Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits 7,206
The figure for Greater Kingi Mountain Is derived from
the 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city
Limits figure Is from the United States census of 1950.
Kings Mcuitain's Reliable Newspaper
VOL 69, No. 38
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, September 18, 1958
Sixty-Ninth Year
PRICE TEN CENTS
Local News
Bulletins
TO CHARLOTTE
Beth Roberts and Delores
Bryant enrolled Wednesday as
students at King’s Business
college, Charlotte.
JOINS BANK
L. J. Hinnant, formerly of
Raleigh, joined the staff of
First National Bank Monday.
Mrs. Hinnant is the former Vir
ginia Summers.
KIWANIS PROGRAM
A motion picture “Cotton,
Nature’s Wonder Fibre” will be
shown to members of the Ki
wanis club Thursday night, by
W. D. Lawson III, of Gastonia,
president of the Atlantic Cot
ton Shippers association. Char
les Neisler arranged the pro
gram. The club meets at the
Woman’s Club at 6:45.
ATTENDS MEETING
Harold R. Hunnicutt has re
turned from Atlanta, Ga.
where he attended a conferen
ce Saturday for members of
Third Army Military Affiliate
Radio System composed of
ham radio operators from
North and South Carolina,
Georgia, and Florida.
OFF-TO-SCHOOL
Additions to the area off-to
school list include the follow
ing students: Jane Byars Gil
bert, Brevard; Edward Ledford,
Wake Forest; Jerry Laughter,
Gardner Webb; and Louise
Owens, College of Commerce,
Rock Hill, S. C.
IN CHARLOTTE
Miss Annie Bell Stroupe has
enrolled in the Comptometer
School of Charlotte and not as
a student at Howard Business
college. Miss Stroupe’s name
was inadvertently listed in the
Howard off-to-school list in
this paper last week.
PENLEY'S SERVICE
Rally Day Sunday at Pen
ley’s Chapel Methodist church
will mark the third anniver
sary of the church. Picnic din
ner will be served following
the morning service. On the
opening of the church three
years ago 13 members were
present. Last Sunday 111 mem
bers were present.
Cafeteria Menu
Now Schoolwide
City school cafeteria menus
have been standardized and a
Central school pupil will be serv
ed the same lunch as the Eia^t,
West, North or Davidson pupil,
and vice versa, Supt. B. N. Barnes
said Wednesday.
THe only difference, barring a
run on a particular commodity,
will be 'the extra five cents assess
ed high school students. Gram
mar school pupils pay 20 cents,
the high schoolers 25 cents. It’s a
quantity differential, Mr. Barnes
notes, as high schoolers require
more food than the younger pu
pils and are served larger por
tions.
In addition to the regular lunch,
which includes a half-pint of
milk, pupils can get an extra half
pint for two cents.
Cafeteria managers are Mrs. R.
R. Yarboro, Central; Mrs. Mar
garet Ward, West; Mrs. Paul Mc
Ginnis, North; Mrs. Edna Gall
man, East; and Mrs. Johnsell
Pres sly, Davidson.
Upcoming menu for the week
beginning Thursday is:
Thursday—pinto beans, butter
ed greens, corn muffin,apple cob
bler, milk.
Friday—fish sticks, green peas,
buttered beets, cornbread, plain
cake, milk.
Monday — livermush, creamed
potatoes, field peas, pickles,
peaches, milk.
Tuesday — dried lima beans,
cheese cubes, cole slaw, corn
muffin, potato pudding, milk.
Wednesday — barbecued lunch
eon meat, buttered rice with
gravy, jello on lettuce, June peas,
hot biscuits, milk.
Band Instrument
Rentals Available
A representative of a Charlotte
music store will be at Central
school Thursday afternoon and
evening to discuss with parents
rentals of instruments for their
children, Band Director Charles
Ballance has announced.
The firm will offer a three
month rental of instruments, Mr.
Ballance said. The representative
will be at the school from 4 to
5:30 p. m. and from 7:30 to 9 p.
m.
EVANGELIST — Rev. R. O. Me
Alpine, ol Winston Salem, will
conduct revival services begin
ning Thursday night at First
Wesleyan Methodist church. The
services will be held nightly at
7 o'clock through September 28,
it was announced by the pastor.
Rev. J. W. Phillips.
Fund Request
Denied By Board
The city board of education
Monday denied a request of the
city recreation commission for
$500 to help support a little lea
gue football program.
The request was made by B.
F. Maner and F. R. McCurdy,
members of the recreation com
mission, who said about $500 is
needed to purchase uniforms and
accident insurance. Mr. Maner
said “We feel that high school
football will be the ultimate
beneficiary of the program,’’ Mr.
Maner commented.
Supt. Barnes said it was his
opinion the expenditure would
be illegal and suggested the at
torney-general might be queried, j
However, he explained that ath
letic funds are supplied solely
by gate receipts and the profit
making football makes it possi
ble for the school to support
baseball, track and other mon
ey-losing sports.
Chairman Fred W. Plonk said
he did not believe the little
league football a good program
stating he felt 10-13 age boys are
too young for the intensive pres
sure of competitive sports. “It
burns them out’’ he commented.
Second Baptist
Calls Hastings
Rev. A. R. Hastings, of Hamp
tonville, has accepted a call to
become pastor of Second Baptist
church.
Richard Barnette, a member of
the church pulpit committee,
said Mr. Hastings will come here
about October 15 and is expected
to deliver his first sermon on
October 19.
Mr. Hampton will come to
Kings Mountain from the pastor
ate at Flat Rock Baptist church.
Hamptonville is a community
near Winston-Salem.
Other members of the pulpit
committee were T. F. Ware and
Woodrow Laughter.
The pastorate has been vacant
since resignation of Rev. Howard
Cook.
GREGORY FUND
A donation of $5 from Rev.
Howard L. Haynes was the on
ly addition to the Gregory
Fund reported this week. The
fund was started sometime ago
to aid Rev. John Gregory who
has a serious heart condition.
Lovelace And Dover Die In Fiery Crash
Early Saturday
Fire Gutted
Ratterree Home
S. C. Ratterree, 93, awakened
Saturday morning at 4 o’clock to
find his house at 306 W. Moun
tain street ablaze. The fire appar
ently started from a defective oil
heater, which ignited a wooden
mantel.
Mr. Ratterree attempted to
douse the fire himself, carrying
several buckets of water from the
bathroom. Seeing he was fighting
a losing battle, he went to the
front porch to call for help.
While calling for help, he made
a misstep and fell from the porch.
City firemen thought he may
have been unconscious for some
minutes.
His calls for help were heard
by Mr. and Mrs. James H. Mason,
roomers at the home of Mrs. E. L.
Campbell next door, and Mrs. Lil
ly Goins, niece of Mrs, Campbell.
Mr. Mason said he awakened,
smelled smoke but could see noth
ing burning. He then went back
to bed but a few minutes later
heard Mr. Ratterree’s call for
help.
Mrs. B. D. Ratterree, a daugh
ter-in-law, said Wednesday the
house was almost completely gut
ted toy the fire, the roof destroy
ed, and the furniture ruined ei
ther by fire, water, or smoke.
The house was covered by only
$2,000 insurance. A total damage
estimate could not be obtained,
but Mrs. Ratterree indicated a
sizeable uninsured loss.
Mr. Mason had just moved to
Kings Mountain Sunday, Septem
ber 7, coming here from Mari
etta, Georgia, to accept a position
as mechanic with Putnam Broth
ers Garage. Mrs. Mason is em
ployed by Mauney Hosiery Mills.
Rites Conducted
Foi Mrs. Hord
Funeral rites for Mrs. Fannie
Spake Hord, 72, prominent Kings
Mountain citizens, were conduct
ed Wednesday at 3 o’clock from
First Baptist church, interment
following in Mountain Rest cem
etery.
Mrs. Hord succumbed at Kings
Mountain hospital Tuesday mor
ning at 5:30 a. m. following an
illness of several months. A na
tive of Cleveland County and
daughter of the late Mr. and
Mrs. Adam P. Spake, Mrs. Hord
was the wife of David Fletcher
Hord, prominent merchant who
died in 1943.
She was a member of First
Baptist church.
Survivors include one son, Dr.
D. F. Hord, Jr., two daughters,
Mrs. H. Tom Fulton, Kings
Mountain and College Grove,
Tenn., and Mrs. George Moss, of
Kings Mountain, with whom she
made her home.
Also surviving are two broth
ers, Miller L. Spake, Shelby, and
Yates E. Spake, Morganton, and
seven grandchildren.
The final rites were conducted
by Dr. E. V. Hudson and Dr. W.
P. Gerberding.
Active pallbearers included Dr.
N. H. Reed, Harold Crawford,
Gene Roberts, Ted Weir, J B.
Keeter, and D. E. Tate.
Craftspun Yams Parent Purchases
146-Station Mutual Broadcastino
The Wall Street Journal re
ported last week that Scranton
Corporation, parent company of
Craftspun Yarns, of Kings Moun
tain, had announced purchase of
the Mutual Broadcasting Com
pany, Inc., a radio broadcasting
network with 446 affiliate sta
tions.
The Journal said Scranton Cor
poration, formerly Scranton Lace
Company, Inc., made the pur
chase through another subsidi
ary, Hal Roach Studios, Inc.
which Scranton had acquired
last May.
Scranton Corporation is con
trolled by F. L. Jacobs Company,
of Detroit, Michigan, an auto
parts maker, and announcement
concerning the radio chain trans
action was made by A. L. Guter
ma, chairman and president of
F. L. Jacobs Company.
The Wall Street Journal fur
ther reported:
“Mr. Roach, president of the
television film producer, becom
es chairman of Mutual. Mr. Gut
erma, who also is chairman of
Scranton Corp., will take over as
president. Armand Hammer, Mu
tual chairman and president,
will remain a member of the
Mutual board.
“Scranton Corp. purchased the
privately-held broadcasting sys
tem from a group of business
men headed by Dr. Hammer,
who also is president of Occi
dental Petroleum Corp. of Los
Angeles. Dr. Hammer and his
group bought the system in Au
gust, 1957, from RKO Tele
radio Pictures, Inc., a subsidiary
of General Tire and Rubber Com
pany, at a figure estimated by
trade sources as $650,000.
“Mutual does not own any ra
dio stations. It was formed in
1934 by four independent sta
tions in a cooperative plan to re
duce operation overhead through
the sharing of programming
costs.
“In 1951 control of the network
was acquired by General Tire.
“Mutual reached its strongest
point in 1953, when it had 560
affiliate stations. By 1957, when
Dr. Hammer's group bought it,
the number of affiliates had de
clined to 350.
“Mr. Guterma said it was his
hope that the number of affili
ates, now 446, would be expand
ed to 1,000 within the next 12
months. He also said that the
new management plans to ac
quire the seven radio stations
(Continued on Page Eight)
Bus Is Chartered
For Graham Crusade
Kings Mountain Ministerial
Association has chartered a
bus to the Billy Graham Cru
sade for the night of Thursday,
September' 25th.
The bus wil accomodate 32
persons and round trip fare
will be $1.30 per person. Inter
ested citizens should call 260
or 713 for reservations.
Rev. W. C. Sides, Ministerial
Association spokesman, said
the bus will leave from in
front of First Presbyterian
church at 5:30 p. m.
City Board Shy
On Dog Law Bid
Barking and odorous dogs was
a principal item of business at
the September 10 city commis
sion, but the commission took no
action on the complaints.
John Gantt and other citizens
complained to the board that a
neighbor’s barking dogs inter
fered with their sleeping and that
the odor from the pack spoiled
their dinners.
The group requested a city
ordinance preventing the keep
ing of dogs within 100 feet of
a neighboring residence.
Commissioner Ross Alexander
guessed that such an ordinance
would mean many city dog own
ers would have to dispose of their
pets, and other commissioners ex
pressed unwillingness to disturb
pet owners. It was acknowledged
dog pens should be kept clean
and that barking dogs can be a
considerable nuisance.
Another matter tabled was a
request by the R, S. Plonk Estate
to rezone a portion of W. King
street from residential to busi
ness area. Motley Plonk appear
ed in behalf of the petitioners,
said it was likely the property
would be developed into a super
market or modern service station,
were the re-zoning approved.
Mayor Glee A. Bridges told
Mr. Plonk that eight adjacent
property owners, John Cheshire,
Joe McDaniel, Franklin Ware, B.
S. Peeler, Jr., J. C. Smathers,;
Fred Wright, Sr., C. D. Blanton,
Jr, and George W. Mauney had
presented a petition opposing the
re-zoning. Mr. BBlanton appear
ed to oppose the zoning change.
Actions by the board included: ’
1) Approved installation of 450
feet of water line to serve the
residence of C. E. (Grassy) Smith,
with Mr. Smith, who lives outside,
the city limits, to purchase the;
pipe.
2) Confirmed street-paving as !
sessments as follows: Cleveland
avenue, from E. King to Lynn;
Monroe avenue, from Linwood to
Jackson: Chestnut, from Phenix
to Baker; Walnut street, from
Phenix to CH^stnut; Gantt and
Morris streets, from Walker to
N. Piedmont avenue.
3) Denied a request of Ernest
(Crip) Jones to issue a free ped
dler’s license to a Mr. Tessener,
wbo, Mr. Jones said, was ill and
unable to pay for one. Board
members contributed one dollar
each to be applied to the license
fee, which, Mr. Tessener had al
ready purchased.
4) Tabled a request of the
Kings Mountain Garden Coun
cil to place flower boxes on S.
Battleground avenue.
5) Approved, provided signa
tures were sufficient and valid,
petitions to pave Tracy street,
from W. King to Morris street:
Cherry street, from Phenix street;
and a petition to install curb-and
gutter on Ramseur street, from
Fulton to Lackey street. All pe
titions were approved contingent
upon availability of necessary,
funds.
Drews Tax Series
To Be Published
Fred H. Drewes, o f Kings!
Mountain, now office manager of
Palmetto Yam Mills, of Page
land, S. C., said he has been no
tified that America’s Textile Re
porter, textile trade publication,
will publish his “Textile Account
ing—Taxwisel”, a two-part article
on 1958 taxes as they effect tex
tile firms and textile employees.
Mr. Drewes is an employee of
Textile Banking Corpora t i o n ,
which recently acquired the Page
land mill from Massachusetts
Mohair Plush Company.
Mr. Drewes said he was inform
ed the tax article would be pub
lished in nine weekly installments
beginning about October 1.
- ,
PRESBYTERIAN
Dr. George Staples, of the
Davidson College faculty, will
deliver the sermon at the Sun
day morning worship hour at
First Presbyterian church.
New High School
Building Urged
By J. R. Davis
J. R. Davis, Kings Mountain
board members Monday night
board of education, told school
attorney and member of the city
that plans should be launched
for building a new high school
plant.
“It will require at least three
to four years to acquire a new
high school plant, and we should
get started, “Mr. Davis comment
ed.
Mr. Davis noted that present
classroom space is fully utilized
and that school population is
growing and will continue to
grow.
The comments were informal
and brought the statement from
Superintendent B. N. Barnes that
approval of Shelby voters of a
bond issue to build a new Shel
by high school plant will result
in a return to district school fi- |
nancing. Mr. Barnes said he an
ticipated the Shelby voters will
approve the bond issue, which is
on a district basis.
For many years, bond issue fi
nancing of schools has been
county-wide, with the three dis
tricts (Kings Mountain, Shelby,
and county) sharing in the
funds on a percentage of pupil
population basis.
Discussion of the future build
ing needs and financing outlook
brought a statement from Supt.
Barnes that no further informa
tion had been received on ac
quiring of property adjacent to
West school. State school offi
cials have approved addition of
three classrooms to West school,
contingent on the obtaining of
adjacent vacant property. At
torney George B. Thomasson has
been retained by the board of ed
ucation to negotiate for the ad
jacent property sought, which
includes properties owned by the
S. S. Weir Estate, Mr. and Mrs.
J. E. Gamble and’ Mrs. George
Cansler.
In an otherwise routine ses
sion, the board of education:
1) Released to the county
schools (Compact) Marcellis,
Genelle and Cal Hunter, on re
quest of their parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Tom Hunter.
2) Took no action on a request j
of Willis Williams to release his
children to Gaston county. (Mr.!
Barnes noted that the board had
no agreement with Gaston coun-1
ty concerning release of pupils, j
Indication was that attendance
of fhe children in Gaston county j
is suitable, if Gaston school au- [
thorities accept the pupils.)
3) Authorized deposit of \
$14,000 in recently received j
school bond monies in local
monies in local savings and loan !
associations, $7,000 in Home Sav- j
ings & Loan asociation and
$7,000 in Kings Mountain Sav
ings & Loan association.
4) Continued in his office M. C.
(Mud) Poston, school attendance
officer.
Employment
Totals Up
"Just about every manufactur
ing plant in the area has placed
job orders with us in the past
six weeks,” Franklin L. Ware, Jr.,
manager of the Kings Mountain
branch of the state employment
service said Wednesday.
Mr. Ware made the comment in
reporting that the employment
situation here is continuing to
show improvement.
A1 Maino, general manager of
Massachusetts Mohair P1 u s h j
Company, said employment for!
this firm at its Kings Mountain
plants is at 445 to 450, up some
85 to 90 persons over the low
point last May. He said business
is brisk and that six-day week
schedules are being employed.
Consideration is being given to
adding a third shift for a portion
of the Pauline plant, he added.
Band Members Plan
Car-Washing Project
City schools band members
will go into the ear washing
briefly on Saturday, September
27, to raise funds for the pur
chase of new band uniforms.
The project was approved by
the Band Booster Club ways and
means committee, which in
cludes Dean Spearman, chair
man, chairman, Mrs. G. C. Smith,
A. K. Walker, Mrs. Sam Davis
and Mrs. Paul Hendricks.
The band members will wash
cars for $1.50 and advance reser
vations are being asked to help
schedule the work, Director
Charles Ballance said.
Court Considering
First Baptist Case
Supreme Court
Hears Appeal
On Injunction
The North Carolina Supreme
Court heard oral arguments
Tuesday on the appeal of First
Baptist church’s majority group,
which seeks a high court order
over-ruling an injunction grant
ed in Superior Court by former
Judge Dan K. Moore.
The oral arguments required
about a half-hour and Jack
White, attorney for the dissident
group, said it would probably be
two or three weeks before the
Supreme Court announces its de
cision.
Mr. White said the majority
group, represented by Attorney
James Mullen, of Gastonia, at
tacked the Moore ruling on two
grounds: 1) that the original
complaint did not stafe a cause
of action, and 2) that the church
had made no actual plans for
construction of a new building.
Mr. White said the majority
group also alsked, in event the
high court sustained Judge
Moore’s order granting the in
junction, that the injunction be
modified to allow future action
by majority vote of the church.
The Moore ruling continued,
pending outcome of a civil suit
by F. A. (Pete) McDaniel, Jr.,
and other members of the chur
ch, a temporary injunction a
gainst church officers to prevent
their disposal of church real pro
perty or building fund assets.
The McDaniel suit seeks to
abrogate a church vote whereby
members voted 235-163 to ac
cept a gift site at W. Kings and
Sims street. The sit£ was given
by church members with the \
condition that a new church be
under construction within five
years.
Mr. White said the following i
First Baptist members attended
the Supreme Court hearing: W.
A. Williams, I. A. McGill, L. L.
Benson, Johnny Beam, B. T.:
Wright, Fred Weaver, W. T.
Weir, Bryan Hord, D. J. Little
john, F. A. (Pete) McDaniel, Jr.,
and Glee A. Bridges.
Butterworth
In College Post
Charles A. Butterworth, Jr., son
of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Butterworth
of Kings Mountain, assumed the
duties last week of business
manager of Brevard college.
Recently comptroller of Ameri
can Knit Fabrics, Inc., of Gas
tonia, he was formerly an em
ployee of E. I. DuPont de Ne
mours at the Aiken, S. C., install
ation. He is a graduate of Wash
ington & Lee university and is
an air force veteran of World
War II, serving as a navigator
bombardier in the Pacific Thea
tre.
Lutherans Using
New Service Books
Resurrection Lutheran church
members will use new service
books and hymnals at their Sun
day service. Rev. R. Douglas
Fritz, pastor, said.
Lutheran bodies in America
are participating in this project.
The new service involves some
changes in musical settings of
the various congregational re
sponses and some slight changes
in the order of worship, Mr. Fritz
noted.
The local congregation
through its Sunday School p:o
gram has been preparing for the
use of this new service for sev
eral months. “The church choirs
have worked diligently, the pas
tor added, to lead the congrega
tion in this new worship exper
ience”
Legion Schedules
Suppei-Dance
Otis D. Green Post 155, Ameri
can Legion, will hold a free sup
per-dance for members and non
member veterans eligible for
membership on Saturday night.
J. T. McGinnis, Jr., chairman
of the committee on arrange
ments, said the Legion is pre
paring for an attendance of 600.
Supper will be served from
5:30 p. m. to 8:15, and dancing
will begin at 9 p. m., continuing
to midnight. The Hague Sisk
band will play for the dance.
Mr. McGinnis said Saturday’s
supper-dance will be the first of
a series of alternate week dan
ces to continue through Febru
ary.
Webster Issues
Four Permits
City Inspector J. W. Webster
did good business in building
permits during the past week,
issuing a total of four.
One was issued to Melvin
Morrison to bui'd a one-story
brick and frame house on Gantt
Extension between McGinnis and I
Ramseur streets.
Kelly Dixon was listed as gen
eral contractor.
Estimated cost of the 5-room
structure is $5000.
Three permits were issued to
J. Wilson Crawford Tuesday. One
to build a one story brick and
frame house in 524 Cleveland
Avenue between Stone street and
Woodside Drive. Estimated cost
of the 5-room residence is $9,500.
A permit to build a one-story
brick and frame house at 504
Katehine avenue was issued to
Crawford also. Estimated cost of
the 6-room residence is $11,800.
A third house at 810 Rhodes
avenue is to be built by Craw
ford. Estimated cost of the
5-room house is $10,500.
Pole Rock-n-Roll Just Plain Jazz;
Rumgardner Team Does Charleston
By HARVEY BUMGARDNER
(Ed. Note—This is the third
and final article by this Kings
Mountain native who has re
cently returned from Poland
after serving as Raleigh’s com
munity ambassador.)
The Polish people regard them
selves as a romantic race. They
are also a people who enjoy
song and dance. The two most
popular groups of entertainers in
the nation are Masowsze and
Slonsch. Both are folk and song
dance ensembles.
When we Americans arrived in
Warsaw, Masowsze had justi
opened In the Congressional
Theatre of the Palace of Peace
and Culture. Our new Polish
friends Insisted that we should
see one of their performances.
The 2,OOO-capacity theater was
sold out for several nights in
advance, but after a week’s wait
we were able to get tickets as a
group. The number attending
these performances is surpris
ing when the price of admission
is considered. Each ticket costs
24 zlotys which is about one
half of a day’s wages for the
average Pole.
The performance started at 7
p. m. and was over at 10 p. m.
Except for one 15-minute inter
mission it was three continuous
hours of song and dance. There
are few shows of any kind which
can hold my interest for such a
prolonged time—hut Masowsze
did. The costumes were elaborate
and beautiful. The songs and
dances were varied in mood. The
melodies were beautiful. Some
were plaintive—much like many
North Carolina ballads—but most
were gay. The dances were in
tricate and generally energetic.
After a two-week run, Maso
wsze left Warsaw and Slonsch
opened in the same theatre. We
had enjoyed our first experience
with Polish folk song and dance,
so we decided to try again.
Slonsch is not as popular with
the Polish people as is Masowsze.
To me, it lacks some of the
polish and dash of Masowsze, but
is entertaining just the same.
Poles show their appreciation
to performers by presenting them
with flowers, often on the sage
during the last number of the
performance. When we went to
see Slonsch we Americans de
cided to take flowers. Helen
Partridge and 1 were chosen las
(Continued on Page Eight)
Truck Hits
Nat.pr! 6cs
Meter Sfaffcn
Two Kin.»s Mountain carpen
ters were burned to death Tues
day afternoon when their north
bound truck left Dixon road and
■ crashed into a natural gas me
i tering station of Transcontinen
i tal Gas Pipeline Company.
Dead in the explosion-fire
were Jesse Walter Dover, 42, of
Shelby road, and James Andrew
Lovelace, 62, of the Fairview
community.
Gas was burning like a hot
blow torch and the heat was so
intense that eyewitnesses could
not rescue' them from the flames
which billowed so suddenly that
the men could not escape from
| the truck qab.
Marvin Caveny, his si -er, Mrs.
I Allan Graham and his sister
i in-law, Mrs. Robert Caveny, wit
i nessed the accident from their
\ front porches across the road.
Nlr. Caveny gave this account
of the tragedy: "I was sitting on
our front porch when I saw the
truck some distance away as it
left the road at a high rate of
speed, and started on the long
curve. The truck was unable to
make it, overturned several tim
es, then crashed into the pump
house. I couldn’t tell who was
driving. The men did’t even
make a cry.’’
Lou Deaton, Transeo employee,
said the truck knocked down two
concrete markers, the cyclone
fence, and crashed into the sheet
metal metering station ripping
off the roof and one side of the
building. He said repair work
was underway 30 minutes after
the explosion. The gas was cut
off by turning two control val
ves.
Harold Hoffsess, of Charlotte,
Transeo measurement supervisor,
said it was not he who might
have been in the measurement
and regulating station at the
time of the explosion, but an
other employee. He also said
that a clean up crew had com
pleted its clean-up of the station
about one hour before the crash.
Mr. Hoffsess did not estimate
the cost of the damage to the
station, but said that temporary
service was restored within two
to three hours of the blast and
that service was fully restored
by 9 p. m. Tuesday night.
The accident occurred at
p. m. Mrs. Robert Caveny stated:
"I remember hearing the mill
whistle and that the schoolbus
had just passed the house when
the accident occurred.” The Cav
eny homes are just across the
road from the station and the
Graham fesidence is beside the
station.
Kings Mountain Fire Depart
ment, Cleveland County Life
Saving Crew, and the highway
patrol were on the scene minutes
after the acident occurred.
Highway Patrolman R. E. Sha
ney and J. B. Kuykendall made
the investigation. Mr. Shaney
guessed that high speed was the
cause of the accident. The 1951
Ford pickup rolled 40 feet from
the highway curve on the paved
rural road to the metal building.
It had left the pavement some
distance south of the Caveny
home, the eyewitnesses said.
The station meters natural
Gas for the Public Service of
North Carolina, Inc. line, serving
Hendersonville and Asheville.
A native of this county, Love
lace was the son of the late Mr.
and Mrs. James Lovelace. He
was a member of Oak Grove
Baptist church where the funeral
will be held Thursday at 3 p. m.
Rev. James Holder and Rev. T. A.
Lineberger will officiate, and
burial will be in the church cem
etery.
Surviving Mr. Lovelace are his
wife, Mamie Dellinger Lovelace;
two sons, Earvin, Kings Moun
tain, J. A. Lovelace, Salisbury,
and one daughter, Mrs. Fred
Hambright, also of Kings Moun
tain. Five brothers and three sis
ters also survive. They are Will,
Kings Mountain; Alonzo and
Jake Lovelace, both of York, S.
C., Oliver, Florence, S. C„ Miller
Lovelace, Texas, Mrs. Clarence
Blanton, Mrs. Lee Blanton, both
of Kings Mountain, and Mrs.
Everette Gladden, Charlotte.
Final rites for Dover, an army
veteran of World War II, were
held Wednesday at 5 p. m. from
Harris Funeral Home. Rev. Wil
liam Jones officiated and inter
ment was in Mountain Rest cem
etery. A son of the late Mr. and
Mrs. Robert A. Dover, he is sur
vived by two brothers, Floyd
and James Dover, both of Kings
Mountain, and three sisters, Mrs.
Dick Rollins. Kings Mountain,
Mrs. W. B. Huskey, Covington!
Tenn., and Mrs. Cecil Jenkins,
Shelby.