Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1954-12-15

" III IHe pumping eQulpInenCl
cheated the volunteers of an
: flames in their early stage.
Help came from Loris, Whiteville
and Chadbourn but it came too
late.
c. H. Primer, school principal,
said today that the building was
covered with approximately l45,-
600 worth of insurance and the
equipment with $4,000.
Defective wiring was blamed
as the cause of the fire.
Two fifth grade classes were
transferred to the high school
building Monday and the re-
mainder of the students began
work in the educational structure
at the Mt. Tabor Baptist Church.
Students and teachers will be
forced to continue such arrange
ments throughout the remainder
of the year unless construction
plans are stepped up. Primer
predicted that construction of an
other building will not begin I'M
til next March and it isn't prob
able that it would be completed
in time to move in before the end
OF the present year.
The building, constructed in
1914, was condemned in 1889 but
soon after was remodeled to meet
requirements. 1t has been in use
since that date. The fifth, sixth
and seventh grades were housed
in the building and the cafeteria
provided lunches for more than
800 students each day.
But for at least the rest Of the
current school year, Tabor City
students will be forced to resort
to the "old lunch bucket" How
ever, Primer point. out. the fed
erally-supported milk program
will be continued. Students may
purchase one-half pint of milk
for. four cents through the high
school snack bar.
Primer told reporters today that
at faculty meeting held follow
ing school hours Thursday, a
lengthy discussion was held on
safety in the schools. 1--WE empha-
sized during the faculty meeting
the necessity of being careful with
Christmas lighting in classrooms
during the holiday season." Primer
said.
The school principal said he
left the school near 5 p. m, anC
had been home approximately 2(
minutes when a child came in tc
announce that he had seen smoke
=, coming from a hole in the ole
Z school building" Primer said tina
l when he arrived at the school
Z few minutes later he rushed to tn,
boiler room and found no evi
Z I dence of fire in that part of tn
building. IL went around to tn
[ other side of the structure an
) discovered a small blaze in on
: of the clasSrooms along the lowe
: part of the wall" he said.
The Tabor City Fire Depart
mcnt was on the scene as 500
o as the blaze was discovered bu
: because of broken part in tn
u pumping system the truck wa
unable to pour great amount @
water on the fire for at least
minutes. ~ = - - - "a
Primer said that the buildin
nearest the burning structure suf
fered only slight water damage.
Because Of the fire no schoo
was held Friday but Primer sal
the loss time would be made III
o Saturday. Glasses will be conduct
ed until Saturday noon, the prin
. cipal announced.
Primer said that an electrician
had checked the wiring on De
cembcr 2 and reported every
Y thing okay."
s Primer said that q proposal Il
|, add another wing to the presen
, high school structure had beer
changing fire" for long time
However, at the time the wins
D was proposed IL was not designed
D to replace any of the units beini
\ used prior TO the fire.
: Apparently IL will be necessar,
TO erect building equally a
large as the one destroyed by fire
Primer said that with the full
S facilities crowded condition ex
n listed. An increased enrolment i
anticipated next year, birth re
o cords reveal.
q In the meantime some 300 stu
:. dents 90 to school in the Baptis
l Church, use their knees for desk,
II pile their school books in the floo
and get their assignments fror
p undersize blackboards. The bis
n ST loss to the students was the
g omplete school records.
~ We're starting with nothir
- 'gainst u.s." one student said. at
like the first day of school,"