North Carolina Newspapers

Most Of The News All The Time VOL. NO. SIXTEEN No. 39 THE STATE PORT PILOT A Good Newspaper In A Good Community The Pilot Covers Brunswick County 6-pages today Southport, N. C., Wednesday, January 21,1953 published ever’i Wednesday *1.50 per yeas Inspection Party DISCUSSION.—Col. Roland C. Brown, head of the District Engineers office in Wilmington, is shown on the Sunny Point Site with a group of Southport citizens discussing construction plans for the U. S. Army Outload ing Ammunition Depot. In the background is a large earthen embankment being thrown up by draglines in pre paration for future dredging opferations.— (Fulcher Photo—Star-News Cut.) Shallotte Point To Get Phones At Early Date Advice From Representative Odell Williamson Indicat es This Service Soon Will Be Available To Residents Representative Odell William son notified The Pilot that of ficials of the Southern Eell Tel ephone and Telegraph Company have advised him that if plaits for a right of way from Shall otte to Shallotte Point can be worked out the company will con nect the two places with a tel ephone line. The BrunswicK representative anticipated little trouble in se curing this light of way and he says it is possible that the work will be started at an early date. He also advises that John Gar ner of Shallotte Point deserves a lot of credit for helping to get this line to the Point. Things around Raleigh are not moving too rapidly yet, he says, but he anticipates that the lawmakers will probably get their committee assignments this past Friday or Monday. Following the handling of business should pick up, he said. Brief Newt Flasket FOG DISPELLED The unusually heavy fog that has been enshrouding this area for a week was dispelled at 5:00 o’clock this morning by a tor rential rain and electrict storm. Around an inch of rain is said to have fallen within half an hour. CLEANERS OPEN HERE The Smith Cleaners of Wil mington have opened a South port branch and for the present they will operate a pick-up and delivery service three days each week. Mrs. Linda Rich is in charge of the local branch and she has her office at the corner of Moore and Howe Streets, op posite the bus station. OBSERVE WEEK The week of January 25-Jan uary 30 will be observed as W. M. S. Focus Week at the South port Baptist Church, with the members of this organization be ing given special attention. They will have charge of the mid-week prayer service on Wednesday night, January 28. All activities of this missionary organization will be given special emphasis during the week also. LOCAL LABOR One of the officers of the superdredge McWilliams arrived here last night. He confirmed the information that the big dredge will arrive today. Asked about the employment situation on the boats, he states that ma ny crew members for the Mc Williams will be employed local ly. The same will apply to dredge No. 5 due to arrive the last of next week. Each of the boats will have three crews for around the clock operations. If You’d Need Aid Give To Polio Fund - ^ Mrs. M. H. Rourk, Bruns wick County Chairman, Says This Is Good Yard stick Of Whether This Cause Is Worthy Of Sup port AVERAGE FAMILY WOULD NEED HELP “Mothers March On Polio” Plan Will Be Used Here Thursday Night By Workers Under Mrs. Bryant Potter Mrs. M. H. Rourk, director of the 1953 March of Dimes today gave her unqualified endorsement to the slogan, “If you would ask help from the March of Dimes, then give to the March of Dimes.’ “There’s hardly a family that wouldn’t need to ask help from the local polio chapter if a child or some other member came down with polio,” she commented. “Then, it seems only fair to ask that each family give something, even if it is no more than 30 cents for each member.” The March of Dimes was set up so that patient care would be assured, whether the family is rich or poor, the campaign direc tor reminded. Yet, if a family is i going to call on the polio fund for assistance, it seems that it would only be right to request a small donation from each family. Mrs. Rourk agreed with the thought that there are only a few (Continued on Page 4) Hall-Holiday To Start Tomorrow Four Southport Grocery Stores Cooperating In Plan Designed To Give Employees Half-Day Off Each Week In order to give their employ ees a half day off eoch week, 4 Southport business houses are an nouncing that they will be clos ed each Thursday afternoon un til future notice. The stores to first announce this half holiday are Fox Gro cery Company, Quality Super ette, Bigford Grocery and Har relson Grocery. They will close each Thursday afternoon and thus give their employees a half hol iday out of each six days of the week. Progressive stores all over North Carolina have been giving their employees half a day off each week. In fact, may stores in Brunswick outside of South-1 port have been following this1 custom for some years. Other Southport stores in ad-1 dition to the above may fall in line and»it is hoped that the | public will understand and ap- | preciate the plan as one that will inspire all store employees to ! give them better service during | the other days of the week. Williamson On Seven Committees Representative Odell William son has been named to mem bership on seven of the important committees of the North Car olina General Assembly, inclu ding the vice chairmanship of the Commercial Fisheries and oyster industry committee. His other committee assign ments include Appropriations, Conservation and Development, Engrossed Bills, Penal Institu tions, Public- Welfare and Prop ositions and Grievances. This latter assignment may promise headaches for the Brunswick County man before the session ends, for it is with this committee that the fate of the Statewide referendum rests. Plans Call For Much Work Here Big U. S. Engineers Hopper Dredge Slated For Work On Bar And Part Of Channel Early Next Mon th When the U. S. Engineers dredge Gerig comes here on or about February 10, at least one of her crewmen will just be coming home. Thomas Fulwood of Southport has been employed on the vessel for a number of years and here with his family this past week he was found to be mightily pleased at coming to Southport. The ship is commanded by Cap tain J. Berg, a name that is very familiar to Southport peo ple by reason of the late Jans Berg, an influential citizen of Southport who died about a doz en years ago. However, Captain J. Berg of the Gerig is not thought to have been related to the late Dr. Berg of South port. Nothing is known now of how long the Gerig will remain here. The information is that she has simply been assigned to the Wil mington District for work at Southport on the bar. Crewmen on the boat say that there is a supposition that the boat is to go to Cuba late in March. This may be the schedule but if she goes to Cuba she will undoubt edly return here after a few months for a much larger job than is now ready'. The bar will have to be opened all of the way to 37 feet, now or a little later. In addition there is a huge amount of work of the same depth, said to be pen ding inside the river mouth and in areas where only hopper dred ges like the Gerig can operate. Owing to the width and currents pipeline dredges are not adapted to work for a considerable dis tance inside the Cape Fear riv er mouth. The ship has a load capacity (Continued On Page Five) Ben McDonald Is To Help Again With Band Day Wilmington Man Is Booster For Shallotte High School Band And Will Again Serve As Master Of Cere monies Ben McDonald, well known Wilmington raaio commentator, who served so ably in the capacj ity last year, will again be mas-I ter of ceremonies at the Shallotte Band Day Festival on March 7, according to announcement made yesterday by Director W. W. Ja cobus of Shallbtte’.' Director* Ja cobus says that McDonald is a real jbooster of the Shallotte band and has done much to promote their program. Wally Kirschner, president of the JJorn and Kirschner Music Company in Newark, N. Jr, has called for the details of the Shal lotte Band Day 'Festival'. A per sonal friends of the band director and students, Mr. Kirschner is looking forward to his first trip to Shallotte on Band Day. Last summer he sponsored the trip of the band to New Jersey. He will crown the Band * Day Festi val Queen and will also make an address at the festival. A re ception committee of band stu dents will meet him at the air port in Wilmington and escort him to Shallotte. Miss Marie Rourk, who has charge of that detail, has been kept busy ordering the trophies and getting the prizes ready for the festival. Tom Boyd, leader of the dance orchestra which will provide the music for the semi-formal dance, stopped in Shallotte this week to complete his arrangements. His six-piece orchestra is well known for its smooth music and the Band Day Festival Dance is ex (Continued on Page 4) Railroad Work Moving Slowly On Big Project Difficulty In Obtaining Good Title To Several Tract* Of Land Over Which It Is Routed Is Responsible OTHER DEVELOPMENTS SCHEDULED SOON Rumor Concerning 4-Lane Highway Crops Up Once More *With Acquisition Of 150-Ft. Route Cited By W. B. KEZIAH Army Engineers stated yester day that the railroad contract work has not yet taken on its full stride, as most of the oper ations thus far have consisted of clearing of the right of way and operations ,;at the bridge sites at Town Cfreek and Allen Creek. Both of' these jobs are in the hands of sub-contractors, work ing under W. A. Smith of Hous ton, Texas, who holds a contract for the whole 25 miles of the access railroad. Contractor Smith has not yet received his full speed ahead or ders owning to some little de lays in acquiring the right of way all of the way through. Eight more right of way land owners were paid off yesterday and there is said to be a pros pect of closing out the others at an early date. The trouble is said to be almost entirely due to family land titles on tracts here and there. With just a bit more time the full speed orders will be given. In recent weeks the engineers office has been burdened with work on projects all through the state from Dare county to the western part, mostly with air fields. They are still busy with these tasks. But now comes encouraging reports to the ef fect that right much with re gard to Sunny Point is now un derway. It is assumed that the matter referred to is the letting of several other contracts in February and March and the (Continued on Page 4) Commissioners In Session Monday Members Of Board Give Approval To Purchase Of Three Additional Buses From Anticipated Tax The board of county commis sioners was in regular session on Monday with all members pres ent. An order was passed relieving Mrs. Lacy Dawkins of $171 tax es on a house, it having been removed. A road in Town Creek Town ship, running from Bolivia in a westernly direction to the old Georgetown road then curving, and leading in a southeast di rection to U. S. 17 at a point two miles north of Supply was approved to’ the State to grade and drain. Supt. J. T. Denning appeared before the board with a request that two additional buses be pur chased for the Union School and for the Lincoln School, funds to be derived from the 1953-’54 school budget. A motion to com ply was made by Commissioner Leo Medlin and was seconded by Chairman Elroy King. W. B. KJEZIAH Ottr ROVING Reporter —.—I Except for the time when we were a fractious patient when the doctors cut the appendix out of us and the nurses dosed us afterwards with paragoric, we guess that we are just now get ting through with the worst pe riod of sickness we have had in 40 years. During this recent de viation from the usual we clung tenaciously to our feet, getting up early in the morning after going to bed the same way on the previous nights. We don’t claim that we worked all of the time while we were at the office but like the early Fords, we got there all the same. We went fishing the other day with Rice Gwynn, Jr., and F. R. Ellerbee. It turned out that the day they picked was the worst in a week. Cold as anything and stiff noreheast wind. Added to tlie trouble was the fact that we could not get the live bait that year. Now that we have ad ter fishing at this time of the Vead. Now that we have ad vanced plenty of alibi’s it would do no harm to say that we on ly caught one bass an an even 10 perch. Anyway and despite the fact that we were half froz en, our two companions were Rood sports all of the way. They "ere the kind of fellows that desehve a rain check. The “Maco Ghost Light," which bobs up and down has very little on the lights on the booms of the draglines working at Sunny point. People passing and seeing the moving lights a few hundred feet from the highway are amaz Continued on page tour Mrs. Henry Says She Enjoyed Work Retiring Post Master At Winnabow Office Cites Trend Toward Women Post Mater Role Commenting on her recent re crement as post master at Win nabow after 34 years and six nonths of very efficient service, Mrs. Janie Henry stated to a newsman this week that she has enjoyed every minute of her work with Uncle Sam. She now misses being on the job but when she became a victim of arthritis she realized that she would have to give up her work. She was succeeded on January 1 by Tom Rabon, who took charge of the office as acting post master on that date. Further commenting on her work, Mrs. Henry pointed out that woman postmasters appear to predominate throughout the United States. In New Hanover County out of six postmasters four of the officials are women. The only two males are Acting Postmaster Alton B.- Bradshaw who succeeded Wilbur Dosher when he retired at the Wilming ton office and Frank Montgomery at Wrightsville Sound. Mr. Mo ntgomery succeeded a woman, Mrs. Marie James Fennell, at Wrightsville Sound. The distaff side has postmas ters at Castle Hayne in Mrs. Edelweiss Mishoe; at Wrights ville Beach, Mrs. Thurlow Dick inson; Carolina Beach, Mrs. Annie B. Morton; Kures Beach, Miss Mitzen Saunders. Miss Mishoe is dean of the New Hanover post masters in point of service. She has been at Carolina Beach for about 20 years. In Brunswick County nearly all postmasters are women. Bolivia has Mrs. Ruby Edwards; Shall otte, Mrs. Ida Parker; Longwood Mrs. Mae W. Brown; Leland, Mrs. Margaret Rourk; Supply, Mrs. Ethel B. Hawes; Holden Beach, Mrs. Johnsie Holden; Mrs. Marjorie P. Livingston, act ing postmaster at Southport. On the other side Roland Sim mons is postmaster at Ash; Hen ry Inman at Fairmont; Guy Shu lar at Long Beach and Tom Ra bon, who succeeded Mrs. Henry at Winnabow. There is a reason for so many women on the postmaster jobs, says Mrs. Henry. In the first place it is a work for which they are qualified. The time is not always too exacting and they can usually do their housework and attend to other duties. Routine Matters Heard In Court Goon Season To Close February 14 Game Protector H. T. Bow mer wants everyone to know that the law on coon hunting does not close until February Within the past lew days the report has been circulat ed that the coon season closed on January 15, and this has brought on a siege of questions and protests for the local Wild life Commission representative. "I want the hunters to know that they have almost anoth er whole month in which they may hunt coons,” Game Protec tor Bowmer said this week. Some of these fellows have been catching coons alive for use in the restocking program being carried on in Western North Carolina. We would like to see them continue this good work and so I am very anxious to have this wrong impression corrected.” Scott Commutes O’Quinn Sentence Brunswick County Man Now Doing Time For Murder Of His Wife Has Senten ce Of Court Cut In Half By Former Governor As a result of the action of Governor Scott in commuting the sentence of J. G. (Pat) O’Quinn, just as the governor was leaving office, O’Quinn will be eligible for parole in nine months more, according to Solic itor Clifton Moore, who was in terviewed yesterday regarding the case. O’Quinn was convicted at the fall term of Brunswick Superior Court of murdering his wife, Mrs. Ruby Dell O’Quinn. Judge Walter J. Bone, before whom the ;ase was heard, sentenced O’Quinn to serve not less than 15 years (Continued On Page Five) Prominent Lady Dies At Leland Mrs. Maria S. Goodman, Widow Of Late Dr. E. G. Goodman, Sr., Laid To Rest In Cemetery At Zion Methodist Church Mrs. Maria Sandlin Goodman, widow of the late Dr. E. G. Goodman, Sr., died at her home near Town Creek Tuesday. She was 75 years of age. Mrs. Goodman is survived by a son, Dr. E. G. Goodman, of Lanvale; a sister, Mrs. A. M. Frazelle of Riehlands; two bro thers, Henry Sandlin, Riehlands, and D. U. Sandlin of Fayetteville and three grandchildren. Funeral services were held at Continued on Page Five Judge Q. K. Nimocks Of Fayetteville Is Presiding Over One-Week Mixed Term Of Superior Court ADJOURNMENT SEEN LIKELY TOMORROW Nothing Of Outstanding In terest Scheduled For Trial During This Session The January term of Superior Court opened Monday morning as scheduled with Judge Q. K. Nim ocks of Fayetteville presiding and Solicitor Clifton Moore of Burgaw prosecuting the docket. A grand jury to serve through out the current year was sworn in with D. Bert Edwards of Free land being named foreman of this body. This grand jury is still in session today and a report from the body has not been forthcom ing. Lawyers appear to be of the belief that the work of the term will be finished up Thursday or Friday. Solicitor Moore could not be contacted last night or early this morning for his views of how much work still remains to be handled. Several divorce cases were handled Monday and Tuesday and a restraining order of Mrs. Glad ys McCoy against Preston Mc Keithan was ordered into effect. This order prohibited the defen dant from entering certain lands and cutting timber unless bond was provided to protect the plain tiff against loss. Landscape Study Next Wednesday Demonstrations Will Be Held At Two Homes In Brunswick County And Other Home Owners In vited To Be Present On next Wednesday, two yard landscape meetings will be held at the homes of Mrs. Cecil Tripp near Shallotte and Mrs. Elroy King near Ash, reports Miss Thelma Hinson, home agent, and A. S. Knowles, county agent. John Harris, landscape specialist with the N. C. State College Ex tension Service, will conduct the meetings to train those in at tendance the art of landscaping their own yards. The meeting at Mrs. Tripp's will start at 10 a. m., and the one at Mrs. King’s will start at 2 p. m. There have been a num ber of new homes built through out the county during the last two or three year's, and it is thought that the majority of those homes need some landscap ing. In addition, there are hun dreds of homes in the county that could be improved by better landscaped lawns. Everybody interested in impro ving their lawn should attend one of these meetings to learn more about the right use of shrubbery and flowers in beautifying the lawns, say the extension agents. B. W. Simmons - Shot To Death ~ In Ash Section 39-Year-Old Service Station Operator Slain With Two Bullets From .32-Calibre Pistol LUTHER SMITH HELD IN SOUTHPORT JAIL Grand Jury Return True Bill In Case But Trial Continued Until May Term Of Court B. W. Simmons, 39-year-old white man of Waccamaw town ship, was shot and fatally woun ded at his home near New Brit tian Bradge about 8:30 o’clock. Thursday night by Luther Smith,* white neighbor, with both Mrs. ’ Simmons and Mrs. Smith pres- * ent as eye witnesses. The grand jury returned a ’ true bill against Luther Smith yesterday for murder, but he will not be tried during this term of court. He is to be held • in the Brunswick County jailI until the May term to face trial" for the fatal shooting of B. W. Simmons, Waccamaw merchant, last week. - . Officers said Smith admitted ’ shooting Simmons twice with a .32-calibre pistol in the Simmons home, where both families had gathered. Simmons, a 39-year-old service * station operator and merchant, died before he reached Columbus County Hospital in Whiteville. Smith and his wife came to" the Simmons residence Thursday - evening and apparently called fori a showdown on a feud that had been running hot and cold for a number of years, according to of- . ficers. Both men were natives of the Ash section located next to the Columbus line at the river bridge. . Officers quoted witnesses as saying Smith made certain de mands of Simmons which were not met. Then, about 8:30 o’clock | in the . Simmons living room, ! Smith said it looked like nothing was going to be settled. He started to leave, but turned and said,’“Well, this might be the best way,” pulled a pistol and fired three times, according to the information gathered by offi cers. Two of the bullets struck Sim mons, one under his left arm jytd the other in his face. The bullet (Continued on Page 4) Camellias Now Make Good Show Orton Gardens Showing Good Color As Result Of Blooming Of Several Rare Varieties Of These Flow ers Flowering time is here again at Orton Gardens where hundreds of camillia bushes are now pre» senting thousands of beautiful blossoms in all colors. In addi tion to the early varieties now blooming the bushes that flower a little later in the winter arrd spring have about the heaviest load of buds ever seen. This early in the year there is always the possibility of a warm spell softening the buds and be ing followed by sudden and un expected cold that will nip many blooms and buds. But as things (Continued On Page Five) Tide Table Following Is the tide Sable for Southport during the next week. These hours are approxi mately correct and were furn ished The State Port Pilot through the courtesy of the Cape Fear Pilot’s Association. High Tide Low Tide Thursday, December 25 2:48 a. m. 9:08 a. m. 3:11 p. m. 9:24 p. m. Friday, December 26 3:50 a. m. 10:11 a. m. 4:10 p. m. 10:19 p. m. Saturday, December 27 4:47 a. m. 11:08 a. m 5:04 p. m. 11:10 p. m. Sunday, December 28 5:41 a. m. 12:02 a. m. 5:58 p. m. 12:01 p. m. Monday, December 29 6:31 a. m. 0:00 a. m. 6:48 p. m. 12:50 p. m. Tuesday, December SO 7:17 a. m. 0:48 a. m. 7:34 p. m. 1:35 p. m. Wednesday, December 31 8:00 a. m. 1:32 a. m. 8:17 p. m. 2:16 p. m.