Annals of the Fleeting Years
Part Two
By TUCKER ft. LITTLETON
To the crew of flahermea at Ce
dar Point Fiahery, the raiaing of
a white flag did not mean surren
der, but rather it meant a victory
-? big one. Juat when and, how I
the cuatom originated it unknown,
but there waa practiced by the Ce
dar Point fiahermen an old cuatom
at flag-raiaing.
Usually, there were twelve to fif
teen members of the crew who got
ahares of the fish; the captain was
uaually given a share for his nets
and a share for his boats. Since
the crew could not get water from
a well on Cedar Point, someone
had to be hired to bring water to
the fishery each morning, and he
alao received a share of the fish
for supplying the men with water
to drink.
All in all, a good crew of men
normally had to divide their fish
into about twenty shares. The cus
tom was that if a haul brought in
enough fiah that every share with
whom the catch had to be divided
got a barrel of fish apiece then the
white flag was hoisted up on the
flag pole where it could be seen
by anxious wives in Swansboro and
on neighboring farms.
A barrel was considered to be 125
pounds, and it was a good haul
that gave every share that many
fiah.
Wives were familiar with this
practice, and from the gable win
dows of houses in Swansboro, those
anxious ladies watched to see the
white flag raised at Cedar Point.
When the white flag was spotted
by a wife of one of the crew mem
bers as it rose above the treetops
across the river, the passerby in
the street below was likely to hear
the good woman rejoicing over the
catch her husband and crew had
made.
When mealtime drew near and
the wife had to busy herself about
the kitchen, the children were often
hurried upstairs to watch in the
mother's place. If the children
ahoutcd that the flag was rising,
a happy mother was likely to come
running to the gable window and
all too often a forgotten pot was
left on the stove till the dinner was
smelled burning.
While this custom continued to
be practiced for many years, it
had its distinct disadvantages. It
was the quickest way of notifying
wife and family of the good for
tunes of the day, but some com
plained. One good man advocated
the dropping of such a custom, for,
as he told the story, every time
his wife saw the white flag rise
she ran downstairs and grabbed
the Scars and Roebuck catalogue.
And before he got home, his share
was already spent!
Every day at the fishery brought
something different. The day be
gan when the men started arriving
about 4 or 5 a.m. Early in the
day Mr. Shep Bell would arrive
with a keg of water, which he
brought a good distance with a
mule and cart. As soon as day
came and one could see, ? man
was put in the lookout and could
tell from a great distance when
a school of fish was approaching.
Bayers came early in the day to
purchase what the men caught.
Some days the buyers had to wait
until evening before a catch was
made, and at other times the first
hauls had already been made be
fore the first buyer arrived.
Some buyers purchased fish and
transported them across land, but
most of the fish were sold to men
who came for them in boats. Dur
ing the best part of the fishing
season; it was not uncommon to
have better than fifteen boats wait
ing offshore to buy the crew's
catch.
The year so many shrimp were
caught was the time that Mr. War
ren Styron came up in his boat and
bought the shrimp for $1 per box.
Later it was learned that Mr. Will
Reynolds had resold them for $5
per box, and that was big money.
Some days the crew caught fish
just as fast as they could clear
their nets and haul again, and
some days they hardly saw a fish.
Among the varied experiences, one
crew member told this anecdote.
Mr. Charlie Bennett was working
for Charlie Wallace, of Morehead
City, who had engaged all the fish
that the Cedar Point crew caught.
Mr. Bennett arrived early that day
to get the fish, and he wasn't long
getting them, for that turned out
to be one of the better days.
He loaded up his boat with the
fish and started to leave for More
head. He had just got out of sight
of the crew when they hauled again
and hoisted the flag. Mr. Bennett
saw the flag when it was raised
and had to turn uround and come
back for more fish.
He loaded those on and got just
around the bend when the same
thing happened again. He came
back for the third catch of fish
and quite frustrated begged,
"Boys, 1 wish you'd stop fishing
for the day. You're a-working me
to death."
Mr. Edward Littleton remember
ed several bad storms while he
fished at Cedar Point, and there
were certainly many hurricanes
and storms in the earlier years.
But none of the storms ever dam
aged the fishing grounds. If wind
and tide washed the camp away, a
new one could be built and the
fishing went on next year unharm
ed.
Some years were bound to be
better than others, and Mr. Ed
ward Littleton told of one season
during the months of September
and October when his crew hoisted
the white flag at least once a day
for twenty-seven consecutive days
and sometimes as much as three
times a day.
It Is altogether likely that earlier
crews under George Littleton,
Burns Smith, or Beg Lewis could
have topped that record, for old
timers used to tell about the days
when a man didn't have to go fish
ing with a net. Back then the fish
were so thick on? could kill all he
wanted with a stick, so the story
goes.
Each year's crew was likely to
have gained new members and to
have lost tome of the previous
year's fishermen. The crews were
as a rule made up of men from
both counties who often walked
long distances in the early morn
ing hours to get to work on time.
Because such a crew kept no rec
ords and memories of older men
are prone to fail them, it is prac
tically impossible to compile a
complete list of the men who at
one time or other fished at Cedar
Point Fishery. But a partial list
follows to give what idea it can
of the number of men who found
fishing at Cedar Point a good way
to make a living.
From Carteret county came
these: Beg Lewis, Burns B. Smith,
Absalom Rhue, Monroe Ehue, Lay
field Rhue, Anthony Davis, Sam
Davis, Walter Guthrie, Tom Ed
Gillikin.
Stacy Rhue, Martin Rhue, Guy
Weeks, Hub Smith, Benny Cannon,
Tom Piner, Dan Piner, Shep Pin
er, Andrew Rhue, Walt Taylor.
Walter Piner, Lee Cannon, Roe
buck Buck, Lee Buck, Burse Cole,
Manly Howard, Steve Dudley,
Joshua Bell, Tom Guthrie, Elijah
Guthrie.
Victor Holland, Jim Holland,
"Nick" Holland, Ransom Bat, Bill
Dudley, Allen Mitchell, George Al
len Davis, Charlie Dudley, and
countless others.
These were from Onslow county:
George W. Littleton, Tom Merritt.
Ben Davis, George Hill, K. Blood
good, Edward F. Littleton, John
W. Littleton, John A. Littleton.
Roy Odum, Pete Hatsell, George
Bell, Charlie Maness, Tucker H.
Heady, Rob Heady, Gus Pittman
Jr. and Sr., Alphaeus Dennis, Carl
Ward.
Herbert Piner, Harrison Piner,
John Sanders, Fred Bell, John Pin
er, "Chub" Kirkman, Clarence
Bloodgood Jr. and Sr., Ed Hill,
Bert Tolson.
Everett Littleton, Thomas Sparks
Littleton, Loftin Barfield, Bob Lit
tleton. Dick Littleton, Jim Little
ton, Earl Tolson, William Keel,
Fred Pittman.
Marvin Hatsell, Charlie "Nick"
Sewell, Paul Sewell, Lon Holland,
Joe Buckmaster, Dan Morton, Ce
i cil Morton, Jim Midget, Zeb Weth
erington.
Hub Midget, Joe Kirkman, John
L. Bell, Dan Taylor Jr. and Sr.,
Joe Wheeler Piner, Jim Frazelle,
Ernest Dennis, Cecil Dennis, Nash
Dennis.
Tobe Jones, Ed Jones, John Kin
sey, George Hatsell, Rufus Low
horn, Allen Howell, Tink Odum,
Eugene Pridgen, Clyde Piner,
Thomas Hill, Harry Moore.
Andrew Hill, A. K. Riggs, Clar
ence Vinson, Fred Green, Clayton
Hatsell, Cecil Keel, Will Wiggins.
Percy Riggs, Vincent Carney, Hub
Carney.
Herman Odum, Kenneth Pitt
man, Tom Mattocks, M. T. Man
ess, Pat Irvin, Bob Midget, Capus
Midget, Ed Smith, Larry Stanley,
Ralph Rouse, Will Pridgen, Erring
ton Littleton, Harry Littleton, and
many more.
Life at the fishery must have
been wonderful, for according to
some stories, early hands there
like to come back after their de
cease. Three crew members ar
rived early one day before dawn
and were greeted by the apirita of
three men who had fiahed there
earlier but were supposed to be
dead at that time.
The spirits were so plain the
three fishermen claimed to have
recognized them, could call them
by name, and beat a hasty retreat.
For well over a hundred years,
work at the Cedar Point Fishery
was just that exciting t
13 Couples Get
Licenses to Wed
The following couples applied for
marriage licenses through the of
fice of Odell Merrill, register of
deeds, from Dec. 19 through Jan.
15:
Dec. It: Robert M. White, 26, of
Beaufort and Annie Mae Lewis, 30,
of Morehead City; James Baird
Walker, 26, of Raleigh and Helen
Hendrix Carlton, 21, of Morehead
City.
Dec. 22: Tony Wade, 21, of Wil
liston and Allie M. Lewis, 17, of
Harkers Island; Johnnie Kirk Den
nis, 19, of Beaufort and Harriet
Elizabeth Hill, 17, of Beaufort.
Dec. 24: Floyd Hill Jr., 25, of
Beaufort and Barbara Horton, 22,
of Morehead City.
Dec. 26: Vernon McKinncy, 29,
of Kanohi Bay, Hawaii and Thelma
At wood, 29, of Newport.
Dec. 30: George W. Bell, 24, of
Havelock and Gwendolyn Whitting
ton, 23, of Wildwood.
Dec. 31: Darrcll B. Hardison, 18,
of Beaufort and S h e I b a Jean
Swann, 19, of Beaufort.
Jab. i: Jack C. Garner, 29, of
Newport and Gracie M. Small, 19,
of Newport.
Jan. 11: Jack O'Donnell. 28. of
Morehead City and Betty Gilbert,
23, of Morehead City; Charles Gra
ham Morris, 31. of Atlantic and
Dallas Grace Gillikin, 33, of Ot
way.
Jan. 13: Harley Franklin Garner,
19, of Newport and Nancy Atkin
son, 18, of Beaufort.
Jan. 15: Don E. Wegley, 38, of
Farmersville, Ohio, and Ella Mar
garet Davis, 32, of Morehead City.
Insurance Agent Speaks
To Newport Rotarians
Insurance agent Roy T. Garner
was the speaker at the Monday
night meeting of the Newport Ro
tary club. He spoke on traffic
safety and the new point system.
Mr. Garner told Rotarians that the
recently adopted point system in
North Carolina can cost a driver
bis license through traffic viola
tion convictions.
Guests at the meeting included
R. P. Joyce Jr. of Newport who
attended as the guest of Derryl
Garner and E. C. Jernigan, who
came as the guest of Ed Comer.
David Murray of Morehead City
was a visiting Rotarian.
Tkmft tiki a i
m am tor tiki * CkmoH. Thit it Hu Imrda Sport C?r*
i? '60
i? CHEVY!
NOW- THE CAR THAT STARTS THE SIXTIES j
WITH SO MUCH THAT'S NEW, '
SO MUCH THAT'S DIFFERENT
-.AND SETS THE PACE WITH LOWER PRICES!
CWn???lM?ir ?ll lot W?G-TV-t>.P?t Boom CWrrnnWMiMj.ABC-TT.
Chevrolet (peek* o i the Sixtie* like
no other ear? with a broad accent on
apacioueneee, atirring new eoneapti in
atyling and strong emphaaia on spirit
Step inaide thia superlative '<0 and
look at the worlda of room around
you: head room, hip roam, ahoulder
aquarint room. Note bow Chevrolet's
engineer* have further flattened and
narrowed the tranamfaaion tunnel to
live the middle man more foot room.
Chevrolet'a greater roominess ia tastrfs
when you want it? not outside in
naeleaa body overhang.
You'll find economy teamed with
performance In a new atandard V8,
engineered to deliver up to 10% more
muee for every gallon, or the strapping
Hi-Thrift ?.
And riding comfort in the new one
ia a never-ending treat, thanka to Full
Coil spring auapenaion. There are ako
thicker, newly designed body mounts
that Alter noise and vibration to the
vanishing point, more rigid frame and
many other engineering advances.
But you'll have to drive the Sixty
aizzler yourself? that's the clincher.
Why not see your Chevrolet dealer
now? for a drive
and the happy d?
tails on Chevy's
new lower prices.
Nov? fast delivery, favorable deals! See your local authorized Chevrolet dealer.
SOUND CHEVROLET CO., INC.
1306 Arendell Street Morehead City Phone PA 6-4071
DL *?. 1M
How Do You RateYourTown?
Bad DUoa, Mottkeil City com
missioner, provide! the following
check list for rating one's town.
The list originally appeared in the
magasine, Town Journal, and hat
been widely uaed by towns through- <
out the country.
The statements are to be answer- ,
ed yes or no. If as many as 30 have
yes answers, the town is consider
ed average.
1. Most high school graduates
stay in town.
2. Getting a loan on a sound
business venture is easy.
3. The local paper constantly
pushes civic improvements.
4. There's a Chamber of Com
merce with a live-wire manager.
5. Local speeders pay the same
fine as out-of-towners.
8. There's a place to swim with
in easy reach.
7. Young couples have little trou
ble finding a place to live.
8. The head of your government
is a "get-things-done" man. c
9. Town entrances are free from
junk, shacks, and billboards. )
ir
10. Teachers' salaries are better
than the state average.
11. There's at least one doctor
per too people in your community.
12. There's a library with a food
collection of recent books.
IS. Newcomers quickly (eel they
?re a part ol the town.
14. Schools have plenty at room
tor students.
13. Fire insurance rates are low
for your type of town.
1(. Service, veterans' and wom
en's clubs team up on projects.
17. There is an active well-organ
zed Boy Scout troop.
11. A modern hospital is within
rour trading area.
19. All streets are paved and
udewalks are in good condition.
20. Well-stocked stores keep
ihoppers in town.
21. There's a hotel or motel you'd
:njoy if you were a visitor.
22. It's easy to find parking
ipace in the business section.
23. At least one restaurant serves
wtstanding meals.
24. The sewer extension program
[eeps pace with new housing.
25. It's easy to get volunteers for
I any worthwhile project.
26. Public toilet* are provided
for farm folk shopping in town.
27. Prompt, reasonably priced
ambulance service is available.
2t. Good toning keeps factories
away from residential areas.
X. There's an annual clean-up,
paint-up, fix-up week.
30. Str< throughout the com
munity are well-lighted.
31. More than half the church
congregations are under 40 years
old.
32. Shade trees line nearly all
the streets.
33. There's an ample supply of
good drinking water.
34. There's a recreation center
where young people dance.
35. The business section has a
modern, prosperous look.
3C. There's as much interest in
local as national elections.
37. The tax rate is attractive to
new industry.
38. There's a town council to
guide the community's progress.
Brownie Troop
Visits Newspaper
Brownie Troop 77, Beaufort, with
troop leader Mrs John Mease, vis
ited THE NEWS-TIMES Tueaday
afternoon. The (iris toured the
editorial office and plant. Each
received a "slug" with her name
as well as a copy of the paper.
With the girls were their junior
leader, Bonnie Ward, and Mrs. Sid
ney Lewis, mother of a Brownie.
Making the tour were the follow
ing:
Olivia Joyce Mason
Bonnie Joy Willis
Sharon Kay Mease
Jan Nicholson
Janet Ann Smith
Susan Young
Norma Jean Thompson
EUen Smith
Bonnie Ward
Mrs. John Mease
Mrs. Sidney Lewis
Jo Frances Lewis
Elaine Darden
39. There's an active PTA.
40. Firemen must take regular
training couraes.
II
Your dollar'll do cartwheels at Piggly Wiggly's
"Dollar Days" sale! Money-saving quantity dis
counts on dozens of top grocery items, meats, and
fresh fruits and vegetables. To see new life
breathed into the tired dollar, shop Piggly Wiggly
all this week! This is one food sale that you
can't afford to miss! We'll see 'ya at Piggly
Wiggly!
PLYMOUTH Pt. . 25c
COOKING OIL Qt. _ 45c
I
PLYMOUTH MUG
Peanut Butter 39c
MAXWELL HOUSE l-OZ. JAR
INSTANT COFFEE 95c
HEINZ TOMATO
Ketchup 2 Bottles 49^
"YOUR CHOICE'
SUNSET GOLD
EVAPORATED
MILK 8
8
8
8
4
3 Lb..
l-Lb. Package Free with each 8-Lb. Pkg. of Lard
MAYFIELD CREAM STYLE
CORN
RED GLOW
TOMATOES
PLYMOUTH INSTANT
COFFEE
CHEF BOY-AR-DEE
SPAGHETTI & MEAT BALLS
GWALTNEY
PURf LARD
Giant
Tall
Cans
No. 303
Cans
No. 303
Cam
Ox.
Jar
15V,-Ox.
Cans
Maxwell House
COFFEE -59'
LIMIT ONE WITH ?5.M FOOD ORDEK
12 Rolls
Waldorf Tissuo
3 4-Roll Pkgs. $1.00
Bake 'em
Stew 'em
Make Chicken Salad
Small 3 to 4 lb.
Fresh
HENS
19'.
e
Fresh Pork Loin
ROAST
End Cut
43 1
Hygrade Reliable
Sliced
BACON
39*
?_ ?
PIGGLY WIGGLY
HOME-MADE
Sausage
3 Lb. Bulk
Pk?.
$-|.oo
?
ALL FOR $1.00
10-Lb. Bag
US No. 1 Potatoes
4-Lb. Bag Apples
3-Lb. Bag Onions
ALL FOR
$1.00
PRICES EFFECTIVE THROUGH SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1M
CARTERET'S FINEST ' 1400 and 1402 ArMKMI, Morehe.d City, N. C. 42-CAR PARKING LOT