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| The front of the Potter Building falls on Front Street as the supporting beam is pulled out by a cable being reeled in by a Carolina Power Light Co. truck. The walls, while standing, were declared a hazard to traffic. The street light in front of the building, only 6 feet from the fires, did not break from the heat. A plate glass window in Bell’s Drug Store, across the street, was cracked. |
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Nine Beaufort businesses were burned out in a devastating fire in
freezing weather Thursday night and Friday morning [Dec 12-13]. Although
several businesses had not completed totaling their damages by
yesterday, the overall loss is estimated at $175,000.
The fire
destroyed House’s Drug Store at Craven and Front Street, Herring’s
Jewelry Store, Potter’s Grocery Store, and above those stores, Dr. L.W.
Moore’s office, Dr. M.T. Lewis’s office, and the Durham Life Insurance
office; across Craven Street from House’s, the Service Shoe Shop, the
Bargain Center and Western Union.
The fire broke out in the
furnace room located at the rear of the Joe House Drug Store. J.P.
George, chief engineer of the menhaden boat Elizabeth M. Froehlich,
spotted the fire at 11:50 Thursday night and ran to box 17 at Front and
Queen Streets to turn in the alarm.
Engineer Allen Conway was on
duty at the fire station and left as soon as the alarm sounded. With the
help of fishermen, Conway began pumping water through the rear window
of the drug store. He used the 500-gallon reserve in his truck and
pumped from the hydrant at Ann and Craven Streets until the water supply
ran out.
In
the meantime, engineer Elmond Rhue went to the fire station and got
another pump truck, which was manned by volunteer firemen, as was the
aerial ladder truck.
Fire chief Charles Harrell sent word to Morehead City, Fort Macon Coast Guard station, and Cherry Point, asking for help.
The alarm sounded in Morehead City at 1:30 a.m. and Chief Joe Fulcher and 10 firemen took a pump truck to Beaufort. Two Morehead City firemen heard the Beaufort alarm and were already in Beaufort when the Morehead City truck arrived.
The water supply gave out just before the Morehead City truck arrived, so the Morehead firemen drove to the Moore dock in front of the post office and started pumping salt water.
Beaufort firemen, who said they had the fire under control when the water gave out, also put hoses overboard and began pumping. By the time the trucks could get water back on the fire, it was blazing completely out of control. Coast Guardsmen from Fort Macon arrived about 3 a.m. with a 1,000-gallon-per-minute pump, which they put overboard from the Sinclair dock across the street from the burning building.
With the Beaufort, Morehead City, and Coast Guard firemen working, and the Cherry Point fire department standing by, the blaze was brought under control about 5 a.m.
By this time, the intense heat had set fire to the roof of the wooden building housing the Western Union office and the Bargain Center, a new and used clothing store.
Also damaged by the fire was the Service Shoe Shop on Craven Street. Firemen battled the flames on the wooden structure until 6:30 a.m. before getting that fire out. The building must be considered a loss, however, since the town zoning ordinance prohibits the rebuilding of wooden structures in the downtown fire zone.
Firemen who fought the fire during the early hours of the morning had plenty of help from nearby residents and businesses.
As soon as the fire alarm went in, Mason Insurance Agency opened its doors to firemen to come in and get warm. Later in the morning, coffee was available in the office. Mr. and Mrs. Holden Ballou made coffee in the Dora Dinette until the power went off; then they moved to Holden’s on Turner Street.
The Froehlich spotlight was turned on the blaze, and was of great help to the firemen when the electricity went off. The cook on the pogy boat also served coffee to the firemen.
Snowden Thompson was given credit for serving coffee to the firemen on Craven Street. He was using an eight-cup percolator. Others also sent coffee to the firemen.
C.W. Williams, manager of Carolina Water Company, explained that a mechanical failure, caused by freezing or corrosion, in the new water aerator system was responsible for failure of the water supply.
A series of valves and switches is designed to keep the town water tank full at all times. The tank holds 10,800 gallons but at the time of the fire it was probably less than half full.
Mr. Williams said the water company knew nothing about the fire until 2 a.m., when the water gave out. Water company workmen went to the pump house and had the pumps operating within a few minutes, but all the lines were drained and the tank was empty, so it took considerable time before any pressure built up.
The pumps deliver 600 gallons per minute into the tank when they are operating at full speed. The two Beaufort fire trucks that were pumping water at the fire are capable of drawing 1,500 gallons per minute from the water lines.
Chief Harrell was the only fireman injured during the night. He slipped and sprained his wrist when he fell on the icy street.
It was the last fire for Julius F. Duncan Jr. 44, who was found dead on his front porch about 5 a.m. Mr. Duncan had helped supervise the laying of hose to the fire and was busy through the night. He left the fire about 15 minutes before he was found. The cause of death was said to be a heart attack.
The entire Beaufort Fire Department turned out to serve as honorary pallbearers at Mr. Duncan’s funeral Saturday afternoon.
Coast Guardsmen who helped fight the fire in Beaufort Friday morning were ENC Earl Sells, EN/3 Norvie Gillikiln, EN/3 Samuel Wiersteiner, YN/3 Frank Johnson, SN Aucie Farmer, SN Lewis McLain, and SA Albert Gillikin. They manned a 1,000-gallon-per-minute pump drawing water from Taylor’s Creek.
Of the nine businesses damaged in the Beaufort fire, most are now reopened.
Open now is Herring’s Jewelry store in the former Stamper jewelry store location on the south side of Front Street; Potter’s Grocery at 120 Turner in the grocery store formerly operated by F.L. Simmons; Dr. L.W. Moore and Durham Life Insurance Co. on the second floor of the Merrill building; Western Union in a temporary office on Craven Street, and Service Shoe Shop, next to Abbott Morris’s on S. 8th Street, Morehead City.
Dr. M.T. Lewis, whose office was in the Potter building, said that he will reopen an office in Beaufort somewhere, but by noon yesterday he didn’t know where. He estimated his loss in the fire at $8,000 to $10,000. He was partially covered by insurance.
It is not expected that the Bargain Center, operated by Mrs. Roger Williams, Gloucester, will reopen. The place was robbed several weeks ago, and now the fire, has taken its toll. The Joe House drug store, which Mr. House had been interested in selling, will not reopen.
Most of the damage done to Western Union, the Bargain Center, and the Service Shoe Shop, all located on the northeast corner of Craven and Front, was by water. The top part of the building burned and water poured through to the first floor. The Service Shoe Shop was operated by John H. Eaton II, Morehead City.
B.C. Vickery, manager of the Western Union office, said he hopes to be in his temporary office today. Since the fire, he has been accepting telegrams from persons wherever they may see him, and phoning them or taking them to the Morehead City office for sending.
The shoe shop, Bargain Center and Western Union were located in a building owned by Mrs. M. Leslie Davis, Beaufort, and Robert Lee Humber, Greenville.
All of the office equipment, desks, typewriters, adding machines, and file of Durham Life Insurance Co. were destroyed. That office is now located across from Dr. David Farrior’s office in the Merrill building.
Salesmen operating from the office are Stanley Potter Jr., Jack Gonsoulin, Frank Fulford, all of Beaufort; J.C. Davis, Davis, and James Pitchford, Morehead City. James and Gilbert Potter, and Jarvis Herring express their appreciation to all the persons who helped them get merchandise out of their stores.
The Potters said that they have saved all their bookkeeping accounts and about $150 worth of canned goods. They were able to meet all their menhaden boat orders Saturday night as usual and expected to have the store fully restocked by last night.
“We’d like to thank the fishermen, Coast Guard, fire department, and all our friends who helped,” the Potters said yesterday.
Mr. Herring said, “I’d like to thank each one who helped, individually and personally, but I don’t know everybody who helped to get things out of my store.”
Herrings were open for business at their new location Saturday morning. It was the second move for Herrings in less than five weeks. The store moved from the northeast corner of Front and Craven to the former B.A. Bell location in November.
Mr. Herring said that he opened his safe yesterday morning and all of the rings, watches and other items that were being repaired for customers are intact. “Lots of people who had brought things to me for repair wanted to know about their items. They’re safe and they can pick them up,” Mr. Herring said.
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| Bread and produce counters and some canned goods were saved from Potter’s Store and put on the sidewalk in front of Jim Wheatley’s men’s store. Jarvis Herring managed to save most of his inventory from the jewelry store, but nothing was saved from House Drug Store, where the fire started. Ice coats the sidewalks and streets. |
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Although fire started to spread to the roof of the building where Stampers jewelry store is now located, it was checked. Stampers started moving things out of their store, but flames didn’t get that far. The only damage reported there was to a part of the awning when a beam from the burning building fell.
The loss in Dr. Moore’s office was estimated at $35,000. This included x-ray equipment, office and medical equipment. All bookkeeping records were lost as well as patient’s records, some of them going back as far as 27 years. Patients were already flocking to Dr. Moore’s relocated office yesterday morning.
The Potter building was built in 1927 by J.H. Potter. It is now owned by his heirs, with Miss Nannie Potter holding a lifetime interest in it. No decision had been made yesterday as to whether the building would be replaced.
At one time it housed the Potter Emergency Hospital, the Beaufort post office, and the following doctors’ offices: Dr. C.S. Maxwell, Dr. Hendrix, Dr. O.H. Johnson, Dr. F.E. Hyde, and Dr. Theodore Salter.
Most of the businesses in the Potter building were partially insured.
Joe House, whose drug store burned Thursday night, said yesterday that he has gone out of business, but he urges that everyone who owes him money to please make payment.
Mr. House’s books, account, files, and prescriptions were completely wiped out. Although he carried some insurance, it will not meet the total loss, which he estimates at $25,000, including accounts receivable.
Those who owe him will be of utmost help if they will pay him so that he can, in turn, pay his creditors, Mr. House explains. Persons may pay their House Drug store bills by seeing Mr. House between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily at Bell’s Drug store or sending him checks or money orders.
“I thank people for their kindness during and since the fire,” Mr. House remarked, “and for their business in past years, but I’m too old to start in again.”
The druggist says he will help out other drug stores in the pharmacy departments as they may need him.
He retrieved his safe from the debris Saturday and everything in it as safe. Unfortunately, Mr. House said, he had not put his account books in the safe when he closed the store Thursday night. Narcotics, which were kept in the safe, were not damaged.
Death Claims Julius Duncan Jr.
Julius Fletcher Duncan Jr., 44, died suddenly Friday morning at his home. Funeral services were conducted in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Saturday at 3:30 by the Rev. C. Edward Sharp, rector. Interment was in the church cemetery.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Sara Rumley Duncan; his father Julius F. Duncan; one sister, Mrs. Emily D. Wells of Rocky Mount; and one brother, David D. Duncan of Newark, N.J.
Mr. Duncan was a past chief of the Beaufort fire department and an active fireman. He was also active in the Episcopal church, having served as vestryman. Prior to an illness, brought on by heart disease, he was employed at Paul Motor Co., Beaufort.
Death was attributed to a heart attack suffered at about 5 o’clock Friday morning after he returned from fighting the fire in the Beaufort business section. He was found, by his wife, on the front porch of his home.