North Carolina Newspapers

The Pilot Covers Brunswick County Most Of The News All The Time No. 20 A Good Newspaper In A Good Community SOUTHPORT, N. C. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1955 Volume No. 17 6-Pages Today PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY $1.50 PER YEAR New Book Tells Story Of Early Cape Fear Area New Book By Alonzo Tho mas Dill, “Governor Try on And His Palace’’ Has Just Been Published BOOK REVEALS SOME FACTS OF EARLY LIFE Story Deals With Cape Fear Resistance To Stamp Act Under Cornelius Har nett, Early Leader CHAPEL, HILL — The early commercial and political role of the Cape Fear region—its ports, plantations and leaders in the Revolutionary War—is told in a new book, “Governor Tryon and his Palace,” published by the Uni versity of North Carolina Press. The book by Alonzo Thomas Dill, who was historical consult ant for the Tryon Palace restora tion at New Bern, is a study of North Carolina’s effort to decide upon a permanent capital for the province and state. Dill tells how Governor Arthur Dobbs, Tryon's predecessor, de cided in 1758 to leave his resid ence at New Bern and reside at Cape Fear because it was “the most opulent” part of the pro- j vince and he had found New Bern “aguish.” Dill then describes the fierce rivalry between New Bern and Cape Fear. When Tryon arrived in 1764. he first lived at Brunswick, like Dobbs, but bought or leased prop erty at Wilmington and elsewhere at Cape Fear, the book states. And Tryon noted favorably the busy sawmills in that area, whose ship timbers he recommended for the use of the Royal Navy. There are descriptions ot tne Dobbs-Tryon plantation at Bruns wick, of the lumber and naval stores industries, and of early Wilmington, which a gay visitor compared to Philadelphia in the regularity of its plan, though he could find no one there to drink claret with him ’til four in the morning! High points of the book deal with Cape Fear’s resistance under Cornelius Harnett to the Stamp Act, its rescue from Tory hands by the patroit victory at Moore's Creek Bridge, and its fall to the enemy during Lord Cornwallis’ in vasion of the South late in the war. Brief Bits Of ltvewsj LIONS TO 3IEET The regular meeting of the Southport Lions Club will be held tomorrow (Thursday) at 12:30 o'clock at the Community Build ing. INSTALLING DRAIN Harris & Harris Construction Co. of Durham are busy this week laying a drain pipe along Moore Street between Lord and Howe streets. A large ditch-dig ging machine has attracted con siderable interest. HELD IN CUTTING Donnie Fletcher, Southport ne gro, was arrested Monday on a warrant sworn out by his wife, charging him with assault with deadly weapon. He is charged with inflicting a serious cut on the woman's arm and another on her thigh. He is held under §500 bond. Drinking and jealously is credited with being the motive. I\ T. A. MEETING The regular monthly meeting of the Southport Parent-Teachers Association will be held tomor row (Thursday) evening at 7:30 o’clock in the high school audi torium. The business session will be devoted to a discussion of committee recommendations for improvement of recreational fa cilities in Southport. CLINIC SCHEDULE The N. C. Orthopedic Clinic, conducted by the Crippled Chil dren’s Section of the State Board of Health, is scheduled for Thurs day, December 8, at James Walk er Memorial Hospital, Wilmington, from 8 a. m. to 12 noon. This clinic serves New Hanover and surrounding counties. Total pa tients last month were 76, 8 of them from Brunswick. TRAINING TRIP Major Lewis W. Doyle left yesterday for New York where he will take the Seminar for the Budget before returning here to assume his duties at Sunny Point. Major and Mrs. Doyle and their five children arrived here from Texas two weeks ago, although he was not scheduled to report to SPAT until November 29. Late Season Catch LUCK.—A Whiteviile party ana tneir tine eaten ot king mackerel, hooked recently off Calabash while fish ing from Captain Dew’s “Joy”, represented more than 400 pounds of game fish. Shown, left to right, are Wade Campbell, Mrs. Campbell, Oscar Lacks, Bill Lewis and Jackie Jones. There were 13 kings in the catch, of which but 11 are shown, with the largest weighing almost 40 pounds.— (Photo by Baldwin of Whiteviile.) Fishing Continues Into Late Season Another Week-End During Which Outstanding Cat ches Were Brought in By Off-Shore Parties WATTS PREDICTS MORE GOOD LUCK Recalls One Season When Good Catch Of King Mac kerel Was Brought In On December 14 Sunday was a beautiful day in Southport, and bearing out the theory that off-shore fishing still is good when the weather will permit, six boats brought in good catches that featured big king mackerel. Tom Ballard and party of Greensboro were out aboard the Idle On IV with Capt. Hulan Watts and brought in 47 king mackerel, 15 bonito and 1 amber jack. Capt. Hoyle Dosher had J. E. Holliday and party from Mt. Holly aboard the Idle On III. They caught 22 king mackerel, 16 bonito and 3 amberjack. Hall Russell and party of Albe marle were out with Capt. Wal ter Lewis and brought in 30 king mackerel and 1 bonito. No report was available from the other boats out that day. Capt. Lewis had a Mr. Powell and party from Shelby out Friday and they brought in 24 king mackerel, 6 bonito and 1 amber jack. While November may have had more good fishing than usual this fall, Capt. Watts this morning set at rest any impression that this is unusually late in the sea son for good catches. He recall ed that one year he had a party out on December 16 and that they caught a dozen big king mackerel, 12 amberjack and 40 bonito. "I don’t think this spell of cold weather will put a stop to the fishing”, said the veteran South port skipper. “I think that any day the weather is fit for making a trip we can expect to have good luck right on.” Special Program Planned Monday “M” Night Will Be Obser ved At Shallotte Baptist Church Monday Night With J. P. Morgan As Speaker An “M” night program will be observed at Shallotte Baptist I Church Sunday evening, Decem ber 5, at 7:30 o’clock. Mrs. Reba Sellers, Training Union Director, . will be in charge and the theme 1 will be "Prepared Unto Every \ Good Work”. Following is the program out line: 7:30, song service, “I Am Thine, O Lord” and “Make Me A Channel of Blessing”; devotion al period, Mis. Lillian Minlz; 7:45. special music, associational choir; 7:55, announcements and recognitions, Mrs. Reba Sellers; ! 8, presenting the highlight of the I 1956 program, Rev. R. H. Kelly; 8:15, “Our 1956 Crusade”, Mrs. Lottie Russ; primary work, Mrs. | Jean Sherwood; - intermediate j work, Mrs. Stacy Wells; adult work, Mrs. R. H. Kelly; 8:45, song, “Higher Ground”, 8:55 spe | (Continued on Page Four) Shallotte Boy In Televised Game A Brunswick county boy has a good chance of appeal ing Saturday before a nation wide television, audience that will number into the millions. He is James Varnum, mem ber of the varsity football squad at University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels meet Duke Saturday in their traditional football game, and it is the NCAA game of the week for telecasting The former Shallotte high school star has been injured most of the fall and has seen only limited action with the Tar Heels. However, reports from Chapel Hill this week say that he has been one of the stars of recent scrimmage sessions, and he is almost a sure bet to see action Satur day against Duke. His jersey number is 33. Busy Session Of Court Monday j Regular Weekly Session Lasted Into Evening As Recorder’s Court Officials Attempted To Clear The Docket Monday was a busy day for Brunswick county Recorder’s court and the session continued into the evening hours. The fol lowing judgments were handed down by Judge Earl Bellamy: Clarence E. Murphy, speeding, (65-mph) fined $10 and costs. Robert Lindburg Johnson, no operator’s license, nol pros upon presentation of valid license. Hoyle Varnum, Jr., operating after suspension of license, fined $25 and costs. Samuel V. Boyd, non support, nol pros with leave. Richard Lee Robinson, public drunkenness, road sentence sus pended on payment of a fine of $25 and costs and good behavior. Eugene Milliken, operating af ter revocation of license, 6 months on the roads. IJavid Sellers, speeding (65 mph) fined $10 and costs. Edward Moore Elks, speeding (65-mph) fined $10 and costs. Samuel Louis Mack, reckless operation, not guilty. Quimby Cashine Reynolds, speeding (65-mph) fined $10 and costs. Cullen Brown Smith, failing to yield right of way, fined $10 and costs. Lonzo Conway MeCaroll, Jr., speeding (60-mph) fined $15 and costs. John Bert Stevens, Jr., speed ing (70-mph) fined $15 and costs. Bobby Larkin Bledsoe, reckless operation, not guilty. Dayton McLamb, assault with deadly weapon, 2 to 6 months on | loads, suspended on condition j that defendant pay hospital bills | of Charlie Thrope, pay him $100 | additional for time lost from | work, pay the costs of the action I and remain of good behavior for I 2 years. John David Finley, drunk driv j ing, fined $100 and costs, license j revoked. 1 Continued On Page Two State Is Above Average In Farm Electrification General Assembly Of 1935 Established North Caro lina Rural Electrification Authority ONLY 3.8 PER CENT OF FARMS ELECTRIFIED Since That Time Progress Has Brought Electric Cur rent To Majority Of Farm Families By GWYNN PRICE, Clim. North Carolina REA The 1935 General Assembly es tablished the North Carolina Rural Electrification Authority as a state agency for the purpose of securing electric and telephone service for the rural people of the state. At that time only 3.8 per cent of the farms in the state had central station electric service. In 1935 the national average of farms electrified was 11.6 per cent or approximately three times that of our state. Today North Carolina ranks above the nation al average in the percentage of farms electrified. Reports of progress of rural electrification in North Carolina• received by the North Carolina Rural Electrification Authority from the electric membership cor porations, public utilities and the municipalities for the year end ing June 30, 1954, showed 77,095 miles of rural line in operation serving 530,476 rural consumers. In addition to farms, this figure includes churches, schools, non farm rural dwellings, rural indus tries, and commercial businesses. Information now being assem bled from all electric agencies for the past year ending June 30, 1955, indicates that there will be approximately 550,000 rural con sumers. The percentage of farms in North Carolina with electric I service as of June 30, 1955 will j be some lower than was estimated 1 in 1954. This minor adjustment in j l he pei'centage of farms with elec t Continued on l'age Fouri Big Rush For Postal Workers Lack Of Adequate Facilities Will Further Complicate Mail-Handling At South port During Holiday Sea son The Rapidly approaching Christ mas season promises to be extra hard on the force at the South port post office. Even with 550 mail boxes and drawers and all of them rented, a great deal of first class mail matter will have to be handled through the general delivery window and there will naturally be parcel post handling far above normal. Christmas always proves to be : a hard time for the post office j workers. With the rapid increase ! in patrons during the past few ; months and no corresponding in j crease in facilities, this Christmas i will be doubly hard. It is pointed i out that patrons of the office can save themselves and the rest of the patrons from being much in convienced by mailing their Christmas packages, letters and cards early. Presiding r Judge Mallard To Hold Court Here Next Week One-Week Term Of Bruns wick County Superior Court To Convene Mon day For Trial Of Civil Cases A one-week term of Brunswick county Superior court for trial of civil actions will convene here Monday with Judge Raymond Mallard of Tabor City presiding. Although there are no cases of any great interest or of unusual importance, indications are that court will be in session through out the greater part of the week. Cases have been calendared through Thursday, although there is no apparent reason why some of them may not be set up a day or more if events make this necessary. The Monday session is a special term which was scheduled after it became necessary to cancel a civil term during October. That action was taken as a courtesy ty S. B. Frink, Southport attor ney, who was recovering from a log injury at that time and would have been unable to appear in ccurt. Frink has been back at work for several weeks and will bt able to plead cases in which he has been employed as counsel next week. City Limits May Soon Be Extended Some Residents Living Out side Present City Limits Would Be Glad To Have Additional Benefits With the Southport city limits extending in a one-mile radius from the Brunswick county court house, a rapidly extending popu lation and the need of streets and other facilities, residents of the new areas as well as citizens of the town are fast seeing the need of extending corporate limits. Residents of the city proper are complaining that they cannot get streets extended through valuable areas for the simple reason that such streets would come to a dead end at the edge of the unincorporated areas. The Continued On Page Two W. B. rnaiAH Our ROVING Reporter There have been occasions when the ability to handle fire : arms proved to be an admirable trait in a banker. Prince O’Brien I of the Waccamaw Bank and I Trust Company has some ilttle ! known ability with a gun, but he | can use one all the same. Thanks i giving Day O’Brien was passing j the store of Goley Lewis on Route 87. A turkey shoot was in | progress there and the banker borrowed a gun and sat in on the proceedings. The first round no body won the turkey ,the banker and another man having tied with their shooting. It was decided that the two shoot off the tie and fol lowing this procedure the banker came home with the bird, having won by a good margin. The old method of hog killing j by waiting for a cold day, butch ! ering the animals and leaving | them out in the cold to chill be fore salting away, has been com pletely done away with in favor of deep freezrs and cold storage. It used to be that a person could drive about Brunswick on a cold day and count on seeing one to half a dozen hogs in the process of dressing, preparatory to be made into pork. This had to oc cur on a cold day or the meat would spoil. Now adays when a hog is to be butchered, the weath er or season of the year does not figure in the planning, just so it does not happen to be raining. Hot or cold, it makes no differ ence to the family that decides it is time for them to lay in some fresh pork. With both of us addicted to early rising and both already hav ing had breakfast and performed other chores before sunrise, it was natural that City Manager J- P. West should run into us about daylight Saturday morning. I Continued on page four) Army Engineers Have Varied Assignments Responsibility For Construction In Many Military Instal lations In Addition To Waterways Upkeep By STEVE WALL The Wilmington District of the Corps of Engineers is charged with a dual function, a fact which goes back some 178 years to the original founding of the Corps, 16 June 1775. In normal peacetime the Dis trict is engaged in civil activities realting to flood control work and the development, control and maintenance of rivers, harbors, channels and inlets, the latter of vital importance for seafaring men to reach the rich ocean fish ing grounds. The harbors at Southporf, Wilmington and More head City are the State’s only deep water and it follows, in con sequence, that they are under constant surveillance, study and investigation. Similar attention and corresponding emphasis are given smaller channels and har bors both along the outer banks and inland because these arteries and basins afford a means of live lihood to thousands of coastal people. North Carolina has 320 miles of coastline fronting on the At lantic Ocean and more inland wa ters than any state in the Union. Its navigable inland waterways including the State’s portion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Water way are a sizeable segment of the nation’s total of over 28,000 miles of navigable inland water ways. It follows, therefore, that the responsibilities of the Wil mington Disrtict in civil obliga tions have a peculiar nature and weigh heavily in the State’s eco nomic and commercial life. The Cape Fear River with its three locks and dams between Wilming ton and Fayetteville, 115 miles, provides an avenue eight feet deep over which thousands of tons of petrolem, pulpwood and other commodities pass annually. The locks are operated by the | Engineers and both the locks and channel are maintained by the Continued On Page Two Contract Let For Garrison Houses Christmas Lights In Business Area For the first time in sev eral years Southport will have leal Christmas street lights this year and it is understood that home owners will also enter into the spirit of things in lighting contests. Monday City Manager J. F. West started a force at work fixing for the decorative street lights. For some years preceeding the abandonment of the municipal power plant the current was very undepend able. Normal use of current frequently overtaxed things. In addition the pole and wire system was in bad shape. Now using current from Carolina Power and Light Co. for over a year, street lights at Christmas would have been on again last Christmas but for setbacks caused by the storm. It was decided to wait until this year and have everything in top shape. Free Pamphlet About Wrapping Post Office Department Is Getting Out Information Designed To Help The Patron Helpful facts about wrapping and shipping packages are con tained in a new and profusely il lustrated pamphlet entitled “Packaging and Wrapping Par cels for Mailing” available free here and at all post offices now. Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield announced today. The pamphlet excerpted from the Postal Manual, describes the types and sizes of cartons best suited for outer and inner ship ping containers; gives details for the interal protection for goods being shipped; lists hints on wrapping cliinaware, stemware, framed pictures, books, and other goods; and gives instructions for packing various types of parcels to insure the quickest possible delivery. Written instructions are high lighted by numerous illustrations showing how to wrap and tie packages securely. Drawings of various types of containers and boxes and the best way to use \ protective material to guard goods against breakage are also used. “This free pamphlet,” Mr. Summerfield pointed out, “if used in conjunction with the Depart ment's free pamphlet entitled “Domestic Postage Rates and Fees” which was issued a few months ago, should answer prac tically all questions any user of the mails might have on fees, rates, special services, and pro tection of parcels in transit.” The Postmaster General em phasized that much of the delay in delivery of parcels, particular ly at Christmas, and most of the damage enroute is due to lack of knowledge of basic rules to follow in mailing packages. Continued On Page Two Announcement Made By U. S. Army Engineers Of Awarding Contract For Construction Of Two Du plex Structures In South port OCCUPLY NORTHWEST CORNER OF PROPERTY Work Expected To Begin Immediately On Construc tion Of Quarters For Officers At Sunny Point By W. B. KEZIAH The Army Engineers announced this week that a contract has been let to C. Douglas Jewell of Wilmington in the sum of $65, 102.50 for the construction of two duplex houses on the Fort John ston property in Southport. Con struction will begin immediately. The two buildings will provide housing for the families of 4 Sunny Point officers. One of the structures will contain two 2-bed room units. The other will have two 3-bedroom units. The 2-bedroom units will be on the corner of the Garrison lot, facing the Brunswick county courthouse. The 3-bedroom units will be on the same corner, fac ing on Davis Street. Original plans called for the buildings to be placed directly on the river side of the Fort John ston property. These plans were changed, it is said, because the Property Agency has some other plans for the river1 front area. The two buildings in this con tract will have a total of 10 bed rooms and all other facilities for 4 comfortable homes. The con struction cost of each structure is Continued On Page Two Safe-Driving Day Is Urged By Ike Posters Emphasizing The importance Of This Day Have Been Displayed In All Sections Of Nation President Eisenhower’s message urging that every day be “Safe Driving Day” will be displayed on 19,000 posters on Postal trucks and in Post Offices in all parts of the country starting November 21, and extending through Decem ber 1, 1955, Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield announced in Washington, D. C. "These posters will, it is hoped, make Americans more conscious of the toll in human life and misery occurring on the highways of the Nation,” Mr. Summerfield said. “It is appalling to realize that on an average day 25,000 accidents occur, 100 peopel die, 5,500 are injured with property damage exceeding $10 million.” The Post Office Department through the Safety and Health Division of the Bureau of Per sonnel, is again emphasizing the importance of making S-D Day, December 1, an accident-free day both on and off the job. Notices have gone out to all postmasters to conduct talks with the more than 500,000 postal employees on the need for courtesy .caution and common sense in all theii driving. S-D Day Calls For Cooperation Of All Drivers Leaders On Program In Brunswick Urge All Mo I torists To Make Every Possible Effort To Keep Day Wreck-Free PART OF NATION WIDE OBSERVANCE Results Of This Organized Effort Last Year Result ed In Materially Reduc ing Accidents On That Day Tomorrow is National Safe Driving Day, and an extensive pro gram is in Brunswick county to impress all citizens with the im portance of their cooperation. Just as the name implies, S-D Day is nationwide in scope. It has been set aside by President Dwight Eisenhower as a day on which every motorist will make a conscious effort to help insure safety on the highways. The hope is that motorists will be so fa vorably impressed with results that they will continue their safe driving practices that have been underscored on S-D Day. The objective, of course, is to have one day that is completely accident-free. Last year this goal was not attained, but on a per centage basis, if North Carolin ians had driven every day during 1954 as they did on S-D Day the number of highway fatalities in this State would have been re duced by 650. i-i ere in tsrunswicK unarhe Ryan, editor of The Brunswick Sentinel, has been directing pre parations for S-D Day observance in Lockwoods Folly, Shallotte and Waccamaw townships. James M. Harper, Jr., has charge of ac tivities in Smithville, Town Creek and Northwest townships. Edito rials, news articles, posters and talks before religious, educational and civic groups have helped im press citizens of Brunswick coun ty with the importance of S-D Day and the part they can play in helping to make it a success. Although there has been an in crease in the number of fatal ac cidents in North Carolina over 1954 thus far this year, Bruns wick county is having one of its best records, with only three fa talities having been registered thus far. Two of these occurred on highways that are not classi fied as busy thoroughfares, and | their victims were pedestrians. Record Tobacco Crop This Year Preliminary Figures Indi cate Record Production Of Flue Cured Tobacco In North Carolina In 1955 RALEIGH—Reports from to bacco growers and warehousemen, as of November 1, indicate a North Carolina flue-cured crop of 1.001.705.000 pounds. This is 23, 330.000 pounds, or 2.4 percent, above the previous record 1951 crop of 978.375,000 pounds and is 12.6 percent more than the 1954 crop of 889,490,000 pounds. The previous record North Caro lina flue-cured crop, set in 1951, was produced on 735,000 acres compared with an estimated 655, 000 acres harvested this year. Record yields per acre will be set for all types of tobacco pro duced in tlie State. Type 11 (Old Continued On Page Two Tide Table Following is the tide table for Southport during the next week. These hours are ap proximately correct and were furnished The State Port Pilot through the courtesy of the Cape Fear Pilot’s Association. iiigh Tide Low Tide Thursday, November 2-4 2:32 A. M. 8:53 A. M. 2:56 P. M. 9:22 P. M. Friday, Xoyember 25 3:32 A. M. 9:57 A. M. 3:53 P. M. 10:17 P. M. Saturday, November 26 4:30 A. M. 10:56 A. M. 4:50 P. M. 11:10 P. M. Sunday, November 27 5:26 A. M. 11:52 A. M. 5:46 P. M. 12:03 P. M. Monday, November 28 6:21 A. M. 0:00 A. M. 6:41 P. M. 12:47 P. M. Tuesday, November 29 ; 7:15 A. M. 0:55 A. M. 7:37 P. M. 1:40 P. M. Wednesday, November 30 8:10 A. M. 1:45 A. M. | 8:32 P. M. 2:32 P. M.