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VOLUME XVII NO. 11 HALF MILLION DOLLAR INCOME IN TWO MONTHS FOR PEOPLE OF ROANOKE ISLAND AREA Lost Colony Activity Biggest Resource of The Community Closes on September 2, Having Attendance of 53,850 or less than in 1949. An estimated half million dol lars have been dropped in the laps of people of Roanoke Island and vicinity by reason of Lost Colony activity. The show closed Sunday night, with a total attendance of 53,850 for the season. It has come to be the greatest asset of Roa noke Island, and its removal would constitute a terrific blow to the economy of our people. There are signs of warning in the attendance figures for the three years it has played since the war. The actual fact is, the Lost Colony is not holding its own. In stead of increasing, its attendance has been declining after 1949. When the Lost Colony attendance in 1950 dropped 3,917 under 1949, the incident was explained away by reference to a rainy July. In 1949 the show had 56,412 visitors; in 1950 it had 52,495 visitors. The season just closed had an attend ance of 53,850 which was 1,355 more than last year, but 2,562 less than in 1949. Now it is obvious that in view of the rapidly increasing cost of pro duction, the show must have an in crease in attendance from year to year of not less than 10 per cent. It cannot remain static in attend ance, because increased income and depreciation of properties will add up to a considerable loss. It is easily seen that the Lost Colony is on losing ground, and is going away from us. This is not pleasant - thinking, but we might as well face the facts and do something about it. • It appears that the Lost Colony is being managed more soundly. It has able people at the head of it, and more conservative manage ment during the past few years has resulted in payment off of a lot of debts. But something is se riously lacking in the promotion of the show. We may call attention to the fact that in its second season, a more mediocre play, “Unto These Hills,” which has just closed its second season in the mountains of West ern North Carolina, had an at tendance this summer of more than 150,000 people, or three times as many as saw the Lost Colony. It is sure the hill play has the advantage of being in a great Na tional Park Area, which we do not, but it is also true that the Dare Beaches this year have witnessed an enormous increase in visitors this summer an increase which has been estimated as much as 50 per cent more than the previous year. The great increase in business for the Dare Beaches may be at tributed to the vast amount of money and effort being expended to promote and advertise the beaches. Some mighty clever pub licity goes forth the entire year, beamed at those who are interested in fishing and beach attractions. It ? has paid off. The same sort of thing has to be done by the people of Roanoke Is land, in aiding the Lost Colony publicity, so as to carry on a more complete program. This and other things must be done to reach those people for whom the Lost Colony has first appeal. WANCHESE SOLDIER TO RECEIVE HONOR AWARD Sgt. Elman T. Tillett was one of 13 men chosen from the student body of the Signal School, Fort Monmouth, N. J., to receive the Honor Award for the month of August. He will be presented with an honor certificate by the com mandant and will have his name placed on the school honor roll board, erected in front of the school headquarters. As an added reward he is to receive a three-day pass in September, which is usual ly not given the students. Sgt. Tillett is the son of Mr. and Mrs. S. B. Tillett of Wanchese. GEN. MACON AND FAMILY WEEK-END VISITORS IN DARE Major General Robert C. Macon and Mrs. Macon of Fort Monroe, Va., spent the week end at their cottage on Roanoke Island. They were accompanied by their brother, Dr. Edward B. Macon of Washing ton, with his wife and daughter May. On Sunday Dr. Macon and , General Macon with Roger Meek- j ins flew to Waves, where they vis-, ited Newcomb Midgett and looked j over property owned by them in the vicinity. The party plans to re turn later in the fall. General and, Mrs. Macon are considering addi tional buildings on Roanoke Island. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA MRS. DRISKILL Dies OF HEART ATTACK IN PHOEBUS WED. Mrs. Bessie Mingee Driskill, 58, widow of the late air pilot Dave Driskill who died two years ago, died at 11:45 Wednesday in the Dixie Hospital in Hampton, Va., following a heart attack. The fun eral services will be conducted Sat urday afternoon at 2:30 in the Phoebus Baptist Church and she will be interred beside her husband in Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Driskill made her home here in Manteo for several years, removing to Phoebus after the death of her husband in October 1 949. He was killed while testing helicopters in Philadelphia. The Driskills were very popular dur ing the stay here, anl leave a host of friends. Surviving relatives are four sis ters, Mrs. C. E. Hatton, Mrs. C. J. Hagan, Mrs. I. W. Brooks, and Mrs. W. D. Hunter, and four brothers, W. S. Mingee, R. E. Mingee, F. V. Mingee, 0. E. Min gee, of Phoebus, Va. BIG FAIR BEGINS MONDAY NIGHT IN ELIZABETH CITY Seven-County Fair Open Sep tember 10 fror Five Days; Racing and Many Shows The Albemarle’s greatest fair and carnival ever to be staged in Elizabeth • City, will get into full swing next Monday, Sept. 10, as Norman Y. Chambliss brings this section of the State'“big time en tertainment.” Seven counties in the Albemarle —Pasquotank, Camden,- Perquim ans, Chowan, Gates, Currituck and Dare will take part in the biggest array of agricultural exhibits ever seen here in a single display. Thirty booths erected last season on the fairgrounds will be decor ated and readied for the fair open ing on Monday. The fair will operate all week, beginning Monday night and con tinuing through Saturday night. Lawrence Greater Shows, with the finest midway in the country will provide the entertainment. Lawrence shows feature 24 modern riding devices and 15 up to date shows. Harness horse racing, which has long since become famous in the Albemarle, will be featured each afternoon on the fairway’s race See FAIR, Page Four MRS. MAUDE DINWIDDIE Mrs. Maude H. Dinwiddie, 80, died Saturday morning at 12:56 o’clock at the residence at Nags Head. She was a native of Ne braska but had been living at Nags Head for three years. She was the wife of the late Howard B. Din widdie and a' member of the Man teo Baptist Church. * She is survived by one son, the Rev. Frank B. Dinwiddie of Nags Head, and one daughter, Mrs. George R. Warn of Jacksonville, Fla. The body was moved to Tw ! - ford’s Funeral Home in Manteo. Mrs. Difiwiddie’s funeral was conducted from the Nags Head Baptist Chapel Monday afternoon at three o’clock. Her son is pastor of the chapel, and the family re sided nearby. Her son in loving memory, together with Rev. Gilbert ■ Mister, conducted the funeral services. Floral offerings were profuse. Funeral services were conducted Monday morning at 11 o’clock. Pall bearers were Reggie Parker, Marshall Tillett, S. J. Twine, Eddie Reber, Jethroe Midgett, Jr., and Wynne Dough. Burial was in the Nags Head cemetery. KITTY HAWK CIVIC CLUB TO RESUME FALL MEETINGS ■ Announcement is made by David, , Stick, President, that the fall {meeting of Kitty Hawk Civic Club will be resumed Monday night, • September 10, beginning at eight o’clock. Ab considerable business has accumulated for 'discussion, a full attendance is urged, in order! that a full programmay be for- 1 mulated for the coming year. DeLOACHE LEAVES’ MANTEO AIRPORT FOR PORTSMOUTH Manteo Airport Nov; Operat ed by Bill Henderson With Full Service to Manes Walter DeLoatche, who for the past two years has been operating the Manteo Airport, left Septem ber 1 for Portsmouth, Va., where he has taken over the management of the Roosevelt Airport. The De- Loaches, with their two children have won the friendship of all who know them in Dare County and their departure was greatly regret ted. * William M. Henderson of Corol la, N. C., an experienced commer cial pilot of more than 23 years, and operator of airports at Wash ington, D. C. for 17 years, is now managing the Manteo airport, and continuing the service without in terruption, Mr. Henderson is a licensed air craft mechanic; licensed motor me chanic, and is enabled to render additional service at the airport. For three and a half years during the war, he was instructor of pilots for the Army in Texas. He is a native of Macon County, N. C., but I resided in Washington 32 years, i For the past year he has been liv ing at his beach home at Corolla in Currituck County. The Manteo airport is the finest in Northeastern North Carolina, in fact the only modern airport, and the only airport in the state, other than the Coast Guard Airbase in Elizabeth City, having seaplane ramp. 300 N. C. HIGHWAY EMPLOYES in DARE For 3-DAY MEETING Headquarters At Kill Devil Hills; Dinner Thursday Night at 4-H Camps More than 300 members of the N. C. State Highway Employes As sociation are spending the week end in Dare County, and with them as invited guests are several prom inent state officials. R. E. Thomas of Manteo, Supervisor for this area with R. E. Speight, Supt. of the Ahoskie District are working hard to make a success of the party. Headquarters is the Wilbur Wright Hotel at Kill Devil Hills. A big fish fry was served at te 4-H Camps at the Manteo Airport Thursday night. Friday night, following a big See MEETING, Page Four Virginians and New Yorkers Spend Week Refreshing Friendship at Nags Head Petersburg Lawyer and Wife Entertain Jean and Sipora Van Praag at Chamblee Cottage. Four of Nags Head’s visitors during the last week of August ! were the Philip Freemans and the I Jean Van Praags of Petersburg, Va., and New York. If any party on the whole coast had more fun last week than these four, the lawyer in the foursome, Philip , Freeman, would undoubtedly have brought proceedings against it as ging beyond the bounds of human probabilities. There’s not a doubt in the world that the humorous Petersburg lawyer would enjoy ar guing such a case—he’d be lik.’ly to enjoy losing such a cose more than a more f<ybidding sort of lawyer could enjety a week at Nags Head, say. Mr. Freeman and his A-ife, who is supervisor of elementary educa tion in Sussex county, Virginia, had as their guests for the week Mr. and Mrs. Jean Van Praag of New York. Mr. Van Praag is an importer and diamond broker; Mrs. Van Praag is a writer. Her first novel, “The Grinding of the Wheels,” is to be released by Simon &' Schuster, New York publishers, this fall. The Van Praags were born in the Netherlands; both are now American citizens. Jean came to this country in 1939; Sipora, his wife, came in 1940. Van Praag was in the U. S. Army during World War II and, in one of the pleasant er phases of his service, met Si pora, who was employed by the army as a translator. They were married in June, 1944. The friendship between the Freemans and the Van Praags de veloped out of the negotiations in which they became involved when .Sipora answered an advertisement in which Freeman’s taw partner offered a portable typewriter for sale. Van Praag was then stationed at Camp Lee, and his wife lived in Petersburg. The two families, had dinner together a few times, and | the friendship between them de -1 veloped so well that they have ex changed visits, to New York in the MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1951 CHAIRMAN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR COUNTY p- oil LAWRENCE W. SWAIN, of Man teo, a member of the Dare County Board of Commissioners, was named chairman of the newly or ganized Dare County Tourist Bur eau, Tuesday of this week. M. L. Burrus of Hatteras was named Vice-Chairman and David Stick of Kill Devil Hills, Secretary-Treas urer. The Board of Commissioners pledged $1,500.00 toward the goal of $10,000.00 for the first year’s program, providing the Bureau could raise the additional $8,500. Os this balance the Lost Colony pledged $3,000.00, the Dare Ceunty Chamber of Commerce $1,000.00, the Nags Head Chamber of Com merce $1,000.00 and the Town of Manteo $350.00. All pledges were contingent on the balance of $3,- 150.00 being raised by the Bureau. The secretary was instructed to write letters to all groups men tioned in brochure as possible con tributors. It was decided that all checks would be signed by Secretary treasurer and Chairman of County Commissioners. Directors will serve for a two year term, one-half to be replaced each year. FIRST YEAR PUPILS MUST HAVE BIRTH CERTIFICATES All pupils entering school for the first time this year, that is enter ing the first grade, must have birth certificates according to Mrs. Mary L. Evans. County Supt. of schools. Mrs. Evans also cites the law which requires that before a child may enter school for this term, the child must be six years old on or before October 1, 1951. s winter and Virginia in the sum -5 mer, ever since. > The Novelist , Mrs. Van Praag, whose name ’ will be listed Sipora Van Praag • in the card catalogues in the li i braries, although born in The > Netherlands, is of Spanish descent. • She writes in English, which is her > third language. Dutch is her na i tive tongue, and she next learned t French. She has written in forms • as variant as opera-librettos and ■ novels, the latter form being her ' most recent experiment., “The i be released, is about “the rise and ‘ Grinding of the Wheels,” soon to ; fall of a cabdriver,” she says. It is based upon her own experiences i as a cabdriver in New York during • the early part of the war. She is , now at work on a second novel, to : be called “The Rainbow Is Not For Sale,” which she hopes to have i finished by mid-October. A Linguist By American standards, Mrs. 1 Van Praag, with her command of three languages, would be con sidered a thorough linguist. Not by the Van Praag standard, how ever; for Jean is fluent in French, Dutch, English, German, Italian and Flemish. He travels abroad frequently in his business and speaks in a most interesting way of conditions in Europe, particular ly of socialized England, of which he is intensely critical but he didn’t have much chance to get up on a soap box (even were he so inclined) at Nags Head and lec ture on the “evils of socialism.” for he had the constant company of three of the most expert heck lers to be found in New York and Virginia. They could hardly have found anyone to heckle who could appreciate their wit so much. When the four left Nags Head on Sunday, they probably were thinking that they “could use lots more of Nags Head”: certain it is that Nags Head could use many visitors like the Freemans and the Van Praags. W. G. ETHERIDGE I OF COAST GUARD FAME DIES WED. Was Son of Noted Station Keeper of Cape Hatteras;- Funeral to Be Conducted Friday Lt. Commander Walter G. Eth eridge, USCG retired, age 61, died Wednesday morning in the Marine Hospital, Norfolk, following an ill ness of several weeks. His wife and other members of his family were with him when he died. He was a resident of Roanoke Island. He was the son of the late Pat- . rick H. Etheridge and Anne Scar borough Etheridge of Dare Coun ty, and his father before him was famous in the days of the Life Saving Service which was absorbed by the Coast Guard. There are | many stories of his bravery in I time of shipwreck. His son Walter, in turn made a notable career in the service, fol lowing a 4-year hitch in the Navy, he joined the Coast Guard as a surfman, in 1915 and retired in 1946. He was made a warrant of- I ficer in 1922 for spectacular work . at a shipwreck, along with four other officers in charge. Os the five, two are now living. B. R. 1 Ballance of Buxton, and Will Bar- I nett of Southport. . He w-as long in command of the division at Elizabeth City and during the war commanded a large • unit at Galveston, Texas. A man of great popularity, he had a host of friends throughout the country. ' He is survived by his wife, the ;' former Syble Dowe, by one son, ■ Lt. Com. Ralph Etheridge, USCG, ! | of Elizabeth City, three daughters, ’ I Mrs. Ralph Davis, Mrs. W. M. • Jolliff of Manteo, and Mrs. Luther )! Daniels of Baltimore. Four sisters. • i Mrs. Josephine Etheridge, Mrs. Leo ■ Midgett, and Mrs. T. D. Etheridge of Manteo, and Mrs. Moody Chap- ; ' pel of Tyner. . | Funeral services will be con- • j ducted Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Twi- | ford’s Funeral Home, Manteo, and . , interment will be in the Manteo | cemetery. Palll bearers will be se lected from former members of the crew of Nags Head Coast Guard Station which he commanded for many years. Wanchese Lodge, No. I 521 A. F. & A. M. will conduct i rites at the grave. Rev. Gilbert , Mister, a Roanoke Islander and ’, former neighbor will conduct the ; ' services. MOTOR TRAFFIC HALTED ON ; MANTEO AIRPORT RUNWAYS [ Entrances to paths that have ’ been broken into the Manteo air | port have been closed, and the only . ■ entrance for motor traffic into the airport is by the highway, which also connects with the ferry land ing. Trespassers on the runways are to be prosecuted in future if persisting in the practice. It had ; become quite popular with some of the hot-rods to race on the run ways, and a number of people use them for joyriding at night and at other times. Saturday of last week, a man with a pick-up loaded with his family entered the airport, and - had started to tour the runways, f When stopped, he asked for per- ■ mission to drive his family over 5 them for awhile. He was a stranger • seriousness of driving cars on the ‘ | to Roanoke Island. ■ j Few- peonle stop to think of the • I runways. The landing of airplanes >! requires a clear right of way. II Federal authorities have stressed ‘ the danger of leaving open the en ! trances to the airport, which has I made possible reckless use of it by > the public. t ; DARE COMMISSIONERS VOTE : FAVORABLE TO AVON SITE s > A motion was made by Com ’ missioner Scarborough, seconded i by Commissioner Austin, that the Dare Board of Commissioners Tuesday endorse and recommend to ■ the State Board of Education the site for a proposed school at Avon • as recommended by the Dare : Board of Education in July. Three commissioners voted for the mo- . tion, with members Swain and i Perry abstaining from voting. The I resolution of the commissioners was forwarded to Raleigh this week. Chairman Duvall said he was hopeful the matter could be brought to an early conclusion and the children of the loWer banks given the advantages that are due them from the school funds so long tied up. ANNUAL MEETING SEPT. 12 OF DARE BEACHES CHAMBER \ The Dare Beaches Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual meeting, for the purpose of elect ing officers and discussing general business, on Wednesdav night, Sept. 12, 8 P. M. at Tile Edgewater Hotel, Kill Devil Hills, N. C. Re freshments will be served and the publie is invited, advise C. J. Townley, Secretary. FLIER RESCUED FROM OCEAN BROUGHT FIRST TO MANTEO AIRPORT IN HELICOPTER Lt. Preston Springston, South Norfolk Navy flier, Jumped From Height of 12,000 Feet Into Ocean Off Kitty Hawk When Plane Caught Fire; Rescued by Helicopter From Eliz. City Air Base. A Navy flier who had jumped , into the ocean from more than two miles in the air, was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter Tues day morning and brought into the Manteo Airport, where it took on fuel before going back to Eliza- - beth City. The sea off Nags Head was so vast and lonely Tuesday about 10:30 a.m. there wasn’t even a gull in sight for a time after a single parachute opened high above the water and a Norfolk Naval Re serve pilot drifted down from a height of 12,000 feet to await rescue. His FBF Grumman “Bearcat” had caught fire in the air minutes before and crashed into the water some 30 miles off Kitty Hawk. Lt. (jg) Preston S. Springston, USNR, 30, of 231 Hardy Avenue, Berkley, floated on his “Mae West” and hung on to the idea of survival for 50 minutes while he waited for help. Several times he swallowed the salty water as 10-foot swells rolled over his head. He was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter after a 10-minute wait in comparative comfort in a raft dropped by the HRP Piasecki heli copter piloted by Lt. J. W. Swan son, USCG, based at the Coast Guard’s Elizabeth City statipn. His Closest Call Those minutes in the 'sea were Springston’s closest brush with disaster, an experience he doesn’t want to repeat again. An aircraft instrument mechanic apprentice a+ the Naval Air Station, he is on two weeks’ active duty with his fighter squadron, VF-861 and was on a routine practice flight. His only injuries as a result of bailing out of the plane were a bruised chin, a stiff upper lip and bruised foot and leg. • He was hungry when he got home, a little shaky too, but most ly he was disturbed aboilt the sudden publicity coming his wav. He was adding a little throttle when suddenly he heard a small muffled explosion. The plane got hot inside, then smoky, and over his radio Springston heard the other Pilots advising him to bail out. “Boy, that parachute looked beautiful blossoming out above me,” he said, explaining that he ripped his left shoe while getting out of the plane. First Jump When he pulled the “T” handle of his ‘chute Springston embarked on his first parachute jump in eight years of flying. His self-inflating suit was a big help in keeping him up in the water for almost an hour, but be fore he got settled for the long wait he almost lost his “Mae West.” “A bobbing head is kind of hard to see from the air so I put out the I yellow dye marker. It was good to see those planes circling above me and know that they were interested , in me,” he said. The first raft sent down to him , was lost. It was not inflated and could not be seen well. The second was inflated and had a temporary sea anchor and, Springston re called, “was comfortable” after his ' soaking. As soon as he got in, he removed his shoes, which were streaked with salt when dry, his ’ socks and the “Mae West.” The big banana-shaped helicopter i hovered over the raft for 10 min utes before it picked him up. It landed at Manteo, N. C., for fuel before going on to Elizabeth City where Springston was examined and put aboard a patrol bomber which flew him back to Norfolk. He was the first to give his wife any news of the accident. “It’s a good thing our radio wasn’t working all day,” she said ; on his return late in the afternoon. | She appreciates her husband’s love for planes and will not mind having him fly again so long as he doesn’t mind. “He’s crazy about planes,” she said. H Springston enlisted in the naval aviation in 1942 and returned to civilian life in 1946. He joined the reserve unit in the Fall of 1948. | The Springstons were married in South Norfolk five years ago and have one sob, Preston, Jr., aged three. The pilot went back to his flying Thursday and will complete his duty with the reserve unit Sunday. He had no jitters about getting I into-another plane. I Singla Copy 70 “SADIE HAWKINS DAY” SUNDAY AT ORIGINAL BINGO Attraction of Summer Season Has Become Institution At Nags Head The center of attraction Sunday on . Nags Head will be Jones- Leary’s Bingo. That is “Sadie Hawkins Day”—the day we give everything way—as Wilse Leary, co-owner of the popular amuse ment place, puts it. ‘'There will be fun for young and old alike,” says Leary, “from the time the doors open until the time we close.” The first game of the evening will feature a Toastmast er pop-up toaster, then there will be special awards all throughout the day and night. Boys’ and girls’ bicycles and a combination radio phonograph will be given away be tween six and seven o’clock. The event’s biggest award will be a Hotpoint electric range, which will be given away on the last game. It has become customary for a grand prize such as an electric range to be given on the last game. The first season’s award was an electric range, last year’s was a dishwasher valued at something j like S3OO. Another big award last year was a Shetland pony. It all adds up to a big day at Nags Head next Sunday, Septem ber 9. TOURIST SEASON GROWING LONGER ON OUR COAST First Week in September Finds Many People Enjoy ing Delayed Vacations By AYCOCK BROWN Manteo, N. C. Overnight the picture has changed here on the coast of Dare County. One week ago the vacation and Lost Colony patronage on Roanoke Island and in the nearby Nags Head-Kitty Hawk and Cape Hatteras region was reaching a late summer peak. Great crowds flocked to this coast al area for their last vacation fling of the summer Labor Day week end. Then, came the temporary lull that all resorts feel immediately after the first Monday of Septem ber, but not for long here on the Dare coast. After mid-week a new type of vacationist was arriving, those who had purposely delayed their coastal visit until after the peak of the late summer season which always comes at Labor Day. Already this week many persons have come coastward to spend a few days enjoying the relaxation that an ocean resort can offer after Labor Day. But many come not for relaxation during early September and well into the Autumn season. They come for sportsfishing. Sportsfishing on the Dare coast is considered a runner-up to The Lost Colony as an attraction for outsiders. Autumn sportsfishing is generally conceded to be even bet ’ ter than summer, although, the summer of 1951 will go down in piscatorial history along the Dare ' coast as one of the best of all times. This year dozens of varieties of sportsfish were landed by anglers. It was not unusual for parties to go to the Gulf Stream and return with 100 or more dolphin, or am berjack and king mackerel. A few sailfish were taken also and down lat Hatteras, anglers had landed during the summer months, two great blue marlin, the only fish of | this species taken north of Florida and Bimini this year. The sportsfish that will attract anglers for the next several weeks to waters of Dare will continue to be those varieties found in the ‘Gulf Stream, but Autumn is the season when channel bass begin ! running in the surf and Striped Bass are caught in the nearby sounds. Autumn also brings better fishing in the Fresh Ponds where I targe mouth bass are the main at traction. i Another attraction for vacation ists and sportsmen planning trips Ito Dare Coast during autumn months is the reduction in rates ’at the various hotels and motor courts which cater to those who visit the Nags Head, Roanoks Is- I land and Hatteras area. J
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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Sept. 7, 1951, edition 1
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