Most Of The News
All The Time
THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
The Pilot Covers
Brunswick County
Volume No. 17
No. 13
6-Pages Today
SOUTHPORT, N. C. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1953
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
$1.50 PER YEAR
Much Activity
For This Week
At Ft. Caswell
Three Separate Organiza
tions Holding Conference
During Week At Baptist
Seaside Assembly Near
Southport
RALEIGH PASTOR IS
PRINCIPAL SPEAKER
Dr. E. McNeil Poteat Being
Featured On Program At
Caswell This Week;
Big Registration Set
For Next Week
Dr. E. McNeill Poteat, pastor
of Pullen Memorial Baptist Chur
ch of Raleigh, is principal speak
er in the Sunday School confer
ence at Caswell Baptist Assembly
this week. Dr. L. L. Morgan, sta
te Sunday School secretary, is in
charge of the program.
Other speakers include Dr. M.
Ray McKay, professor of homi
letics at Southeastern Baptist
Theological Seminary, Wake For
est; his brother, Dr. John McKay,
St. Louis educator; Dr. William
P. Phillips of the Sunday School
Department of the Southern Bap
tist Convention; the Rev. D. P.
Brooks, associate Sunday School
secretary of North Carolina; and
the Rev. . Lewis Ludlum of Win
ston-Salem. Music leaders for the
conference are the Rev. and Mrs.
L. C. Pinnix of Shelby.
Also at Caswell this week is
the state Junior Girls’ Auxiliary
Camp, under the direction of
Miss Marie Epley, young people’s
leader for the N. C. Woman’s
Missionary Union. This is the lar
gest G. A. camp ever held at
Caswell, with an attendance of
approximately 400.
A third program now in pro
gress is the Preachers' School,
which is in its third and final
week. The faculty is composed of
Dr. F. M. Powell, former profes
sor at Southern Baptist Theolo
gical Seminary and Gold Gate
Seminary; the Rev. J. L. Jenkins
of Fruitland Baptist Bible Insti
tute; and the Rev. J. C. Pipes,
associate secretary of promotion
of the State Baptist Convention.
Beginning Friday night and
continuing through Sunday noon
is the week end School for Dea
cons. Speaker's include Dr. M. A.
Huggins, executive secretary of
the State Baptist Convention; Dr.
I. G. Greer of Chapel Hill, one of
the most popular speakers in the
state who will bring the closing
message Sunday morning; Claude
Gaddy, secretary of the Council
on Christian Education; John
Simms, Raleigh lawyer; Prof.
Leslie Campbell, president of
Campbell Colege; Glenn Tucker,
Carolina Beach realtor; and M.
E. Bullard, Wilmington business
man. It was announced that Gro
ver H. Jopes, High Point lawyer
and former president of the Sta
te Baptist Convention, would be
on the program, but Osmer Hen
ry, Lumberton lawyer, will take
his place.
The completion of this week’s
program will leave only two more
weeks for the assembly to run.
Both weeks will be for Training
Union conferences. Interest is
running high in each week’s ac
tivity. There are aready enough
reservations on hand to fill the
buildings to capacity the week of
August 10-16, according to Dr.
R. K. Redwine, director of the
Assembly, but the assembly can
accomodate more on the week of
August 16-23.
Britf Ntwi
Flathtt
LIONS TO MEET
The regular meeting of the So
uthport Lions Club will be held
Thursday at 12:30 o’clock at the
Masonic Building.
AT RIDGECREST
The Rev. T. D. Toler, pastor of
Southport Baptist Church, is at
tending a writer’s school which is
in session this week at Ridge
crest.
BACK IN OFFICE
Attorney J. C. Bowman has re
turned from his working vaca
tion at his old home in Wades
boro. While away he assisted his
father in the peach harvest.
MOVING TO SOUTHPORT
The Sellers Furniture Compa
ny, in business in Wilmington
for about 18 years, is selling out
there and moving to Southport.
Mr. 'Sellers recently bought the
J. H. Stone brick building here
and also acquired a warehouse
in the rea'r of the building. He
has already filled the warehouse
with furniture and will stock the
store building as soon as some
repairs are finished.
Land Two Sailfish
cauaht
CADET
H.
LUCKY—Two Maryland fishermen out with Capt. Howard Victor Saturday
aboard the Cadet brought in two sanfish. One of the lucky anglers was F. C. Hig
genbothom, left, and the other was Dr. Arthur Hall, second from the right. Others in
the picture are G. E. Wmterson and R. H. Wood. The latter had engaged four boats
for two days of sports fishing for this group from Ellincott City, Md. Another member
of the party caught a sailfish Sunday while out on the Martha Ellen. The big fish
shown on the right above weighed 45-Lbs. and was 7-ft. in length. — (Art Newton
Photo.)
Three Sailfish
During Week-End
.--— it_
The Cadet Of Captain How
ard Victor Brought In
Two Saturday Afternoon,
The Largest Being 7-Feet
Long, Weigh 45-Lbs.
MARTHA ELLEN HAD
ONE FOR SUNDAY
Fishermen Got Break From
Weather During WeekEnd
And Good Catches
Were Reported By
Practically All
August is supposed to be sail
fish month in Southport, and the
season got off to a fast start
Saturday when the Cadet of
! Capt. Howard Victor came in
with tw6 of these prize beau
ties.
The lucky anglers were F. C.
Higgenbothom and Dr. Arthur T.
Hall of Ellincott City, Md., mem
bers of a party headed by R. H.
Wood who had chartered four
boats for two days to accommo
date this group. On Sunday an
other member af the party, fish
ing aboard the Martha-Ellen,
brought in a third sailfish.
These three brought to nine the
total number of sails for the sea
son at Southport, and that, inci
dentally, is top production for
any fishing center on the North
Carolina coast.
In addition to the sailfish there
was a general assortment of ot
her fisp, including barracuda,
dolphin and amberiack for the
week-end parties who fished off
shore.
There was good luck also for
the shoals parties who stayed
closer in to try their luck for the
blues and mackerel.
Tuesday brought the best gen
(Continued On Page Five)
Ordination Is
Set For Sunday
Harold F. Gore Will Be Or
dained At Services Sche
duled Sunday Afternoon
At The Shallotte Baptist
Church
Ordination services wall be held
Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock
at the Shallotte Baptist Church
near Grissettown for Harold L.
Gore, who has just been given a
call by the Jennies Branch Bap
tist Church of Shallotte as their
new pastor.
The Shallotte Baptist Church,
of which he is a member, re
quested the Brunswick Baptist
Association's Ordination Council
to meet in session for the pur
pose of questioning Mr. Gore in
relation to his beliefs as to his
denomination, its doctrine, the or
dinances and his call into the
Gospel ministry. The Council met
on last Friday evening and found
Continued on Page Five
Application Is
Made For Loan
Members of the board of
county commissioners in session
here Monday signed the applica
tion being made by the Bruns
wick Board of Education for a
loan of $25,236 from the State
Insurance surplus fund.
This is the amount that will
be required to make repairs to
the Shallotte High School buil
ding, which was damaged sever
al weeks ago when a morning
windstorm caused the build
ing to cave into an excavation
being made for a waterproofing
job to the basement.
Thus; far efforts to get the
State Insurance people to pay
the loss have been unsuccess
ful, as they claim that the
contractor is liable.
Vast Work Has
Been Going On
Casual Visitor To Sunny
Point Has Difficulty Ap
preciating Magnitude Of
Operations That Are In
Progress
An interested spectator would
have to spend a full day along
the Cape Fear River if he is to
get a full idea of what the three
huge dredges have done since
they began work in eary January
and February. Even then he wou
ld probably be short of the full
idetk if flo one explained to him
that some of the existing level
areas were once great holes, po
nds or bays that have taken sev
eral hundred thousands of cubic
yards to fill up.
Starting at the old site of the
Menhaden Products company, the
Ventor of the Hill Dredging Com
pany of New Jersey, pumped
steadily into one huge dike un
til a month ago. Then its pipes
were run under Route 130 and it
i« now pumping to the west of the
highway. As it moves back up
the river its pumping into the
big dike will be resumed.
All of the work of the Ventor
has been confined to the Dock
No. 3 area and it has been alone
in its operations there. Apparent
ly out of the rocky and rough
area it is now said to be making
fast time.
The No. 5 Dredge of the Han
chy Corporation of Florida star
ted the Dock No. 2 area work,
the toughest assignment of all
because of a lip of hard rock.
Some of this rock is said to have
cost $3.00 per yard to remove.
Work had to be slow and cauti
ous to avoid breakage in machin
ery, but the valiant digger has
made a fine showing at a heavy
(Continued On Page Five)
Inspection Made
Of Sunny Point
By Engineers
Col. Brown Pays Final Visit
To Area In Company
With His Successor As.
Chief Of
trict U.S. Army Engineers
By W. B. Kezlah
Here last week for his last
visit before completing his 3
year tour, of duty as Chief of
the Wilmington Dristrict Army
Engineers, Colonel R. C. Brown
was aecompaied by Colonel Ray
mond L. Hill, who succeeds him.
The two had visited the Sunny
Point railroad building operations,
and coming down Route 303,
near which the railroad runs,
they went through Southport to
the Dock No. 2 area on the river.
There they were guests of the
captain and other officials of the
G. A. McWilliams, one of the
huge dredges that has been work
ing there since the first of the
year. Following luncheon on the
ship they returned to Southport
where Colonel Brown said good
bye and Coonel Hill got acquain
ted with a number of Southport
residents who are very much in
terested in the building of the
government terminals here.
Colonel Brown, who has been
one of the best friends that
Brunswick county has ever had
readily admitted a belief that the
terminals here and the engineer
ing work may be the crowning
achievement of his career as an
Army Engineer. He looks with
pride on what has been done
here in the way of foundation
work for the huge government in
stallation. All of the designing
(Continued on Page Two l
Col. Hill Enters
Upon Duties As
Engineer Chief
Head Of Wilmington Dis
trict Of U.S. Army Engin
eers Has Had Wide Ex
perience In Assignments
MAKES INSPECTION
OF SUNNY POINT
Makes Effort To Became
Acquainted With Some
Of Projects Now Going
On Within His Dis
trict
By W. B. KEZIAH
Colonel 'Raymond L.-Hill began
his duties as Chief of the Wil
mington District Army Engineers
Saturday. ■ He had previously
spent several days becoming thor
oughly acquainted with the vari
ous projects being carried on by
the engineers in the district.
Just before taking over the
district Col. Hill visited Sunny
Point, afterwards coming on to
Southport where he met several
Southport citizens who feel a ma
jor interest in the big installa
tion.
Following this visit to the in
stallation and Southport, Col Hill
wrote a friend here:
"I am certainly glad that dur
ing the first few days of ser
vice in the Wilmington District
I had the opportunity of meeting
you, and some of your fine as
sociates.
“On reading the first issue of
the State Port Pilot that came
to my attention, I was particular
ly glad to read the article con
cerning Colonel Brown complet
ing his tour of duty and of my
succession. We are clipping that
column and mailing it to Colonel
Brown so that he can better ap
preciate the people in Southport.”
To the above Col. Hill added
that he found a lot of matter to
interest him in the Roving Re
porter column, etc.
During World War II, Col. Hill
served as Engineer Officer and
Operations Officer of the New
foundland Base Command, Post
Executive of Port Belvoir, Va.,
Director of Technical Training-,
Camp Claiborne, La., and Com
mandant of the Engineer School
in the European Theatre.
Col. Hill’s last assignment in
Europe was Port Engineer of the
Bremerhaven Port of Embarka
tion. He returned to the United
States in 1948 for duty at Head
quarters U. S. Air Force. For
( Continued on page r ive )
Weekly Session
Of Court Held
Former Deputy Sheriff Gus
Bland Receives Stiff Sen
tence Upon Conviction Of
Manufacturing Liquor
A former Brunswick county de
puty sheriff received a stiff sen
tence here Monday when he was
convicted in Brunswick county
Recorder’s Court of manufactur
ing whiskey.
Gus Bland, charged with manu
facturing non-tax paid whiskey,
was given two years on roads,
suspended on good behavior for a
period of five years and payment
of a fine of, $200.00 and costs.
Arthur Pippin, drunken driv
ing, fined $100.00 and costs, li
cense to be revoked for one y.ear.
Paul Bryan Hunter, speeding,
fined $10.00 and costs.
Rudolph Stevens, assault, tres
Continued on Page Five
Our
ROVING
Reporter
Last week when we were need
ing money to pay for clearing
and grading the new playground
that is to be for the general use
of the white residents of the
town, responses were liberal.
Thirteen men chipped in $25.00
cash, $10’s and $5's also helped.
Capt. Bertram Burris of the
Cape Fear Pilot’s Association ca
me around with a check for
$100.00 from its members. In
this donation Captain Jim Lou
ghlin, Wilmington resident who
is a member of the Association,
paid as much as anybody else.
Although he lives in Wilmington
Captain Loughlin always respo
nds to any good cause at South
port. In this reference to the
playground, which must be re
ady when school opens, it is po
inted out that while folks have
paid for the grading and cleai
ing, there is still a need for mon
ey. Clay must be hauled in for
surfacing and there is a big
need for seats. In fact, it is hop
ed to gradually work up the fu
nds that will permit fencing. The
center is located near the school
and will be laid out for baseball,
football, softball and other spo
rts. It will be open to the school
children for play at all times.
It all started when we were
five or six years old. We were
stricken with polio, but the di
sease was not as well known then
as it is now. With our attack
there were complication after
complication and when we got
back to consciousness some weeks
later we were totally deaf, in
addition to being crippled. Dur
ing a slow convalescence we
Continued on page tour
Catch Mullets
Far From River
Various Explanations Of How -Fish Happened To Be Em
pounded Inside Dike More Than Mile
From Cape Fear
This past week pipe line em
ployees of the dredges G. A. Mc
Williams and Hanchy No. 5 made
a most surprising catch of 400
pounds of fine mullets that were
swimming around about two mi
les from the river.
Some of the workers, seeing
the fish, fell for the thought that
they had been sucked inside the
dredges and forced through the
more than a mile pipelines that
empty into the 1100 acre dike.
Inasmuch as the G. A. McWil
liams has 5,500 horsepower be
hind her pumps and the No. 5
has almost as much as that, it
was quickly realized that the
fish could never have been pum
ped into the dike.
In fact, nothing could be suck
ed in and pumped through alive.
The whirling cutter heads of the
dredges and the blades inside the
pumps would account for anythi
ng not being alive, not to men
tion the pressure inside the pipes.
The mullets inside the dike
were very much alive.
Last winter big drag lines of the
Poole Construction Company of
Raleigh constructed this and oth
er dikes.
The southern boundary of the
original Sunny Point lands, divi
ding the tract from the McRac
kan or Blalock land, was form
ed of a big salt marsh through
which passed a small stream.
Owing to the softness of this
marsh the draglines could not
work where the marsh ran into
the river.
( Continued On Page Five )
Helicopter Is
Monday Visitor
County Farmers
Still Harvesting
For the most part, Bruns
wick County farmers are well
pleased with opening prices be
ing paid for tobacco this year;
but few have had time to place
any of their crop on the mar
ket.
The trouble is that most of
the farmers still are getting
tobacco out of the field, and a
trip from Southport to White
ville today revealed only two
patches of tobacco along High
way No. 130 where all of the
leaves had been taken off.
It is generally conceded that
this year’s crop is one of the
very best ever produced in
Brunswick, and within a few
more days farmers of this coun
ty should begin to share in the
season’s blessings.
Cotton Crop In
Critical Stage
County Agent Warns Grow
ers To Keep Eye Open
For Possible Damage
From Boll Weevil Infec
tion
Cotton growers are being urg
ed by County Agent A. S. Kno
wles to check their cotton fields
two or three times each week
for the next two weeks or more
to see that the boll weevil and
boll worms are kept under con
trol.
The next two weeks can be
critical to the cotton crop, he
says, and the bolls already made
and squares already made should
be constantly checked.
If the weevils are found they
can be controlled with 20 per cent
toxaphene or. aldrin. It may be
necessary to spray or dust every
three days if heavy infection ,is
found.
Boll worms can cause heavy
damage in a very short time.
When they attack the squares
and young bolls they can be con
Continued on Page Five
Grissettown Man
Makes Good Cotton
Bobby Sommersett of the Gris
settown community has '23 acres
of cotton that he describes as
the finest he has ever grown.
Neighboring farmers and others
who have seen the fields are rea
dy to agree with him.
Now more than waist high to a
grown man, the stalks are heavi
ly loaded with limbs. In turn the
limbs are loaded with squares,
half grown and fully developed
bolls. A limb from one stalk was
brought to town last week. It
had become so heavily loaded with
bolls that it broke off from the
stalk. It had half a dozen fully
grown bolls, about as many more
half grown and a whole flock
of smaller ones.
So far there has been no trace
of boll wevils in the fields, but
a watchful eye is being kept to
take care of things in the event
they do appear.
In addition to the fine cotton,
Mr. Sommersette has about the
same acreage in tobacco and it
is also described as unusually
good. '
Giant U.S. Army ‘Whirly
bird” Hovered Over The
Business District For Sev
eral Minutes Before .Lan
ding On Nearby Athletic
Field
BROUGHT OFFICERS
FOR INSPECTION
New Athletic Field Gets
Strange Christening As
Landing Field For This
Army Aircraft
Business camq to a complete
standstill here Monday morning
While a big Army helicopter hov
ered over the business district
for a few minutes before the pi
lot rejected the idea of landing
on the garrison and set down in
stead on the newly cleared ath
letic field about three blocks a
way.
Too many poles and wires sho
wed up around the 31st Crash
Rescue headquarters. After the
big craft had'-Circled and hung
poised just overhead for some
time, Lt. Goudey, the pilot, was
directed to land on the new Re
creation Field.
Captain Lennon, in command of
the inspection party aboard the
strange craft, was rather pleas
ed at the landing and at his big
machine doing the first formal
christening of a field that pro
mises to be very useful for serv
icemen, as well as the towns
people. In addition to the pilot he
was accompanied by Master Ser
geant Jordan and T-Sgt. Todd, all
from Shaw Field at Columbia, S.
C.
At about the same time Lt.
Colonel Charles A. Appel, Major
Lawrence J. Cahill, M-Sgt. Win
fred McLean and T-Sgt. Robert
D. Byrd arrived from Pope Field
by car for their part of a joint
inspection.
Warrant Officer Norris and ot
her officers of the 31st Crash
Reserve Unit met both parties
and escorted the officers on their
inspection.
Wishing to be satisfied on one
(Continued On Page Five)
Beach Resorts
All Filled Up
This Ha3 Been Banner Sea
son For Brunswick Coun
ty Resort Areas As More
And More Upstate People
Learn About This Section
The latter part of July and
continuing right along with the
month of August has brought
really big business to the Brun
swick County beaches. At all
places, Caswell Beach, Long
Beach and Holden Beach, the
crowds are the biggest ever
known. During the week-ends,
all facilities for sleeping and eat
ing are being taxed to the ut
most.
At Long Beach every home has
been filled each week and the
family that has a home usually
opens it to a large number of
friends. Sometimes houses that
were guilt for a moderate sized
family has 15 or more persons
sleeping in it each night.
This sort of an arrangement
is, of course, purely optional with
the owner or the party who has |
the place leased. They can take
care of more than the place was
( Continued on page Five \ i
Tobacco Prices
Considered Good
On Opening Sale
Demand For Leaf Is Strong
But Prices Appear Slight
ly Under Opening Day
Last Year
TOP OF $70 NOTED
AT OPENING SALES
Over Million Pounds On 15
Warehouse Floors But
Plenty Of Room Will
Be Available This
Week
me tobacco market opened in
Whiteville Monday with an indi
cated average of $52 'to $53 per
hundred pounds.
More than a million pounds of
golden leaf was offered for sale,
giving the market a million-pound
day in contrast to last year’s to
tal of less than nine hundred
thousand.
The top during morning sales
was $70, although the practical
top seemed to be $69.
Dave S. Neilson, supervisor of
sales, said the first day’s average
would probably be lower than
that of last year, but expressed
no concern over the situation.
“The demand is strong and
there is no reason to believe that
tobacco of equal quality will not
bring the same price as in 1952,”
he said optimistically.
Neilson said he was pleased with
the million pounds on opening day.
He declared, however, that no gro
wer should be frightened away by
the first day total.
"We do not expect another mil
lion-pound day until Friday, and
even then the market will be able
to sell all that is offered for
sale,” he explained. “We believe
it will be several days before the
re is a chance that a near-block
can develop.”
He said growers could bring
their leaf and sell it the same
day.
The sales supervisor observed a
few sales which he regarded as
highly satisfactory. A Pink Hill
farmer sold 11,000 pounds for a
$66 average, while a Garland far
mer averaged $62.50 for 4,000 po
unds.
Neilson said most farmers
brought tobacco of different gra
des. He cited the case of a Lake
Waccamaw farmer who sold three
piles for a $69 average, two piles
at $42, and two at $37. He ex
plained that the farmer wished
to see how the different grades
were selling and did not bring a
single type.
Sales Supervisor Neilson said
the Flue-Cured Stabilization ap
peared to be getting less leaf
than it got on opening day last
year.
Referendum On
Wheat Quotas
Chairman Of Brunswick
County PMA Committee
Points Opt That Results
May Hayse Important Ef
fect Upon Market
If growers! disapprove wheat
marketing quftas in the August
14 referendum price support lo
ans for the H>54 crop wheat will
be greatly reduced.
According - to G. R. Holden,
Chairman of the Brunswick Co
unty Production and Marketing
Administration Committee, if quo
tas are turned down, the price
support loan will be cut almost
in two, and the loan will be av
(Continued On Page Five)
Tide Table
Following; Is the tide table
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 Tld<^ LoW Tide
Thursday, August 6
5:19 A. M, 11:20 A. M.
5:51 P. M. 0:00 P. M.
Friday, August 7
5:13 A. M. 0:12 A. M.
6:30 P. M. 12:11 P. M.
Saturday, August 8
7:00 A. M. 0:57 A. M.
7:22 P. M. 12:57 P. M.
Sunday, August 9
7:43 A. M. 1:37 A. M.
8:01 P. M. 1:40 P. M.
Monday, August 10
8:23 A. M. 2:15 A. M.
8:36 P. M. 2:21 P. M.
Tuesday, August 11
9:00 A. M. 2:51 A. M.
9:10 P. M. 3:00 P. M.
Wednesday, August 13
9:35 A. M. 3:25 A. M.
9:41 P. M. 3:38 P. M.
---- -