Newspapers / The Coastland Times (Manteo, … / July 11, 1952, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOLUME XVIII NO. 2 FISHERMEN LOSE A GREAT FRIEND IN ALVAH WARD The Father of the Oregon Inlet Project Dies in Norfolk Hospital Wed nesday Night By VICTOR MEEKINS Alvah Haff Ward, 57, died Wednesday night in a Norfolk hospital after an illness of ten days. He was a valuable man in Dare County, and his loss is a great loss for Dare County’s peo ple. During the past four years he had given much of his time to his pet hobby, the improvement of Oregon Inlet, in order to aid the fishing industry of our state. Under his leadership the pro ject was activated in Congress and made a law, but up to now funds have not been provided. At the time he was stricken ten days ago, he was making plans to follow up with a new cam paign, hopeful ever for the suc cess of his cause in which he had put so much time and effort, and personal expense. Alvah Ward was the son of Mrs. Mary Baum Ward, and the late Car*. Henry B. . Ward of Manteo. Like most boys of his day and region he grew up with few advantages and opportunit ies. With only a grammar school education and the experience gained while following the water with his father in Dare County, he went away early in life and got a job as oiler on a merchant ship. He followed the sea until 1926 during which , time he had risen to the highest place as chief engineer of vessels of any size, and with his savings, he returned to the land that he lov ed, Roanoke Island. He had dreamed of establishing some thing by which to live and serve his people. The fishing industry was then in need of ice. He built an ice plant. He made the pro duction of ice his principal busi ness and after the war he moved from Wanchese, and built the new plan*, at Manteo. jr Alvah Ward was not the kind of man who could be content with a living from an industry with out putting something back in it. He was always a liberal contrib utor to civic affairs. He believed in every man standing for some thing and doing something. He was opposed to governmental in efficiency and waste. He always dreamed of providing security by his own efforts, for himself and his family. He felt keenly in his heart for the future of Dare County. He was firm in the be lief that the deepening of Oregon Inlet would be the salvation of the fishing industry in all north eastern North Carolina, He backed the Oregon Inlet Project to the fullest. When he first planned it, he got me to travel over Eastern North Caro lina with him to make contacts. He wanted me to do the publici ty, but I told him it required more time than I could spare then to serve it well. He got Ben Dixon MacNeil] to do a better job than I could have done. But I follow ed through with him; we went to Washington together. We were happy when it was approved; we were unhappy to the time of his death tiecause the money had not yet been provided to do the job. Many a time, Alvah Ward and myself drove to New York and other cities for visits. Sometimes I had business, sometimes he had business. We went to Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, Philadel phia. Raleigh, New Bern, More head City. We would be gone a veek at a time. In all those trips for 25 years I never knew him to do or suggest we do anything that would reflect upon his po sition as a gentleman, or make his wife and children unhappy. I admired him for his fine perso nal qualities as well as his de votion to the people of his home land. Time after time he has proved to me a true and loyal friend. Together in New Bern in 1936 we took the higher Mason ic work, and in Washington, the Shrine. We continued to visit re unions together. I would say of Alvah Ward: He has been a good man to his family; a worthy man for his neighbors: a useful man for his county. His death is a loss to all of us. This community is bet ter because of his life. That is the highest test of all. SCHOOL BAND FEATURED IN LOST COLONY PROGRAM Elizabeth City’s famous high school band gave a pre-curtain con cert at Paul Green’s Lost Colony performance. here on Tuesday night, July 8. The night was des ignated by the management of the drama as Elizabeth City Night of The Lost Colony. • THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA OREGON INLET’S FRIEND . ■£.- •jk ALVAH HAFF WARD, Chairman of the Oregon Inlet project, had served as president of the Dare County Chamber of Commerce, President of the Dare County Shrine Club, and had been liber ally active in many community af fairs. He served as treasurer of the Manteo Methodist Church. He started an ice business in Dare County in 1928, in a Ashing com munity long without adequate packing facilities, and this venture was the forerunner of Ave other ice plants in the vicinity. In 1927 he married Miss Tracie Cahoon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ben F. Cahoon of Wanchese, and of this union are three children, Mrs.. Brantley Brown, Miss Lelia Ward of Manteo, and Lieut. A. H. Ward, Jr., USA., and one grandchild. He was born March 23, 1894, and was taken ill June 30, 1952. He is also survived by two brothers: Clinton S. Ward of Laur elton, Long Island, N. Y. and George S. Ward, Union, N. J.; four half-brothers, Travis Ward of Raleigh, N. C.; Gus Ward of Miami, Fla., Vance Ward with the armed services in Europe; and Norman Ward of Manteo; two sis ters, Mrs. E .C. Barron and Mrs. J. W. Dunnington of. Washington, haif«sTSiter, Mrs. Eastman Forbes of Wanchese. With H. A. Crees, he owned the Crees and Ward Motor Company of Manteo. Plans for funeral serv ices are incomplete. MORE ROADS FOR US MEANS MORE NEED FOR BRIDGE Bridges over Croatan Sound and Alligator River are the concern of the whole state, says the Gates County Index in commenting upon our problems in the Coastland. This newspaper, ever friendly to us, takes note of the fact that the Roads built for us by the Scott administration is only making our problem greater because the great ly increased traffic jams up the inadequate ferry system, and keeps us from getting out as much as we got out before the roads were built. The problem is especially acute for the people of Hatteras Island. The Gates County Paper com ments as follows: “There is too much to see, to enjoy, and to absorb in that great coastland area of North Carolina for the State to continue for much longer its system of slow-moving, inadequate ferries. The Go-For ward road program has done its duty by Dare in the highway buil ding department, as Editor Meek ins has said; but, if the rest of North Carolina and indeed travel ers from all the country are to get to see our coastal neighbors and to receive the enrichment that comes from what our neighbors have to offer, some bridges must be built to replace outmoded fer ries. “Bridges for the rivers, sounds, and inlets in the northeastern Carolina area long dgo ceased to be a local necessity, or bettermeht. They are the concern of the whole State. As near neighbors, we have cast aside all mental reservations about when, "how, and by whom these bridges should be built and paid for. Away should be found by the incoming State administra tion to start construction, and the costs should be borne by the whole state—not charged up to any reg ular allocation of funds for that particular region. “The thought here is that high way development such as has been going on in North 'Carolina for many years and which was accel erated by the so-called Scott pro gram has put our neighbors of the coastal area on a network of good roads—are still semi-isolated from one another and from the outside because of inadequate transportation service across their rivers, lakes, sounds, and inlets. See ROADS, Page Eight HAYMAN CLAN TO MEET NEXT YEAR AT FORT RALEIGH Third Annual Session Held at Manns Harbor Wed nesday; "Rev. L. D. Hayman, President Rev. L. D. Hayman, was re-elec ted President for the Fourth year, and Fort Raleigh, Roanoke Island was selected for the fourth an nual reunion and picnic, when the Clan met at Manns Harbor Wed nesday for an all day affair. The feature was a lavish picnic din ner. About 200 people attended. While many faces seen last year were not present, there were somt visitors who had not been to the meetings before. Memorials rites to those who died during the year were offered. These included Capt. D. W. Hay man, Mrs. Maggie Midgett, Leon tine Willis Tillett, Alice Hayman Barnard. Piano accompaniment was by Roger Gard who is home on fur lough from the Army. The meeting opened at 10 A. M. following registration, with a devotional by President Hayman. An elaborate picnic dinner was spread on the sohool grounds. Business meeting was continued at 1:30 P. M. THE GLORIOUS AGE OF THE COAST GUARD By VICTOR MEEKINS - . * The men of the Coast Guard and their work have fascinated me ever since I was a small boy. One of the earliest pieces I wrote while in high school, and published in Elizabeth City 40 years ago prais ed the men of the Life Saving Service. Through the years I came increased because of the many to love all of them. And that love good things they did for me in traveling along the oceanfront from Virginia Beach to Ocracoke Inlet, between the years of 1926 through the present. Like all of our people, I was geared to think of them for their worth to humanity in peacetime. That was the whole tradition be hind the service. When it came about they were transferred to the military in time of war, there was a tremendous transformation. They were sent all over the globe. And as always, the greatness among them rose to the top and displayed itself with credit and renown to the whole organization. The greatness here at home we knew all our lives in peacetime is now being taken from us by the into the future, and in a few years, progress of our day. We may look we may see only a half-dozen life saving stations. (Coast Guard) in all ’ North Carolina. Twenty-five years ago we had 15 stations op erating in Dare County. Today we have seven remaining in service. In a short time we may expect to see not more than two or three left. Motor trucks, boats that run on land and sea, tractors, and bet ter roads now being built, makes travel easier between stations and likewise takes away many oppor tunities for the Coast Guard to render aid. • In the last 25 years the develop ment of the radio compass and other modern aids to navigation have taken away many of the perils of the sea, and «hips are warned against danger and Wtept from disaster. There are fewer shipwrecks; it was upon sei-vice to the shipwrecked that the Coast Guard rose to glory under the name of the Life Saving Service. As' time went on, less emphasis was placed on shore stations be cause there were fewer ship wrecks. One by one, stations were discontinued. A single station giv ing employment to seven or eight men was the nucleus around which many a community grew and flourished. The Station was the backbone of its neighborhood. Its men were always ready and rallied in time of need; when sick ness was in the land; when a boat must be pulled ashore; in hun dreds of ways they served their local public faithfully. With the passing of the stations, interest and expenditures for this service went to ships and seamen to man them. Once the Life Sav ing Service was just about entire ly a shore service. Now the bigger n art of it is the sea service; ships for the rescue of other ships; for protection of our customs laws; for enforcement of sealing and fishing laws, and for the patrol ling of the ice lanes in the North Atlantic. , When the old service was com- See AGE, Page Eight MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, JULY 11, 1952 VETERAN FISH MAN IS TRAVELLING ONCE MORE wi ri B IF GEORGE M. WISE of Stumpy Point is back on the road after many years staying at home run ning the Fisherman’s Exchange. In 25 years he has served his home folks like few people ever do. His worth to his community has been inestimable. But times have changed, and there isn’t the volume of fish that made Stumpy Point, along with many other communities of the Coastland a beehive of activity in season. On July 1, Mr. Wise turned his fish house over to his son-in-law, Horace Hooper, and took to the road for Lockwood & Winant, a well known firm in New York, formerly represented by Harry Howell. George Wise traveled the Atlantic Coast for many years, representing fish dealers on the northern markets. Being married and With twins to bring ->up, he decided to go home and settle down so he left a fine job with the Atlantic Fish Co. in Balti more and established for his home people a splendid market. He helped many a young fisher man get a good start.’ He has always been a Igyal and liberal community booster. He may never have got out of life all that was due him, but he has a big heart, and sound head, and he lives with the satisfaction of a job well done. MISS CATHARINE LISTER FATALLY INJURED SUN. ' Dies in Norfolk Hospital Follow ing Accident at Nags Head Miss Catherine Lister, 51, re tirtd school teacher of Mount Olive, died in Norfolk General Hospital Monday at 7:30 a. m. from injuries received when she was struck by an automobile . Sunday at Nags Head, while cros sing the highway near her sum- ’ mer cottage. Miss Lister had been occupy ing a cottage with Miss Mildred Wallace, jof Norfolk. She was carrying a child in her arms and leading a puppy across the road when hit. Neither the child nor the dog was hurt. The body was forwarded to Mount Olive for funeral services Tuesday at 3 p. m. Miss Lister was a daughter of the late Dr. John Luther Lister and Mrs. Amy Etheridge Lister. She was a native of South Mills, and is survived by a brother, John L. 'Lister, of Mount Olive. Miss Lister had many friends in Manteo and Nags Head, where she had been a frequent visitor. DARE COUNTY BOOKMOBILE NOTICE The Dare County Bookmobile will leave on the 8:15 ferry, Tues day, July 15th, for: Mashoes; East Lake; Buffalo City; Stumpy Point, and Manns Harbor. People who would like to have the Bookmobile stop at their homes will please leave their names at the Poet Office in their community before that date. Those wanting special titles, can write the Dare County Li brary or tell the Librarian when she comes. We want to give you the best service possible. This notice applies to this par ticular run where the houses are centrally located. Where condi tions are different, we may have to make different rules, but we intend to make it as easy as pos sible for everyone to get books. Georgia E. Harwood, Librarian.' THOUSANDS VISIT HATTERAS ISLAND VIA NEW HIGHWAY I Many Thousands Left Be i hind Due to Lack of Ade quate Ferries to Car ry Them By AYCOCK BROWN While Paul Green’s symphonic i drama, THE LOST COLONY, is I still considered the top attrac tion on the Dare Coast of North Carolina, the far-famed island of Hatteras is sharing the spotlight during the current summer. The only trouble is that due to inade quate ferry service and improperly maintained detours along the new ly paved Hatteras highway, that [ more thousands who wish to make the trip turn back or never com plete the trip. On Hatteras at this season tour ists are seeing not only the most famous lighthouse in the world, but they are also visiting Buxton Woods and the village there which is North Carolina’ “citrus belt.” Tourists are amazed to find grape fruit and orange trees laden with fruit that will be ripening in De by the stories and legends they cember. They are also fascinated encounter while visiting the Out er Banks. There are seven villages on Hat teras Island and each have an in dividual attraction for tourists. In Rodanthe, the village where Old Christmas is celebrated on January 5 each year, they visit famous Chicamacomico Coast Guard Sta tion, where crews have played ma jor roles in the saving of life and property for more than a half cen tury. At nearby Waves, the ship wreck in the ocean’s surf claims attention along with the rag doll project conducted by the women of the community on behalf of their village church. Salvo, the next village, is on the sound side of the island but its ocean beach nearby is littered with the wrecks of many old sail vessels. Avon, one of the larger commu nities of the island, is next on the southward trip. It is a prosperous fishing town and the seenic attrac tions there claim the attention of newcomers on their first trip. At Avon, the new hotel, Cape Hatter as Hotel, has opened for the recep tion of guests during the current season. Cape Hatteras, where the vil lage is called Buxton, is next south.' It is here that America’s tallest lighthouse and the highest brick lighthouse in the world points skyward with its black and white spiral stripes. Heavily wood ed Buxton is probably the warm est place in North Carolina during the winter months due to its near by Gulf Stream. Toy deer roam 1 the woods here at Buxton and cit rus fruit grows without danger of killing frosts. Next south along the highway to Hatteras and at the edge of the Cape Woods is Frisco village and then Hatteras, famed for its sport and commercial fishing. Hatteras is the most famous big game sportsfishing center along the At lantic coast. PLANS UNDERWAY FOR ROAD CELEBRATION ON HATTERAS ISLAND Rodanthe.—Plans are now un derway for a celebration here on Saturday, August 16, marking the completion of the Hatteras Island Highway. Capt. Levene Midgett, petty officer in charge of Chica micomico Coast Guard Station, is overall chairman of the event. “We plan to make it the biggest celebration ever attempted on the Outer Banks,” said Capt. Midgett. Among the dignitaries who are expected to be here for the cele bration will be Governor W. Kerr Scott in whose administration the new highway is being completed and former Governor Gregg Cher ry, in whose administration the original link of the highway was built, said Midgett. LOST COLONY CAST TO BE GUESTS OF CLUB CASINO Members of the cast of THE LOST COLONY and other mem bers of the company will be the guests of Ras Westcott at his Club Casino on Nags Head, Thurs day night, after the regular per formance. Special tables have been reserv ed for the company and special music for the group will be pre sented by Leo Pieper and his band. This will be the first beach par ty held for LOST COLONY cast since last summer when the Nags Head Beach Club was host to the company on the night of the dra ma’s 500th performance. MODERN TREE FARMING IS PLANNED ON 168,000 ACRES OF DARE MAINLAND West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. Has Recently Taken Over the One and a Half Million Dollar Maloof Tract; Once Owned by Dare Lumber Compny; Resident Manager Issues Statement. Modern tree farming methods promising a perpetual forest econ omy for the region will be follow ed by West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company in the manage ment of about 168,000 acres of timberland in historic Dare Coun ty, reresentatives of the paper company indicated today after as suming ownership of the property. The paper company, which oper ates mills in Charleston, S. C., Covington, Va., Luke, Md., Tyrone and Williamsburg, Pa., and Me chanicville, N. Y., acquired title to the Dare County acreage last week when the stock of the Dare Corporation was transferred at a closing held in the home office of the new owner in New York City. Fred N. Maloof was president and the owner of the Dare Corpora tion, which has now been liquidat ed. The bulk of the paper company’s new holdings is located in an area bounded on the west by Alligator River, on the north by Albemarle Sound, on the east by Croatan Sound and Pamlico Sound, and on the south by Longshoal River and Pamlico Sound and a line dividing Dare and Hyde counties. The area, stretching some 30 miles in length and 18 miles in width, was the center of extensive lumbering operations at the turn of the century, when some of the finest stands of pine, juniper, cy press and gum in the East were cut from the property. The tract now contains consid erable second growth juniper, pine and gum, but the stands have been so seriously damaged by fire in recent years that it will require many years of effective forest practices before the full potential of the area can be realized. While no definite prograni has yet been formulated for the man agement of the property, the pa per company is moving forward with its plans. An office has been established in Manteo, where William Ernst, Jr., a master for ester who has been associated with company timber operations in South Carolina for some years, will manage the property. The first stage in the planning of a program of forest develop ment and conservation for the j property will come July 22-26 j when technically-trained company personnel, including foresters and forest engineers, meet at Nags Head to study the tract and rec ommend tree farming practices adaptable to the Dare County property. It was pointed out that in South Carolina, where the paper com pany owns and operates some 400,000 acres of woodlands as a source of supply for its mill at Charleston, the company has dem onstrated that it is possible to grow trees much as farmers grow grain, hay and other crops. The cycle is longer, ranging in various areas from 15 to 25 years, but the principle of tree farming is essentially the same as that of other types of farming . The new tree farming concept calls for planned cutting at reg ular intervals to keep the land growing repeated forest crops of better species. Under such a pro gram, sound cutting practices and the proper dispersal of seed trees give nature a chance to do the job of reseeding the cut-over areas. Although a balanced forest management rogram is visualized for the Dare County land, com pany officials stressed that the first consideration, both in the preliminary stages ‘and when the program is more fully devolped, will be efficient fire prevention. “We must keep fires out of the woods in order to make progress,” Mr. Ernst said, “and we welcome the interested cooperation of the people of Dare County in this ef fort.” SOUTHERN ALBEMARLE COMMITTEE TO MEET Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Midgett of Nags Head will be hosts to the executive committee of the Sou thern Albemarle Association next Thursday, July 17, at the First Colony Inn at Nags Head. The meeting will begin at 11 o’clock- in the hotel dining room, and will be followed by a lunch eon. Single Copy 7< BIDS OPEN FOR RUNWAY REPAIRS MANTEO AIRPORT Bids were opened Tuesday by the Commissioners of Dare Coun ty for the resurfacing job on the runways of the Manteo Airport; Ballenger Paving Co. of Green ville, S. C. .offered the lowest contract price of $17,841.50. Thompson-Arthur Co. of Greens boro offered a bid of $19,725.50; F. D. Cline of Raleigh $19,776.-- 25 . Funds for the work are assured by a grant of $29,400 furnished by a Congressional appropriation last year. Present at the letting was Joseph Norfolk, District Air port Engineer of Wilmington, and his Deputy, Bernard Waldenma ier. and Ralph Stout of Greens boro, Engineer for the county. The remainder of the work will be done under separate arrange ment under the direction of the engineer. The work will begin about Au gust 1, and will require three weeks to complete. The principal part of the contract is a sand sea) finish on the two runways origi nally built for Dare County by the CAA. JESSE T. ETHERIDGE, WANCHESE NATIVE, DIES Capt. Jesse T. Etheridge, son of the late Jesse and Caroline Ether idge of Wanchese, and who lived at Wanchese until about 35 years ago, died July 4 in a Norfolk hos - pital. He was 71 years old. He was the last of several children. He was known to his friends as “Rose Etheridge” and had been a boatman all his life; retiring six years ago as a boat Captain in the employ of the Norfolk Building and Dry Dock Corp. He lived at 122 W. 16th St. His wife died a few years ago. He is survived by two daugh ters, Mrs. Paul U. Spady and Mrs. R. B. Bendall, both of Norfolk; a son, Leon T. Etheridge, of Jack sonville, Fla; two granddaughters, Mrs. R. B. Bloodworth, and Mrs. Earl - C. Croft, and six great grandchildren. He was a member of the Wan chese Methodist Church. His funer al was conducted in Norfolk Sun day, and he was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in that city. RABBI TOLOCHKO WILL PREACH SUNDAY Presiding on July 13 over the third in an annual series of re ligious services held at Waterside Theatre, Fort Raleigh, and spon sored by Paul Green’s symphonic drama, THE LOST COLONY, will be Rabbi Jerome Tolochko of Kin ston. Rabbi Tolochko studied in Clarksdale, Miss., and has travel ed extensively through Europe, • Asia and Africa. He has written several Sunday School textbooks, as well as a condensed history of the war with aJpan and Germany. During the war, he served as spiritual leader of the temple in Goldsboro, N. C., and as an air force chaplain, in which capacity he received a citation for “meri torious and outstanding services.” He is the founder of the Institute of Jewish Educational Recordings and a lecturer for the Jewish Chautauqua Society and member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. At present. Rab bi Tolochko is serving as spiritual leader of Temple Israel at Kin ston, and is also on part time duty as Marine Corps chaplain. This Sunday, Rabbi Tolochko will speak on “A Philosophy That Was Never ‘Lost’ Music will be provided by the LOST COLONY CHORUS, Ralph Burrier direct ing, with Franz Engle at the or gan and Robert Emery and Doris Jane Swain, soloists. OLD AGE CLIENTS Beginning August 20, 1952, an Old-Age and Survivors Insurance representative from the Norfolk Social Security Office will be in the Community *Building, Manteo, North Carolina, every other month on the third Wednesday, at 9:00 l a. m.
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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July 11, 1952, edition 1
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