Evening star., 1942-03-08
Civilian Defense Unit
Credited With Savinq
Lives in Truck Blast
Four Killed, 100 Injured
As Munitions Explode
After Collision

By the Associated Press.
SMITHFIELD, N. c.. March T.
Like a gigantic time bomb which
dealt death and destruction after
attracting a crowd of the curious,
a blazing truck apd trailer loaded
with 10000 pounds of munitions ex-
ploded near here early today, kill
ing at least four and injuring ap-
proximately 100.
The explosion occurred two hours
after the truck was in a wreck with
a sedan, three miles from here.
Both vehicles caught fire.
The blast demolished a roadside
hOtel. wrecked a tavern, leveled a
row OF filling stations, pock-marked
two rows of brick tourist cabins and
broke virtually all the windows in
Selma, small town a mile away.
Heard for 50 Miles.
Wreckage was streWn for two and
q half miles. A hole 80 feet deep
and as long as railroad car was
ripped in the cement highway. Win
dows here were broken. A man
standing half a mile away was seri-
ously injured.
The blast was heard for so miles.
At first it was feared that the
death toll might reach seven or
even higher. Coroner E. N. Booker
announced that at least three per-
sons, in addition to the four known
ich rr, tI,n -
the hotel, which burned to the
ground.
Later, however, the coroner said
all of the hotel occupants were ac-
counted for. The ashes were still
smoulderlng. and it was impossible
to search the ruins.
The known dead were George
Stroupe of Gastonia. commander of
a c. G. G. camp at New Holland; :;
Cecil E. Propst of Lawndale, q
State game and fish warden sta
toned at New Holland: Mrs. Minnie
Lewis of Raleigh, driver of the
sedan which was in a wreck with
the truck, and Buck Mitchell, 46, of
Dunn, cafe worker.
Occurred at Intersection.
The wreck occurred at about 80
am. at the junction of two United
States highways.
Riding with Mrs. Lewis were her
husband, their two children and two
Marines. All but one of the chill
dren were injured
Immediately after the impact.
both vehicles started to burn Fire
departments from Smithfield and
nearby towns battled the blaze for
two hours. Crowds of spectators
gathered They were warned to
keep back, but they didn't keep
back far enough.
Mr.. Stroupe and Mr., Propst were
In car which ATTEMPTED to pass
the blazing truck just when the
explosion occurred. They were
killed instantly.
Mrs. Lewis and Mr. Mitchell died
in the Johnston County Hospital.
The womans death was caused by
burns suffered in the wreck.
Defense Unit Aids Victims.
Immediately after the explosion.
telephone calls were received here
from nearby communities asking
whether there had been an air raid,
and which way the planes were
headed.
AS ambulances, with siren open,
screamed through the streets, many
persons thought "the Japs have
come"
Johnston County's newly organ
ized civilian defense unit immedi-
ately went into action. Volunteer
doctors and nurses went to their
posts at the county hospital. Colds
boro. Raleigh and other cities VOL
unteered their hospital facilities.
AS the patients began arriving, the
volunteers went to work. They were
soon blood splattered.
DR.. V. A. Davidian. county hos
pital superintendent. said the de-
fense organization worked perfectly
In its first test. Manv other per-
sons might have died if it had not
been for the efficiency of volunteers,
he said.