Fire ruled accidental in Abbeville

Blaze at mill displaces about 85 workers

March 29, 2005

By SHAVONNE POTTS
Index-Journal staff writer

ABBEVILLE — The cause of a fire at a towel mill Saturday has been ruled an accident, according to Abbeville County Fire Marshal Dan Evatt.
Evatt said fire officials knew the point of origin was an office inside Professional Towel Mills, but have narrowed it down to an electrical connector.
“There was probably a loose connection,” he said.
The fire at 10:30 p.m. destroyed two of the five buildings at the company’s location at 441 S.C. 28 Bypass, causing about $3 million in damage and bringing tears to the eyes of some employees.
General Manager Jerry Mitchell said he was at home in Hodges when he received a call that the mill was on fire.
“We were able to retrieve the personnel records,” he said.
Mitchell said the company along with its insurance provider is in the process of accessing the damage. The buildings contained equipment for decorating towels.
The company makes towels for promotions and advertisements.
“We are in the process of working with contractors who will pick up our workload,” Mitchell said.
Although two buildings were destroyed, Mitchell said the firm is still operating. He added that things were “a bit chaotic” Monday morning.
“We are putting procedures in place to cover our customers to meet their demands,” he said.
About 85 workers were displaced as a result of the fire.
Mitchell said at this point no employees have lost their jobs.
“We expect the disruption to be minimal,” he said.
The company is helping employees look for state funding and will check with its insurance provider to see if it covers such a loss.
Easter Sunday morning after the fire, Evatt said, employees were on the scene who said they had worked at the company for years and were visibly shaken by the sight of the fire damage.
“The workers were crying,” he said. “They were heartbroken because it was a great place to work and they didn’t know what they’d do.”
Office workers but no line employees were at the towel mill Monday.
Evatt said a portion of a roof collapsed causing the gas line to rupture, which in turn fed the flames.
“We were able to get the gas off and we were able to contain the fire,” he said.
Firefighters were in the process of trying to contain the blaze when the roof collapsed.
Evatt added that the towels in the buildings also helped feed the fire.
About 10 firefighters from four departments responded. In addition to Abbeville County were Northwest Volunteer, Greenwood County, Coronaca and Due West Fire.
Evatt said the fire loss is about $3 million. The fire is basically out, but there are hot spots that Evatt said he expects to burn out after a day or so.
About a week ago, another fire occurred at a nearby company, Reelco at 527 S.C. 28 Bypass, that produces wooden cable reels. No one was in the building at the time of that fire.
Mitchell said he’s not nervous about the two fires occurring not more than eight days apart. He said based on preliminary information there is no reason to be suspicious that the fires are related.
Professional Towel Mills has been at the Abbeville location for more than 16 years.

Charlotte Blackwell

Charlotte Evans Blackwell, 46, of 120 Windsor Oaks Court, wife of Charles W. Blackwell, died Sunday, March 27, 2005 at her home.
Born in Greenwood, she was a daughter of Lee Highsmith Evans and the late Rev. Archie R. Evans. She was a graduate of Calvary Christian School in Walterboro and received an associate of science degree from Lander University. Employed at Self Regional Medical Center since 1987 in the Intensive Care Unit, she was a preceptor for new employees and a charge nurse for the critical care units. She served on many committees and task forces and was an ACLS instructor and PALS certified. In 1993, she received coronary care registered nurse certification and the State Nurse of the Year Award. A member of First Presbyterian Church, she served as an elder and as a teacher in the Sunday School Department.
Survivors include her husband of the home; her mother of Bradley; a daughter, Stacy D. Blackwell of Greenwood; a sister, Cindy E. Stanley of Bradley; two brothers, Archie W. Evans of Walterboro and Curtis W. Evans of Ocala, Fla.
Services are 2 p.m. today at the First Presbyterian Church, conducted by the Rev. David Mayo. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Entombment is in Oakbrook Memorial Park Chapel Mausoleum.
Pallbearers are Frank Cannon, Dr. John Eichelberger, Steve White, Donald Goforth, Dr. Thomas Pritchard and Dr. Sam DeMent.
Honorary escorts are the church elders; Greenwood County EMS personnel, along with friends Bill Wilson, Ben Milton, Jimmy Fowler, Dr. Richard Goodwin, Dr. O.M. Cobb and Dr. John Holman.
The family is at the home in Windsor Oaks.
Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 108 E. Cambridge Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646.
Blyth Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com

Clarence Bowen Sr.

Clarence Thomas “Papa Bowen” Bowen Sr., 94, of 438 Pelzer St., widower of Lillie Mae Boyter Bowen and Patricia E. Parrish Bowen, died Sunday, March 27, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Carnesville, Ga., he was a son of the late Warran T. and Lila Voyles Bowen. He retired from Stockman Oil Co. and Abney Mills, Grendel Plant. He was a member of Greenwood Wesleyan Church for 54 years, where he was a member of the Bethel Sunday School Class.
Survivors include two daughters, Betty Benton of Damascus, Md., and Janelle B. Seabolt of Greenwood; a son, Clarence Thomas Bowen Jr. of Simpsonville; a sister, Thelma Lupo of Greenville; two stepchildren, Raymond E. Dill and Eveline D. Wilson, both of Greenwood; 15 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren.
Services are 3 p.m. Thursday at Greenwood Wesleyan Church, conducted by the Revs. James Wiegman, Jonathan Payne and Mac McLellan. The body will be placed in the church at 2.
Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are grandsons and great-grandsons: Robbie Brackett, Dennis Dill, Vincent Rankin, Aaron Seabolt, Tony Seabolt, T.J. Seabolt, Rodney Shaw and Lee Williams.
Honorary escorts are Spanky Baer, Ronnie Bentley, Needham Jones and William Terry.
Visitation is 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at Harley Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of a daughter Janelle Seabolt, 115 Pope St.
Memorials may be made to Greenwood Wesleyan Church, 210 Bypass 225, Greenwood, SC 29649.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Ethel Greer

WEST COLUMBIA — Bertha Ethel Greer, 63, of 309 Hadley Hall Road, died Sunday, March 27, 2005 at Palmetto Baptist Hospital in Columbia.
Visitation is 7-9 Friday at Harley Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of a brother, Roy Steadman, 618 McKenzie Road, Ninety Six.
Services will be announced by Harley Funeral Home, Greenwood.

Malinda Keller

DONALDS — Malinda Keller, 92, of 311 Dunn Creek Road, died Sunday, March 27, 2005, at her home.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Robinson-Walker Funeral Service of Ware Shoals.
The family is at the home.

James Lee

James Laylon Lee, 68, of 109 Poplar Drive, died Monday, March 28, 2005 in Due West.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home.

Edward McNeil

SALUDA — Edward McNeil, 57, of 402 Willow Loop, died Saturday, March 26, 2005 at his home.
Born in Philadelphia, he was a son of the late Edward and Lucy Mae Bunch McNeil Cobb. He was a member Progressive Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Survivors include a brother, Paul McNeil, Augusta, Ga., and four sisters, Gloria Thomas, Lucy Bell Mims and Teressa McNeil, all of Augusta and Della Hall of Hartford, Conn.
Memorial services are 3 p.m. Wednesday at Progressive Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, conducted by Elder Wilbert Young.
Butler & Sons Funeral Home is in charge.

Rick Rhinehart

SALUDA — Willie “Rick” Rhinehart, 93, widower of Amanda Rhinehart, died on Saturday, March 26, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood.
Born in Saluda County, he was a son of the late Adam and Charlotte Rhinehart. He was a member of Wateree A.M.E. Church, Sons of Aide and Mine Creek Burial Aide Society. He was a retired farmer and brick mason.
Survivors include a son, Willie James Rhinehart of Columbia; a daughter, Annie Ruth Williams of Philadelphia; a brother, Adam A. Rhinehart of Columbia; five sisters, Ida Mae McGraw and Jessie Chapman, both of Saluda, Bennie Ruth Harp and Dorothy Paterson, both of Columbia and Thelma Rauch of Reading, Pa.; and five grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Corinthea Stack, assisted by the Rev. Clarence Kenner. Burial is in the church cemetery. The body will be placed in the church at 1.
Pallbearers and flowers bearers are family and friends.
The family is at the home of a grandson, William Rhinehart, 183 Pleasant Hill Road, Saluda.
Butler & Sons Funeral Home is in charge.

W. Nick Robertson

WATERLOO — William Nick Robertson, 63, of 420 Flymm Smith Road, husband of Nancy Lou Garrett Robertson, died Saturday, March 26, 2005 at his home.
Born in Princeton, he was a son of Louise Morris Robertson and the late Charlie Robertson. He was a former employee of Laurens Glass Co. a retired employee of Eton Cutler-Hammer and an Air Force veteran. He was a member of Gospel Tabernacle.
Survivors include his wife; his mother of Laurens; a daughter, Mrs. Tommy (Darlene) Curry of Laurens; four sons, Brian William Robertson of San Francisco, Mitchell Lyons and Robin Lyons, both of Waterloo and David W. Townsend of Phoenix; two brothers, Charles Robertson and Jerry Robertson, both of Laurens; a sister, Mary Jane MacInnes of Charleston; seven grandchildren.
Services are 3 p.m. Wednesday at Kennedy Mortuary, conducted by the Rev. Mike Scott. Burial is in Forest Lawn East Cemetery.
Visitation is 7-8:30 tonight at the mortuary.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Kennedy Mortuary, Laurens, is in charge.

Moselle L. Tucker

ABBEVILLE — Moselle L. Tucker, 75, of 239 Taylor Town Road, died Monday, March 28, 2005 at Abbeville County Memorial Hospital.
The family is at the home of a daughter, Shirley Peterson, 192 Mount Olive Church Road.
Services will be announced by Abbeville and White Mortuary.

Dorothy Lucille Williams

Dorothy Lucille Williams, 58, of 209 Wheatfield Drive, widow of Raymond Williams, died Monday, March 28, 2005 at her home.
Born in Greenwood County, she was a daughter of the late Pete Jake Griffin and Annie Belle Goode McBride. She was a spinner at a cotton cloth mill and a member of Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, Promised Land.
Survivors include two sons, Keith Williams of the home and Eric Williams of Greenwood; two daughters, Bridgett Williams of the home and Twila Williams of Greenwood; four brothers, James Griffin and John Griffin, both of Ninety Six; Alonzo McBride Jr. of Newark, N.J., and Kenneth Goode of Greenwood; seven sisters, Mattie Parks and Mrs. Bill (Ruby) Hill, both of Greenwood, Barbara Conway, Mary Green and Sallie Archer, all of Ninety Six, Mrs. William (Joann) Smith of Travelers Rest and Ethel Berksteiner of Raleigh, N.C.; 15 grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com

Dana Maxine Willis

ABBEVILLE, SC — Dana Maxine Willis, age 35, daughter of Norman Lee Willis and Bobbie Jean Jones Willis, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, March 28, 2005 at St. Francis Hospital in Greenville, SC.
She was a member of St. James A.M.E. Church, where she was secretary of the Trustee Board, a Sunday School teacher for the Intermediate and Senior classes, an usher, a captain for the YPD Building Fund, a member of the Voices of Victory Choir and a member of the Missionary Society. She was a computer systems operator at Piedmont Technical College. She was a graduate of Abbeville High School class of 1987 and a graduate of Piedmont Technical College class of 1989.
She is survived by her parents of Abbeville, SC; a son, Damarius Torez Lee of the home; three brothers, Master Chief Barry Tyrone Willis (Eleanor) of the U.S. Navy in Hawaii, Norman “Kirk” Willis (Rebecca) of Stone Mountain, GA, Keith LaJuan Willis of Abbeville, SC; a sister, Joyce L. Dalton of Knoxville, Tennessee; a very special friend, Marcus Lee of Abbeville, SC; a special aunt Linda Jackson, uncle Larry Jackson and cousin Calandra Young; and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to St. James A.M.E. Church YPD Building Fund. Services are incomplete and will be announced by Brown and Walker Funeral Home. The family is at the home of her parents at 106 Jones Lane.
PAID OBITUARY

It’s too good to be true? There’s good chance it is

March 29, 2005

There may be some people around who remember a motion picture entitled “The Flimflam Man.” It starred actor George C. Scott as a hustler who preyed on unsuspecting victims who were cheated out of their money.
In more recent times, although confidence men and women still make the rounds, much of it these days involves the mail. Several elderly women in Greenwood have, in fact, reported suspicious letters “informing” them they were big winners of monetary jackpots ….. if.
The if, of course, usually requires something in return, also usually money or some way to get the victims’ life savings.
Sometimes the wording in mail is intentionally confusing.
The movie was a comedy. But there’s nothing funny about the real life antics of confidence agents, wherever they work.

THEY PARTICULARLY AREN’T funny to flimflam victims who usually are older people. They end up losing everything if they go along without checking with law enforcement authorities before they do anything or give anyone a penny.
Authorities work to keep such things from happening, but sometimes they don’t even hear about these thieves until it’s too late. Some believe that more flimflam cases would be reported every year, but very often victims are too embarrassed by their mistakes to tell police ….. or anyone else.
Law enforcement officers and psychologists say anyone, regardless of age, race, sex, education or station in life can be victimized under the right circumstances.

THEY ARE CORRECT, IT appears, for flimflammers keep on working despite repeated efforts to inform the public of the dangers.
There could always be more efforts to inform people by taking steps to prevent confidence agents from preying on the vulnerable among us. Every one of us should be aware of the possibilities and stay alert. Any one of us could be a target at any time, especially in these days when identity theft has become such a major problem everywhere. Report it when you get mail with “offers” that seem too good to be true.
If someone comes to the door, one thing should always be done. Always ask for credentials. No legitimate salesman or upstanding person or businessman will object to investigations of his or her character or product, authorities say.
That’s good advice. Always. If everyone would follow it, maybe “scams” could be limited to the movies and wouldn’t add to the miseries of trusting, unsuspecting people, old or young.