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Brunswick County
STATE PORT PILOT
Most of the News
All The Time
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
Volume 24
No. 27
8-Pages Today
SOUTHPORT, N. C WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1964
5c A COPY
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
„ £ —
Little Change ~
In Feed Grain
Plan This Year
The 1965 feed grain progam will
keep total price-support levels for
cooperators about the same as
for 1964, says Agriculture Sta
bilization and Conservation Ser
vice Manager Ralph L. Price of
Shallotte.
“Within the total price-support
rates, loan levels have been ee
ereased with a corresponding in
crease in payment rates,’’ Man
ager Price declared. “Diversion
payment rates will remain the
same as in 1964”
'He pointed out that the 1965 pro
gram has been designed to main
tain participators incomes at
least as high as current levels.
He also stressel that the program
will help maintain overall feed
grain income for producers at
near current levels, or about a
billion do.]"—! a year higher than
with previous ieed grain pro
grams.
“Changes within the total price
support rate were made to en
(Continued On Page 4)
Mrkf MU, Of
lnewsj
CITY TAGS ON SALE
Southport city license plates
with the new slogan “Harbor By
The Sea,” are on sale at the City
Hall now.
CONDITION IMPROVED
The condition of Sheriff E. V.
Leonard, a patient in a Wilming
ton Hospital, is improved follow
ing an operation performed last
week.
BENEFIT OYSTER ROAST
The Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church
will sponsor a benefit Oyster
Roast on Saturday at Ennie
Long’s Garage (on U. S. 17 — in
front of Maude’s station) from 5
9 p. m. All proceeds will go to
ward the new church building
fund. Home-made cakes and pies
will also be on sale. The public
is cordially invited.
NEW YEAR’S HOLIDAY
City and county offices and
financial institutions at Southport
and Shallotte will be closed Fri
day in observance of New Year’s
Day. The city office, the banks
;nd the savings and loan will be
pen for business Saturday morn
t ig. Most of the mercantile firms
K the county will observe nor
business routine Friday.
bouthport Man To
Manage Boat Basin
A Southport charter boat cap
tain was employed as manager of
the Southport Small Boat Harbor,
which is now under construction,
during a special meeting at the
City Hall Wednesday morning.
H. A. Schmidt, captain on the
Idle on II, was selected for the
position by members of the South
port Small Boat Terminal com
mittee of the State Ports Author
ity. Committee Chairman Cooper
Cass of Winston-Salem made the
announcement.
As the new manager, Schmidt
will have complete charge of the
operations of the Southport har
bor, subject to the direction of
Executive Director James W.
Davis. Schmidt will employ all
persons necessary for the effec
tve operation of the facility. Di
rector Davis will set the salaries
of all employees.
The Southport man will be re
sponsible for maintaining good
office procedures and all account
ing record. He will also be in
charge of handling and spacing
all small craft up to 60 feet in
length.
For his services as manager of
the Southport harbor, Schmidt
will receive a salary in a range
between $5,400 and $7,400.
Before being accepted for the
new position, Schmidt was inter
viewed for about one hour by
Chairman Cass, Louis Ficklen
and E. G. Anderson, members
of SPA’s Southport committee,
Director Davis, and his assistant
Ralph Devane. Schmidt was the
only man interviewed by the
group.
(Continued On Page 4)
Seashore Group
Meeting Planned
The North Carolina Seashore
Commission will meet next
Thursday at the Kinstonian Motel
in Kinston and city and county
officials and others who have
problem relating to beach erosion
and dune restoration are invited
to attend.
Committee meetings will be
held, starting at 11 o’clock. At
2 o’clock the public hearing will
be opened in the assembly room
of the motel. At this time com
mittees will make their reports
and projects now underway and
others that are being contem
plated will be discussed.
This will be the last meeting
of the Seashore Commission dur
ing the Sanford administration.
H. A. SCHMIDT
Woman’s Body
Poses Mystery
Though an autopsy has reveal
ed no indication of violent death,
Columbus County officers are
still investigating the possibility
of such in the case of an unident
ified woman’s body found in the
Freeman area, Christmas Day. !
Coroner J. B. Long, Jr. said '
the body was in such a bad state j
of decomposition when found by j
a group of bird-hunters, that it i
has not been possible to tell the
race of the dead woman.
The body was found on the
bank of a canal in a field border
ing on Livingston Creek, some 3-4
miles southeast of Freeman, Long
stated. The site of the find was
some three-quarters of a mile
south of Cheerful Hope Baptist
Church.
Long said a group of bird-hunt
ers, led by Burnice Malpass,
Chadbourn jeweler and a native
of the Delco-Freeman area, dis
covered the body while hunting
about nooon, Christmas Day. The
coroner’s report said the finders
noticed the body and thought it
was possibly that of a deer, but
upon coming closer found it was
that of a humr.n.
Malpass notified Walter Farm
er, deputy sheriff of the area, and
he, in turn notified Sheriff Ben
Duke and the latter, along with
Deputy Clayton Norton went to
the scene. Coroner Long was also
notified and came later.
(Continued On Page Four)
Federal Grant
Approved For
Sewage Plant €
Southport has been awarded a
$64,000 federal grant for the long
awaited sewage disposal 'system
and work will start within the
next three months, city officials
said this week.
“This clears the way for draw
ing up plans and specifications
for the project,” Mayor E. B.
Tomlinson said. "We will be able
to start the project within 90 to
120 days.”
The announcement of the fed
eral grant of $64,000 for the sew
age disposal system was made
by Congressman Alton Lennon
Tuesday.
City Manager C. D. Pickerrell
estimates that the project will
cost about $200,000. Plans call for
locating the new sdwage disposal
system near the. Small Boat Har
bor.
Considerable work has been
completed by town officials look
ing toward receiving this grant,
City Manager Pickerrell said.
Under study has been several
types of systems.
He said a conventional sewage
disposal “package plant” should
be under Construction by March
providing bids fall within the limi
tation of available .funds and the
State Stream Sanitation Commit
tee approves the plan.
The town has acquired two
acres of property for the sewage
plant, Pickerrell explained, in a
section southwest of the harbor.
Former Health
Officer Passes
Dr. Floyd Johnson, an out
standing leader in the civic, so
cial, business and everyday life
of Columbus County for well over
half a century, died at Columbus
County Hospital at 2 p. m., Mon
day. He was 82 years old.
Dr. Johnson had retired in 1961
after serving 40 years as Colum
bus County Health officer. Had
he lived until Jan. 5, 1965, he
would have been 83 years old.
Hospitalized since Dec. 19, he had
been ill for several months and in
failing health for several years.
Rites On Tuesday
Final rites were held Tuesday
at 2:30 p. m. at McKenzie’s Chap
el by his pastor, the Rev. A. D.
Byrd of Whiteville Methodist
Church, with burial in Whiteville
Memorial Cemetery.
The widely-known physician
came to Columbus County in 1905
and fell in love with the area
and its people. He remained to
become one of the populace and
a part of the country with which
he cast his lot. And, many Co
lumbus Countians learned to love
and respect him as he had them.
In “North Carolina”
. A well-earned tribute to the
veteran doctor came as early as
1928 when The American Histori
cal Society’s “North Carolina’’—
a biography of prominent people
of the state written by a special
staff — contained the following
note:
"Floyd Johnson, M. D. Since
1921 the health and sanitation of
the flourishing community of
Whiteville have been under the su
pervision of Dr. Floyd Johnson.
A capable and thoroughly experi
enced physician and surgeon, he
has contributed greatly to the bet
terment of his community in a
professional capacity, and as a
(Continued On Page 4)
Crab Processing Plant Will
Be Located In Southport
Shallotte Office
Frink And Prevatte Merge
o. ounn f ruiK and E. J. Pre
vatte announce that effective Jan
uary 1 they will be associated in
the genera] practice of law as the
firm of Frink and Prevatte, with
offices at Southport and Shal
lotte.
It is planned that Prevatte will
be located in Southport and Frink
in the Shallotte area. Several
months ago the latter sold his
home in Southport and he plans to
build either in Shallotte or at Sun
set Beach. The firm will rent of
fice space in Shallotte, but the
partners plan the construction of
a new building on Dry street in
Southport during the coming
year.
Frink is the senior member of
the Brunswick County Bar Asso
ciation having opened his prac
tice in 1935 following his first
term as State senator. He was
associated with D. C. Herring for
several years following World
War II, but this has been his only
previous partnership.
Prevatte came to Southport 25
years ago and became associated
with the late C. Ed Taylor in the
firm of Taylor & Prevatte. Fol
lowing World War II he entered
into a partnership with Ray H.
S. BUNN FRINK
E. J. PREVATTE
Walton as Prevatte & Walton.
This was dissolved when he re
turned briefly to his native Robe
son county to practice law. He
became the law partner of J. C.
Bowman several years ago, but
when the latter was elected dis
trict solicitor the firm was dis
solved in order not to impose re
strictions upon Prevatte in ac
cepting criminal cases.
Frink currently is in Florida on
vacation but plans to return to
Brunswick county about January
10.
Assistance For
Watershed Work
Approval for Federal assist
ance for carrying out the Caw
Caw Swamp Watershed Project in
Brunswick County was announced
this week by Congressman Alton
Lennon.
Brunswick County Soil Conser
vationist Billy Foutz of Shallotte
said a survey team headed by
Ray Pridgen of Pender county,
will begin work in the new water
shed Monday. It is hoped the
three or four man crew will be
composed of Brunswick county
men. Foutz said. They will estab
lish the location of the ditch. The
project should take about two
months.
The project, to be carried out
in five years, is designed to pro
vide watershed protection, flood
prevention, and drainage in the
23,700-acre watershed. It is a local
undertaking with Federal assist
ance under the provisions of the
Watershed Protection and Flood
Precention Act, Public Law 566,
Congressman Lennon said. Project
sponsor is the Lower Cape Fear
Soil and Water Conservation Dis
trict in North Carolina. Federal
participation for carrying out the
locally developed plan was ap
proved on December 23, 1964, by
Joseph P. Kuykendall, State Con
servationist of the Soil Conserva
tion Service.
With Federal funds available,
assistance can be provided im
mediately for accelerating the in
stallation of land treatment meas
(Continued On Page 4)
TIME and TIDE
It waa December 30, 1959, and Lt. Colonel William S. Nor
man, commanding officer at Sunny Point, announced that he
would retire at the end of the month and be replaced at the
Brunswick county military base by Lt. Colonel Johnnie D.
Duffie. «»
Dr. Walter Harrelson of Southport accepted a position as
professor of Old Testament at Vanderbilt University. Governor
Luther Hodges said a survey, would soon be made to determine
the feasibility of establishing the Southport to Fort Fisher ferry.
It was Deecember 29, 1954, and Dr. Norman M. Hornstein
resigned as the Brunswick county health officer to devote more
time to the private practice of medicine. Tax listing in the town
ships was to start Monday.
Judge Earl Bellamy ordered the $2,662.39 due the county
in unpaid fines and costs be paid immeditely or the jail terms
would be imposed. Elwood Mintz, son of Mrs. H. L. Mintz of
Shallotte, accepted the position of assistant editor in the Div
ision of Agricultural information at State College.
It was December 28, 1949, and Orton Plantation was the
scene of an old 'time Christmas party for its 150 employees. A
fire destroyeed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Owen F. Smith near
Navassa Saturday afternoon.
Continued On Page Four
Ferry Service Is
Slated For July
County Has 10th
Highway Death
Robert L. Johnson, Brunswick
county Negro man, became the
10th highway fatality for 1964
when he was struck down by a
car driven by a white woman on
Highway No. 17 Friday night.
He was 31 years of age.
The fatality is being investig
ated by Patrolman Billy Day of
Shallotte. There were only 7
highway deaths in Brunswick
during 1963.
Southport Boy
Critically Hurt
Johnnie Brown, popular South
port youngster and the son of
Clerk of Court and Mrs. Jack
Brown, was critically injured
Tuesday morning when the go
cart he was operating on one of
the paved streets in Oak Island
Estates went out of control and
ran underneath a parked truck
trailer.
The miniature motorized ve
hicle was traveling at a high
speed when it rounded a curve
and failed to make the turn safe-'
ly. It plunged beneath the larger
vehicle, which had been parked
there for several months, and
left not enough room for head
clearance for the driver.
The resulting impact caused a
broken neck, a broken jaw, a
concussion and the loss of sev
eral teeth. He was rushed to
Dosher Memorial Hospital in
Southport, thence to Wilmington
where his condition still is consid
ered to be critical. An operation
was performed Tuesday night in
preparation for further treatment
involving use of traction devices
and a cast.
He is 14 years of age and is a
student at Southport High School
where he was a member of the
football squad last fall. Previous
ly he had served as manager for
on”' of the athletic teams. He also
has been actively identified with
Boy Scout activities.
Johnnie is the youngest child
of the Brown s and is their only
sen. His mother is a registered
nurse.
There was no eye-witness to the
accident. He was accompanied by
young Tim Smith, who was driv
ing a go-cart which he had re
ceived for Christmas. He was rid
ing ahead, and was not looking
when the cart being driven by the
Brown youngster was involved in
the accident,
* The Southport to Fort Fisher
ferry will be put into operation in
July, says Highway Commission
Chairman Merrill Evans.
“We intend to get this ferry in
to operation by the middle of
July,” Chairman Evans said
Tuesday.
Present plans call for transfer
ring the Sea Level ferry from
the Ocracoke-Atlantic route to
Southport in July to fullfill gover
nor Terry Sanford’s promise to
have the boat running by "the
next tourist season”. But Chair
man Evans quickly added that
the plan has not received the of
ficial approval of the Highway
Commission.
Chairman Evans made his re
marks after the commission ap
proved a low bid of $1,061,000
from New Bean Shipyards for
construction of two new ferries to
be used along the North Carolina
coast.
The low bid was $45,050 under
a previous low bid reviewed by
the commission on Dec. 4. The
commission rejected the earlier
bids because they went consider
ably over money set aside for the
vessels.
WALU L11C 11CW iKJ W U1U, Li 1C
cost of the ferries will be $81,000
over the authorized $980,000 ex
penditure.
Chief Highway Engineer C. W.
Lee said minor changes were
made in specifications when new
bids were registered.
Tuesday Chairman Evans and
William F. Babcock, state high
way director, both confirmed the
earlier announced plan to initiate
the Lower Cape Fear service in
mid-July.
Evans said it was the general
feeling of the department that
the 22- :ar Sea Level vessel would
adequately handle the Fort Fisher
to Southport traffic for the next
season while the larger ferry is
needed for the Atlantic to Ocra
coke run.
“As soon as the first ferry is
delivered, we will immediately
transfer the Sea Level to South
port,” Chairman Evan's said.
Late delivery of the first vessel
is tlie only factor that might hold
up initiating the Lower Cape Fear
service, he added.
The commission chairman said
the second new vessel is to be
placed in service on the Cedar
Island to Ocraeoke run.
Governor Sanford, on a visit to
Southport last summer, promised
to initiate the ferry service for
the start of the 1965 tourist sea
son. Evans, at the meeting, said
the commission would work to
ward this date.
Delay in letting contracts pushed
this proposed date back to mid
July, allowing for use of the new
ferry service during part of the
summer season.
C. B, Caroon of Lowland has
purchased the North Carolina
Fisheries building at the foot of
Kingsley street in Southport and
will begin about the first of the
year to get it in readiness for the
operation of a crab processing
plant. He hopes to be working by
March 1.
The announcement was made
by William Powell, chairman of
the Brunswick County Resources
Development Commission, who
has been working with Caroon on
this project.
Caroon has been engaged in the
crab business for the past twenty
years and has operated Caroon
Brothers Seafood in partnership
with his brother. This has been
a highly successful operation, but
he believes that this section of
the North Carolina coast holds
bright prospect for an enterprise
of this kind and is making a
move to this new location.
Caroon says that he plans to
begin with about 25 pickers and
other employees and that he
hopes to be using fifty persons
'by the end of the year. He says
that processing crab meat is a
specialized operation and pro
spective workers must be trained
for this work. He will announce
plans for that later.
Caroon says that he is anxious
to make contact with fishermen
in this area about furnishing
crabs for his plant at Southport.
Already there are several men
who are engaged in crab pot fish
ing, and they have been shipping
their catch. Caroon hopes to start
buying crabs by the middle of
January, and until his plant here
is ready to go he will ship them
to the plant at Lowland for pro
cessing.
Caroon plans to produce fresh
crab meat which will be distribut
ed without going through a free
zing process. There will be three
grades: the choice, which comes
from the back finn; the regular,
which includes the white body
meat; and the claw meat. He
anticipates no difficulty in mar
keting his product, since he has
developed some valuable business
contacts in his years of operation.
The necessary equipment, in
cluding boilers, steamers, cookers
and refrigeration units, are now
being assembled ana will begin
to arrive soon after the first of
January. Caroon plans to rebuild
the dock extending from the
plant to deep water in the river.
Caroon is married and he and
his wife have five sons, ranging
Continued On Page Four
New Law Office f
For Shallotte
The law firm of Herring, Wal
ton, Parker & Powell will open
an office in Shallotte this week,
one of the partners announced to
day (Wednesday). It will be lo
cated upstairs over Coastal Drug
Store, but plans for a new build
ing are under consideration.
There has been no definite an
nouncemnt concerning personnel
affected by the opening of this
new office. Ernest E. Parker one
of the members of the firm,’ is a
native of Shallotte and Ray H.
Walton, another partner, is a na
tive of the Hickman’s Crossroads
section. D. C. Herring and Wil
liam Powell are the other two
members of the firm.
Tide Table
Following la the tide
table for Southport during
the week. These hours are
approximately correct and
were furnished The State
Port Pilot through the
courtesy of the Cape Fear
Pilot’s Association.
high low
Thursday, December 31,
6:15 A. M. 12:38 A. M.
6:24 P. M.
Friday, January 1,
6:55 A. M. 6:37 A. M.
7:00 P. M. 1:18 P. M.
Saturday, January 2
7:35 A. M. 1:17 A. M.
7:40 P. M. 1:59 P. M.
Sunday, January 3
8:13 A. M. 1:56 A. M.
8:17 P. M. 2:40 P. M.
Monday, January 4
8:49 A. M. 2:34 A. M.
8:53 P. M. 3:18 P. M.
Tuesday, January 5,
9:22 A. M. 3:11 A. M.
9:27 P. M. 3:56 P. M.
Wednesday, January 6
9:56 A. M. 3:48 A. M.
10:03 P. M. 4:33 p.