THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 43
WEDNESDA Y, SEPTEMBER 22, 1971 SOUTHPORT, N. C.
Sc A COPY
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Highway employees transporting passengers across the Intracoastal
Waterway with the loading dock on the south side shown in the background.
(Photo by Spencer)
This is the loading dock and walkway on the north side of the Intracoastal
Waterway at the site of the demolished bridge. (Photo by Spencer)
Nixon’s Freeze
Brings Inquirie;
A number of inquiries
about the wage - price freeze
and other aspects of the
President’s Executive Order
on Economic Stabilization
are being received weekly in
the Brunswick County
Agricultural Stabilization
and Conservation Services
(ASCS) Office, according to
R.L. Price, County Executive
Director.
He reminded Brunswick
County residents that ad
ditional information is
constantly coming to the
ASCS office, which is an
official center for in
formation concerning the
stabilization program.
Most questions raised by
Brunswick County people so
far relate to the one cent
boost in sales tax, BEMC rate
increase and the price of fish
and shrimp, Price said.
Most frequently - asked
inquiry is about the increase
in sales tax. The official
answer to that question is
that it is legal since the
“freeze” does not apply to
state and local taxes.
While the county ASCS
office is an official center for
information on the wage -
price freeze, it has no
authority to act on com
plaints or handle requests for
exceptions to the freeze,
Price said. Such complaints
or requests should go directly
to the Internal Revenue
Service District Office at 16 S.
16th. Street, Wilmington. If
this is not convenient, the
county ASCS office can
provide some assistance in
putting the complaint or
request in the proper chan
nel
Price also emphasized that
the county ASCS office is
serving as an information
center for all county
residents.
Normally, the AiSCS office
deals primarily with farmers
participating in farm action
programs of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
However, the more-than -
2800 ASCS county offices
throughout the Nation have
been called upon to provide
information service on
economic stabilization to all
citizens, Price reported, in
order to give assurance that
(Oonthmed On Page Five)
This is the ferryboat Toby Tillett as it enters vehicles brought over from the mainland. (Photo
the temporary slip at Fort Caswell to discharge by Spencer)
Excursion Craft Ferries Students
The 225 children on Oak
Island who are riding a ferry
to and from school each day
will find their journey a lot
more comfortable starting
today (Wednesday).
The State Highway Com
mission has announced it has
signed a contract with Mrs.
Peggy Bellamy, of North
Myrtle Beach, S.C., to
transport the children from
the island to Southport each
day aboard her excursion
boat, the Ron Tom Queen.
The children have been
crossing on the state-owned
ferry Hatteras since a barge
struck and demolished the
only bridge to the island on
September 7.
John Davis, state highway
chief engineer, said that
using the South Carolina
vessel will mean that the
children will be riding in an
enclosed deck, be protected
from the elements and have
safer crossing. Because the
Ron Tom Queen can carry
only 191 passengers, it will be
necessary to make two round
trips in the morning and two
in the afternoon between the
Coast Guard dock on the
island and the state’s dock at
Southport.
“The vessel has been
thoroughly inspected and
certified by the Coast Guard
and has been ridden by Ralph
King, Brunswick school
superintendent,” Davis said.
He said that shortly after
the mishap which knocked
out the bridge that Pat
Bellamy, husband of the
boat’s owner, called the office
of Governor Bob Scott and
offered help in the
emergency. Fred Morrison,
an aide to Scott, got in touch
with the Highway Com
mission and informed of
ficials there of the offer.
This led to the contract
signing. Under terms of the
contract, the Highway
Commission will pay $300 per
week for use of the vessel,
fully equipped and operated
by the owners.
The Rom Tom Queen is a 64
foot vessel, powered by diesel
engines, and has two decks.
Only the lower, full enclosed
deck will be used by the
children and the top deck will
be off limits. The enclosed
deck has more than 125
chairs, life preservers fo
all passengers and can be
heated.
“The thought of children
having to cross on the open
deck of a ferry has disturbed
us,” Davis said.
The Highway Commission
started the emergency ferry
(Continued On Page Four)
Southport Mayor Lester
Lowe Dies Unexpectedly
Mayor Lester V. Lowe
This photograph of Mayor hester V. Lowe was taken last Thursday af
ternoon in his office at Waccamaw Bank & Trust Co. where open house
ceremonies were being held. His sudden death occurred that night. (Photo by
Spencer)
County March Of Dimes
Was Successful Project
The Brunswick County
March of Dimes was con
ducted in January and thanks
to the hard work on the part
of the community chairmen
throughout the county, 1971
campaign was a success.
Brunswick County par
ticipated in the March of
Dimes Telerama conducted
by television station, WWAY,
in April. This effort was
assisted by Shallotte Radio
Station, WNCB, Shallotte
Jaycees, and many volun
teers throughout the county.
The Waccamaw Bank and
Trust Company in Shallotte
permitted use of their
telephones and part of their
building during the 18 hours
of the Telerama. This event
was most successful in spite
of the fact that this was the
first. After deducting ex
penses, Brunswick’s share of
the proceeds was $1,059.27.
After chapter expenses,
which are for supplies,
money collected by March of
Dimes campaign is divided
three ways: 25 percent goes
to the Research Foundation;
of the remaining 75 percent,
half is sent to the National
Foundation, the other half
remains in the county
chapter treasury.
This year the chapter has
helped a Brunswick County
child who is receiving
f Continued On Pagre Five)
Lester Vincent Lowe, 63,
mayor of the city of Southport
and a native of Chadbourn,
died at his home in Southport,
Friday.
Mr. Lowe was prominently
known in local, area and state
banking circles, as well as a
leader in civic, church and
business affairs. He was a
vice-president and director of
Waccamaw Bqnk and Trust
Co. and was in charge of its
Southport branch at the time
of his death.
He was the son ofthe late
Moses Fielding Lowe and
Charlotte Leonhart Lowe,
members of the Sunny South
Colon. He was reared in
Chadbourn, where he was
born and attended local
schools. Mr. Lowe graduated
with a degree in electrical
engineering from North
Carolina State Uniyersity in
1930. He worked with the
Armstrong Cork Co., for two
years and then entered
banking with the Waccamaw
Bank and Trust Co. in 1933
and remained with it during
the remainder of his life.
Over the past 40 years, Mr.
Lowe served with Waccamaw
Banks in Chadbourn, Fair*
mont, Whiteville and South
port.
He moved here in 1966 as
manager of the Southport
branch of Waccamaw Bank &
Trust Co., which under his
guidance became one of the
outstanding offices in this
banking organization. In
addition to the new budding
in which open house was
observed Wednesday and
Thursday of last week,
branch offices had been
opened at Bolivia, Yaupon
(Continued On Page Three)
Island Denied Disaster
Status; Students Helped
George S. Willoughby,
State Highway Ad
ministrator, and John H.
Davis, chief engineer, flew
down to Brunswick County
this (Wednesday) afternoon
to confer with Mayor C.E.
Murchy of Yaupon Beach and
Mayor Nick Coleman and
Robert Howard
New Bank V-P
L.R. Bowers, president of
Waccamaw Bank & Trust
Co., this week announced the
promotion of Robert D.
Howard to vice president and
manager of the Southport
offices of this outstanding
Eastern North Carolina
banking institution.
Howard succeeds the late
Lester V. Lowe, whose
sudden death occurred here
Thursday night. He has been
employed at the Southport
bank since 1967 and has
worked closely with the late
Mr. Lowe.
“We are pleased to an
nounce the promotion ot
Robert Howard to this
position of responsibility in
our organization,” President
Bowers said. “We think he is
an outstanding young man
who had the opportunity to
work closely with our late
vice president, Lester V.
Lowe. W® have every con
fidence that our Southport
offices will continue to be
outstanding members of the
(Continued On Page Four)
Time And Tide
The first special edition of The Pilot we ever attempted was
the issue for September 23, 1936, and in it we made a conscious
play for fall vacation visitors, believing then as now that this is
one of the most delightful seasons in this area. One headline
took satisfaction in the fact that a hurricane had bypassed
Brunswick in its path to the mainland in another state. There
was a feature story on the Cape Fear Pilots, with photos of the
seven active members of the local association. Throughout the
fourteen pages of this edition there were pictures of Deonle and
places of interest in the towa Scenes of fishing and of catches of
fish predominated. There were ads, too; most of them
proclaiming the fine natural attractions for vacationists and
retirement living here in Brunswick.
r ive years later, in our edition for September 24, 1941, there
was another headline expressing relief that another hurricane
had bypassed Brunswick. There had been a military at
mosphere in town during the past week, as soldiers from Fort
Bragg were at the old CCC camp site on field maneuvers.
The nation was on daylight saving time, but on the following
Sunday all clocks were to be moved back one hour.
Homecoming services were scheduled for the following Sunday
(Continued On Page Four)
Town Manager Jack
Hayward of Long Beach
about plans for a permanent
new bridge across the in
tracoastal waterway.
Present plans call for the
installation of a montoon -
type bridge at the site of the
old bridge permitting one
way traffic and scheduled to
be in operation by November
1. Meanwhile, two-way ferry
service is being maintained
between a temporary ferry
slip at Fort Caswell and the
ferry slip at Price Creek near
Southport. Two vessels are
engaged in this operation but
have been hard pressed to
handled the volume of traffic.
Another temporary
measure engaged in by SHC
forces is the transportation of
passengers by small boat
across the inland waterway
at the side of the bridge.
Transportation is being
provided by SHC employees
from the landing on the south
side of the canal to a point
near Oak Island Golf Course.
This works well except at
peak periods of the day when
workmen going to and from
Brown & Root swarm these
facilities.
Any planning by the High
way officials and local
municipal officials today
probably will be a con
sideration of permanent
relief in the form of a new
bridge from the mainland to
the island.
Town Manager Hayward
said today that the American
Red Cross has provided an
emergency first aid vehicle
for use on the island. In ad
dition, he said that the ARC
had interceded to work out an
arrangement for tran
sportation by helicopter for
any patient at Oak Island
whose hospital destination is
(Continued On Page Five)
Receives Promotion
Robert D. Howard has been promoted to vice
president of Waccamaw Bank & Trust Co. and has
been named manager of the Southport offices of
that institution. (Photo by Spencer)