehead City
rescue squad also answered the
call; but for some reason rushed
to the Little Hurricane motel on
the Salter Path road and arrived
at the scene of the accident soon
after the ambulance.
The accident didn’t interrupt
power service to the beach, but it
did burn down a phone line, which
put several phones on the cause
way out of order. Repairs were
quickly made.
Red Cross to Meet
The county chapter of the Amer
ican Red Cross .will meet at 6:30
p.m. today at Fleming’s restau
rant, Atlantic Beach, announces
Garland Scruggs, chairman.
Bus 79, Where Are You?
School children who travel on
the Morehead City school bus that
goes to Broad Creek were asking
Friday, “Bus 19, where are you?”
Their parents knew. A note from
H. L. Joslyp, county superintendent,
of schools informed them that cer-'
tain children on the bus refused to
abide by regulations. As a result,
the driver of the bus said that he
could no longer be responsible for
Leawood Lee, principal of the
18-Pound Blue Taken
mi!
Bhoto Dy Boo Simpson
Oliver Davis, Beaufort, holds an 18-pound bluefish taken in a
Wednesday, off Fort Macon.; Dr. William Fahy, of the Institute
Fisheries Research, UNC, examines the teeth of the big fish,
largest were at least a quarter of an inch long. Examination of
scales, Dr. Fahy ggid, indicated that'the fish was ten years old^
Step-up in Enforcement
Cuts Accidents, Clu b Toid
*■ f
Game Warden
Leaves Hospital
Malvern Cecil, Beaufort, federal
game warden, who was injured
when an auto driven by hunting
poachers struck him on Cedar
Island, was discharged from the
Sea Level hospital Saturday.
Mr. Cecil still has a cast on his
leg and will not return to duty un
til he completely recovers from in
juries. The two men charged with
violation of hunting laws at the
time Mr. Cecil was injured were
Lloyd Hayes Mason and Clyde Ma
son Jr., Atlantic.
The men were sentenced to six
months in jail, suspended on pay
ment of fines of $250 each. They
were also put on probation. They
were found guilty by the federal
commissioner at New Bern for
hunting and having duck in pos
session during closed season.
They were apprehended Sunday,
Feb. 18 at 2:30 a.m. between Cedar
Island and Atlantic.
The Federal Bureau of Investiga
tion is checking on the alleged as
sault on Mr. Cecil with the auto
mobile. Authorities say Lloyd Ma
son was at the wheel when the
game warden was injured.
Tides at the Beaufort Bar
Tide Table
HIGH
LOW
Tuesday, March 6
8:06 a.m.
8:34 p.m.
2:01 a.m.
2:31 p.m.
Wednesday, March 7
8:57 a.m.
9:25 p.m.
2:51 a.m.
3:18 p.m.
Thursday, March 8
9:49 a.m.
10:17 p.m.
3:39 a.m.
4:03 p.m.
Friday, March 9
10:43 a.m.
11:12 p.m.
4:27 a.m.
4:48 p.m.
school, said that he had no driver
qualified to replace the one who
had resigned, therefore the bus
could not run. It did not run Fri
day and parents had to get children
to school the best way they could.
Parents who do not send their
children to school are subject to
court action.
But bus 19 was running again
yesterday. The driver who had
turned in his license decided to give
it another try.
H Mrs. J. C. Sherrill, public affairs
chairman, told the Business and
Professional Women’s club Tues
day night that the highway patrol
estimates accidents have been re
duced in this county 20 per cent
through a step-up in the traffic law
enforcement program. The club
met at the Clem Johnson home,
Mansfield Parkway, Morehead City.
Mrs. Sherrill reported on the na
tional B&PW club’s survey to pro
mote greater safety on the high
way. The survey pointed up the
need for uniform traffic signals
and road signs from coast to coast.
At present, she said, signs vary
from state to state, methods of
marking routes or danger points
vary, and numerous other differ
entiations tend to confuse the mo
torist, especially if he is traveling
in a strange state.
The national B&PW club has pub
lished a booklet on improving traf
fic law enforcement. Available
also from the Government printing
office, Washington, D. C., is a man
ual on uniform traffic control de
vices, published by the Bureau of
Public Roads, Mrs. Sherrill said.
The speaker pc ited out that the
state highway patrol in North Car
olina has undertaken a broader
program to assure traffic safety.
In this county periodic inspection
of vehicles traveling the highways
is being made during both day
light and dark hours; speed is
clocked by radar devices, ^trouble
stretches" of highway are gaturat
ed with patrolmen periodically to
cut down speeding and reckless
ness.
Pedestrians are urged to walk
facing the traffic, bicycles on the
highways arc checked and school
buses are checked monthly to catch
mechanical defects, if any.
The speaker pointed out that the
businesswomen represent a large
part of the country’s population
and total participation of all B&PW
clubs in a highway safety program
would bring a significant reduction
in the number of accidents.
During the business sesMon, Mrs.
Irene Merrill kas accepted as a
new member. Mrs. Virginia Sam
ple, president, appointed a nomi
nating committee, Mrs. W. I. Lof
tin, chairman; Mrs. W. E' Merion,
and Miss Frances Bass.
Miss Lyda Piner gave the sec
retary’s report and Mrs. C. L.
Beam the treasurer’s report.
Prior to the business meeting,
Mrs. Johnson served a baked ham
dinner.
Boards to Meet
The Newport town board will
meet at 7:30 tonight at the town
hall sad the Atlantic Beach board
will meet at 10 a.m. FTOiy at the
beach town hall.
A
Bpard Picks Webb
Site for Hospital
County commissioners yesterday
decided to build the county hospital
on the Webb site on Bogue sound,
the site originally chosen for the
hospital.
The decision came after the
board concluded that if it was going
to stick to its pre-referendum prom
ise to put the hospital three miles
west of Morehead City, it may as
well put it on the Webb site, in
which over $4,000 of taxpayers’
money has already been invested.
The commissioners stated further
that if the owner of the property,
Earle W. Webb, does not wish to
sell, condemnation proceedings
Four Newport
Residents Hurt
In Auto Crash
Four Newport residents were in
jured and another escaped injury
when they were involved in a head
on collision Monday night at 7:45
nine miles from Henderson on US
highway No. 1. The injured were
Mrs. Rachel Lewis. Mrs. Roma
Garner Thompson, Mrs. Leon Gar
ner and Allen Garner, about 10
years of age. Lynn Garner, daugh
ter of Mrs. Leon Garner, was not
injured.
Mrs. Glenwood Garner, sister-in
law of Mrs. Lewis, gave the fol
lowing account of the accident:
Mrs. Lewis had been in Mary
land visiting Mrs. Clyde Moore for
a week and the others had gone
to Washington, D. C., Sunday to
yee astronaut John Glenn in a pa
rade Monday. They were en route
home by way of Raleigh to leave
Lynn, Who attends business'school
there.
Mrs. Lewis was driving Mrs.
Thompson's 1961 Mercury when a
1955 Nash station wagon, driven
by Perry Perkinson of Louisburg,
allegedly came toward them in
their lane. Mrs. Lewis slowed, and
swerved to avoid a collision, but
the cars collided head-on. Perkin
son was also hospitalized. The
Thompson car was demolished.
Mrs. Thompson and Allen were in
the front seat.
Mrs. Lewis, the most seriously
injured, suffered a crushed right
kneecap, broken left ankle and
cracked left kneecap^ Mrs. Thomp
son had a slight concussion, but
was out of bed Friday. Mrs. Leon
Garner’s right arm was broken
above the elbow.
Allen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Man
ly Garner, suffered cuts and
bruises but came home Wednes
day. Lynn returned home to New
port Tuesday when her father and
Raymond Simmons went to Hen
derson
Mr. and Mrs. Glenwood Garner
and Mr. and Mrs. Manly Garner
went to Maria Parham hospital to
visit them Wednesday and Mr.
Simmons and Mrs. Moses Howard
went Friday.
It was hoped that the injured
could be brought home or to More
head City hospital over the week
end.
Ben Alford Speaks
To Morehead Rotarians
Ben Alford was. the speaker at
the meeting of the Morehead City
Rotary club Thursday night. Mr.
Alford spoke on the work of Dr.
Frank Laubach, founder of the
World Literacy movement.
The literacy movement raises
funds for teaching citizens of other
nations how to read and write in
their native languages. The move
ment is based on the theory that
literacy is the key to knowledge
and national progress.
Two guests at the meeting were
Bill Heath and Ed Nolan, both of
Pompano Beach, Fla.
'Mel West's Back' ,*
Rumors False, Wife Says
Rumors to the effect that “Mel
West is back,” arc false, accord
ing to his wife (widow?), Mrs.
Esther West, highway 70-A, More
head City.
The rumors were flying thick and
fast all over Beaufort and More
head City last week that the More
head City man who attempted twice
to go to Bermuda in an outboard
motorboat, had come back home.
Ou the first try in 1957 he was
picked up by a freighter and taken
by the Coast Guard to Hamilton,
Bermuda. On his second attempt
would be undertaken to gat the
land.
The board announced, also, that
no more suggested sites will be
considered. Commissioners pointed
out that if the people wish, 15 per
cent of the registered freeholders
of the county mav draft a petition
and request that a referendum be
held on hospital location.
In that case, the board would
select at least two sites on which
voters could ballot.
The decision to proceed with the
Webb property as the hospital lo
cation was made shortly before 3
p.m. yesterday during the after
noon session of the board.
W. David Munden, Morehead
City, filed yesterday for the Dem
I ocratic nomination as coroner.
Mr. Munden Is presently serving
as county coroner.
Driver Ordered
To Pay Almost
$200 in Court
A Cherry Point resident involved
in an accident found his appear
ance in the Morehead City record
er’s court expensive Wednesday.
(Court was postponed from Monday
to Wednesday because the solicitor,
George McNeill, was out of town.
Billy Jeffery Stalnaker was found
guilty of driving drunk, fined $100
and the costs and given a suspend
ed 30-day term. He was ordered
by judge Herbert O. Phillips III
to pay Cecil H. Mason $53.35 in
damages. Stalnaker was also
charged with failure to stop after
being in an accident but was not
prosecuted on that charge.
Other cases were Lawrence Go
dette, Havelock, no operator’s li
cense, $25 and costs; Betty Lillian
Gray, failure to stop at signal, $10
and costs; Jackie Arnold Simpson,
Beaufort, speeding, $15 and costs;
and J. E. (Hookie) Morris, More
head City, who asked for a jury
trial on a charge of public drunk
enness. He was placed under $50
bond for the appearance at the
April term of superior court.
Paying costs were Robert Earl
Ham, Greenville, public drunken
ness; George Eris Hall, Camp Le
jeunc, failure to dim lights; Wal
ter Singleton Koonce, Morehead
City, improper brakes and no city
tag; Larry Adelbert Long, More
head City, disobeying stop sign;
James Herbert Meadows, Mays
ville, public drunkenness; and John
Neal Salter, Havelock, disobeying
a stop signal.
Three cases were continued to
later terms of court.
Ladles Entertained
The Morehead City Lions club
held ladies’ night Thursday night,
with social activities predominat
ing. Among games played was
bingo, with prizes awarded. No
business was conducted at the
meeting.
in early 1958 he apparently dis
appeared and is believed to have
drowned. No trace has ever been
found of him or his boat.
In the belief that West may have
survived the second attempt and
is alive somewhere, police depart
ments throughout the natiqn re
ceived a description of him. Hugh
Salter, former sheriff, at one time
received a query from London au
thorities who thought they had spot
ted a man who answered West’s
description.
Ruling Expected to Clear
Way for Sale of Bonds
Judge W. J. Bundy ruled Saturday at Greenville that
none of the legal advertisements, resolutions of the county
board, or ballots, declared that Carteret would refund or
retire its present debt before issuing bonds for a county
hospital.
This was the ruling that bond attorneys in New York
wanted before they would proceed*;
with steps* to issue bonds to build
the hospital.
Judge Bundy is resident judge of
the third judicial district. His rul
ing was announced to the county
board yesterday morning at the
courthouse.
The judge said, “The court con
cludes and holds as a matter of
law that the issuance and sale of
Carteret County Hospital Bonds in
an aggregate principal amount . . .
not exceeding $1,000,000 ... for
erecting and equipping a hospital
. . . including the acquisition of
necessary land, is NOT contingent
upon a prior refunding or refi
nancing of any present outstanding
debt of Carteret County.”
When a law suit was filed to
block construction of the county,
the complainants contended before
the supreme court that the county
could not proceed with building
a hospital until the present debt is
retired. The complainants contend
ed that was the proposition on
which the county put the hospital
matter to a vote.
The county, through its attorney,
Luther Hamilton, contended that
the allegation was false. But the
supreme court thought otherwise.
Later, the law suit was with
drawn. But bond attorneys felt
the matter needed clarification and
for that reason sought a ruling
such as that which judge Bundy
made Saturday.
Charles S. Hester and Hugh Sty
ron yesterday offered the county
land for a hospital site on highway
70 in the vicinity of the former
Little Nine golf course, west of
Morehead City.
The board took their proposition
under consideration, plus an option
to buy the property in si* moon*.
The landowners said they would
consider a 30-day extension of the
option, if necessary.
Mr. Styron said that 12 acres
would be given the county without
charge and the county could buy
additional acres if it wished. No
price was mentioned, but he said
the county could buy it "for what
we have in it.”
Moses Howard, county board
chairman, termed the property
“the most accessible site” but said
there were also other sites in mind.
He said the site was 3 Vi miles
from the water tank at the western
limits of Morehead City, and a
mile closer than the Webb site on
highway 24.
Skinner Chalk, commissioner,
commented that if there was only
a mile difference, he is in favor
of the Webb site. Commissioner
C. Z. Chappell said consideration
of the Webb site “would open the
law suit again.
Mr. Chalk said the suit was not
justified. Commissioner Gaston
Smith remarked, “I thought the
Webb site was no longer available.”
Mr. Howard said it’s not avail
able if it were going to be put up
in referendum. He added that if
the suit was filed because of the
distance to the Webb site, the same
people who filed it would object to
the Styron-Hester property, “but,”
he continued, “I’m not sure di
tance was the real reason.”
All commissioners voted in favor
of taking an option on the Styron
Hester property, except commis
sioner Chalk whose vote was no.
At the request of mayor W. H.
Potter and Beaufort town clerk
Ronald Earl Mason, the county
agreed to give Beaufort a restrict
ed deed on the county’s interest in
three waterfront lots between
Marsh and Live Oak streets.
The town officials said they hop
ed to fill in the lots and put boat
launching ramps and a recreation
area on them. The county stated
that the property could be used
by the town, but should an effort
be made to sell the lots or put
them to private use, the title for
the county’s interest, would revert
to the county.
That, however, must have been
a false alarm, because nothing de
veloped from it.
Should West return, an insurance
company and some others would
be very interested in talking with
him, officers say.
A bank filed suit in August 1938
to recover from note signers the
balance on a $6,000 loan it had ad
vanced West in early 1957.
Mrs. West said that she plans to
remarry and her children are look
ing forward to having a daddy
again.
NSF Grant
Finances Work
Off Venezuela
• Dr. W. E. Fahy, UNC.
Reports on Project
• Fish to be Shipped
To Fisheries Institute
A National Science Foundation
grant of $1,300 with Dr. William
Fahy, Morehead City, and Dr. Wil
liam Lund as principal investiga
tors, is enabling the accomplish
ment of pioneer work in study of
the fishes of Venezuela.
The grant was awarded last
month and meets the cost of paying
Venezuelan fishermen, under Pr.
Lund’s supervision, to catch the
fish and preserve them.
Dr. Lund, now working for the
Venezuelan government at Cara
cas, will assume the duties of as
sistant professor May 1, 1962 at
the Institute of Fisheries Research,
UNC, Morehead City. Dr. Fahy is
a member of the institute staff.
The fish of the Venezuelan coast
are being. collected at Cumana.
Dr. Fahy said that relatively little
is known of the inhabitants of wa
ters of that coast. The area is
not easily accessible and few ma
rine scientists have ever worked
there.
The collection and classifying of
the fishes was suggested by the
national association of icthyolo
gists.
Dr. Lund, a graduate student at
the institute in 1956 and 1957 is col
lecting, describing, and inventory
ing fish for the Venezuelan gov
ernment as the preliminary step
in that nation’s fisheries program.
The fish he is collecting under
the National Science foundation
grant will be sent to Morehead
City. They are expected to arrive
at the institute next month. When
Dr. Lund arrives he will sort and
classify them. Then they will be
sent to large repositories, such as
the United States National mu
seum, Philadelphia Academy of
Science, or Tulane university where
there are large collections of fish.
There they will be available to
students and scientists engaged in
fisheries work.
Dr. Lund is married and has one
son. He will replace on the insti
tute staff Dr. Earl Deubler, who re
signed last year.
Fire Damages
King Residence
The Robert King home on the
Merrimon road was damaged by
fire at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Beaufort firemen and the rural
fire truck answered the call. Fire
men said the blaze started when
packing around the water pump
caught fire from an electric light
bulb. The bulb and packing in
tended to keep the pump from
freezing.
The pump house was damaged
and flames burned through the
wall of the house into the kitchen.
Firemen said if the fire had not
been on the leeward side of the
house, the whole house probably
would have burned.
Hie Kings were home at the
time. The rescue ambulance also
answered the call. Rescue squad
members on duty were Virgil Wool
ard, chief,. Tom Avery and Nor*
wood Gaskill.
The rescue ambulance also stood
by last Tuesday when firemen
were called to the former Pryth
erch home on Ann street. The am
bulance was driven by Norwood
Gaskill.
Seaman Gets Discharge
Harry C. Rivers, seaman, USN,
son of Mrs. Madline G. Rivers,
Newport, and husband of the for
mer Gayle Piner, Morehead (Sty,
was discharged from the Navy
Feb. 16.
At that time he was serving
aboard the attack cargo ship IBS