THE YANCEY JOURNAL
VO#, 5, NO, 1
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M3^H^my^^ a PPy Neu) Tear
S7 and a big “thank you” to our readers
T m From the Journal staff.
Tetanus Victims Succumb
To Preventable Disease
Six cases of tetanus have
been reported in North
Carolina in 1975, more than
any year since 1967, when
eight cases were reported.
Three of the six victims
survived. During the 10-year
period since 1966, 147 cases
have been reported. Os that
number 103 (70 percent) died.
‘‘The fact is that all of
those infected with tetanus
would have had an excellent
chance at life had they
received proper imrrkuniza
tion,” said Dr. J.N. Mac Co
rmack, head of the Communi-,
cable, Disease Branch of the
Division of Health Services.
"When viewed in terms of the
tetanus vaccine's availability
and cost, it makes the deaths
appear even more pathetic.”
“Hospitalization and
> treatment of the six cases we
had in 1975 cost about
SJS*OOO. That would have
bought 304,000 doses of
yaixipe, more than enough to
givtf 100,000 adults the basic
series of tetanus shots."
Mac Cormack said the
average age of those becom
ing infected with tetanus is
creeping up and he believes /
that it is because many older
people were not included in
formal immunization prog
rams such as were available in 4
the Armed RjretSter* He-spe- I
culated that a number of those
who were”” given the basic J
series during World War II I
have let their immunity lapse. *
The public health official |
pointed out th#t on the credit
side, the increased age of
tetanus victims probably is a
reflection of a good immuni
zation level for tetanus
prevented in children by
immunization. There is an
immunization law in North
Carolina that requires child
ren to be vaccinated against
tetanus and several other
diseases, but no such l*w
applies to adults.
“Although tetanus is a
treatable disease, the per
centage of cases surviving has
not improved much during the
past 20 years,” Mac Cormack
noted. “Part of the reason for
the increased fatalities is due
One Percent
Sales Tax
Collections
Local one percent sales
and use collections for
North Carolina counties were
reported recently /or the
month of November, 1975.
The report, issued by J.
Howard Coble. Secretary of
the N.C. Department of
Revenue, shows Yancey
County collections amounted
to $16,785.65 for the month of
November. This compares
with Madison County collec
tions of $14,531.56 for the
same period. - Mltehcll —and —
Avery County exceeded Yan
cey by a considerable amount,
having collected $25,183.95
and $19,025.97 respectively.
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BURNSVILLE, N.C. 28714
to the older age of the victim.
But, equally at fault is the
fact that the infected person
has not been properly im
munized. It’s a shame, too,
because the vatcine is vir
tually 100 percent effective in
preventing the disease.”
Mac Cormack said total
immunity from tetanus can be
achieved from a basic series
of three shots (two shots, six
to eight weeks apart; the
third; six months to a year
later). Afterwards, a booster
shot every 10-years is neces
sary to keep up immunity.
The disease detective te
tanus spores live in the
intestinal tract of grass-eating
animals and get into the soil
from manure. Infection can
come through any opening in
the skin. Mac Cormack said a
rusty nail is no more a
harborer of the disease than
any other nail-unless it
contains the spore.
Mac Cormack described
tetanus as a disease that
develops usually within a
week after infection. It affects
early the muscles of the neck
and jaw (thus, the name,
lockjaw). Lips draw back in
what is classically termed a
“sardonic grin.” Muscle
spasms are violent and can be
set off by almost any
stimulant such as a bright
light-,-Houd noise, or move
ment of the bed. Death
usually comes within a week
I from lung complications-res-
I piratory arrest or strangula
tion from mucus.
Mac Cormack said if a
person survives tetanus for at
least 10 days, his chances for
a full recovery run ab ut 90
percent. He urged those who
have not been properly
immunized to do so imme
diately to eliminate the
possibility of becoming infec
ted with a disease that can be
fatal to most sufferers.
Free Forest Firewood
Saves On Fuel Bill
Recent announcements of
possible fuel oil shortages in
the East again this winter
have sent hundreds of fami
lies to the National Forests in
North Carolina to take advan
tage of their offers of free
firewood for personal use.
Although many people stock
ed their woodpiles during the
summer months, many others
continue to apply at Ranger
District offices on the Pisgah,
Nantahala, Uwharrie and
Croatan National Forests for
their permits.
For those who may be
gathering their own firewood
for the first time, here are
some notes for reference—
In using wood you are
utilizing a renewable fuel
resource. Oil, coal and gas are
limited and when used cannot
be replaced. Wood can be
easily regrown and has the
advantage of being readily
available, easily cut and
relatively inexpensive in
terms of expended resources.
Permits for free fuelwood
are available from the offices
of District Rangers on the four
North Carolina Boasts
Real Mountain Lions
There are mountain lions
living wild and free in North
Carolina. Mountain lions, also
called cougars or panthers,
have been considered extinct
in this state for nearly 100
years, despite a growing
number of reported sightings
in recent years.
Until July 23, 1975, none
of these sightings had been
unquestionably confirmed.
On that day, late in the
evening, five park service
employees in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park got
a good look at a live mountain
lion as it chased a trio of deer
in a clearing near the
Cataloochee River.
The full and fascinating
story of this historic sighting,
aiong with other evidence of
the presence of mountain
lions in North Carolina is told
in the January issue of
"?^^Br^ •*rSß^M&ifjL\ a * i" - - -
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The skiing season Is underway In the North Carolina
mountains. Ski areas are Appalachian Ski Mountain, Buffing
Rock; Beech Mountain, Banner Elk; Cataloocbee, Maggie
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National Forests in North
Carolina. v $
Your permit will tell you
where you may gather wood
and how much you may
remove. The amount is
usually measured in “cords”
which is a stack of wood four
feet high, four feet wide, and
eight feet long.
Most wood will burn
slowly if it is green so what
you gather should be reason
ably dry of “seasonal”.
Each kind of wood has
different burning characteris
tics. Softwoods, like pine and
spruce, burn rapidly with
a high flame and quick heat
output. Heavier hardwoods
such as oak, ash and maple
burn more slowly, with short
flames, good coals and long
heat output. Fruit and nut
trees such as hickory and
beech combine good coals
with aroma. By mixing
hardwoods and softwoods,
you can achieve an easily
ignited and long lasting fire.
Gathering fuelwood from
National Forests and prepar
ing it for the fireplace or
Wildlife In North Carolina, a
non-profit publication of the
North Carolina Wildlife Re
sources Commission.
In 1971, the State Legis
lature, acting on the educated
guesses of experts, passed a
law giving the mountain lion
full protection throughout the
state. The sighting of the
Cataloochee Lion, and the
hair samples, now remove any
doubt about the existence of
lions in North Carolina, and as
Hardison says in his article,
“Somehow the mountains
become a little wilder, the
swamps a little more mys
terious."
Wildlife In North Carolina
is available by subscription
for $2 a year. Write
Wildlife In North Carolina,
Dept. C, 325 N. Salisbury
Street, Raleigh, North Caro
lina, 27611.
THURSDAY, JANUARY I, 1976
heater can be a most
enjoyable pastime for the
whole family during the
holiday season and can start
the New Year by saving on the
fuel bill.
Donors’
Blood Aids
Open Heart
Surgery
BY ASHTON CHAPMAN
An urgent call for type A-
Negative blood, needed for a
patient scheduled to undergo
open-heart surgery, was re
ceived by the Mayland Red
Cross Chapter just before the
bloodmobile from the Red
Cross Blood Center in Ashe
ville was to make its visit to
Burnsville on December 15,
operated at the First Baptist
Church.
Nine persons with this
type each donated a pint of
their blood for that specific
purpose. Those donors inclu
ded William Stallings. Joyce
Ann Rathbone, Carmela Man
dala, Vance McKinney, Bill
Dean Willis, Richard Louis
Muri, Darius Adkins, Steven
Charles King and James Lee
Owens.
A total of 71 persons each
volunteered to give a pint of
their life-saving blood. Seven
had to be deferred at that time
for medical reasons. Os the 64
productive donors eight were
making their first-time dona
tion. It is hoped that each of
these first-time donors will
become “regulars" during
future visits of the blood
mobile.
Earl Van Horn, Chapter
Chairman, is joined by other
chapter officers in thanking
each of the 71 persons who
offered blood, also the ladies
of Higgins Memorial United
Methodist Church, who fur
nished and served refresh
ments to the donors, and
everyone else who helped
make the bloodmobile visit
run smoothly.
Valley; High Meadows, Roaring Gap; Sugar Mountain, Banner
Elk; and Wolf Lanrel at Mars Hill.
*
Dr. Nancv Bush
v *—'
Heritage
Library
Planned
Plans are well underway
for the furnishings for the
library at Mountain Heritage
High School. James Byrd,
elementary library coordina
tor for Yancey County Schools
is serving as chairman of the
Planning Committee, along
with members Mrs. Betty |
Harvell and Mrs. Elaine
Boone, librarians at East
Yancey and Cane River High
Schools.
Advisory consultant for
the planning is Dr. Nancy
Bush, professor of Edu
cational Media at Appala
chian State University. Dr.
Bush, who is volunteering her
services, received her Ph.D.
degree from Florida State
University and has had a wide
range of experience in the
field of librarianship. In late
November she spent two days
in Yancey County working
with James Byrd on detailed
plans for the library fur
nishings.
Board Os
Education
Meeting
The Yancey County Board
of Education will meet Mon
day, January sth, 1976 at 7:30
p.m. in the School Superin
tendent’s Burnsville.
10 c l
Mailman
Saves
Home
On December 24, 1975 as
Rural Mail Carrier Lee Slagle
was making his mail run on
Patterson Branch section of
Yancey County, he saw smoke
coming from around the
chimney of the home of the
Leland Scotts.
Mr. Slagle quickly left his
car and notified the Scott
family of the fire, then -a
climbed on the roof, tore into
the area where the fire was,
and with the aid of the family,
extinguished it. The Burns
ville Fire Department was
then called to make sure the
fire was completely out.
Due to the considerable
distance to the nearest fire
department it is very likely
that the Scott home would
have either been severly
damaged or completely de
stroydo had i; not been for the
quick thoughts and actions of
Mr. Slagle.
This was a pretty nice
Christmas present from the
“mailman”, don’t you think?
Thread Plant
Makes Big
l IF Donation
Relations Manager for the
American Thread Company-
Sevier Plant, has submitted to
the Yancey County United
Fund a check in the amount of
$703.12 from the company
and its employees living in the
Yancey County area.
The Company received a
total pledge for the 1975-76
year of approximately SIO,OOO
and as in years past,
American Thread has made a
company contribution based
on the number of employees
from the four-county area of
McDowell. Mitchell, Yancey
and Avery Counties.
the Fund Drive was very
successful and the employees’
interest and support is to
be commended.
The American Thread
Company and its employees
from Yancey County are glad
to accept their responsibility