Most Of The News
All The Time
THE STATE
A Good Newspaper
VOL. NO. SIXTEEN
No. 41
6-PAGES TODAY
Southport, N.
PORT PILOT
In A Good Community
C., Wednesday, February 4, 1952
The Pilot Covers
Brunswick County
PUBLISHED EVER') WEDNESDAY
*1.50 PER YEAH
Dredges Await
Full Equipment
For Doing Work
Barges And Quarterboat On
Way Up Coast From Flor
ida Delayed By Bad Wea
ther But Should Be Here
Soon
dredge McWilliams
NOW IN WILMINGTON
Another Dredge Is Working
While Third Is Now Stan
ding By Waiting For
Equipment
Bad weather in Florida appears
to have been causing trouble for
the 358-foot LST and three tugs
and barges that are bringing up
equipment for the McWilliams
Dredging Company from New Or
leans. The outfit is understood
to have left Fort Myers, Fla.,
Monday and if it encounters no
further trouble it should arrive
here some time over the week
end.
The LST is used as a quarter
boat for the crews of the G. A.
McWilliams, in addition to those
quarters she has a deck load of
pipe for the McWilliams and is
under tow of a tug. The sev
eral barges also loaded with pipe
lines, etc., are also being towed.
The load of- one of the barges
includes the two giant spuds for
the G. A. Williams. This equip
ment has a combined weight of
80 tons and the two 100-foot an
chor booms on the barge also
present a lot of weight.
The McWilliams has been wait
ing at Wilmington for 10 days
to load the anchor booms and
spuds before she can get down
to work. There is no nearby
equipment outside of Wilming
ton for lifting the huge spuds
and dropping them on the ship
in their proper upright position.
The McWilliams also needs her
pipelines before she can get to
work.
Tire Dredge No. 5 is at Dock
No. 2 and is having to stand by
there waiting the barges from
Louisiana. Enough pontoon pipe
lines were brought up with her
for use on the river, but she has
no land pipes to carry the mud
nearly a mile to the dikes in
land. Without waiting for the
tugs and barges with land pipe- j
iine from Louisiana, a tug was
sent to Charleston Tuesday to |
pick up a barge load of pipe
that was available there for the
No. 5.
Meanwhile the dredge Ventor
of the Hill Dredging Company
of New Jersey is steadily pump
ing away, from a point just ab
ove the old fish factory location
of the Menhaden Products Com
pany.
The entire dredging situation
may be summed up in the dredg
es McWilliams and No. 5 stand
ing by and waiting for equip
ment and the Ventor at work.
Apart from these contract work
ers. the' Army Engineers dredge
Gerig is due to arrive from Sa
vannah by Tuesday of next
week.
Brief Newt
Flashes
DRIVE CHAIRMAN
Ray Walton, Southport attor
ney, has accepted the chairman
ship of the Red Cross Fund
Drive in Brunswick County this
year. That campaign will be in
progress during the month of
March.
PUBLIC HEARING
A public hearing will be held
on Tuesday, February 12, at the
City Hall to hear requests for
changes in the Zoning Ordinan
ces. Interested property owners
are invited to attend.
RETURNS HOME
Dr. R. C. Daniel has returned
from Baptist Hospital in Winston
Salem where he was a patient
for several weeks. Friends thro
ughout the county will be glad
to learn That his condition is
greatly improved.
BADLY BURNED
Standing too close to a hot
stove, Vergil Messer, 11-year-old
son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Mes
ser of Fort Caswell, was seri
ously burned about the legs last
week when his pajamas caught
on fire. It is said he will be
hospitalized for about three
weeks.
PTA POSTPONED
The regular February meeting
of the Southport PTA will not
be held on Thursday night as
scheduled but will be held next
Thursday night, February 11.
There is a make-up game being
played Thursday night between
the Southport and Shallotte
teams, in the Shallotte gyym.
Golden Anniversary
COUPLE—Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Gray of Supply who
recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of their wed
ding at their home in Supply. He is 74 years old and Mrs.
Gray is 60.
Advertise Bids On
Hospital Contract
All Plans Completed And
Approved And Proposals
From Contractors Will Be
Opened Here On March 4
TOTAL OF $110,000.00
AVAILABLE FOR WORK
Plans Call For Important
Additions To Facilities Of
Dosher Memorial Hos
pital Plant
All plans have been completed
and approved for the renovation
of Dosher. Memorial Hospital and
the advertisement for invitation
for bids has gone out this week.
The bids will be opened on Wed
nesday, March 4.
The firm of Leslie N. Boney,
architects, of. Wilmington, has
been busy with plans for this
work for the past several months,
and it has been necessary to
work out many changes and al
terations in order to fulfill the
requirements of the State and
Federal governments, and at the
same time provide adequate fa
cilities.
Funds totaling $110,000 are
available for this work. Of this
amount about $12,000 was raised
last year in a hospital fund
drive that had the enthusiastic
backing of citizens in every sec
tion of Brunswick County. The
Duke Endowment Fund helped
with the project, and the Med
ical Care Commission came in
as the largest contributor.
Separate bids will be received
on general construction, electric
wiring, plumbing and heating, and
all contractors must have prop
er license.
Among the more important ad
ditions will be a new kitchen, a
new addition of four rooms, a
sprinkler system and new eleva
tor. There will be a general re
arrangement of existing facili
ties, and it is contemplated that
the ground floor will be the main
floor under the new plan.
Six Fatalities
For Past Year
Number Of Persons Losing
Life In Highway Acci
dents Cut In Half During
1952 In Brunswick
Six persons were killed, 95 in
jured and there was an approx
imate property damage of $90,
000 on the highways in Bruns
wick County during the year
1952, according to Corporal C.
H. Lynch of the State Highway
Patrol,
The corporal pointed out that
the six deaths in 1952 was only
half the 12 killed in 1951. How
ever, the property damage and
number of arrests for all man
ner of traffic violations in 1952
probably exceeded the number re
ported in 1951.
One person was killed the past
year when a car ran into the
rear of a trailer. A second death
occurred when a car skidded and
turned over on the pavement.
One pedestrian met his death
when he stopped in front of traf
fic and a boy was killed riding
his bicycle on the highway. An
other death occurred in a wreck
on a bridge and one person met
his death when he walked aro
und a bus into traffic.
Winter Fishermen
Have Good Catch
Going out Sunday morning
with Captain Fred Fulford on
the Davis Brothers, a party
brought in 450 sizeable black
fish or sea bass. Using hand
lines and engaging in bottom
fishing, the party stated that
the fish were biting so well
that they usually brought in
two at a time to the line.
The party was made up of a
group of Southern Bell tele
phone men who have been wor
king here for some weeks, and
Monroe Butler, local restau
ranteer. The telephone men
were A. S. Tatum, R. D. Tuch
neck, R. W. Taylor and R. C.
Johnson, all from Winston
Salem.
Beer And Wine
Vote March 3rd
Voters Of Southport May
Register For This Election
On Each Of The Next
Three Saturdays
An election will be held in
Southport on Tuesday, March 3,
to determine if legal sale of
beer is to be continued find the
sale of wine is to be legalized.
Registration books will be op
en for. each of the next three
Saturdays, and Saturday, Feb
ruary 28, is challenge day. Mrs.
Riley Willis is registrar for Ward
1; Miss Annie M. Newton is
registrar for Ward II; Mrs.
Worth Ward is registrar for
Ward III.
Mrs, Willis will have her reg
istration book open at her home,
although the voting place for
Ward 1 is to be Price Grocery.
Registration books for Ward II
and Ward III will be open at the
courthouse, although voters in
Ward II will cast their ballots
at the old Southport Laundry.
Ward III voters will vote at the
court house.
Several Cases
Tried In Court
Variety Of Cases Disposed
Of Here In Brunswick
County Recorder’s Court
During Monday Session
A variety of cases were dis
posed of here in Brunswick coun
I ty Recorder’s Court Monday, with
the following judgments result
ing:
H. E. Bozeman, 30 days, sus
' pended on payment of costs.
Leonard Latham Long, public
i drunkenness, 30 days, suspended
on payment of costs.
Cyrus McKeithan, drunken dri
ving, $100 fine and costs.
Andrew Richard Parker, public
drunkenness, fined $10 and costs.
R. T. Benton, public drunken
t ness, 30 days suspended on good
be havior for two years and pay
ment of costs.
Clarence D. Copeland, speed
ing, fined $10 and costs.
Abram Frink, no operator’s li
| cense, fined $25 and costs.
' (Continued On Page Five)
New Attractions
Being Added To
Band Day Plans
Drum And Bugle Corps
From Camp Lejeune To
Lead Band Day Festival
Parade At Shailotte On
March 7
OTHER ENTRIES
NOW COMING IN
Band Now Making Trips T^
Various High Schools In:
County To Put On
Demonstration
The Drum and Bugle Corps
from Camp Lejeune will lead
the Band Day Parade on Satur
day, March 7, it was announced
this week. At the same time ijt
was revealed that the 40-piece
Edwards Military Institute Band
and drill unit will be present.
Another major attraction will
be the appearance of the Wil
mington American Legion Drum
and Bugle Corps, which is direc
ted byy W. W. Jacobus, who is
in charge of the Shailotte high
school band, host for the day's
festivities.
Another entry in the Band Day
competition will be the Mullins
High School Band, a 40-piece out
fit which made its appearance
last Spring at the first annual
Shailotte Band Day Festival.
As a preliminary to the com
ing event, voting already is un
derway for the selection of a
Band Day Queen. The following;
young ladies have been nominat-1
ed from the high school group:
Marilyn Register, seniors; Betty
Hewett, juniors; Barbara Mur
den, sophomores; Janie Piggott,
freshmen; Wilda Hickman, 8th
grade.
The Shailotte Band is now ma
king a tour of the high schools
of the county. Last week this
group appeared at Waccamaw,!
this week it is playing at Bolivia
and next week at Leland.
Band boosters are proud of
the i-ecent record made by the
Shailotte boys and girls at
Rocky Mount where they placed
second in competition with'S;^
other bands1 at the Lions Con
vention parade. The Morehead
City band placed first and Tar
bor6 third.
Teen-Age Girls
Given Chance
Committee From Wilming
ton Azalea Festival In
vites Local Representative
To Participate This Year
The Teen-Age Committee for
the Wilmington Azalea Festival
advised yesterday that Southport
has been designated one of the
25 cities to be represented in the
Teen-Age Azalea Festival for
1953. The hope was expressed
that Southport would enter the
festival by sending an attend
ant. The qualifications for such
attendants are as follows:
Attendant must be unmarried
and unengaged; must be at least
16 years old and not more than
18 years and 3 months old.
The escorts for the attendants
selected from other cities outside
of Wilmington will be provided
byy the Teen-Age Festival Com
mittee in Wilmington.
When the attendants from out
side of Wilmington have been
selected it is desired that full in
formation be sent the Teen-Age
Committee. This information is
( Continued on page Five )
!
Polio Victim
CYNTHIA LEE SHERRILL,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. W.
Sherrill of Southport, is a cheer
ful little lady these days, as
she stages a successful recovery
from an attack of polio which
she developed last August. She
is one of three 1952 patients in
Brunswick County who was as
sisted by local chapter funds
—Art Newton Photo.
Burning Permit
Law Effective
February 1st
Landowners Of Brunswick
County Urged To Comply
With Regulations Design
ed To Help Protect For
ests From Fire Damage
The State-wide law relating to
the burning of brush within 500
feet of any woodland area with
out first obtaining a permit to do
so will be rigidly enforced, ac
cording to County Ranger D. L.
Mercer.
The brush burning permit law
becomes effective February 1 and
is in full force and effect throu
ghout North Carolina until June
1, Mercer said, adding that he
has been instructed to prosecute
all known violators of the law.
The penalty for violation of this
State-wide law, a misdemeanor,
is punishable upon conviction by
a fine of not more than $50 or
imprisonment for a period of 30
years.
Careless burning of brush was
said to have been responsible for
many of the 3,332 fires that last
year swept over 184,026 acres of
North Carolina’s timberlands,
causing an estimated loss of
$640,646.
High wuius in March and April
coupled with the ordinary dry
spell at that time will make burn
ing extremely dangerous. "We
are urging every person to be
Continued on Page Five
I
W. B. KKZ1AH
Our
ROVING
Reporter
Peter Buckman, a native of
Holland who came to this coun
try when he was nine years old
and who is now a disabled vet
eran of World War I, brought
something to this office this
week that is not very familiar to
residents of Brunswick County.
It is a pair of ice skates made
in Holland, 85 years ago. Both
steel aand woodwork are still in
perfect condition, void of rust and
rot. Only the straps are miss
ing. The steel blades are 17
inches in length. Peter says he
skated on them when he was a
boy in Holland. “No ice for’em
here”, he added.
Somewhere back in the late
1930’s the State News Bureau
was established, with Bill Sharpe
the chief cook and bottlewasher
with the possible exception of
Having a secretary. He had to
be versatile in a big field with
limited wherewithal to cover it.
One of his very first trips out
of Raleigh was to come to South
port and together with a girl
who had plenty of pulchritude,
we went over to Bald Head Isl
and. Except for the fact that he
knew what constituted a good
picture, Bill never claimed and
we never claimed for him that
he was a wizard with the camera.
But on that Bald Head Island
Bill got a shot that is still hot.
We have since seen it hundreds
of times in as many publica
tions. It shows the girl half re
clining on a dead cedar tree with
palmettos furnishing the back
ground setting. The State Mag
azine carried this old picture
again last week and it is just
Continued on page tour
Southport Trawler
Catches Big Anchor
40 - Tons Of Anchor And Chain Hauled Aboard Wolf
pack In All Day Operation Off Long Beach
Last Week
The Wolfpack of the Bill Wells
fleet, Captain Frank Jackson and
his mate, Nelson Adams, both
colored, got its net fouled in a
large ship's anchor off Long
Beach early Thursday morning.
For' several hours the men
worked with the aid of the Wolf
pack’s powerful winch. They fi
nally got the anchor aboard. But
still trailing the anchor down
into the depths was one of the
huge chains that was favored by
sailing ships in the old days.
By securing the chain as fast
as 10-foot lengths could be hoi
sted up, the two men finally
found the Wolfpack pretty well
loaded with the anchor and some
400 feet of chain piled on top
of it. The whole load weighed
about 40 tons.
Then a hitch came. No more
chain would come aboard and
tugging by the winch only threa
tened to pull the boat down in
stead of bringing up more chain.
The reason was obvious. The
other end of the chain was still
fastened to the schooner that
sank along with the chain.
Frank and Nelson gave up all
idea of trying to lift the schoon
er out of the mud by the chain.
They were likewise reluctant to
throw all of that 40 tons of
anchor and chain back overboard.
So they got a hacksaw and sawed
away at the chain for a couple
of hours and finally liberated the
Wolfpaek from her sea anchor.
It took them from 8 a. m., until
9 p. m, to load and cut loose
from that chain. They got home
at 10:30 p. m.
There is a follow-up to their
adventures. The anchor that
messed them up belonged to the
Virginia, said to be rather noted
for blockade running during the
seige of Fort Fisher.*
After that period, the Virginia
is credited with having done
some other sort of running to
Spain and Cuba. The Spanish
seized her and then released her.
She was making her way back
to her Cape Fear waters and is
said to have met with trouble in
a storm when she was almost
directly off the Big Hills at
Long Beach.
She went down there and the
anchor pulled up by the Wolf
pack went down with her.
Southport Officials
Save Over $38,000
Man Demonstrates
Shooting Technique
Two Southport bird hunters
got a lesson in marksmanship
one afternoon last week from
Joe Lewis, Bolivia farmer.
Lewis had met the hunters
at a nearby store and had told
them where had seen a covy
of quail the day before. He of
fered to go with them, and,
sure enough, just as the men
alighted from their auto a
nice bunch of birds came out
of the field and lighted in a
nearby canebrake.
The hunters called in their
dogs and went stalking toward
the singles. The dogs came on
point, and when two birds took
off the local men, each armed
with a double-barrel bird gun,
blazed away without drawing
a feather. The other quail had
swung left in the direction of
their voluntary guide, who was
carrying a single shot, .22 ri
fle over his arm. Suddenly
there was a “ping”, as his ri
fle fired at the flying bird. “I
got mine”, Lewis said quietly
and there was the quail flutter
ing in the grass.
Boat Operators
Given Warning
Coast Guard Issues Warn
ing Against Boatmen Ty
ing Up To Aids To Navi
gation In Waters In This
Area
Fishermen and pleasure boat
operators .today were reminded
by the Admiral Russell E. Wood,
Commander 5th Coast Guard dis
trict, that it is a violation of the
Federal law to mqor any craft
to Coast Guard aids to naviga
tion, or in any other manner im
pair the operation of such aids.
Mooring boats to buoys is
considered obstruction and inter
ference with aid ,to navigation;
an illegal practice as established
in Title 33 Code Federal Refu
lations; Subpart No. 70.05.
Violation of this section is pun
ishable by fine, not to exceed
$2,500, imprisonment, or both.
Provisions of the section declare
that one-half of such a fine shall
be paid to the person or persons
supplying information which leads
to a conviction.
Recent inspections by Coast
Guard vessels make it apparent
that local fishermen and pleas
ure boat operators have been
mooring their craft to navigation
buoys in violation to the sec
tion.
Vessels illegally moored to
aids to navigation may easily ob
struct the view or otherwise ob
struct the usefulness of the aid.
Buoys may become unmoored or
even damaged by craft fastened
to them.
Aside from the unlawful as
pects of mooring to buoys there
(Continued On Page Five)
Negotiations With Govern
ment Representative Re
sults In Purchase Of $42,
000 Water And Light
Bonds For $7,000
ACCRUED INTEREST
OF $3,000 INCLUDED
These Bonds Were Sold
During World War II In
Order To Enlarge
Power Plant
Officials of the City of South
port have succeeded in retiring
$42,000 worth of government
bonds, plus additional $3,000 in
accrued interest, for a cash set
tlement of $7,000. These nego
tiations are final and the bonds
have been returned here and have
been destroyed.
In order to complete this bus
iness Mayor J. E. Gilbert and
members of the board of aider
men were in negotiation over a
period of several weeks with a
representative of a Federal ag
ency who was interested in work
ing out this savings for the city.
Money with which to complete
this deal was borrowed from a
former resident of Southport, who
has loaned the sum of $7,000 at
6 percent, with one note to fall
due each year. Interest is paya
ble monthly and all notes may be
paid off before maturity if the
opportunity presents itself.
These bonds were sold in the
early days of World War II,
and were for the purpose of pur
chasing power plant equipment
necessary for furnishing electric
power to the Navy at Caswell
Section Base. When this facil
ity failed to last more than a
few years, the government ex
pressed a willingness to accept
some of the loss in the way of
writing off some of the outstand
ing bonds.
The successful completion of
this agreement represents a sub
stantial reduction in the bond
ed indebtedness of the City of
Southport.
Commissioners In
Session Monday
Small Amount Of Business
Disposed Of Here Mon
day As Board Met In
First Of Month Session
Very little business was trans
acted by the board of county
commissioners at their regular
first Monday meeting this week.
Because of an error in listing,
E. V. Skipper was relieved of
$810.00 valuation on tractor for
the year 1952.
It was ordered that William
E. Parker be allowed to buy the
William H. Parker estate land
in the City of Southport by pay
ing $50 this date and $20 per
month until the full abount of
$362.87 is paid.
It \<ras ordered that two cots
be purchased for use in the jail.
Bill Authorizes
Employment Of
Another Deputy
One New Man Has Been
Added To Sheriff Depart
ment With Another Au
thorized After July 1, If
Commissioners Approve
NO CHANGE MADE
IN THEIR SALARY
Representative Williamson
Says That He Has Plans
To Introduce Bill To
Provide School Buses
Representative Odell William
son said Monday that he has
introduced a bill to amend the
law governing employment of
deputy sheriffs in Brunswick Cou
nty in order to provide three
field deputies instead of two.
The bill also provides that af
ter July 1, 1953, the county com
missioners may at their discre
tion add another deputy. Tire
salary and other provisions
governing these men will be the
same that was included in the
1951 law.
Williamson says that he has no
idea of introducing legislation
providing a raise in ^salary ex
cept in the case of Register of
Deeds, Amos J. Walton. He
plans to authorize an increase of
$300 per year, which will place
the salary for that office in line
with that paid the county audi
tor and the Clerk of Court.
The Brunswick County Legis
lator has been given three ad
ditional committee assignments
including membership on the com
mittee on agriculture and the
committee on roads.
In the matter of statewide leg
islation he has given consider
able thought and preparation to
a bill which will make it the
obligation of the State to pur
chase school buses as they are
needed in the transportation
system, and not just replace
ments as they do now. He says
that he may introduce this meas
ure this week.
Captain George
Roberts Drowns
Former Southport Man Lost
While Engaged In Shrim
ping Operations Off Key
West, Fla.
Captain George Roberts, son
in-law of Mrs. W. M. Wells of
Southport, was lost at sea Thur*
sday night while shrimping out
of Key West, Fla. His body ha»
not been recevered.
Reports reaching here are that
the deceased was standing on the
deck of the Cherokee and the
heavy steel towing cables used
to draw the net whipped around
striking him on the head and
knocking him overboard. It is
supposed that he was rendered
unconscious by the blow and that
he sank and drowned immediate
ly. The crew is said to have
been unable to sight him after
he went overboard. ■
Captain Roberts was 55 years
old and had fished at South
port off and on for a good many
years. He was fishing here on
board one of the Wells Brothers
boats last fall and quit in order
to go to Florida and take charge
of the Cherokee, formerly owned
by Paul Fodale, now operated
by the Thompson Enterprises..
He is survived by his widow,
Mrs. Susie Wells Roberts, and by
two married sons and two mar
ried daughters.
Tide Table
Following Is the tide uabte
(or 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.
H.gh Tide Low Tide
Thursday, February 5
11:35 a. m. 5:54 a. m.
0:00 p. m 6:01 p. m.
Friday, February 6
0:17 a. m. 6:45 a. m.
12:21 p.rri 6:50 p. m.
Saturday, February 7
1:13 a. m. 7:46 a. m.
1:17 p. m. 7:48 p. m.
Sunday, February 8
2:17 a. m. 8:53 a. m.
2:22 p. m. 8:55 p. m.
Monday, February 9
3:24 a. m. 10:01 a. m.
3:33 p. m. 10:03 p. m.
Tuesday, February 10
4:30 a. m. 11:03 a. m.
4:41 p. m. 11:07 p.
Wednesday, February 11
5:31 a. m. 11:59 a. m.
5:44 p. m. 0:00 p. ru.