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VOL. 88 NO. U
TUESDAY, FEBRUABY tt, tm
KIMGS MOUhTWn
MIRROR-HCR^LD
15-
Remnants Of Living And Dead
The Hell And Fury Called Fire
By SHARON GOINS CARTER
Spedml To BOiror-HoraJd
Sad facea.
Angry faces.
Faces etched In horror.
And eyes that stare at a book of pootry lying In the
mud, at a CXib Scout Handbook, at a seashell mounted In
wood and at a couple of well-worn rocking chairs.
Remnants of two lives. The ones that belonged to ICrs.
Nannie Blalock Tinsley and Pink Boll, which wore
taken In all the hell, fury and smoke that Is fire.
Two human beings filled with sad e3q>erlencos and
haiq>y experiences and memories of tales passed along
by others, both gone quickly, too quickly to think.
The scene first created on January 10 and repeated
January 34. First at the W. Parker St. home of Mrs.
Tinsley, again at the N. Watterson St. home of Mr. Bell.
Nannie -nnsley was TO years old and fOngs Mountain
was her home most of her life, the home still of her
family.
On January 10 Nannie Tinsley came to town to pay
her electric bill and to buy some groceries. A clerk In
the store recalled later that Mrs. Tinsley has remarked
she was “freezing cold” Just betore the taxi came to
take her home.
At home she placed the groceries on the table and
walked Into her bedroom to start a warming fire In the
open grate. She died there.
On January 34 Pink Bell, 84, vlsltled Mrs. Winnie
Neely, a widow who lived rwxt door. Possibly they had
talked about the tragedy that took Mrs. Tliuley two
weeks betwe. The Incident was much on Mrs. Neely’s
mind. Mrs. Tinsley had been her slater.
Her sister's death had freshened an earlier tragedy In
Mrs. Neely's mind, the accidental death of her own
husband, Raymoore Neely In 1381.
When Pink Bell said goodbye he went home and
started a Are In Ms space oU burner. A short time later
he died while warming himself. The heater exploded.
IDs. Neely could not attend the funeral of her beloved
friend Pink Bell. She explained she had had too much
all at once to be strong.
At each fire scene, both In the predominately black
residential community, there were sad, angry and
horrified faces of white men. Men who devote their
time and skills as city firefighters.
Fire Chief Qene Tlghor's face, when he speaks of
these Incidents, reveals he Is a man deeply touched by
these and other such experiences. And he is a man
deeply concdmed tear the safety of other fellow citizens.
Chief Tlgnor said neither victim had had a chance to
save themselves. Mrs. Tinsley had poured an ignlUng
chemical to the coals In her open grate. Combustion of
flames took her life Instantly. Pink Bell had actually
lighted a fuse to a lethsU bomb when he fired up his
space oil heater.
"Older citizens should not be left alone,” Chief Tlgnor
said. "They don't always think through their actions.
From experience we have safely assumed Mrs. Tinsley
did not consider first the danger In applying a com
bustible element to an open fire. The swiftness of her
death and the place she stood when she died gives a
fireman a clear picture of what happened.”
Chief Tlgnor told of the scene In the charred remains
of Pink Bell's home. "The space heater waa literally
tom In half and thrown across the rotxn,” he said. "I
doubt seriously that Mr. Bell wsus aware that such
heaters are Illegal In North Carolina and many other
states. They have been outlawed because they su'e not
manufactured with ‘a breathing mechanism.’ Heat
continues to build In the space heater until the pressure
literally explodes the unit like a bomb.”
The public Is battered dally through newspsiper
stories, radio and TV messages about safeguards that
should be taken to prevent tragedy. Chief Tlgnor said
perhaps people Just become Immune to so much in
formation and tend to Ignore It. Not always, but many
times Ignorance of safeguards leads to tragedy. “If It
happened only once It would be too often,” Tlgnor said.
“We have Information for the asking. We try to Inform
our cltlzena through the local newspaper. But It Isn’t
enough. It never la. Tou Just keep wishing you could do
more. You can tell people about the dangers of using
space heaters, pouring fuel on open fires and a hundred
and one other safeguards that can be tskken. Tou can
urge relatives and neighbors to help keep an eye on
elderly people who live alone. But It's never enough.
Not until tragedy occurs do we actually think It can
hai^en to us."
A book of poetry.
A Cub Scout Handbook.
A Seashell and a couple of well-worn rocking chairs.
Sad e]q>erlences, happy e>q>erlences and memories.
All of these things are remnants of the living. But two
more human beings are no longer here to enjoy theae
things, Chief Tlgnor said.
It’s something to think about.
And react to.
f Harris Wants
I
\
i
{ Death P^alty
'4^
Sen. Ollle Harris Is qxmsoiing a
bill to reinstate the death penalty In
North Carolina patterned after laws
In other states ruled constitutional
by the Supreme Court.
Harris Is one of the strongest
movers of the death penalty In the
legislature. Last year when North
Carolina's capital punishment law
was knocked down by the Supreme
Court, Harris was one of the first
legislators to urge then Governor
James Holshouser to call a qieclal
session to draft a constitutional
death penalty.
Violations
To Be Cited
The Kings Mountain Police
Elepartment Is beginning to crack
down on parking violations following
a lengthy period of "violation
warnings.”
The violations to be cited Include
parking In wrong direction on dty
streets, parking In no parking zones,
obstructing sidewalks, driveways
and entrances to business establish
ments.
Officers have been enforcing these
' parking violations for the past
several days and between 80 and 100
r citations have been written.
Senior Adult
Week Slated
Senior Adult Week at Second
Baptist Church beginning Thursday
will feature fun and entertainment
for members age 60 and over.
A big Craft Fair Is slated for
Thursday. Tables will be set up In
the FellowsMp Hall of the Church
where senior citizens will display
handmade crafts and prises will be
presented to the winners.
A Gospel Sing and supper will
feature Friday evening’s program
under sponsorship of the Made
Redmond Group. The McAbee
Family, Ladles Trio and Nelman
will feature the music. The supper Is
free to senior cltlzena.
Young people of the church will
entertain Senior Citizens on
Saturday evening at a puppet show
In the church fellowship hall.
Senior adults will fill the Choir on
Sunday morning at the morning
worship hour and Kelly Dixon,
1 llaptlst minister and farmer Kings
fountain mayor, will fill the pulpit.
Last week In Raldgh Hknis made
Ms strongestplea to date for support
his bill by telling his cdleagues on
file floor of the Senate the gory
Mails of imialaM Ka laassitptdA
as Cleveland County coroner.
He displayed a brick and a broken
battle, similar weapons used In
murders, and told his colleagues
there Is a need for a return of Justice
to North Carolina and Justice for the
victims.
Two of the cases Harris recounted,
wMch occurred toward the end of his
34-yetu' tenure as the county’s
coroner. Involved a 18-year-old glri
who was beaten to death and a 88-
year old woman ^irtio was stabbed to
death.
“I can look back and hear this
teen-sged glri and the young mother
crying out for Justice. I Intend to do
It,” Harris said.
The Harris bill asks for the death
penalty to be imposed for first
degree murder and first degree
nqw, but only when a second penalty
trial la held following conviction.
:L..J
IS
ON STRIKE — Striking workers are shown In this
photo picketing at the main entrance of LItMum Cor
poration at America’s Bessemer City plant last Wed
nesday afternoon. But, despite the strike, company
Photo By Gary Stewart
operations are continuing, acccwdlng to Harold J.
Andrews, preesident of LCA. The company has offered,
and the union rejected, an average U percent wage
hike.
r—
Hospital
Gets Grant
Kings Mountain
Hospital, with a grant of
$4,843, Is among 384 hospi
tal and child care
programs In North Chro-
Una and South Carolina
who have received
financial assistance tMs
week from the Duke En
dowment.
Grants totaling
$1,308,689 have been
distributed to 183 hospitals
and 48 child ears Institu
tions In the two states,
according to James R.
Felts, Jr., a trustee of the
Duke Endowment and the
executive director of Its
Hospital and CMld Core
Sections.
Cleveland Memorial
Hospital at Shelby
received $14,408.
Song Service
Penley's Chapel Church on
CherryvUle Rd. will sponsor a song
service on Sunday nl^t, F<eb. 3Tth,
featuring The Hampton Quartet of
Blacksburg, S. C.
Services will begin at T p. m. and
the Interested community Is Invited
to attend, said Rev. W. L. Huff-
stetler, pastor.
Crime Prevention Bureau
Grant Is Approved
By TOM MclNTYRE
Editor, BUrror-HeraM
Hie Kings Mountain Police
Dqiartment has been notified that
approval has been given for the
establishment of a crime prevention
bureau within the department.
One of five applications made to
the N. C. Department of Natural and
Economic Resources, Law and
Order Division, the crime preven
tion bureau grant totals $33,838,
wMch will pay the salary of a
fulltime crime prevention officer, a
display van, operating supplies and
expenses.
Police Chief Earl Lloyd said the
supplies Include brochures for
distrlbutlan to the public, public
education programs and films on
crime prevention for public use.
Also two pieces of audio-visual
equipment
Federal and state funds total
$31,488, and the city's share totals
$1,180 In the crime prevention
bureau grant. Chief lioyd said his
dqwrtment was notified the grant
has been approved and expects “the
contract tor the Law Enforcement
Assistance Agency grant to be here
by March 1.”
CMef lioyd said some mliwr
adjustments had to be mode In the
appUcatlon prior to approval. The
same request was made of the
department In four other ap-
pllcatlona.
“We have been assured our ap
plication for a local records system
will be ^rproved, also.” IJoyd said.
"There were minor adjustments to
be made and have been made and
the application re-submltted to
LEAA.”
The local records system grant
will provide a fulltime record clerk
and a complete new filing system for
police department records. The
chief ssUd the new system would be
much more efficient and drastically
cut down on time spent searching
the files.
"The anticipated grant Is $10,984,”
Lloyd said. "The federal and state
share Is $10,886 and the city’s share
Is $648.”
Adjustments to the application for
an evidence technician, Included
deleting request for a salary tor a
new employe and a color photo lab.
The cMef said the grant application
has been resubmitted for $18,000,
wMch will Include a van and black
and wMte photo lob and other
equipment tor scene of the crime
evidence gathering. This grant, too.
Is almost assured of being approved.
In an application for a planning
grant, some minor s(g>ply requests
and the request for a pardon of the
secretarial salary for the planner
had to be deleted. This ai^llcatlon
has also been re-submltted.
The fifth grant application was
flatly rejected, according to the
chief, because there were no funds
available. The application was for a
legal advisor for the police depart
ment.
"WTth the excepUon of the crime
prevendon bureau, which has been
approved, the other grant ap-
pUcadons do stand a good chance of
being approved for the Kings
Mountain Police Department,”
Chief Lloyd said.
The department waa approved for
a youth bureau officer, vehicle and
supplies In late December. Robert
Dodge, a former city patrolman,
took over the duties of the youth
bureau Monday. This week he Is
adendlng classes at the JusUce
Academy In Salemburg.
Bethlehem
To Sponsor
Chicken Supper
Bethlehem Volunteer Fire
Department will sponsor a bar
becued chicken supper Saturday,
from 8 until 8 p. m. at the Depart
ment headquarters In Bethlehem
Oommunlty.
The menu will include barbecued
chicken, slaw, rolls, tea or coffee,
and homemade cake.
All proceeds will be used to pur
chase a new light and utility truck
for the department.
Lithium
Continues
Operations
Harold J. Andrews, president of
Uthlum Corporation of America,
announced today that substantial
operations of the company are
continuing In spite of a strike called
by the OCAW on February 16th.
Harrassment at the picket line set
up tv Ujc un’on o;,l.<vhc first day of th,>
strike prevented suppliers and
shippers from carrying on normal
business. The problem was reduced
by issuances of a temporary
restraining order.
Mr. Andrews stated that the
company offers work to all of Its
employes at their regularly
scheduled shifts. The company has
offered, and the union rejected, an
economic package which Included
an average 12 percent wage Increase
effective February 1, 1377, and 8
percent per year for the 1378 and
1978 contract periods, plus sub
stantial fringe benefits.
Mr. Andrews stated that the offer
made waa In response to a request
from the union for a final proposal
and does In fact represent "a best
effort” by the company. He further
stated that “some of the details may
be modified but the total package
represents our best offer.”
Waiting
Period
In Effect
The one-week waiting period
before a Jobless worker can receive
unemployment Insurance payments
again was effective In North
Carolina Feb. 16.
Suspended from January 33, 1976,
through February 16, 1977, by the
1976 General Assembly because of
the sudden and riq>ld Increase In
Joblessness at the beginning of the
recession, the waiting period will
apply only to workers establishing
new claims on or after the 16th.
Workers filing continued clalnu
for benefits, those who already have
established their benefit years, will
not be affected by the provlalan.
Restoration of the waiting period
means jobless workers will not
receive unemployment checks for
their first week of unemployment.
The waiting week does not reduce
their entitlement to benefits,
however. A worker qualifying for 30
weeks of benefits still receives the
full amount provided he remains
unemployed.
“The payment period Is shifted
back one week,” explains Franklin
Ware, Manager of the local Em
ployment Security Commission.
Statewide, the number of workers
filing their first claims for benefits
currently averages between 10 and
13,000 each week. In Cleveland
County Initial claims average about
178 each week, reports Wore.