Newspapers / The Coastland Times (Manteo, … / Jan. 4, 1952, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOLUME XVII NO. 28 OCEAN BOTTOM OFF DARE COAST HOLDS FORTUNES IN JUNK AWAITING RECOVERY Brown Predicts Effort Will Be Made to Sal vage Something From Numerous Vessels Sunk by Submarines During World War II; - Many Ships in Water Less Than 300 Feet Deen. By AYCOCK BROWN Ten years ago the Battle of the Atlantic which was to claim hundreds of lives and the loss of many allied ships, moved close to the shores of North Carolina. Now, according to a story recently published in Pathfinder Magazine, some of the ships that were sent to the bottom may be salvaged for their cargoes and for the scrap iron in their hulls. One such ship, the Equipoise, lies in water less than 300 feet deep, off the coast at Nags Head. It was months before our mili tary could perfect and put in operation an offensive warfare against the undersea raiders of Hitler’s fleet, which were not onl; playing havoc with shipping off the coast, but laso causing jitters on shore where blackouts and the strictest of security was being maintained. First ship to "get it” and with terrific loss of life was the stan dard Oil Tanker Allan Jackson of 6,635 gross tonnage. The date was January 18, and the time shortly after midnight when "without warn ing, the ship with its cargo of crude oil, was torpedoed near the Continental Shelf a few miles south of Diamond Lightship sta tion. The tanker exploded and sank to the bottom at the edge of the Gulf Stream and near the 100- Fathom Curve. It was the first of many horrible incidents that was to bring suffering to hundreds of seamen who were to be hauled from the water or life saving craft as their ships were torpedoed out from*nnderthem. Survivors when rescued would usually be brought to the closest Naval Section Base for questioning. It may have been the skipper of the submarine that sank the Allan Jackson who aimed the tor pedoes that were to send two more* ships to the bottom of the Atlan tic’s graveyard off Cape Hatteras on January 19. On the morning after the Allan Jackson sinking, the small Latvian freighter S. S. Ciltvaira with her cargo of paper was torpedoed and during mid afternoon of the same day, it may have been the Allan Jackson’s kil , ler that attacked the Ocean Steam ship Company’s City of Atlanta. The three ships were sunk within a radius of 75 miles of where the first vessel went down. Before the shock of these first three sinkings had begun to sink in the nearby military along the state’s coast, two more ships were sent to the bottom in the same general area. Shortly after sunset on January 23 the Ore Steamship Company’s 8016 ton Venore, laden with much needed iron ore was torpedoed 5 miles southeast of Dia mond Shoals and before midnight on the same date the British Tank er Empire Gem, laden with gaso line was attacked without warning * in the same area. Because the Em pire Gem was well inside the 100- Fathom Curve she was a menace to navigation so it was necessary to mark her wreckage with a red and white nun buoy. Before the end of January a decade ago, two more ships were torpedoed and sunk near Cape Henry. And it was many months before anti-sub marine measures could be taken to curb the wholesale sinkings. Residents of Nags Head, Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands felt this phase of the battle of the At lantic. It was not unusual to see smoke from two or three torpedoed V ships at one time. Some of those now on the bot tom near the coast between Fry ing Pan Shoals and Cape Henry include the Caribsea, Ashkabad, I Atlas, Portland, Suloide, W. E. Hutton, Manuela, Senateur Duha mel, E. M. Clark, YP 389, F. W. Abrams, Keshena, Dixie Arrow, Australia, Lancing, British Splen dour, Kassandra Louloudis, Libera tor, Empire Thrush, Frances E. Powell, Marore, San Del Fino, Baurque, Chenango, Byron Ben son, Blink, Olinda, Arabutan, Ario, Papoose, City of New York, Tiger, Otho, Malchase, Esso Nashville, i Tamaulipas, Ulysses, Naeco, King ston Celonite, Bedfordshire and i Equipoise. Most of these ships are i shallow water and some of liem are believed to bfe salvage ble. In the same area there are wo or three submarines, but few f the undersea raiders were killed then the Battle of the Atlantic • th THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA BEAUFORT NATIVE HEAD MANTEO MASONIC LODGE * <>l - ryjMl GEORGE GLENN BONNER, Jr., native of Aurora, Beaufort Coun ty, was recently elevated to post of master, of Manteo Masonic Lodge. Mr. Bonner, who is as sociated with the mercantile firm of his father-in-law, O. J. Jones, has been living in Manteo* so? the past seven years. The lodge, which began operation in April 1945, with 20 members who withdrew from Wanchese Lodge, now has 72 members. Other officers newly elected and installed are: Ray mond Wescott, Senior Warden; R. O. Ballance, Junior Warden; J. G. Kellogg, Treasurer; C. E. O’Neal, Treasurer: Belton Burrus, Senior Deacon; Elmer V. Midgett, Jun ior Deeacon; Billy Cox, TTyler. AGED RESIDENT DIES IN BEACON NURSING HOME In the Beacon Nursing Home in Manteo for aged and infirm peo ple, Mrs. Mary Davis White of Elizabeth City, age 74, died at 8:30 Thursday morning, after a long illness. Funeral arrange ments were incomplete at the time of going to press. came close to North Carolina’s coast in 1942. Salvage Plans Machinery has been set in mo tion by the Maritime Administra tion that may result in the salvage of some of the ships. In a recent See FORTUNES, Page Three OLD BUCK WILL ROAM AGAIN ON OLD CHRISTMAS | ? I* > x -«»-■ • ■ ndßswsß® 1. , I . jt J ■ W fl i-wK JI 111* W » t W &Hl Hr f JOI If - ~ mHf S Old Buck, the mythical bull of Hatteras Island will roam again on Saturday night when the residents of Rodanthe celebrate Old Christmas. The custom of observing Old Christmas on January 5 at the famous Coast Guard community of the outer banks dates back for more than two centuries. The date falls on Epiphany Eve, the traditional time of the Three Wise Men’s arrival at the Bethle hem manger bearing gifts for the new-born Christ Child, but the custom probably originated when 11 days were deducted from the Gregorian Calendar in Great Britain and her colonies during 1752. “Old Buck” plays an important role in the gaiety of Old Christmas at Rodanthe. The mythical bull of the Cape Woods looks like the tnake-believt animal in picture posed with. Billy Hooper, Jazania Herbert, Yvonne Hooper, Jackie Farrow, Billy Hooper, Lance Midgett and Morgan Midgett. Beneath Old Buck is Avner Midgett and Bill Midgett of the communities of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo. Also an im portant Yeature of Old Christmas celebrations in addition to Capt. Levene Midgett’s oyster roast, is drum beating by a member of the group. The drum in picture dates back three generations and was salvaged almost a century ago from a ship that wrecked on Hatteras Island. (Ayeock Brown) I FERRY’S FOUNDER RETIRES AFTER 29 YEARS AT INLET Capt. Toby Tillett who establish ed Oregon Inlet Ferry 29 years ago has retired as skipper and will operate a fishing boat from Wan chese, his native village, in the future. Capt. Tillett operated Ore gon Inlet ferry for many years as a commercial venture. Several months ago he sold out to the State Highway and Public Works Commission. His Oregon Inlet ferry in the old days was the water link of a vast roadless beach oftimes described as the toughest trip in the world, by writers who gave frequent plays to the Manteo-Hatteras bus line. Except for 13 miles of beachland through Pea Island, just south of the inlet, a paved road now stretch es from Nags Head to. Hatteras village. The Pea Island link of the highway is scheduled to be com pleted during the coming spring. Captain Toby, like his brother, Sam, plans to go into the sports fishing business. He is now hav ing a cruiser built for taking out parties when the channel baste and Gulf Stream fishes start running, according to reports. WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN DECORATION CONTEST Many Doors Lighted and Festoon ed with Greenery For the Christmas Season Many homes on Roanoke Island and the mainland of Dare county were gaily festooned with Christ mas greenery and brightly lighted for the season just past, and judges for the contest sponsored by the Dare County Home Demon-. 1 stration Clubs had a hard time deciding just where the awards should go. However, they finally made their decisions and the win ners are as follows: Stumpy Point: first prize, Mrs. Ruby Best; second prize, Mrs. Evelyn Meekins; third prize, Mrs. Edith Best. Manteo: first prize, Mrs., M. K. Fearing, second, prize, Mrs. Rayrhond Wescott; third prize, Mrs. Warren O’Neal. Wanchese: first prize, Mrs. Dewey Tillett; second prize, Mrs. Steve Tillett; third prize, Mrs. Wayland Baum. SPORTSFISHING GOOD ALONG HATTERAS SURF Hatteras.—Four channel bass were landed in the surf along the beach abreast Hatteras on Monday, December 31. They were taken by L. L. Browning, Jr., and his father of Winston-Salem who were here spending the Christmas holi days. The Brownnngs used corned mullett for bait and their fish were landed in less than an hour and a half. MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1952 CALLS MEETING JAN. 17 SOUTHERN ALBEMARLE iMHWI I! ' ■ • iU O C. W. TATEM, president of the Southern Albemarle Association has called a meeting of the execu tive committee at 11 a. m. cn January 17th at the agriculture building in Columbia, to organize and to attend to important mat ters. Mrs. Margaret A. McClees is Secretary. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LISTING YOUR COUNTY TAXES January Is Tax Listing Month for Counties and Towns Through out North Carolina; Here Is Complete Information As To What You Are Required to Do Local governmental officials be lieve that taxpayers should know the facts about the taxes imposed on their property for the purpose of raising county and city revenue. Since North Carolina law requires property-owners to list their prop erty for taxation every January, the time is ripe for a simple expla nation of the law. People who live within the corporate limits of a city or town pay taxes on their property to both the county and the city or town, but for purposes of clarity this article is written in terms of county taxation . . .Ten j>f the most common. tions about the property tax are set out below. The answers are de signed to help the average individ ual understand his responsibility. 1. What is the property tax? The property tax is a tax on property itself. It is not a tax on income from property. Instead, it is based on the value of the prop erty as a marketable item. That is why it is called an ad valorem property tax. This tax must be imposed uniformly on all property according to its market value. 2. What kinds of property are subject to this tax? In general, all property within the county is subject to taxation by the county. It is important, however, to know that there are I two main kinds of property. One jis called “real property,” mean -1 ing land, buildings, and items per- FORMER RESIDENT DIES IN NORFOLK TUESD’YJVIORNING Mrs. Blanche W. Midgett, Roanoke Island Born, Wife of Belhaven Man Mrs. Blanche Wescott Midgett, 54, wife of Harry Midgett, former ly of Belhaven, and daughter of the late Robert and Carrie Wes cott of Manteo, her birthplace, died in Norfolk Tuesday morning. Due to the early death of her mother ,she spent her early life with her aunts, Mrs. Alethia Wes cott of Manteo, and Mrs. Lovie Taylor of Belhaven. The qpuple had recently moved into a new apartment in Norfolk, and she was found dead in bed Tuesday morning, with a radio turned on beside her. She is survived by two children, Mrs. Brownye Morrisette and Mrs. John Paul Jones of Norfolk. Beside her husband, she is sur vived by several aunts and uncles, as well as several cousins in Man teo and Belhaven. manently affixed to or connected with land or buildings. The other kind of property is called “per sonal property,” meaning mova ble property. Personal or moveable property is divided into two class es: (a) tangible or touchable per sonal property and (b) intangible or non-touchable property. Books, rings, clothing merchandise, etc., are examples of tangible personal property. Money, bonds, notes, stocks, etc., are examples of in tangible personal property. The taxpayer should remember that the county does not tax intangible personal property. The State col lects taxes on intangibles. The county taxes real property and tangible personal property. Some kinds of property are exempted from taxation by North Carolina law; they are discussed in ques tions 8 and 9. . 9. Where is property taxed? Real property (land, buildings, etc.), is taxed in the county in which it is actually located. Tan gible personal property, as a gen eral rule, is taxed in the county in which the owner has his resi dence. An individual’s residence is the place at which he lives, eats, and sleeps—his home township. If a property-owner is not a resi dent of North Carolina, the coun ty in which hit par^rn-i 1 property is located is AititlecT*io consider itself as his residence for purposes of taxing the non-resident’s per sonal property located within that county. If a person maintains more than one residence within North Carolina, his residence for tax purposes is the place at which he lived longest during the year immediately preceding January 1. If a person has left one county and moved to a new county shortly be fore January 1 with the intention of living in the new county, his residence for tax purposes is the county • to which he has moved. The residence of a corporation, partnership, business firm, etc., is ,at the place of its principal office in North Carolina. There are a few exemptions to the general rule about taxation of personal property in the county in which the owner has his residence. Taxpayers should consult the fol lowing list of exceptions to deter mine whether any of their person al property is taxable other than in the township in which they re side: (a) If a resident of North Caro lina keeps or uses personal proper ty in connection with a temporary or seasonal residence in a county other than his home county (for example, at a beach or mountain cottage), such personal property is subject to taxation in the county in which the temporary residence is located. (b) Personal property kept, or used in connection with rental real' estate in North Carolina is always subject to taxation in the county in which that rental real estate is located, regardless of whether the owner lives in that county. (c) If the taxpayer rents or oc cupies a place of business for use in connection with certain person al property, the personal property so used is subject to taxation in the county in which tjie place of business is located, regardless of where the taxpayer happens to live. (d) Farm products produced i“> North Carolina, if taxable at ell are taxable in the countv In which See TAXES. Page Tw» 9 52 MarchofDimes Annual Drive Open For Entire Month The 1952 March of Dimes opened in Dare County this week with the avowed objective of putting the fight against polio on a “.pay-as-you-go basis” after four succes sive years in which the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis has gone into debt fighting the only epidemic disease still on the increase in America. “During the last four years,” said Mrs. Balfour Baum, Dare County campaign director, “the nation has experienced its worst polio years in history. Many people are not aware of this great increase because polio cases have been widely distributed rather than concentrated in specific areas. But 1951 marked the fourth con secutive year in which the March of Dimes has had to go into debt to pay for the care of polio pa tients needing help. “The estimated deficit at the end of 1951 is $5,000,000. Thus the 1952 March of Dimes will be mortgaged for this amount before any money may be set aside for scientific research or for contingencies that lie ahead next summer. * The campaign director revealed that whereas in previous years the average annual incidence of polio wqs about 10,000 cases, that figure has been tripled in the last four years, bringing the annual average to 30,000. The four-year UNIVERSITY REPORT SHOWS HYDE HAD 30 PER CENT LOSS IN POPULATION IN 50 YEARS Tyrrell’s Population Almost Static While Dare Gained Only 648 People Since 1900; Many Factors Contribute to Depletion of Population. COLINGTON’S OLDEST WOMAN 86 DEC. 27th I ML.- - MRS. S ALLIE SHANNON MEEKINS, wife of John Hawkins Meekins of Colington, celebrated her 86th birthday Thursday, Dec ember 27th with her family and her friends. She is the mother of three children, John O. Meekins, Mrs. Robanna Toler and Mrs. Hen ry Haywood. She has 12 grand children and seven great grand children. Everone wishes her many more happy birthdays. NEW 1952 PLYMOUTH ON DISPLAY TODAY The new Plymouth for 1952 will go on display in dealer showrooms throughout the United States, Fri day, January 4. A long list of improvements—46 in all—has been incorporated throughout the car. The new car, according to D. S. Eddins, presi dent of Plymouth, has been im proved and refined to provide “the most gentle ride, the smoothest engine performance and the great est safety ever built into a car for the lowest price field.” The Plymouth has a road-hug ging, sweeping appearance, ac cented by changes in the external adornment. A new luxurious stan dard for interiors is-attained with the high quality upholstery fab rics in harmonious colors which blend beautifully with the instru ment and door panels. There are ten body types in the new Plymouth line, available in an array of eight regular, and two special spa’k’.ing n~w cel'*. ’"S- I ttn ’itic~al inferior •n- win*- a and I the ma 'v “bigh-p- - ’ er 1 *er tnres for which P’; —■ h ; 3- ' w • dtati-cHve have been ictaineJ. throughout the new line. Single Copy 7p case total, Mrs. Baum said, was 132,000 —more than all the polio cases reported during the previous ten years. “The tremendous obligations facing the National Foundation,” Mrs. Baum said, “have forc ed us to double the March of Dimes campaign period. It will extend from today throughout the entire month of January as we endeavor to raise enough money to wipe out the 4951 debt and avoid incurring another for 1952. t> “Our committees have been formed earlier than ever before. We want every citizen in the coun ty to play a part in making this March of Dimes the greatest ever conducted.” The Dare County campaign director said that calls for volun teers had drawn a fine response, but he added that many more hands were still needed. Residents of Dare County wishing to help may do so in a score of ways. Figures that are rather inter esting, developed in the Univer sity News Letter show that Hyde County, during the fifty years be tween 1900 and 1950, lost in pop ulation 30.2 per cent. In 1900 Hyde had 9,278 inhabitants, and in 1951, 6,479, a loss of 2,799 peo ple. While Hyde lost heavily in pop ulation, Tyrrell and Dare had no gains worth bragging about. Dare gained only 648 people, and Tyr i rell’s population remained practi cally static. Dare * had 4,757 as against 5,405 in 1950. Tyrrell had 5,048 in 1950, a gain of only 68 people. Beaufort County gained 10,730 people and in 1950 had a popula tion of 37,134. Washington aiso gained 2,572, having in 1950 a population of 13,180. It has often been said that Hyde I has a very high percentage of college graduates, causing many of its youijg people to leave home for employment. There are many factors which have contributed to Hyde’s decline in imputation. In the early part of the century there was a large migration to Belha ven principally by people who got employment in the mills. There was also migration of many peo ple to Washington and other towns. ' When modern roads began com ing to North Carolina 30 years ago, Dare, Hyde and Tyrrell were the last counties in the state to receive their due and full measure of benefits from this program. During this long period of dis couragement, many citizens moved away. There have been no industries developed in these counties, hence no migrations of people to fill up the empty places. A decline in commercial fishing has caused many people to seek opportunity elsewhere. Altogether, nost ev erything has been a drawback, commercially and industrially in these counties. The treni toward . improvement appears now with a growth in the tourist industry. NATIVE SONS RETURN FOR OLD CHRISTMAS OBSERV'NCE Many former residents, men and women are returning home this ‘ weekend to participate in the ob servance of Old Christmas at Ro • danthe. Among early arrivals is Commander Ellery Clark Midgett, USN, now of Brooklyn, formerly | of F Man the who plans to visit his ■. • ■
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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Jan. 4, 1952, edition 1
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