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We are overjoyed that the
nation is beginning to recog
nize Georgia’s unlimited poten
tial for development. Industry
is sitting up and taking notice
of great water power and po
tential. The Constitution says:
“The Southeast’s greatest na
tural resource—a resource des
tined to make the region the
nation's top industrial area of
the future—is a plentiful sup
ply of fresh water.” As the rest
■of the nation faces a certain
shortage in the years ahead,
this resource — with which
Georgia especially is favored—
will provide the means for in
dustrial expansion. In short,
industry will develop in this
region because there is no other
place for it to go.
That is why the news out of
Washington concerning a $5.5
billion program to develop the
Southeast’s water resources is
especially significant. A U.S.
study commission has placed
before President Johnson a
proposed program for develop
ment of the region's river ba
sins that no doubt will become
a major item in the economy
of the South and the nation.
The eight river basins cover
ed by the program include the
Savannah, Ogeechee, Altama
ha, Satilla-St. Mary’s, Suwanee,
Ochlockonee, Apalachicola,
Chattahoochee. Flint. Choc
tawhatchee Perdido. The focal
point of the entire program is
Georgia, whose Blue Ridge
Foothills with their high rain
fall provide one of the great
est sources of fresh water in
the world. This massive pro
gram, involving federal and
state cooperation to the year
2.000 is aimed at boosting per
sonal income for the region
from an estimated 57.8 billion
in 1960 to $39 billion at the
end of the century. The fed
eral share would be about one
fourth. It provides a blueprint
for the self-help program to
revolutionize the region's econ
omy.
The study, staffed by experts,
opens the door-io exciting pos
sibilities for development of
Georgia's and the Southeast’s
economy. As it is translated
into action, greatest care should
be given to the problem of pol
lution which already threatens
Continued On Page 15
THE COVINGTON NEWS
Deadlines For General News,
Society and Sports
EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1964
Sports News 5:00 p. m. Tuesday
General News — 12:00 noon Tuesday
News with Advertising 12:00 noon Tuesday
Society News
Weddings 12:00 noon Tuesday
General Society News 5:00 p. m. Tuesday
News Correspondents must have news in Post Office
no later than Monday afternoon at 5:00 p. m.
Hay Is 1964 Kiwanis President
met HSHIIK F JrPTET I IWW sk
11
KIWI RnMH|
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S. M. HAY (left) is pinned as the 1964 president of the Ki
wanis Club of Covington by Charles L. Crawley, Jr., Lt.-
Gov. of the 12th Division of Georgia District Kiwanis Inter
national. The installation of officers took place Friday at
Legion Home in Covington. Mr. Hay succeeds Frank Mea
dors.
A Prize-Winning
Newspaper
fcklXDO 1963
Better Newspaper
Contests
BEST COVERAGE OF NEWS, PICTURES, AND FEATURES OF ANY WEEKLY IN GEORGIA
The Georgia Enterp Established 1865—The Covington Star, Established 1874—The Enterprise, Established 1902, and The Citizen-Observer, Established 1953
VOLUME 99
BOY OUT BUILDING LEVELED BY FIRE
Ne >n Team Sees Roosevelt Hotel Holocaust
Jacksonville Hotel Disaster
Claims Lives of 22 People
By 808 GREER
(News Sports Editor)
Little did I know when I boarded a Southeastern Stages
chartered bus with the Newton County Ram football team
and coaches Friday morning, bound for the Gator Bowl in
Jacksonville, Fla. that I (along with the team and coaches)
would see such a pitiful sight as the Roosevelt Hotel Fire
Peacock Speaks
On Indonesia
Guest speaker at the Coving
ton Kiwanis Club meeting to
day (Thursday) at Legion
Home at 1 o'clock will be
James L. Peacock HI. who re
cently - returned to the States
from Java, an island in Indone
sia.
Mr. and Mrs. Peacock spent
a year in Java. Mrs. Peacock
is the former Miss Totsy Fowl
er of Covington.
The speaker’s subject today
will be "Techniques of Indone-
I sian Government For Develop
ing National Loyalty.” M".
Peacock will be introduced by
Robert R. Fowler.
Installation of the 1964 offi
cers slate of the Kiwanis Club
of Covington comprised the
—program- Friday at Legion
Home.
Sam M. Hay succeeded Frank
Meadors as ■ president of the
club. The installation ceremony
was handled by Charles L.
Crawley, Jr., Lt. Governor of
| the 12th Kiwanis Division of
I Georgia
3^ (Enuimjtnn Km#
early Sunday morning. At the
Tuesday afternoon count 22
people had lost their lives in
the holocaust — nine of them
Georgians.
Many of the Ram team mem
bers had gotten up early (some
around 6:30) to eat breakfast
and pack before the bus was to
have left the Seminole Hotel
at 9 a.m. Sunday. The Semi
nole is less than two city blocks
from the Roosevelt. The Am
ber House restaurant, across
the street from the Seminole is
where many of the Newton
Countains ate their breakfast
Sunday.
I was eating breakfast with
! Coach Stone Cooper when
I Coach Billy Crowell came in
' and. said he “had never seen
anything as pathetic in my
, life.” At first we thought Coach
Crowell was kidding and as
we finished our breakfast a
' man and his wife came in
scared to death and almost as
white as a sheet. The man had
।on a shirt and pair of pants
and was bare-footed. His wife
had on a plain dres and her
hair was in a mess. We asked
them if they came from the
Roosevelt and they said they
were on the fourth floor when
। the bell-boy came by and
woke them up. They came
I down via elevator.
We rushed out the door af
ter paying our check and hur
ried down the street and what
we saw was almost unbelieva
ble. People hanging out of win
dows asking for help, sirens
sounding, loud-speakers asking
the guests in the smoke-filled
upper rooms to remain calm,
sheets and blankets hanging
from windows, people being
rescued by ladders, luggage
being thrown out the windows
on roofs of nearby buildings.
Dr. E. W. Exley and Coach
Wilbur Fisher, who heard
: about the fire over the radio
| about 7:30 in their hotel room
lat the Seminole, rushed over
, to the scene of the conflagra
■ tion and offered to help but
i the Jacksonville Police ran
1 them back up the street.
Frank Thornton of Monroe,
driver of the bus, along with
several of the football players
saw, a woman attempt to come
down from an upper floor
window’ by an improvised bed
sheet rope. She lost her grip
and fell to a rooftop building
below’, about a 60 foot drop.
Thornton said he couldn't tell
whether she was killed or not.
Coach McLaney saw two
young men “skin” down a
large drain pipe at the side of
the hotel. He said that the
boys had to make a big step
Continued On Page 15
Masons Install
New Officers
Golden Fleece Lodge No. 6
F & A M held its annual St.
John's Night and Installation
of Officers on Friday, Decem
j ber 27th.
Officers for 1964 are: Oliver
। Meadors, Worshipful Master;
' Paul Madden, Senior Warden;
IA. J. Gilbert. Junior Warden;
jR. M. Tuck, Secretary; C. G.
| Henderson, Treasurer; J. L.
Skinner, Senior Deacon; James
Corry, Junior Deacon; J. W.
1 Morgan. Senior Stew’ard; Geor
ge Hopkins. Junior Steward;
Troy Hendricks, Tyler.
Li gh t refreshments were
|served.
COVINGTON, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1964
Helicopter Rescues Roosevelt Hotel Guests in Jox
h B
lit B
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— B । wflinty , ~ ’
DRAMATIC HELICOPTER RESCUE atop the Roosevelt Hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. early
Sunday morning was witnessed by members of the Newton County football team and
coaches who were in Jacksonville at the time attending the Gator Bowl festivities. This
picture was taken by the Covington NEWS photographer just as a Navy helicopter was
taking persons aboard from atop the 12-story burning structure. Eight Georgians were
among the 21 killed in the fire, many from smoke inhalation. The Newton Countians
were guests at the Seminole Hotel, only two blocks from the Roosevelt.
H. Clayton Hays Honored al
Banquet Monday at Mansfield
Henry Clayton Hays, esteem- ;
ed Mansfield Town Clerk, was ‘
signally honored by his fellow I
citizens Monday evening, at a
banquet held at Mansfield
Community House. Congress
man John J. Flynt was guest
speaker for the evening. May
or A. Etheridge Hays, A. E.
Hays, Jr. and Mell Prather
spearheaded the occasion, plan
ned as a surprise for Mr. Hays,
upon his retirement from the
post of Town Clerk, which he
has held for 30 years,
Mr. Prather, who served as
master of ceremonies, cordially
welcomed guests and intro
duced former and present town
and county officials and civic
leaders, who were present. In
addition to Mr. and Mrs. Prath
er, those seated at the head ta-
Pilot Club to
Meet Thursday
The Pilot Club of Covington
will meet for its regular
monthly business meeting at
the Girl Scout Hut Thursday
evening, January 2 at 8 o'clock.
Members of the executive
board will meet at 7:15. Please
bring canned goods for the
pantry shelf. I
। ble with the honor guest were:
Rep. and Mrs. Flynt. Miss An
nie C. Hays, Mr. Hays' daugh
ter and Mansfield postmistress;
Rep. and Mrs. Donald Ballard;
Mayor and Mrs. A. E. Hays;
councilmen and their wives,
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hitchcock,
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Henderson,
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Davis,
Mr. and Mrs. M. D. Bledsoe;
and Marvin King, of Macon,
representative of the Railway
Express Company. Among Mr.
Hays’ family presented were:
his daughters, Miss Clara Mae
Hays, Newton Co. Visiting
Teacher, Mrs. Jim Luck and
Mr. Luck of Americus; Mrs. ;
Charles Piper and Mr. Piper
of Decatur; and two grandsons,
J. W. Simmons, 111, Huntsville, |
Ala., and Ray Piper of Decatur.
Rep. Flynt, introduced by
Mr. Prather, expressed pleasure
■ at being invited to participate
Continued On Page 7
Covington News
1 Pages
Today
Moose Institution
Set January 12
At Porterdale
Institution of the newly-or
ganized Covington Moose Lodge
will be held Sunday, January
J 12. at 2 p.m. at the Welaunee
Hotel, Porterdale, according to
i an announcement by Lou Val
entine, Membership Director of
Loyal Order of Moose, Atlanta.
। Mr. Valentine said that the
slate of officers of the local
Moose Lodge will be announced
as soon as they are installed
at the ceremony at the meet
ing, January 12. The Institut
j ing Officer will be Frank Ray,
; Regional Director of Moose,
1 and the Installing Officer will
be Dowell L. Bartley, State
Director of Moose, both of At
i lanta.
Mr. Valentine said that he is
Continued On Page 7
—
Drop Out Club
To Meet Monday
The Newton and Rockdale
County Drop Out Club will
meet on January 6, at the New
ton County High School at 7:-
30 p.m. All members are urged
to attend as well as all inter
ested invited.
Homer F. Sharp, principal of
| Newton High, will meet with
the members to plan the orga
i nization of the first class.
SPORTS — 3
OBITUARIES 4
SOCIETY
EDITORIAL —lO
LEGALS 14
CLASSIFIED 15
Trading Post Structure Loss
Estimated At $25,000
The “Trading Post” building at Camp Emerson at Camp
Bert Adams Boy Scout Reservation was completely des
( troyed by fire Saturday night about 8:30. Approximate loss
incurred was $25,000, according to Ted Waller, Boy Scout
j Executive of the Newton-Rockdale District.
|
Tax Books Now
Open at Newton
Co. Courthouse
Newton County Property i
owners are being advised this I
week that tax books are now
open in the courthouse for
State and County tax returns,
according to an announcement
by J. Hugh Steele, Tax Re
ceiver for Newton County.
Everyone owning real estate or
personal property will be re
quired to make a tax return
and the period for doing this
is January 1 through April 1.
Mr. Steele stated that there
may be new home owners in
the county who do not realize
I that it is necessary to file a
tax return each year. Even
though they may have applied
for homestead exemption in
previous years, it is still ne- I
cessary to continue to file this 1
tax return each year.
Mr. Steele asked that every
| one make their tax return in
I person. No telephone calls will j
be accepted, however, people |
who are sick and unable to
come to town or people who
live out of the county may
make their tax return by mail.
It is necessary to have the tax
return made in person in order
that the signature of the tax
payer may be obtained.
The Tax Receiver's office is
located in the tax office in the
I Newton County courthouse and
will observe the usual court-1
house hours, Monday through (
I Saturday, from January 2 to
! April 1.
Ellis Buys Home
Builders Supply
Julian Ellis, Covington con
tractor and builder with some
25 years experience, has pur
chased the interests of Mr. and
Mrs. E. S. Rheberg in Home
Builders Supply, Inc., 9301
Washington Street, Covington. |
Mr. Ellis will be the manager
I of the business also.
An advertisement in The
Covington NEWS today gives
further particulars on products
and services offered by Home
; Builders.
District Gov. of Rotary Visits Covington
i-- K
1 Jac
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COVINGTON ROTARY Club President Dick Bellairs (left)
welcomed Ralph M. Snow of Athens, District Governor oi
Rotary International, to Covington last week. Gov. Snow
made two speeches before gatherings of Rotarians during
। his two-day visit here. "
NUMBER 1
। Mr. Waller said it is not defi
nitely known what started the
fire but it was most probably
I from the electrical system
| leading into the building. The
I blaze was discovered by' a
; group of Boy Scouts who were
’ attending a banquet at the
dining hall at the time and
! some of the boys had just gone
l outside when they noticed the
building ablaze.
The Covington Fire Depart
ment and Newton - Rockdale
Forestry Unit answered the
call but the fire was out of con
trol by the time the engines
arrived. The camp is located
some 6 miles south of Coving
ton just off the Jackson high
way.
Mr. Waller said that three
drink boxes, one large refrig
erator and a large amount of
merchandise was destroyed in
the building.
Camp Emerson is adjacent to
Camp Gorman on the reserva
tion and each has a trading
post building, modern in every
design. The nulls type^sUng
tures blend with the many oth
.er buildings on the reserva-
I tion.
I Mr. Waller said that the
। building would be replaced as
j soon as possible. The capacity
\ of the reservation in the sum
mertime for Atlanta Area Boy
Scouts is now more than 600 at
one time.
Superior Court
Schedule Given
For Jan. Term
S. M. Hay, Clerk of the Su
perior Court of Newton Coun
ty, announced today that the
Traverse Jury will not report
for jury duty the week of Mon
day, January 6th as all jury
trials in Civil Court will be
postponed until March term.
However non-jury trials and
default judgments will ba
heard by the Judge, Monday
January 6th.
The Traverse jury will report
for duty on Tuesday January
14th for trial of criminal cases.
Pleas will be heard in cri
minal cases on Monday Janu
ary 13th.
The Grand Jury will report
for duty Monday, January 6th
and all other court matters will
proceed as usual.
— ——•