Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume], April 17, 1941, SECTION B, Page 5, Image 17

About Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1931-1948

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
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We see so many fires. Some of
them rage over wide areas in Hal
ifax County. But few of us ever
actually see them. That is, as fires
are seen in the mountains.
—o—
I remember once during the
World War No. 1 the Sauratown
ranges caught on fire and burned
for weeks. At times the blaze
would get into a heavy bit of tim
ber and sweep upward with great
vigor and much billowing of smoke,
the flames fanned by the upward
currents of air formed on the
mountain slopes by the warmer
lower air levels.
As I remember it, it was rather
horrifying to me. And on top of
that I was afraid that the Ger
mans were behind the fire. We
went out on a hill near the house
one day to look at it when it got to
be the worst. I cried in terror.
—o
Then I was on the Pilot one
Easter Monday fighting a forest
fire when the smoke came upward
and enveloped many sightseers
. who were on top at that time.
They were frightened but not in
jured. We fought the flames and
kept them from our homes, letting
them burn upward all they wanted
to.
And then there were those nights
when we could watch the fires from
every hill top. In the dampness,
the blazes were small in compari
son with those of the daytime. But
they were the object of watchers
all over the country.
—o—
When I got a little older, I went
with father at night to fight the
fires. I remember the fire trails
that we raked around the mountain
side, over rocks, around fallen
trees, down into the ravines, and
up the steep slopes. At night, with
only the immediate ground ahead
of us, the fire, the rocks, the
slopes were not so bad, but to see
them in the day time would make
us believe tnat we were almost
superhuman to negotiate the trails
as we did.
Af fi m oy Tiro Timiil 1_ _ _ I
stand, watching each way to see
that the fire did not cross the
raked path, when suddenly here
would come a crashing of timber
and a blazing chunk would go
hurtling down the mountain, strew
ing fire as it went. Shouts would
go up, ringing throughout the
mountainside and bringing overall
ed farmers with blackened faces
hurrying up and down the trails
with garden rakes and pitchforks,
anxious to stop the new blaze be
fore it got underway.
—o—•
Then there were the fires on
the longer mountain ranges higher
up in the blue ridges. These I nev
er attended, but I have heard the
inhabitants tell of holding lines
through the still nights and wind
swept days—lines that led among
the crags, across the tumbling
streams, down into the valleys, and
over the hills again—trails that on
ly the sure-footed, hardy men of
the locale could follow.
These fires were sometimes set
by vandals who got a certain pleas
ure out of watching them and the
excitement they sometimes created.
There was a certain pleasure in it
for all of us, Dut we did not dare
sacrifice the timber and endanger
the homes of our neighbors in or
der to realize that pleasure.
I haven’t seen one of the moun
tains on fire in years now. For
one thing, people are more careful
Another thing: CCC boys are kept
at the ready in order to put down
the blazes. The law too is more
ready to arrest and punish a fire
setting vandal.
Hay Rightmyer and Bob Moore
of State College spent the week
end here with their parents.
Herald Follows
Soldier On Tour
The letter below from Staff
Sergeant Russell P. Lampley, of
this city, was received at the
Herald office this week. The
writer, who joined the army sever
al months ago, states that the
Herald has folowed him to vari
ous stations where he has been
located since enlisting.
The letter follows:
Fort Jay, N. Y.
Dear Mr. Wilson:
May I be pardoned for the un
pardonable? That is, the writing
of a letter that according to
every courtesy and convention,
should have been written long
ago.
I have recently graduated from
the Coast Artillery School, Fort
Monroe, Va., and have been ap
pointed Staff Sergeant, Electrical,
C. A. C. I am now attending
the school sponsored by the Sperry
Gyroscope co., which is chiefly
concerned with the mechanical
and electrical construction of the
Sperry Searchlights and Sound
Locators.
Let me get back on the beam.
This letter is noL meant to be an
autobiography. It's sole purpose
is to express my sincere thanks
and appreciation for the Herald
which I received weekly during
my tour of service in Puerto Rico.
I grew to look forward anxiously
to it’s arrival and I can assure
you that it helped brighten what
would have been a rather drab
existance.
Cordially yours,
S-Sgt. Russell P. Lampley
P. S.
Please let me inform you that I
am just rationed and quartered
at the Band. I wouldn’t for the
world, want anyone to think I
enlisted in the army to be a
horn tooter.
Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Joyner,
Miss Margaret Joyner, Francis
Joyner and James Joyner of
Goldsboro were week-end visitors
in the city.
Turner Renamed
Superintendent
In Northampton
N. L Turner was named as
Superintendent of Schools of Nort
hampton County for an additional
two-year term at a meeting of the
County Board of Education last
week.
The board met with seven mem
bers instead of nine, two of the
former members retiring after
their term and the board being
decreased in membership in ac
cordance with a bill passed at
the 1939 Legislature.
One new member, B. F. Ricks
of Conway, who defeated Claude
Deloatch, ex-member, in the June
primary and elected in the Nov
ember election, took his seat on
the board. R. V. Beal of Potecasi,
and W. F. Nelson of Lasker were
the retiring members. Other mem
bers of the board are: Dr. J. W.
Parker, Seaboard; J. A. Shaw,
Gaston; W. Harry Stephenson,
Pendleton; Guthrie Madrey, Rich
Square; Fulton Bradley, Jackson;
and Dr. D. C. G. Parker, Wood
land. Dr. J. W. Parker of Sea
board was reelected chairman of
the board.
FINDS JUMPING SPIDER
Bennie C. Jones, 104 Monroe
Street, found a jumping spider in
his garden this week. It had ten
legs and looked very much like
a poisonous tarantula found in
the southwestern part of the
United States. It was over an
inch across and could jump about
two feet, Mr. Jones said. It was
black and vicious looking, with a
big body similar in form to that
of the black widow.
The dictionary was consulted at
the Herald office, after which
it was decided that the insect
was quite similar to the trap-door
spider, so known because he bur
rows in the ground to make
his home and leaves a trap-door
over him for protection. He is be
lieved harmless, while the taran
tula cause great pain to a bit
ten person.
Mr. Jones discovered the crea
ture while working in his garden
on the Roanoke Mills Company
gardening section west of the city.
HOLD ALUMNI W EEK-END
The Augusta Military Academy
will hold its second Annual Alum
ni Week-end on April 25 and 26,
according to an announcement
Private Matt Ransom, III, of Roa
noke Rapids, who is a student
at the academy. It will be held in
conjunction with Founder's Day.
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TRI-CITY MOTOR COMPANY, INC.
Roanoke Ave. at TenthRoanoke Rapids, N. C.