THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Communifv
VOL UME 44 NUMBER 8
12 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT. NORTH CAROLINA
SEPTEMBER 13, 1972
5 CENTS A COPY
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
! Attendance Climbs At
f County’s High Schools
Open house was held in
each of Brunswick County’s
three new consolidated high
schools on Sunday, and
nearly 3.000 persons took the
opportunity to see what
progress had to offer young
people here.
Visitors were greeted at
each school by members of
the Brunswick County board
of commissioners,the
Brunswick County Board of
education, local school
committeemen, central office
staff, principals and
teachers.
Souvenir programs were
provided which included a
floor plan of the school in
order that visitors might tour
the sparkling new facilities at
their own pace. Refreshment
centers were set up in each of
the school cafeterias so that
the guests could rest, refresh
themselves and chat about
the new school plant.
A good public turnout was
noted at each of the new
schools. The approximate
attendance was 1,200 at West
Brunswick High School, 750
at North Brunswick High
School and 1,000 at South
Barge Sinks
In Waterway
A barge headed for a
Georgetown steel mill sank
near Holden Beach, partially
blocking Intracoastal
Waterway traffic. Salvage
efforts are still in progress.
The barge, loaded with iron
ore, broke under the weight of
its load about one-half mile
from the drawbridge.
A dragline crew, operating
from another barge, spent the
better part of a week dipping
raw ore from the sunken
vessel and transferring it to a
third barge.
By Tuesday, mostof the ore
had been saved and workers
had begun the Job of pumping
the water from the barge.
The mishap occurred in the
middle of the waterway,
slowing most vessels and
stopping the heavier-draft
vessels altogether.
A tugboat, assisting in the
salvage attempt struck a
nearby pier, during the
weekend, partially collapsing
it.
Coast Guard represen
tatives have been on hand to
assist throughout the
operation, and have helped
steer lighter traffic around
the wreckage.
Some of the ore was
unavoidably lost overboard
during the transfer.
.. - - y
Brunswick High School.
A record breaking student
enrollment for the Brunswick
County school system was
reported at the end of the 7th
day of the 1972-73 school
term, according to Ralph C.
King, superintendent of
Brunswick County schools.
Enrollment count as of last
Friday revealed that in
grades 1-12, enrollment had
reached 7,160. This far ex
ceeded all projections by the
school system with increases
3hown in all areas of the
county. Some individuals
schools remained in line with
projections.
The following is a break
down of student enrollment
by schools:
Bolivia 1-8,668, up from 602
last year; Brunswick County
-Southport Middle School,
489, up from 445 last year;
Leland 4-7, 666, up from 586;
Lincoln 1-3, down from 510 to
503; Shallotte grades 4-8, up
from 906 to 1015; Southport 1
Rent - A - Jaycee
There’s a chance to beat the manpower shortage
in Southport Saturday when the residents of this
community will have an opportunity to “Hire A
Jaycee”.
The price it right, too, only $2 per hour. That’s
the rate for ordinary hired help; skilled labor —
and there is some available — comes a little
higher.
This, of course, is another ingenious money
making project of the Southport Jaycees. They
have tried it before, had good results, now plan to
try it again.
For those who are interested, reservations can
be made by calling 457-5281.
Voting Rules
More Lenient
The long - term residency
requirement no longer stands
in the way of new Brunswick
County residents who want to
cast ballots here in the
November general election.
Mrs. Vivian Tatum,
executive secretary of the
Brunswick County board of
elections, reports that anyone
who has been a resident of a
local precinct for 30 days is
eligible to vote. This
regulation, she noted, may be
most important of recent
changes in the voting law as
construction workers move
into the Southport and Leland
areas.
To accommodate new
registrants, the board will
commence registration in the
precincts on September 25, to
last until October 9 and be
available by appointment
only.
Anyone who wants to
register without an ap
pointment should come to the
board of elections office at
Bolivia, located in a trailer
beside US 17. The officer
there is open from 8:30 until 5
p.m., Tuesday, Thursdays
and Saturdays.
Another new regulation
concerning absentee ballots
states that the ballots may be
obtained in person at the
Bolivia office. Previously, a
written application through
Continued On Page Pour
Thieves Hit
Food Stores
A series of break-ins
continues to plague Southport
merchants with the Thrift
way, the newest business in
town, being the latest victim.
That store opened Monday
and that night thieves broke a
panel in the glass front door
and gained entrance to the
building. Howard Singletary,
proprietor, said that they got
a little over $80 from the cash
register.
During the past several
days the Convenient Food
Mart, located about one block
away, was robbed by thieves
(Continued Ok. Page Five)
4, up from 508 to 515; Union 1
3, up from 550 to 586; Wac
camaw 1-6, with 460 reported
each year; North Brunswick,
up from 630 to 685; South
Brunswick, up from 604 to
664; and West Brunswick, up
from 881 to 909.
Overall, the schools ex
perienced an increase of 478
students this year; the
enrollment reported for the
last month of the 1971-72
school term was 6,682.
In addition to the normal
increase in grades 1-12, the
school system is serving an
additional 207 kindergarten
age students in nine classes in
the primary schools.
“Over-all we are now
serving a total student
enrollment of 7,367 which is
an approximate 10 percent
increase over last year,”
King stated.
SHC Ditch
Work Halted
The State Highway Com
mission has been instructed
by Brunswick County of
ficials to halt work on a
drainage ditch at Holden
Beach that would be in
violation of the county’s
shoreline protection laws.
Jerry Lewis, county
manager who also serves as
chief Shoreline Protection
Officer for Brunswick, said
he received a call from
Holden Beach property
owner asking whether the
dragline work being done by
the department tfas
authorized. Lewis contacted
assistant Shoreline
Protection Officer Ed
Clemmons who reported that
no permit was issued that
would allow the leveling of
the dunes in question.
The work reportedly was
being done to drain a low area
near the state-maintained
road, but the work involved
damage to the dunes and the
cutting of nearby mar
shlands, Lewis said.
The county manager said
that because the law against
dune damage cities “any
firm or corporation” he
called for a ruling by the
officer of N.C. Attorney
General Robert Morgan. The
State Highway Department,
he was told, would come
under this regulation.
Lewis said he contacted
Highway Engineer J.H.
Medlin, who reportedly told
the county manager he had
no idea there was such a
requirement that precluded
work in the dune area.
w®™*'w: * ***** ~ ^-v— --^-n — ~ ;k
SUNSET over the old Southport yacht basin
brings to a close another day of activity on the
waterfront. Many boats have been moved to the
Southport Boat Harbor but the old basin, almost a
Southport tradition, is still used by charter boats
and shrimpers.
Beaches Start Erosion Control
Beach erosion control is
finally getting underway in
an organized fashion here at
Yaupon Beach.
Coastal Erosion Control, a
Greenville company, has
been awarded a contract to
place sand-filled nylon bags
in groins along the beach.
Nelson Hoke, a private
contractor who is doing the
actual work, said Monday
that he would place 66 bags on
the beach to form a finger
mmm
THRIFTWAY SUPERMARKET has opened a store in South
port. The new business, owned by Howard Singletary who also
operates stores in Whiteville and Shallotte, is located on Howe
HBHMH
Street and shares a new paved parking lot with the Western
Auto store.
like groin extending ap
proximately 100 feet from the
high tide mark into the ocean.
Hoke said that this first
groin will be an experimental
one only. Rivers and
Associates, the engineers for
the job, will make an in
spection after several weeks
to determine if tidal actions
are creating the expected
accumulation.
Permanent groins will be
started only if the results are
satisfactory. Hoke said that
there had been some trouble
in the past with individuals
who filled and placed the
bags improperly and who
achieved dissatisfying
results. For that reason the
bags are no longer available
to individual buyers.
Each bag has a life ex
pectancy of almost 30 years.
When filled, the bags weigh in
the vicinity of 7,000 pounds.
A full-scale groin project
was completled last spring at
Holden Beach, said Hoke, and
results there have been
highly satisfactory. He said
that h a nas also done work in
Folly Beach and Charleston,
S.C. A second experimental
groin was installed last week
at Long Beach.
Long Beach City Manager
Ed Liggett said that 74 bags
were placed on the beach
near Lockwood Folly Inlet
where erosion had previously
e and Tide
Thirty-live years ago this week a 69-year-old veteran canoeist
from Philadelphia stopped here. C.T. Beachwood was traveling
through the Intracoastal Waterway on the way to his summer
home in West Palm Beach, Florida. He did things like this for
exercise, having been a fine athlete at the University of Penn
sylvania, and once holding the national pole vault record.
C. Ed. Taylor, local attorney, was named to an important
State Junior Order committee dealing with mortality and life
insurance statistics; a nautical preparatory school was con
sidering the possibility of moving to Southport; the shrimpers
reported their best catch of the season; and the decision was
made to change the name of the local high school sport teams to
the Southport Dolphins.
Thirty years ago this week, it was announced that there
would be no more truck tires issued in Brunswick County that
month because the quota had been reached.
Bill Wells resigned his position as Register of Deeds and S.
Bunn Frink resigned his position of County Attorney, each to go
in service. The government asked that phone calls be kept to a
minimum; rigid restrictions were placed on the use of hard
wood lumber; a strong demand was found to exist for dogwood,
a growth found in large quantity on Bald Head Island; and the
campaign to make surgical bandages was in full swing.
Twenty-five years ago this week, a specially-made shark
fishing boat was brought to Southport to catch some of the
species for speecial purposes. In the course of a normal day, the
trained crew could catch 30 or more sharks and remove the
liver from each. Oil extracted from the liver was sold to
OontliUMd On Pag* Pour
severed a road.
Liggett said that the
project authorized by the N.C.
Department of Water and Air
Resources, was started last
Wednesday and was com
pleted Friday. He said that
the groin represented a $2,500
local investment.
If that groin is successful
work will begin on a larger
more comprehensive project
which will cost S62.500.
Quick Action
Contains Fire
Only another remarkable
performance by the South*
port Volunteer Firemen early
Monday morning prevented a
major fire in the business
district as they contained a
blaze in the Taylor building
with only a partial loss to that
structure.
This building recently was
occupied by the law Arm of
Frink, Foy and Gainey and
this week they have occupied
temporary quarters on the
second floor of the old
Leggett home next door.
Plans are to make necessary
repairs to the Taylor building
as quickly as possible so the
law firm can return to this
location.
Fire was discovered about
3:30 a.m. by Mrs. Gwendolyn
Dixon, who lives in an
apartmentnext door. Her call
to the fire department
brought speedy response and
practically all damage was
confined to the Interior of the
building.
There was some Indication
that the fire may have been of
incendiary origin although
there has been no follow-up
action on the part of arson
experts or local law en
forcement forces.