Newspapers / Fisherman & Farmer (Edenton, … / March 10, 1893, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Fisherman & Farmer (Edenton, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Published Erery Friday. Located in the Finest Fish, Truck and Farming Section in North Carolina. Circulation i.rP-. SSStS. " The Smallet Hair Throws a Shadow." iffl.' ; gjSV Established 1886. EDENTON, N. P.. FRIDAY, March. 10, 1893. t :-93. 1 . - 1 , . THE HAUNTS OF "BLACK BEARD. Tlie and Dunes o tlie Old S&ox-eia. tate. THE BCEKE OF MAKT TRAGEDIES THB GRISLY SKELBTONS FKOM HAT TEAS TO CAPS FEAB A BICH FIELD FOB THK ORNITHOLOGIST. The sand dunes of North Carolina hare been famous as the scene of ma rine tragedies. The bleaching ribs of seme ef the stateliest craft that ever plowed the deep, bear testimony to the ravages of old ocean. The English merchantman, the Portuguese galleon, the Dutch brigantine, the Spanish treaa uie ship, the French corvette, the Nor wegian Dark representatives of every maritime nation on the globe "are scat tered over the each, from Cape Fear to Hattsras their grisly "skeletons, pro truding from the sands, like antedilu rian monsters in some geological bed. This narrow strip of sand, winding like a yellow ribbon between the inland sounds and the sea, presents a curious study to the geologist. For years it has been gradually sinking, and at the same time becoming narrower, till now its average width is not more than a mile, and the libertine waters of the great sea not seldom rush across the frail barrier to embrace those of th amorous Albemarle. The slender di vide has not always beea able to with stand the matchless flood, which has in time of unusual commotion literally cut a pathway through the yielding sards. These form "inlets" of which 0' i:-."!7 TTttrif. And New ire ih Mjt iuipoifciifeic. xnrougn the first, Burn si le's fieptjof war ships of light draught defiled on its way to the bombardment of Roanoke island. The channels are coestauth shifting and skillful pilots are required to guide vessels safely ovr the bar The ornithologist may here find much to interest him, nn3 the conchologist rwvels in . paradis of shells. But the nautilus, pstle and pearly, and the deli cate blush of the sea cench, have small iiiiatuoo o.j blto iii io nature of the na tw "Psifkor- " Isolated frera th world an this bo rr3 waste f shifting bw tue BiiiUti -ji' l . vy j ears ago wa almost a barbarian. His savage in auaots not only made him consider all flotsam and jetsam his lawful property, but induce 1 his to use eery meaas f lure vessels achate fer purposes of plunder. And when a wreck occur red the wreckers held high carnival. The sparse population turned out en naasse, and with demoniac yells and cuises dire uurdered, without remorse, the hapless victims who escaped the ragtag surf. In those days, before .he fiLadly life savior, statu a -j rerj esiab lished, a wreck was t much more ter rible thing than it is to-day. Imagine eome doomed ship. abut to be hurled to distruction on a haggard reef, the drppairmg passengers and erpw zing, with heiror-dittendtd oyes, into the baleful erbs ef the human vampires on shore., ready to impede in every possi ble way the road to safety, or turning their eyes, beheld the grim form of pallada mors, sheathed in shadowv form beckon with herrid finger to an other world. Besides their occupation as wreckers, the Bankers are born fish ermen, and every ten-year-eld child is an adept in handling a boat. Agriculture if little practiced, but by dint of coaxing, watermelons and sweet potatoes are persuaded to grow "Fiah and Waters" is the staple diet. Nag's Head, a favorita retort along the coast, was named from a habit the Bankers had of hobbling a horse, sus pending a lanternlfrom its neck and walking it up and down the;beach, im pressing the unwary mariner with the behef that a vessel was ridding safe at anchor. Through this device many a good ship has gone down and much valuable booty secured to the land pira tes. The Rankers of tuday are differ ent beings from their ancestors of for mer generations, Fellowship with enlightened people has had a human izing influence and they are now good, useful citizens. The North Carolina coast is provided with three lighthouses of the first class Hatteraa, Whale's head and tiudy's island. The last mentioned it is my purpose to discribe, thoje at Hat teras and Whale s head being almost exactly similar. It was my good fortune to spend ten days at Body's island, as a guest of ene f the keepers of the light. Body's island is no longer an island, Nag's Head inlet, which formed its northern boundary having been completely clos ed up by the encroaching sands It is bounded on south, west and east res pectively, by Oregon Inlet, Albemarle sound and the Atlantic ocean. The dunes, for the most part barren of ro3-it;cc, have, in roras piacaa s stunted growth of ferest trees, and in others large marshes, covered with a rank growth of coarse grass, on which herds of wild cattle and 4Bar.vkV ponies graze. Myriads of billions of mosquitoes in fest these marshes mosquitoes micro scopic, mosquitoes Brobdignagian, red lipped mosquitoes, mosquitoes blear eyed and bloated from the intoxica ting effect o human blood. The most extravagant statements fall short of the reality. An old native told me that by wining a pint cup through a column of these pests you could easily cutch a quart. Thousands of snakes, taeir eyes gleaming with baleful fire through the watery ooze, inhabit the fresh water felons which oscur at frequent inter vais in the marshes. In the midst of one ef the most extensive ef the e mo rasses, one and a half miles frem Ore" gon inlet and about twelve miles from Nag's Head, the Body's island light tower pierces the ether to an altitude of 166 feet. It is an imposing monu ment to civilization, to humanity and to engineering skill- It stands mid way between the ocean and the sound, careering havenward. A bed oi piles, driven deep in the sand, surmountedjby tweaty feet of solid masonry, serves as a foundation for the brier work and iron which complete the structure. Its form is that of a cone, the base being fifty and the apex fifteen feet in diam eter. It was erected by the gevern- ment in 1371, at a cost of $300,001. The entrance to the tower, from the long brick walk leading to the $4,060 dwelling of the principal and assistant keepers, is through the oil room, the office and library. In the centre of the tesselaced marble floor, a w 11 ten feet deep, surrounded by a circular iron railling, serves to support the light ning roa, which terminates on the iron roof in a triple point. A spirl staircase of iron, having nine landings and S16 steps, winds its way to the top, and acta as a powerful support to the edifice On the outside the tower is painted in alternate broad bands of white and black. The ninth lauding forms the iron floor ef the watch-room- From the watch-room a short flight of steps com municates with the .nighty lamp. Its copper front, highly burnished, con tains ten gallons of oil, seven of which are nightly consumed in feeding the wicks. ( A ho can tell whether the con stant rubbing may not sometimes evoke the geni of the lamp, as in the good old days of the Caliph Harouu al Raschid ) The five-inch burner contains four concentric wicks, which, when lighted, forms a volu.ua of fl4r&s, whose povy erf ul.divergent rays penetrate the dark u88 in every direction to a distance of thirty-five miles . A magnificent plate glass lens, twelve feet high and six feet in diameter, in form closely resembling the skeleton of the human trunk the ribs of the latter corresponding to the prisms of the lens surrounds the light, and magnifies it many hundred times. Through the prismatic ribs the diffused rays blend the primary colors in a white radiance which illumines a region 100 miles in circumference. The lens was imported from Parr -t ftB xp'n,30 to th govern ment) ol "$25,000. Spirit of wine and chamois skin are employed in keeping it immaculate. In tact everything in and about the light house, as well as the dwelling, is required to be kept scrupu'ously dean, and not a speck oi r?ut i- visible aurwhere. Until a few years lard il ws ueed for illuminating purposes but- kero sene hus since been substituted giving a mere brillian-.. light. At the top ol the ninth staircase an iron door gives ace-s to ?. circular iron balcony, surrounded by n high railing. A narrow ladder, placed at an aakjle of eighty degrees, if-ads to the upper gniiery, which is itclesed with a net work of gaivanized wire, to protect th sc whose du'.y it is to clean the glass. Many fat canvas, back aDd uianv a redhesd h is hurled himself te death against this .attice work, and fallen an eaif prey to the watcher below. , From the lower parapet the view in all directions is fine At tuniei, when it is time to iilt the great lamp, an opuliue effulgence rises frm the sands, and 'he sun smiles a crim on smile upon the hoary ocen Schools of po'po ses deport them selves within ha f a mile ef share, and dash from heirtai s liquid sap phires, as they wh rl on their course in a succession ot summersaults. The uonzon seems iimitiefs. Numerous wiiite sails deck the blue mantle ot the eea T the. north and south streches the s nd p ain. broken here and there by hummocks, or p tubes i mm , i of marsh. Toward the west lies Al bemarle Sound, dotted with pictur esque islands. This sound wus nntu ed in honor of the celebrated Geo Monk, Duke of Albemarle, one o the earlv proprietors of North Caro lina. It is famous for its immense herring fisheries, the largest seines sometimes capturing as many as 500, 1 009 at a single haul. It was the favorite haunt of Ed war Teach, better known as "Blackbe d " hious treasures ju lue shores and is lands washed by its waters. T .is re doubted freebooter terrorized for years the sea-faring population along the Atlantic coast, and sometime ventured for to sea in his pintical cruises. He was a mnn f gigantic build, with a colossal black beard reaching to his waist. When the b,!d buccaneer was about to attack a ves sel, he organized a sort of devil's l.mce on the deck of his schooier . cU . A-ed glass, so that the blood flowed from his mouth, and stuck lighted candles in his twisted beard. Armed at all points, and brandishing in his right hand a hugh cutlass, he rushed a nong his adversaries with irresistible fury, shouting, "Death aad hell ! Wood fiends !" intimidating bv his lor mi. la bie appearance his boldest ant ...mis's and paralyzing with dread h rrrthe pusillanimous. He was c ;pt jred Lieut Maynard. of the British mvy, decapitated, and his head stusk upon the bowsprit in triumph. After ht was beheaded his body is sai 1 to !idv swum three times around he vessel ! To this day a pbamtom light is of ten seen in the vicinity of Holy's is land. The natives call it reach's light "and regard it with superstitious awe. VVhen nearly approached i 'uddenly and mysteriously disap pears. The entire landscape viewed from the tower is bieak and desolate in the extreme; the wild scream of the iu l mingles with the sobbing of the ''sad sea waves," and the surface of the deep seems corruscating and scintil lating with the flashing of a billion gems, and as the fiary orb sinks be low the ho'izon, the revolriu light at Hatteras, thirty-three miles dis tant, flashes in response to the beacon at Body's island. 'Social watch fires answering one another through tue d.trkaes " Gaston Poel in Goldwaite's Geo graphical Magazine GUARANTEED CUEE. We authorize our advertised druggist to sell Dr King's New Discovery for Consumption, Coughs and Colds, upon this condition. If you are afflicted with a Cough, Cold or any Lung Throat or Chest trouble, and will use this remedy as directed, giving it a fair trial, and experience no benefit, you may return the bottle and have your money refunded. We could not make this offer did we not know that Dr, King's New Discovery oould be relied on. it never disappoints. Trial bottles free at VV. I. Leary'a Drug Store. LaJge size 50c and 31,60. JXow is the time to Subscribe. S.B. MTU.TU: CO. WHOLESALE COMMISSION' Fish Dealers, NO. 7 FULTON MARKET. New York. S-trauel B. Miller ) Clarence G. Miller. ) Special Attention Given to THE SALE OF NORTH CARO LINA SHAD. Stencils uiid Stationery Furnished on Application. WE EMPLOY NO AGENT. Established ltitu. SAfrtL. M. LAWDEB & SON, Wnolettalo Conmi;MUn Uealeis In Fresii Fish, 'A Soft Cras, Terrapin. Etc. 12 j Liht St. Baltimore, Md. Quick Sal8 ! Prompt Returns REFERENCES Traders Nat'l. Bank, Duns Mercantile Aeei-oy Wm. J. lioop.r & t. J. Iuk hart Co, E, W. Albaugli & Son Wholesale ComMistion Merchants. rBURAPIN. OYSTERS. GAME & POULTHf Ko. 224 Light tr,-fct Wharf, BALTIMORE Consignments Solicited. Prompt Returns, Our Motto. REFERENCE. Citizens National Hank. J Hoontr & (o. &. A. Z I R G K E L UO. 17 S. Charles Street Baltimore, - Md. Sole agents for Totvers (Hied Clothing, Hats c. METROPOLITAN RUBBER Ct S Runber Clothing nd Mackin toshes, and LYCOMING RUBBER CO'S Extra fine quality rubber Boots and Shr and TSHSIS RHOSS. The LycoroiBjf Nom-Sxag Henvj boot, the begt in tbc world Write for Discounts. - i
Fisherman & Farmer (Edenton, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 10, 1893, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75