The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 23, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 16, 1960 Page: 1 of 19
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Aug. 30-Sept. 5,1960
The Winkier County News
Published Twice Weekly—Read Daily
(Member Associated Press)
Weather
FAA Official Figures
Wink Airport
High
Low
Monday, June 13
94
66
Tuesday, June 14
105
65
Wednesday, June 15
Thursday, June 16
107
66
(7 a.m.) - •
81
73
Vol. 24—No. 23
Classified Ads on Page 4
Kermit, Winkler County, Texas
20 Pages in Three Sections
Thursday, June 16, 1960
Insurance Agencies Figure
Half Million in Claims Here
Hail Storm
Claims Nearly
All Settled
Winkler County insurance
companies have practically
completed settlements of hail
damage claims in the county
from two of the worst storms to
hit this area in more than 10
years, according to reports from
insurance concerns.
From estimates of the various
agencies, damages in Wink and
Kermit will probably run in the
neighborhood of half a million
dollars.
Kermit was smashed by one
hail storm April 26 and slightly
more than a month later, on
May 31, Wink was battered for
(^about an hour by giant hail
*stones. The storm in Kermit
lasted about 20 minutes with
hail stones larger than golf balls
blanketing the City. Many hail
^stones which fell in Wink were
l^reportedly as large as five
inches in diameter.
One insurance company ad-
juster in Wink reported damage
there, from about 250 claims,
would probably run as high as
$400,000. Insurance claims from
Wink are about 75 per cent
checked and settled, the report
revealed.
In Kermit about 500 claims
were filed with insurance agen-
cies. Most concerns estimate
their claims to be about three-
fourths settled now. One com-
pany reported it hoped to com-
plete its settlements within a
week.
The storm which clobbered
Wink apparently was of much
greater severity since claims
there reportedly average about
$1,500 each while claims in Ker-
mit probably will average some-
where around $200 to $300.
One Kermit insurance agent
said that if the hail stones had
been a little larger they would
have really done a job on cars
in the city. Then the claims
and settlements would have sky-
rocketed, he added.
Primary damages in both
Kermit and Wink were to roofs
and windows. A number of
trailer houses in Wink suffered
almost irreparable damage, ac-
cording to reports.
County Court Hears
Damage Estimates
Juvenile
Confesses
Breakins
Commissioners Court of Wink-
ler County Monday discussed
repairs to a number of county
buildings which were damaged
during recent hail storms, ac-
cording to a report by County
Judge W. E. Cook.
In two separate hail and wind
storms here and in Wink re-
Water
Use Still
Climbing
Water usage in Kermit' con-
tinued its upward climb in May
according to the monthly report
of the Kermit City Water De-
m partment.
Water receipts for May total-
ed $18,892.67, an increase of
about $1,500 from the month be-
fore. Previous month’s receipts
totaled $17,355.15.
Sewer receipts stayed steady
at $5,263.50 for the month while
garbage figures climbed slight-
ly from $3,884.75 to $3,974.35.
Total receipts for May were
$28,130.52 against $26,477.50 for
the previous month.
Total of 3,556 water and
2,393 sewer customers were list-
ed on the rolls last month while
in April there were nine less
water and two less sewer cus-
tomers. A year ago there were
3,339 water users and 2,265 sew-
er customers. That is com-
pared with 2,600 water and 2,025
^pewer users five years ago.
In May, total of 60,924,000 gal-
Wlons of water were metered
v compared with 53,315,000 gal-
lons the month before. Pumped
in May were 80,389,000 gallons
while only 57,709,000 gallons
were pumped in April.
Swimming Class
(Registration
Saturday Morn
Registration or intermediate,
advanced and junior life-saving
lessons will be held Saturday,
June 18, 9-11 a.m., according to
Winkler County swimming pool
assistant manager Gene Smith.
The free lessons will be taught
by Smith and Carroll Moore.
Requirement for intermediate
class is successful completion
of beginner’s course. Advanced
class entrance is dependent up-
on passing intermediate class.
To take junior life-saving
applicant must be between 12-
16 years and able to swim well.
Smith said if there were any
question about swimming capa-
bilities as far as requirements
are concerned, they would be
resolved at the time of regis-*
tration.
Second beginner’s swimming
class will get under way Mon-
day, June 20, at 1 p.m.; Smith
reported. Additional beginning
swimmers can still register for
the July 18 class.
Plans for adult swimming
lessons are not completed, he
added. However, present plans
call for Carroll Moore to in-
struct with a starting date ten-
tatively set for late July.
R.L Van Norman
Named Secretary
Of Savings Bank
Roland L. Van Norman has
been named secretary of the
Permian Savings and Loan As-
sociation following the resig-
nation of John R. Lee, who has
held the post since the organi-
zation was formed last year.
Lee told the board of directors
he found it necessary to resign
due to the press of his personal
law practice.
In accepting the resignation,
the board commended Lee “for
his efforts and time during the
organizational period of this as-
sociation.” The resignation was
accepted with regret. Lee will
continue with the association as
general counsel.
Van Norman, manager of the
association, will assume duties
of both positions.
cently, four county buildings
suffered about $3,000 damage,
the Judge said.
On April 26, in a vicious 20-
minute hail storm which bat
tered Kermit, the Community
Center suffered about $1,200
damage, Winkler County Me-
morial Hospital had about $800
damage and the West Side Com-
munity Center was damaged to
the extent of an estimated $800-
$900.
Slightly more than a month
after, on May 31, Wink was
smashed by a hail storm which
caused about $150 damage to
the library there, Cook said.
In both storms, hailstones
measuring up to five inches in
diameter battered houses and
windows.
All of the buildings will be
repaired, the Judge said.
In other Commission busi-
ness, the Court voted to renew
the contract of Thomas Y. Pick-
ett, tax valuation engineer.
Pickett’s concern figures oil
tax valuations for the county,
Judge Cook explained. He has
been employed by the county
for the past few years.
Johnson Gains
State Demo
Party Support
Winkler County Democrats
were among the 2,352 state
delegates at Austin who Tues-
day voted to support the can-
didacy of Lyndon B. Johnson
for President of the United
States.
Delegates from here included
C. M. Chastain, Ellis Summers
and Tom Linebery.
A rump move by liberal fac-
tions of the party was soundly
defeated. The group wanted a
strongly-worded loyalty pledge
but in the vote they mustered
only 40 delegates voted.
The State’s delegation is now
pledged to support Johnson until
released by him. Following the
vote, Johnson told the conven-
tion their chief opposition will
be from Massachusetts.
A 13-year-old youth who came
to Kermit with his father slight-
ly more than two weeks ago
is being held in detention in the
juvenile section of county jail
following his confession to a
series of breakins that started
shortly after his arrival here.
Juvenile Officer Jack Roe re
ported the youth was appre-
hended after extensive investi-
gative work by Kermit Police
Chief Bill A. Pence, the Wink-
ler County Sheriff’s office and
his own office.
The boy’s crime spree in-
cluded breaking into the two
drive-in theaters here, the inter-
mediate school and both St.
Thomas and St. Joseph’s Catho-
lic Churches.
Roe reported the youth came
here with his father, who is em-
ployed as a laborer, from Ar-
tesia, N. M. The youth said
he had no recollection of his
mother, since his parents sep-
arated when he was young.
On the day following his ar-
rival in Kermit, according to his
confession, the youth entered
St. Joseph’s Church and stole
about $7 from an offering box.
Two days later, he stated to
law officers, he broke into the
intermediate school by cutting
a window screen. The confes-
sion revealed he took some
butcher knives from the school’s
cafeteria and used them in an
unsuccessful attempt to break
open a pop machine.
When the boy heard Principal
O. M. Stewart at the door, he
fled, leaving behind a baseball-
type cap which was later used
by Chief Pence as an identify-
ing item.
The youth said he entered St.
Thomas Church on June 5 and
took the 20 cents lying in the
offering plate. -
According to the boy’s state-
ment, he said that while in the
church he attempted to open a
box located on the altar and in
the process overturned an urn
filled with water which spilled
over the altar.
Next, the boy broke into the
concession stand at the Lariat
Drive In and took about $5 to
$7 from a cigarette machine
plus a quantity of packages of
cigarettes. He said he entered
the building through a rear
door and used a screwdriver
and knife to get into the cig-
arette machine.
With the money he stole, the
(Continued on Page 5)
w
CM
Judye Cook Calls
Committee Meet
Judge W. E. Cook, general
chairman of the Winkler County
Jubilee Celebration, has an-
nounced that a general meeting
of all committee chairmen of
the affair will be held Friday
in the Chamber of Commerce
office starting at 10 a.m.
The meeting will be a general
discussion session dealing with
various problems which have
developed.
Swiss Girl Chosen
As Foreign Student
BP!F jm
KING FOR A DAY—Harlan C. Strauser gets a little advance Fathers’ Day treat-
ment from his two daughters Beverly, 12, and Sharon, 9, (sitting) while Mrs.
Strauser looks on. Sunday, June 19 will be Dad’s Day across the country. On that
day fathers will receive royal treatment as they become kings in their castles. (News
Staff Photo)
Kermit’s third foreign ex- §
change student will be an 18- 1
year-old girl from Switzerland |
according to an announcement
by Johnnie Roberts, chairman
of the local committee for the
American Field Service Scholar-
ship program.
The girl, Frieda Regula
Stamm, is from Thayngen,
Schaffhausen, Switzerland, a
community of about 3,000 peo-!
pie on the German border in
northern Switzerland.
She will arrive here late in
the summer, and will make her
home with Mr. and Mrs. Loften
Bragg of 205 Sherwood Street.
The Bragg’s have three girls,
Kaye, 19, and a junior at How-
ard Payne College, Judy, 16, a
junior at Kermit High School,
and Dinah, 7, a second-grader.
Bragg is employed as a gaug-
er for Shell Pipeline Co. here.
Regula, as she indicates she
wishes to be called, is the old-
est of five children in her fam-
ily. She has two sisters, 15 and
9, and two brothers, 13 and 2.
She is Protestant.
The blond-haired girl is 5 feet
7% inches tall and weighs 136
pounds, according to her appli-
cation form. She is studying to
become a teacher.
Especially interested in lan-
guages, Regula has studied Eng-
lish for a year and a half and
according to her instructor,
“does not speak it very good,
but it will be sufficient by the
time of her departure for Amer-
ica.” ,
In addition to English, she
also speaks German fluently,
French good, and Italian.
In her spare time her favor-
ite sports are skiing, swimming
and mountaineering. Her entire
family are music lovers and she
reports she frequents the the-
ater and opera.
Regula’s first contact with
* ^
FRIEDA REGULA STAMM
... exchange student
Americans, according to her
personal statement, was in 1944
when her community was bomb-
ed by American planes.
Regula’s father is a farmer.
The farm has been in the fam-
ily for a number of generations
and her father was born there.
He has traveled extensively in
Europe studying farm methods,
she writes.
Her mother is a housekeeper
for a Swiss family and Regula
and her sisters spend most of
their spare time helping around
the house.
Regula plays the piano fairly
well and also takes violin les-
sons. She is extremely active
in the Girl Guides and is a
leader of a group.
Following her return from
here, Regula states she will con-
tinue her schooling and will fin-
ish in four years with a teach-
ing certificate.
“We are very happy to have
Miss Stamm coming here for the
year,”Roberts added. The previ-
ous exchange students were
girls from Denmark and Ger-
many.
Lions Installation
Banquet June 21
Leon Rose, president of the
Downtown Lions, announced
Kenn E. Eastin will provide en-
tertainment Tuesday night,
June 21, at the annual installa-
tion banquet of the club.
Eastin is a magician living in
Midland. He is vice president
of the Midland Lions and has
performed all over the United
States.
The dinner meeting will start
at 7:30 p.m., Rose said. Irvin
Clayton is to be installed presi-
dent of the group.
New Preacher Here
Has Led Varied Life
*
Kermit’s newest minister has
been an engineer, carpenter,
designer, pilot, roughneck and
commercial fisherman in his
lifetime before deciding to e
ter the church.
Rev. J. Ray McCawley, pastor
of the Trinity Christian Church,
was ordained Sunday evening
at the First Christian Church at
Fort Stockton, a church his fa-
ther served for many years as
pastor.
Present at the ordination cer-
emony was Rev. McCawley’s
wife, Eudora, and 13-year-old
son, Ray.
The Reverend Mr. McCawley
preached his first sermon at
McCamey Feb. 14, 1960. He has
been in Kermit the past three
weeks with his family.
“I have tried most profes-
sions,” Rev. McCawley said,
“but I was never completely
happy. About a year ago, fol-
lowing a series of personal trag-
edies, I began to realize that
my place was in the church.”
In addition to his father, an
IH CENTER BAND—A Dixie land band is being organized at the Winkler
County Youth Center. Shown at its first session are members (left to right) Terry
Rogers, Roy Drake, David Northcutt, Richard Brinkley and Billy Funderburk. Cen-
ter Director Jim Stephen said the band was open to any center member. (News Staff
Photo)
*
Illegal Parking
Brings Citation
Highway Patrolman E. C.
Locklear reported he issued a
ticket to an individual Tuesday
evening for parking on the
paved portion of Andrews High-
way, about six miles out of
Kermit.
Locklear said the issuance of
the ticket was fairly routine, ex-
cept for one detail — the vehicle
illegally parked was an air-
plane.
According to the patrolmen,
Ray Eugene Ramsey of Lub-
bock flew in to town to talk
with some people working on a
pipe line.
Wanting to land fairly close
to where the men were work-
ing, Ramsey simply landed on
the highway.
older brother is also a minister.
His father is retired.
The six-foot-tall, 198-pound
preacher looks and dresses
more like a cowboy than a
minister. “I have done so
many different things in my
life,” he said, “I can’t change
my looks or appearance because
of this change.
“But, what has happened in
the past, happily, is one of the
Lord’s greatest gifts — it hap-
pened yesterday and yesterday
is gone.” Rev. McCawley start-
ed his college education at Ste-
phen F. Austin State Teachers
College in 1937 and attended for
about a year and a half. After
dropping out for a while, he re-
turned to school, this time at
Tennessee Tech in 1940. Fol-
lowing a stint of flying multi-
engine aircraft with the Air
Corps during World War II, he
attended Hardin-Simmons Uni-
versity for a semester, picking
up some extra credit work.
“I have a couple of years in
which to obtain my Doctor of
Divinity at Texas Christian Uni-
versity,” he reported. “I will
(Continued on Pace
mpmwi
Shells Indicated Prolific Gas Discovery
Plugged Back to 12,926 to Test Ellenburger
H
BY JAMES C. WATSON
News Oil Writer
Shell Oil Company No. 1-B-
36 State, indicated prolific gas
discovery in _ Southeast Lea
County, New Mexico, 20 miles
north of Kermit, found only wa-
ter and a small show of gas
at 12,926-12,966 feet.
A string of 5%-inch casing
has been set at 12,965 feet and
the hole plugged back to 12,-
926 feet.
It is presumed that the Ellen-
burger will be tested through
perforations above that point.
The best gas flow — and there
were several good ones—was
11,500,000 cubic feet daily at
12,730-12,866 feet.
The well had a show of gas
and free oil at 12,580-12,626 feet.
Several zones between 8,191 and
10,930 feet logged gas and oil
shows of varying amounts.
The prospect is four miles
northwest of Jal and in the
southwest sector of the shallow
Jalmat field. It is 660 feet
from north and 1,880 feet from
west lines of section 36-24s-38e.
Texaco Inc. No. 2-F Seth
Campbell is to test the McKee,
Fusselman and Ellenburger in
Central Winkler County, three
miles east of Kermit.
It is contracted to 10,850 feet,
and is adjacent to production
from the Devonian in the multi-
pay Kermit field.
There are no producers from
either of the three zones No.
2-F Campbell is to test in the
adjacent areas.
Skelly Oil Company of' Mid-
land No, 167 S. M. Halley was
drilling ahead below 9,067 feet
in Southeast Winkler County,
nine miles southeast of Kermit.
The wildcat, %-mile southwest
of the Halley multipay deep
area, is scheduled to be drilled
to 12,800 feet.
Slight shows have been found
in drillstem tests of the Glorieta
at 4,915-5,050 feet, the Clear
Fork at 6,400-6,450 feet, and the
Pennsylvanian at 8,220-8,300
feet.
Forest Oil Corporation of Mid-
land is continuing to deepen be-
low 11,765 feet in No. 1 Federal-
Lowe, Southeast Lea County
wildcat, 14 miles north of Ker-
mit.
The project, scheduled to be
drilled to 12,000 feet, encounter-
ed possible commercial produc-
tion quantities of oil and gas in
a drillstem test of the Devonian
at 9,876-10,005 feet.
The tool was open for two
hours and 44 minutes, with gas
surfacing in 14 minutes. In one
hour of flowing into the tanks,
25.7 barrels of 40.6-gravity oil
was recovered. No water - was
encountered on the test.
At this time operator will
reveal no other information but
drilling depths.
the Dublin (Devonian) pool; 1%
miles northeast of the Leonard
(Ellenburger) pool and approxi-
mately the same distance south
of the multipay Justis area. It
is 1,980 feet from south and 660
feet from west lines of section
7-26s-38e.
Humble Oil & Refining Com-
pany lias completed No. 11-T-B
McCutchen as another producer
in the Keystone (Silurian) field,
seven miles northeast of Ker-
mit in North Winkler County.
It potentialed for a flowing
It is 1% miles northeast of production of 164.60 barrels of
38.3-gravity oil per day through
a 16-64-inch choke, with one per
cent water. Gas-oil ratio was
1,040-1.
It is being produced through
Silurian perforations at 7,969-
7,690, 8,004-8,015, and 8,024-8,034
feet, after being acidized with
500 gallons.
It was drilled to a total depth
of 8,129 feet. Tubing pressure
is 420 pounds and casing pres-
sure is 380 pounds.
It is 555 feet from south and
1,980 feet from west lines of sec-
tion 15, block B-2, psl survey.
Released From Hospital Wednesday
Youth Hurt as Tire Bursts
A Kermit youth escaped seri-
ous injury Monday evening
when the metal bead on a main-
tainer-grader tire he was re-
pairing at a filling station broke
and the explosion knocked him
across'the room.
Kenneth Batchelor, 17, son of
Mr, and Mrs. O. L. Batchelor
of li3 North Avenue A, was air-
ing up a huge tire at McGuire’s
service station on East Austin
.....
REV. J. RAY McCAWLEY
, . . new preacher here
Pee Wee Baseball
Eight-year-old boys wishing to
play Pee Wee League baseball
this summer are asked to re-
port to the ball field near Ker-
mit Cemetery, off Highway 302,
at 9 a.m., Friday.
The boys practice every week-
day morning from 9 to 10 a.m.,
according to Joe Merrell, direc-
tor of the prograni.
Masons Schedule
Joint Installation
Kermit and Wink Masonic
Lodges will hold a joint instal-
lation of officers, Friday, June
24, at the Wink Masonic Lodge
Hall.. Meeting will start at 8
p.m;
Scheduled to be installed Wor-
shipful Master of Wink Lodge
1302 is A. S. Smith and from
Kermit Lodge 1258, J. N. Man-
gum. ■
Other officers to be installed
at the open meeting are:
Kermit, senior warden, F. M.
Horn; junior warden, R. O.
Willett; treasurer, H. W. Froe-
lich; secretary, J. V. Kingston;
senior deacon, J. L. Green; jun-
ior deacon, T. B. Atkins; tiler,
E. R. Austin; chaplain, J. H.
Porterfield; senior- steward, B.
A. Parker; and junior steward,
C. L. Satterfield.
Wink, senior warden, A. M.
Kelley Jr.; junior warden, Jess
Quinn; treasurer, O. L. Pitt-
man; secretary, C. J. Langford;
tiler, S. E. Miller; senior dea-
con, K. A. Pierce; junior dea-
con, C. P. Laughlin; senior
steward, Ted Masters; junior
steward, D. N. Bounds; and
chaplain, E. D. Wittie.
Installing Master will be
Brother E. E. Bracken of Wink
and Installing Marshal is Broth-
er Raymond Lindsey of Mona-
hans.
Street when the accident oc-
curred.
Hospital officials Tuesday re-
ported Batchelor suffered an
injured left hand but was in
good condition. Lee Norman,
also working at the station at
the time of the accident, called
for emergency help to rush the
youth to the hospital.
The explosion, which was
heard for blocks around the sta-
tion, filled the garage with dust
which, from a slight distance,
appeared to be smoke. Many
people who rushed to the
scene at first thought the ex-
plosion was caused by gasoline.
The freak accident occurred
at about 6:30 p.m. The bead is
a metal rim. on the edge of the
large tire. A .serviceman re-
ported Tuesday that such an
accident is extremely rare.
Batchelor was thrown across
the room by the force of the
blast.
A doctor reported Batchelor
also suffered a mild concussion
of the ears from the shock of
the explosion. “Within 10 days
to two weeks he should be per-
fectly all right,” the doctor
added.
County’s Consumer
Market Rated High
NEW YORK CITY (Special penses with the use of only 33.1
to the News) -— Winkler County
stands out as a strong con-
sumer market, with an increas-
ing amount of money available
to the average family for dis-
cretionary spending.
That is borne out by studies
made by the U. S. Department
of Labor and others and by
data on income and spending,
prepared by the Standard Rate
and Data Service.
By discretionary money is
meant that part of a family’s
■income that does not have to be
allocated for taxes, housing,
food and clothing.
In some parts of the country,
where incomes are at a low
level, there is little or no dis-
cretionary spending ability.
Practically all the income is
needed for the basic necessi-
ties.
Such is far from the case in
Winkler County. The most re-
cent figures on incomes and
costs show that the average lo-
cal family can take care of its
food, clothing and shelter ex-
per cent of its after-tax income.
Of this amount, 17.1 per cent
goes for food, 2.6 per cent for
clothing and approximately 12.8
per cent for housing, including
fuel, light and refrigeration.
Elsewhere in the United
States it takes no less than 33.6
per cent of net income to cover
these needs. It takes 33.8 per
cent in the West South Central
States.
The result is that local fami-
lies have a considerable amount
left over to use in other direc-
tions — for discretionary spend-
ing. It goes for automobiles,
washing machines, cosmetics,
home furnishings, insurance and
the great host of other prod-
ucts and services.
The 67.9 per cent remaining
to the average family in Wink-
ler County, after taking care of
the bills for food, clothing and
housing, amounts to $4,279 per
household.
It compares with $4,038 per
household available in the U. S.
(Continued on Page 3)
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Williams, Nev H. The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 23, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 16, 1960, newspaper, June 16, 1960; Kermit, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth895476/m1/1/: accessed July 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Winkler County Library.