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A CrButn^iiuiilg West Craven Highlights VOLUME 10 NO. 33 AUGUST 13. 1987 VANCEBORO, NORTH CAROLINA PHONE 244 0780 OR 946-2144 (UPSP 412-110) 25 CENTS SIX PAGES Summer’s Dog Days Sirius Business To Astronomers Bx RITA CIPAI.LA SmilhioiiJan Newt Senire The dog days of summer are ofTicially here. They arrived, unleashed in ear ly August, when Sirius — the chief star in Canis M^or, “The Big Dog,” and the brightest star in the heavens next to the sun — rose together with the sun in the summer sky. These are the days most of us dread — hot, steamy, ill-tempered days when nothing much happens and people drag around waiting for autumn’s coolness. Astronomy buffs know that the constellation Canis Major, which resembles a dog standing on its hind legs, follows at the heels of the hunter Orion in his journey across the sky. On sky charts, Sirius is often portrayed as the jewel in the dog’s collar or the tip of his nose. But, ironically, “man’s best friend” — astronomically speak ing — has gotten a bad reputa tion, says James Sharp, chief of the Albert Einstein Planetarium at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. “Today, we almost unanimous ly use the term dog days in a negative way, but in ancient times, the advent of the ‘dog days’ and the rising of Sirium was a good omen. To the ancient Egyptians, the rising of the Dog Stor signaled the coming of the Nile flood, a time to sow crops and to rejoice.” Historians of astronomy note that Sirius is the only star known with absolute certainty to appear in Egyptian records. Its hierog lyph, a dog, was oflen drawn on monuments and temple walls dating back to 3285 B.C. Some believe that the canine title ori ginated in Egypt because of the star’s watchful care over the in terests of the farmer, giving him notice of the approaching Nile floods. A few thousand years passed before Sirius began to be seen in a bad light. Both the ancient Greeks and Romans blamed the brilliance of the Dog Star for the sweltering heat and humidity of the midsummer sun and be lieved it to exert an evil influence on the health of those exposed to its burning rays. The name Sirius comes directly from a Greek word meaning sparkling or scor ching. References to Sirius’s harmful influence abound in early poetry. In Homer’s epic poem the “Iliad,” an enraged Achilles was first seen by Priam “as he sped across the plain, blazing as the star that cometh forth at harvest time, and plain seen his ways shine forth amid the host of stars in the darkness of the night, the star whose name men call It’s a tight squeeze for the captain, especially through the bridge at Hobucken (■k Coftvr photos) Barging In Hauling Tg’s Products "Through N.C. Waterway A Non-Stop Proposition By Mike Voss editor A board the tug PAMLICO — For alternating two-week stretches, Capts. Joe Morris and Gerald Mason step ashore only for a short while in port. For those two weeks, whichev er captain is on duty spends 24 hours a day, seven days a week keeping his barges in a row as they plow the waters between Aurora and Morehead City. The two tugboat captains and the remaining crew face the creeping monotony and the quick-as-a-wink dangers that are ever-present passengers on the tug. ’The crew is divided into two watches consisting of a captain, engineer and deckhand. ’The en gineer and deckhand do a variety of jobs while the captain pilots the vessel. Leaving the docks at the Tex- asgulf phosphate mining opera tion near Aurora, Morris took the Pamlico and two barges loaded concentrated phosphate- Iwx out into the Pamlico River. From the stem of the tugboat to the bow of the lead barge, Morris guided the 600 feet of vessels from the river into the first of two “ditches” along Intracoastal Waterway on the eight-hour trip to the state port in Morehead City. Morris said the barges each contain 2,200 tons. In the Goose Creek Canal, they sucked water from the approaching shoreline. causing it to retreat as if a giant plug had been pulled. Seagulls flew alongside the barges waiting for the water to retreat and to get a free meal from the small fish left stranded. As the barges passed, the water would return. Had the waves been much larger they would have been good for surfing. ’There is no wheel in the wheel- house of the Pamlico. There are two steering rods instead. And if steering the Pamlico looks easy, take the helm and try it. ’The barges and tug are slow to respond to a steering change, but once the bow starts moving the tug wants to keep going in that direction. ’The secret, said Morris and Mason, is to return to rud ders to amidships once the bow begins turning. After amateurs tried the helm on this trip, the wake of the tug looked like a giant snake slither ing across the water. With all the power generated by two 10-foot- long engines, producing 2,000 horsepower, it takes a gentle hand to steer the barges. In the “ditches” where there is little room to maneuver, the captains were constantly making steering corrections to keep the barges in line. While the captain is busy in the wheelhouse, the engineer and deckhand are busy elsewhere. ’The engineer keeps an eye on the two loudly humming engines. Evidence of his work is the almost spotless conditions in the engine room. On this trip the en gineer was worried about a water leak and knew a repair job awa ited him at Morehead City. Capl. Joe Morris scouts for a channel marker The deckhand paints, cleans and does whatever it takes to keep the tub shipshape. He has the “dirty" work, but the de ckhand is the one who gets to go out on the barges more than any one else. Out on the barges there is a breeze and the ride is smoother. Unless a barge breaks away. When a “break-away” occurs, everyone lends a hand. ’The barge has to be chased down before it can do any damage. A loaded barge slamming into a bridge or another vessel is potentially dis astrous. “We have to catch’em. We can’t let them run loose out there,” said Morris. Rough weather and seas are fSee BARGE, Page 2) Orion’s dog. Brightest of all is he, yet for an evil sign is he set, and bringeth much fever upon hap less men.” Hippocrates, the father of medicine, wrote in the fourth century B.C. of the star’s power over the weather and its conse quent physical effect upon humankind. Virgil, in his Latin epic the “Aeneid,” wrote, ‘"The dogstar, that burning constella tion, when he brings drought and diseases on sickly mortals, rises and saddens the sky with inau spicious light.” Seventeen centuries later, Sirius was still doggedly being blamed for wreaking havoc. “The Dog-star rages!” Mexander Pope penned. “Nay ’tis past a doubt JAU bedlam, or Parnassus, is let out.” ’The notion that heat from the Dog Star caused madness in dogs is said to have stemmed from the Greek poet Asclepiades in the third century B.C. But it was the Romans who coined the words "dies canisulariae” — dog days. Other Heavenly Phraaea The Romans also were re sponsible for another phrase de rived from the heavens, this one from the constellation Gemini, or the ’Twins. The Gemini are de- (See DOG DAYS. Page 5) Cove City Board Race Heating Up 3 Candidates Seeking Mayor’s Post In Dover By MIKE VOSS Editor ’The race for the five seats on Cove City Board of Aldermen has heated up with last-minute filers bringing the number of candidates to 10. Elsewhere, several candidates for seats oh other town boards and one candidate for mayor waited almost until the last minute to file for office and announce their candidacies iast week, reported election officials Monday. In Cove City 10 candidates are vying for the five seats on the town board, including a black candidate, a sharp increase in the usual number of candidates seeking office, said Nina White, chairman of the Municipal Board of Elections. Five more candidates filed with Mrs. White for seats on the Cove City Board of Aldermen af ter last Wednesday morning. Mrs. White said last Wednesday morning that five candidates had filed for the town board and that Mayor L.D. Davis had also filed. Filing deadline was noon Friday. ’The five candidates that filed before last Wednesday were in cumbents Eugene Massey, W.A. Avery and Q.R. Russell. Ben Grady, a newcomer, filed, along with former alderman Charlton Mitchell. Incumbent J.C. Ward filed Wednesday night and incumbent Wayne King filed ’Thursday, said Mrs. White. Newcomes Floyd White, Carlton Crouell and Fi^ Wilkerson filed Friday, said Mrs. White. Crouell is the lone black in the field, said Mrs. White. Crouell will be the first black to seek a position on the town board in ab out eight years, said Mrs. White. fSee ELECTION, Page 5> Around Drawbridges DOT Hopes Bypass Will Aid Congestion BRIDGETON — The North Carolina Department of Trans portation has found a way to re duce traffic congestion on U.S. 17 at Bridgeton caused recently by drawbridge problems on the bridge between New Bern and Bridgeton. Delays and traffic backups occur on the highway when the drawbridges across the Trent and Neuse rivers are opened to allow water traffic to pass. Ear lier this summer traffic was halted for several hours during a two-day period when the draw bridge over the Neuse jammed. ’Traffic resumed after a section of the drawbridge was cut away. Heat expanded a metal portion of the drawbridge and caused it to jam, said state DOT ofrlcials. ’The DOT began erecting signs on U.Srl7 at Vanceboro and New Bern Wednesday to direct motor ists onto a series of primary and secondary roads bypassing Bridgeton. The bypass will be identified as N.C. 43 to provide continuity to the route. N.C. 43 currently extends from just south of Warrenton in Warren County to Vanceboro. ’The bypass will be 18.2 miles long, or 2.7 miles shorter than the (See DOT, Page 5) Former WCHS Student Writes Winning Slogan NEW BERN - A former West Craven High School journalism student was introduced as the winner of the United Way Slogan Contest at the kick-off breakfast of the United Way Pacesetter Campaign July 28 at the Federal Alley in New Bern. Loris Strum, winner of the con test with her slogan “A hundred years of being there, the United Way,” was introduced to the group by Amy Oliver. Miss Strum was a senior when her slogan was chosen in May to be used during the campaign. Ms. Oliver also introduced Larry Conway, a professional photo grapher, who is now living in Fairfield Harbour and who has volunteered his time to take pic tures during the campaign. ’The Pacesetter CampMgn is a select group of community businesses which are asked to conduct their United Way etn- ployee campaign early to help set the pace for the mqjor campaign that will be conducted In September. United Way.Pres! dent George Schnupp welcom( the group. ’The slogan contest, according to campaign co-chairman Mar garet Lamb, involved the Jour nalism class at West Craven High School.
West Craven Highlights (Vanceboro, N.C.)
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Aug. 13, 1987, edition 1
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