THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
Volume No. 17 No. 15 8-Poges Today SOUTHPORT, N. C. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1953 PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Most Of The News
All The Time
The Pilot Covers
Brunswick County
$1.50 PER YEAR
Norfolk People
Given Contract
To Build Docks
Diamond Construction Com
pany Was Low Bidder
For Construction Of The
Wharves For Sunny Point
Installation
BID TOTALS ALMOST
EIGHT MILLION
This Is Biggest Phase Of
Operation, But Two More
Major Contracts Re
main To Be Let
By W. B. Keziah
With no unforseen hitch devel
oping, work will begin within 30
days on one of the major phases
of the huge U. S. Terminals on
the Cape Fear, four miles above
Southport. The Diamond Con
struction Company of Norfolk,
Va., and Savannah, Ga., was last
week owarded the contract for
the building of the three huge
docks.
The Diamond Company was
the lowest of a large number of
bidders. Their price was nearly
eight million dollars, the exact fig
ure being $7,884,882.38. For this
sum they will do a turnkey job
on the three wharves, each of
which will have a river frontage
Of 2, 400 feet.
The contracting firm is cred
ited with being one of the big- !
gest on the coast. They built the
smaller State Port Terminals at
Wilmington and Morehead City,
a work for which the State of
North Carolina appropriated 7 y2
million dollars.
The difference in the contract
cost of the docks here and at
Morehead City and Wilmington, ]
will give a good illustration of
the size of the docks here. But
the dock size is far from telling
the whole story. About three mil
lion dollars is already being spent
dredging to the dock area and a
like sum is also being spent
in construction of a railroad from
Iceland to the 22,000 acre govern
ment reservation.
Along in September another!
big contract will be let, this for
the building of 50 miles of instal
lation railroad or sidetracks in
side the reservation. Contracts
for buildings and utilities also
remain to be let.
The matter of fueling the
ships has not yet come up. But
following the usual custom it is
supposed that the government
will call for bids for fuel and oil
for its vessels. In that case the
oil company getting the contract
will have to construct the instal
lations.
V
Brief Newt
Flathet
IN VETERANS HOSPITAL
Joe Julian, Southport building
contractor, has been a patient
in the Veterans Hospital in Fay
etteville for the past several days..
He is said to be suffering from
asthma.
COMPLETE COURSE
Eugene Tomlinson of Long
Beach has completed a course
in radio and- television offered
by the National Radio Institute
of Washington, D. C. Tomlin
son, who is a graduate of the
U. S. Naval Academy, participat
ed in early television experimental
work there in 1945-46. Since
then he has retained an active
interest in this field.
GOT FISHING TACKLE
Roland Clark of Gilbert’s Bar
ber Shop unexpectedly became the
owner in fee simple of a brand
new casting rod and South Bend
reel full of 20-pound test nylon
line Sunday afternoon. The local
man was fishing from one of
the docks here and was having
fairly good luck with croakers.
He hung onto something and
when it was brought to the sur
face it proved to be the above
tackle. There was not a speck
of rust. To all appearances the
outfit had not been in the water
five minutes.
REVIVAL MEETING
There will be a revival meet
ing at Shiloh Methodist Church,
Town Creek charge, beginning on
Sunday evening, August 30, at
7:45 o’clock. Services will con
tinue each evening throughout
the week at the same hour. The
Rev. M. D. McLamb, pastor of
the Newton Grove Methodist
Church, will do the preaching.
The church is located on the new
ly paved road connecting High
way 17 and 74 and is near Maco.
The public is cordially invited ho
attend these services. The Rev. I
C. L. Warren is pastor.
It’s A Dolphin!
ACTION!—There’s plenty of action for a sports
fisherman when it is a dolphin that he has on his line.
Left above an 18-lb. bull dolphin is shown thrashing
about in the water at the stern of the boat as the gaff
is brought into play. On the right the big fellow—still
full of fight—is brought aboard to be added to the day’s
catch.
Sunday Experiment
Makes Good Fishing
Skipper Of Bessie-Ray Man
ages To Catch Big Haul
Of Spanish Mackerel For
Week-End
OTHER BOATS HAVE
SOME GOOD CATCHES
Most Of Parties Since Last
Week’s Storm Have Had
Better Luck On Trips
To Shoals
Capt. Ray Stubbs played a
hunch Sunday when he deserted
the shoals for a trip out toward
tlie sea buoy, and the gamble
paid off in 155 nice Spanish mac
kerel for a Mooresville party.
In the group were R. V. Gagon
er, R. E. Dobbins, Wade W.
Stultz, Grady Marlow and G. R.
Brannon. The Sunday trip for
the John Ellen resulted in 25
bluefish and 300 pounds of sea
bass for Dr. Martin E. Jones and
three brother of Granite Falls.
On Sunday Capt. Howerd Vic
tor had a Gastonia party out
aboard the Cadet and brought in
40 blues and mackerel. The fol
lowing day Pete Lloyd and par
ty of Chapel Hill brought, in 100
nice blues and mackerel.
A party fishing with Captain
George Gregory Monday aboard
the Jo-Ann also had a nice catch
of 80 bluefish and mackerel. In
this party were Mr. and Mrs.
Phillip Max and Mr. and Mrs.
John Garber of Mooresville.
Also on Monday Mr. Hurley
and party of Long Beach were
out with Capt. James Arnold
aboard the Margrace and came
in with 26 blues and mackerel.
Capt. Leon McKeithan and his
party aboard the Botfly came in
Tuesday with 48 blues and mack
erel.
An interesting development in
sports fishing news of the week
was the arrival yesterday of
Capt. Hulan Watts from Harkers
Island with a new sports fishing
cruiser, Idle-On IV. She will be
in operation here during the re
mainder of the season.
Completion Of
Bridge In Fall
New Steel Span Over Inland
Waterway At Holden
Beach Expected To Be
Completed In October
Privided ther are no unexpec
ted delays, the new State High
way bridge across the intracoas
tal waterway at Holden Beach
will be completed in October. The
finishing work is now being
pushed and it is said the Highway
Commission will formally open
the structure for travel within
two months.
All road work and everything
leading up to the turning span
has been completed. Practically
all of the remaining task is to
construct the span itself. And
it is on the ground.
The finishing and opening of
the bridge will mark the end of
State Highway Commission oper
ation of the picturesque old fer
ry that has been a key to Hol
den Beach travel for many years.
A lot of people will miss the
old ferry, but a lot of others will
be heartily glad when it is no
more. This past Sunday cars
crossing on the ferry had to
wait in line for approximately
three-quarters of an hour. Sit
(Continued On Page Five)
Repairs Begin At
Shallotte School
The A. L. Simon Construc
tion Company of Wilmington
began work last week making
the necessary repairs and ad
ditions to the Shallotte High
School building. The contract
for this work was let on a com
petative basis, and the low bid
was $21,000. The plumbing
and electrical contract went to
McGirt Plumbing and Electri
cal Service.
The total cost of this pro
ject to repair' and replace the
loss, sustained as a result of a
windstorm several weeks ago
was $25,236. This amount has
been borrowed from the State
Literaty Fund by the Bruns
wick County Board of Educa
tion' with the cooperation of
the Brunswick County Board
of Commissioners, who signed
the application for the loan.
Negro Is Found
Dead On Road
Fred Stanley, Thomasboro
Man, Believed To Be Vic
tim Of Hit-And-Run Dri
ver Sunday Night
Fred Stanley, 27-year-old Thom
asboro Negro, was found dead on
Route 17, two miles north of the
South Carolina State line Mon
day morning at about 4 o’clock.
He had evidently been the vic
tim of a hit and run driver, and
was dead when discovered by a
sailor and a marine. They repor
ted their discovery to State High
way Patrolman R. S. Wilkins,
who reached the scene about 5
o’clock.
Wilkins says that the Negro
had evidently been struck by a
car traveling north. His head was
badly crushed and left shoul
der badly broken. The body was
lying on the pavement.
There does not appear to be
any clue to the identity of the
car that struck the man.
Cadets To Visit
In This Area
Inspection Tour Of Sunny
Point Installation To Be
Followed By Outing On
Bald Head Island
In line with their West Point
training, young North Carolina
cadets will have their annual
field trip to the District Office
of the Army Engineers this week
end. A part of the entertain
ment planned for them is to come
to Southport Monday afternoon
aboard the Danora, arriving at
1:30 o'clock.
From here cars will take them
to the Sunny Point dredging op
erations and from that trip they
will return and again board the
Danora for a trip to Bald Head
Island and a moonlight picnic on
the beach.
They will be ferried in small
boats from the Danora to the
island and back.
The Army Engineers have in
vited W. B. Keziah of Southport
to be with the party. Under
(Continued On Page Five)
National Guard
Members Leave
For Encampment
Total Of Forty-Three Men
Of The Shallotte National
Guard Outfit Departed
Sunday For Camp Stew
art, Ga., For Two Weeks
VARIED TRAINING
FOR GUARD MEMBERS
Program Will Include Prac
tice In Aerial Gunnery
With Towed Targets;
Other Simulated War
Maneuvers
Forty-three men strong, Bat
tery "A 715th AAA AWBN of the
North Carolina National Guard,
pulled out from Shallotte at 8
o’clock Sunday morning enroute
for Camp Stewart, Ga., for two
weeks of training at the 3rd Ar
my AAA Training Center.
The boys are under command
of Captain David B. Carmichael
and Filrst Lieut. Kemp Holden.
During their two weeks at
Camp Stewart, they will partic
ipate in on-the-job training, plus
training in the field under Regu
lar battle conditions and will
have aerial target practice. Both
towed and guided missels will
form the targets.
The trip to Camp Stewart was
made in trucks. Part of the reg
ular equipment was taken along
with some of the needed training
equipment is being provided at
Camp Stewart.
Sergeant Lindburg Gore, sup
ply and maintenance officer for
the unit did not go with the ot
hers. He remained behind to look
after the regular routine work.
A number of other man, with val
id excuses, also remained .behind.
Most of the men on the trip are
residents of the immediate Shal
lotte area, but the unit has mem
bers from all parts of Brunswick
county.
Application Is
Made To Dredge
Long Beach Interests Seek
Permission To Dredge
Davis Creek From Inland
Waterway To Pavilion
Long Beach interests made ap
plication yesterday to the Corps
of Army Eigineers for permis
sion to dredge Davis Creek from
a point on the intracoastal to
opposite the Long Beach pavilion.
The plans are to dredge a
channel 12 feet deep, 70 feet
wide and with a bottom width
of 50 feet. The proposed distance
to dredge is approximately six
miles.
Promoters of the undertaking
are the Carolina Lands, Inc.. If
permission for the dredging is
granted, and there is no known
reason why it should not be gran
ted, the corporation may either
contract the work or they may
buy a small dredge and do the
work themselves.
In 1947 Col. Earl I. Brown of
the Army Engineers, now retir
ed and living in Southport, ad
vised the Carolina Lands that the
proposed work would Cost around
$170,000.00.
The disposal from the dredg
ing if the proposal goes through,
will be put out at points of van
tage on adjoining property and
it is said that it will convert
quite a good sized area into
choice residental property.
Former Pastor
To Fill Pulpit
Sunday Nile
Former Pastor ilerbert M. Ba
ker will be '-guest' preacher at
Southport Baptist Church Sun
day night at 8 o’clock.
The Rev. Mr. Baker was pas
tor here from 1946 to 1951 when
he moved to his present pastor
ate at Round Hill Baptist Church,
Union Mills. It was during his
pastorate here that the South
port church erected its present
building. During the five years
he was here he also served as
pastor of Boone’s Neck Baptist
Church and as moderator of the
Brunswick Baptist Association.
He and his family are spending
part of their vacation here vis
iting the Lewis Hardees. They
are expected to arrive either to
day or tomorrow.
Busy Session
Of Court Held
Numerous Cases Disposed
Of In Brunswick County
Recorder’s Court Monday
In All-Day Session
Trial of Delmas D. Autry on
a charge of reckless operation
in connection with the injury of
Harvey and Michael Russ sever
al wfeeks ago near their home at
Shallofte consumed most of the
time at the Monday session of
Brunswick County Recorder’s
Court.
Autry, driver of a National
Linen Service Truck, was found
guilty and was fined $25 and
costs.
The accident in which the Russ
boys, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Clar
ence Russ, were injured occurred
when a truck being operated by
Autry, crashed into the rear of
another vesicle which was halted
in the highway while an electri
cal repair crew was at work. The
boys were not passengers of ei
ther vehicle, but were walking
beside the highway.
Leonard McCoy, assault, 18
months on the roads, suspended
on good behavior for two years
and payment of costs.
Sidney Leonard Mendelshon,
speeding, fined $10 and costs.
Qenevia Todd, aid and abetting
in operating without license,
judgment suspended on payment
of costs.
Alene Hewett, no operators li
cense, fined $25 and costs.
Fred Purvis Powers, non-sup
port, slander, two years on the
roads, suspended on cinditioi:
that the defendant pay a fine
Continued on Page Five
W. B. KKZ1AH
Our
ROVING
Reporter
Although self-praise is against
all principles of journalism, we j
can still have satisfaction over
friends from about everywhere
writing and telling us how they
like this column in The Pilot.
For instance, one day the past
week Carl Watkins, Sr., of Nor
lina wrote to say he likes 'he
column. The very next day Mi'S.
Walter Clark of Miami, Fla.,
dropped in to say that she en
joys reading the Rovin' Repp ter
! and for us to keep it up. Such
| letters and expressions are daily.
In fact, it is only because of the
: obvious reader interest that wy
jkeep going with the blamed eo|
I umn.
If anybody has a clay or i til
er good earth deposit anywhere
within easy hauling distance of
Southport, and if that matte
available for use in surfacing the
new playground, this office will
be mighty glad to hear of it.
rhe community has recently ac
quired a large and beautiful play
ground area by deed. Funds
contributed by the public have
provided for the grading and the
present most pressing need is
for surfacing. An effort has been
made to secure clay from the
government at \\’alden Creek, but
there appears to be red tape in
such matters. Meanwhile, there
is an urgent need for some sort
3f surfacing material and if the
location of such stuff is known,
ive will be glad to hear about it.
School will be open in another
two weeks and the ground should
be ready by that time.
Already undergoing workouts,
ihe Shallotte high school boys
Continued on page tour
Reduced Number
Of Postoffices
Survey Of Forty Year-Old Mailing List For “Southport
News” Shows Several Offices Have Been
Discontinued
Brunswick County now has on
ly about half as many post offi
ces as there were 40 years ago.
The existing offices are Leland,
Winnabow, Bolivia, Southport,
Long Beach, Supply, Holden Beach
Shallotte, Ash, Longwood and
Freeland.
In 1910 the following post of
fices existed in the county, ac
cording to the mailing list of the
Southport News, a paper that was
published here at that time. A
copy of the mailing list of the
paper, now at this office, listed
the following post offices:
Southport, Supply, Suberb, Shal
lotte, Seaside, Mill Branch, Kirt,
Ash, Regan, Excelsior, Town
Creek, Winnabow, Funston, Bo
livia, Leland, Phoenix, Freeland,
Exum, Makotoka, Calabash and
Iredell.
It is possible that there were
additional post offices in the
county at that time, as there was
no actual listing of post offices.
The above list, simply formed the
names of places in Brunswick
county to which copies of the
paper were mailed to subscribers.
While there were twice as ma
ny post offices then as now, a
check shows that The State Port
Pilot of today has several times
the number of paid subscribers
that the Southport News had in
1910.
Another interesting fact is that
very few of the subscribers of
the Southport News in 1910 are
known to be still living today. On
the mailing list and still living
( Continued on page Five )
Draw Jury List
For Court Term
--* -
Bus Drivers Must
Pass Driving Test
A bus drivers clinic will be held
Monday-Tuesday, August 24-25,
at the County Garage at Shallotte
for the the purpose of giving
road tests to prospective driv
ers.
Road work will begin at 9
o’clock each day. Drivers are
urged to bring their drivers li
cense with them for this clinic.
It is important that prospective
driver s plan-.to .attend this two
day session, as this is the only
opportunity they will have to
take the road test before school
begins.
County Escapes
Storm Damage
First Hurricane Of Season
Passes Offshore And Cau
ses No Damage At All In
Brunswick County
Brunswick County was visited
by only a moderate amount of
wind and rain during the prog
ress of Hurricane Barbara up
the coast at sea Thursday.
No local damage has been re
ported from either wind or rain.
Although weather reports indi
cated the storm might pass close,
very little alarm was shown. No
precautions against damage was
taken outside the removal of ab
out a dozen boats to safer moor
ings than they were supposed
to be in when first storm reports
came along.
No fishing boats went out on
Thursday, partly because of wea
ther warnings, mostly because
the experienced local boatmen
knew of the rough seas that were
running outside, several sport
fishing boats that had parties
booked for Thursday wired their
parties Wednesday not to come,
as it would be too rough for
fishing.
So far as is known there was
no damage to crops anywhere
in the county. Some informed
observers say that, generally spe
aking, the two days of soaking
general rains did farm crops
more good than harm. The slow
rains soaked deeply and left
plenty of moisture for the crops
still growing in the field and
those crops that are to be plan
ted in the fall.
Baptist Union
Meets Saturday
All Day Program Being Ar
ranged For Prospect Bap
tist Church With Several
Interesting Features
The following program of the
Brunswick Baptist Union will be
rendered August 29, at Prospect
Baptist Church.
The preacher will be Rev. B.
H. Price and the theme is
"Why do we as People, Fail to
Heed the Gospel?”
The program will be as follows:
Ten o’clock song and prayer
service; morning devotion, J. J.
Little; roll call of churches, min
utes and letters read; appoint
ment of nominating committee;
(Continued On Page Five)
Judge John J. Burney To
Preside Over One-Week
Term Of Superior Court
Convening Here On Sep
tember 21
SMITH MURDER CASE
IS ON SCHEDULE
Special Venire Being Called
To Hear This Case When
It Comes To Trial Here
At September Term
At their Monday meeting the
board of county commissioners
drew a jury list of 36 men and
women to serve at the Septem
ber term of Superior Court, be
ginning on September 21st. These
jurors will handle the regular
docket, excepting in the case of
Luther Smith, who is to be tried
for the murder of Bias Simmons
during the term.
In the case of Smith a mis
trial resulted at the spring term
of court. In declaring this mis
trial Judge Q. K. Nimmock, the
presiding jurist, ordered the case
set for trial at the coming
term and also ordered that a
special venire of 100^ men be sum
moned from New Hanover Coun
ty for the purpose of selecting
a jury.
The regular Brunswick Coun
ty grand jury will be in session.
This body is selected in January
of each year to serve for 12
months.
For the regular jurors dur
ing the term, the following men
and women were drawn Monday:
Sheppard H. Frink, W. H. Red
wine, Wilbur Register, M. L.
Stanley, Willard Redwine, Ronie
W. Cheers, Hercules Stanley,
Shallotte; G. C. Gray, Willie
Griffin, D. G. Carlisle, Herman
Bryant, Supply; Oliver Frink,
( Continued on page Five )
Feature Writer
Here On Story
—*
Burke Davis Spending The
Week In Area Working
On Story About U. S.
Army Outloading Ammu
nition Depot At Sunny
Point
Attracted by the widening re
alization of the importance of
the government terminals at
Southport and the enormous vol
ume of work that the Army en
gineers have done in connection
with it, the Greensboro Daily
News has it No. 1 feature writer
here this week.
The Daily News is very prop
erly placed as one of the big
three morning North Carolina
dailies. Burke Davis, its star
feature writer, was assigned the
task of coming here and get
ting the terminal story. With
him he brought Jim Wommack,
staff photographer for the Dai
ly News.
Wpmmack could only remain
here through Monday and Tues
day, getting photographs for the
Davis story. Told to get things
if it took a week. Mr. Davis
brought his family with him and
they are in a cottage at Long
Beach for a week.
Wommack got pictures of the
dredging and railroad construc
tion scenes and also went to Wil
mington for pictures of Colonel
Raymond L. Hill. Yesterday the
photographer, Davis and W. B.
Continued on Page Five
Final Week Of
Assembly Being
Held At Caswell
Third Week Of Baptist
Training Union Has At
tracted Another Large
Crowd To Baptist Seaside
Assembly
GOOD PROGRAM IS
NOW IN PROGRESS
Outstanding Church Lead
ers Participating In Final
Week Of Summer Ses
sion At Nearby
Assembly
Caswell Baptist Assembly is in
the final week of its biggest sea
son to date with the 3rd Training
Union conference of the summer
now in session.
Principal speaker for the week
is Dr. Claud Bowen, pastor of
the First Baptist Church of
Greensboro, who speaks each ev
ening Monday through Friday at
7:30 o’clock on the theme “You—
My Witness.’’ James P. Mor
gan of Raleigh, State Training
Union secretary, is in charge of
the program.
With few exceptions the pro
gram is like that of last week.
Vesper services are being led
this week by Fred Scott, associ
ate in the State Training Union
department. Roy Holder of Con
cord is directing music and Jean
Jeffries of Charlotte is organist.
The daily program starts at
8:30 with a worship period. At
8:45 classes in Training Union
are taught. The Rev. L. J. New
ton, Baltimore, Md.,, is teaching
the class for general officers.
Adults and young people are be
ing taught by Mrs. L. E. Mc
Gowen, Liberty; the Rev. W. T.
Hendrix, Kannapolis; Mrs. Clay
Auman, Asheboro; and Shaylor
Walters, Columbia, S. C.
Intermediates have as their tea
chers Jean Jeffries of Charlotte;
Mrs. Claud Bowen, Greensboro;
Mrs. Alton Greenlaw, Warsaw;
Nora Padgett, Fort Worth Tex.;
Mrs. James P. Morgan, Raleigh,
and Owen Herring, Jr., Wake
Forest.
Teachers for the juniors are
Mrs. Guthrie Colvard, New Bern;
Irene Covington, Fayetteville; Ann
Fuller, Louisburg, and Mrs. Roy
Bradshaw, Dallas. Mrs. L. j.
Newton, Baltimore, Md., is tea
ching nursery, beginner and pri
mary leaders. Miss Willa Marks
and Mrs. W. T. Hendrix are
teaching primary children.
A second period at 10:30 is
for group interests. For adults
and young people, the Rev. E.
F. Baker, Stoneville, is leading a
class on “The Christian in the
Modern World,’’ while Dr. Owen
Continued on Page Five
Commissioners In
Session Monday
Several Matters Of Business
Disposed Of Before Coun
ty Board During Regular
Session
Members of the Board of Coun
ty Commissioners in session here
Monday recommended that a road
in Waccamaw township running
from Exum to the Columbus
County line at Juniper Creek be
surfaced by the State Highway
Commission. It is about five
miles in length.
The board approved the sale
of three tracts of land to V. W.
Herlevich of Wilmington. These
included the Prince Davis Estate
tract of 5 acres; the Giles Nix
(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 Tide Low Tide
Thursday, August 20
3:04 a. m. 9:35 a. m
4:05 p. m. 10:39 p. m.
Friday, August 21
4:12 a. m. 10:38 a. m.
5:05 p. m. 11:35 p. m.
Saturday, August 22
5:16 a. m. 11:37 a. m.
6:01 p. m. 0:00 p. m.
Sunday, August 23
6:14 a. m. 0:25 a. m.
6:53 p. m. 12:53 p. m.
Monday, August 24
7:09 a. m. 1:14 a. m.
7:43 p. m. 1:25 p. m.
Tuesday, August 25
8:01 a. m. 2:00 a. m.
8:32 p. m. 2% 16 p. m.
Wednesday, August 26
8:53 a. nj. 2:46 a. m.
9:20 p. m. 3:07 p. ni»