Hurricane Carol heads toward coast of North Carolina

WILMINGTON, N.C. (UP) -- Beach dwellers scurried for safety today before an advancing Atlantic hurricane that churned up the sea about 100 miles south-southeast of this busy port and recreation city with winds of more than 100 miles per hour.

An advisory issued at noon EDT by the Miami weather bureau warned that last season's third tropical disturbance was "dangerous" and said its center likely would pass over or slightly east of Cape Hatteras, N.C., late tonight or early Tuesday.

At that hour hurricane Carol was moving in a north-northeasterly direction at a forward speed of about five to seven miles an hour. There were some indications then that the storm would continue to pick up speed slowly.

Minor damage was reported on the beaches around Wilmington, mostly to power and communications lines and to fishing piers. No injuries were reported.

Beach occupants had plenty of advance warning to get away from the storm. The Miami weather forecasters, veterans of covering hurricanes, urged the populace of North Carolina coastal areas to treat Carol as a dangerous girl.

Hurricane warnings were posted north of Wilmington to Manteo, N.C., and storm warnings were up from Charleston to the Virginia capes.

Wilmington would have been getting hurricane force winds by mid-morning except for the fact that the highest winds were pouring out from the storm's southeastern quadrant. On the shore side, winds of 70 miles an hour or better reached only 40 miles from the center.