VOLUME XIX NO. 29
Z .OST COLONY
ACTOR IS RISING
TO FAME ON T-V
Andy Griffith Featured On
Ed (Sullivan's Coast To
Coast Show
Andy Griffith of Mt. Airy, the
widely known Sir Walter Raleigh
of The Lost Colony is rising to
fame for his hilarious monologues
that are becoming best sellers on
records. The past Sunday night
he was featured on Ed Sullivan’s
coast-to-coast “Toast of the
Town” television show and a mil
lion or so listeners and lookers
witnessed him demonstrate his
talents.
His country-boy’s version of
Romeo and Juliet, and his role as
the preacher in the “Preacher
and the Bear” skits had packed
patrons in the Shrine Club as the
Scandinavians pack sardines into
a can Likewise his role as
Sir Walter Raleigh in The Lost
Colony is one of the most colorful
parts of the symphonic drama
Griffith has featured on the cover
of Lost Colony’s souvenir pro
gram for the past three seasons,
first with his wife Barbara, (fcr
merly Barbara Edwards of Tro y )
the first North Carolinian to play
the important feminine lead of
the show. The following year he
was featured alone in a photo
graph of the finale of the first
act and last year in full color he
appeared again on the souvenir
program cover in the Queen’s
Garden Scene and was shown as
he presented the Elizabethan
monarch with the tobacco plant
his explorers, led by Admirals
Barlow and Amadas, had brought
back to England from Roanoke
Island in the New World.
The man who more or less
‘discovered’ Griffith was another
Lost Colony player, Ainslie Pryor
of Raleigh and Hollywood. Pryor
had played the role of Father
Martin, the Lost Colony priest
one year and Governor John
White the next.
Others Making Good
In addition to Griffith and
Pryor, other cast members of The
Lost Colony are making good in
the show world. Robert Arrn
s>"®ng, the drama’s John Borden
Slaying the heavy role of The
General in the current Broadway
production “End As A Man.”
Two cast members and mem
bers of the Ralph Burrier
directed Lost Colony Chorus,
Helene McLain and Ann Wynne
Armstrong are on the Fred War
ing Show this winter.
Frank Groseclose the drama’s
historian, as a post-graduate stu
dent of dramatic arts at the Uni
versity of North Carolina was
winner of all the important prizes
last year for his musical composi
tions and acting with the Play
makers.
Chorus members of The Lost
Colony consistently make good
and have important jobs during
the off-season. Margalene
Thomas, native of Manteo and
the first Roanoke Islander to be
come a member of the famous
musical group is minister of mus
ic in a Burlington church.
Connie Treadwell and Charles
Mallard of the Chorus are doing
night club work in New York this
winter.
Jimmy Hart, long time organist
for The Lost Colony is minister
of music at the First Presbyterian
Church in Winston-Salem. Nena
Williams, another singer in the
chorus is teaching voice in a
Texas college. John Halverson,
onetime member of the chorus is
now minister of music at a Nor
folk, Virginia, church and George
Vassar has a similar role in a
church in Cleveland, Ohio.
SNOW GEESE DEPART
PEA ID, "OLD CHRISTMAS"
As has been their custom dur
ing recent years after spending
a short feeding period at the Pea
Island National Wildlife Refuge,
the flock of greater snow geese
departed on their migratory
flights northward on Old Christ
mas night this week.
“This is their custom each
year”, said L. B. Turner, refuge
manager. “They always leave, or
the bulk of them do on the night
( ' e '\ early morning of January 6.”
\. 4e first flocks of snow geese had
arrived during late November at
their usual time of arrival which
is on or about November 27, it
was stated.
This year only about 50 per
cent of the normal number of
these handsome white fowl with
their black wing-tips showed up
for winter feeding at the Pea Is
land refuge. Game officials have
not yet determined why the
flock, normally about 14,000
geese was only about 7,000 at its
peak this season.
THE COASfrIAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
SIR WALTER-BEARDED GRIFFITH MAKES GOOD
HU
- J
' - I
Here, wearing the beard he had grown for the part of Sir Walter
Raleigh in The Lost Colony is Mt-Airy-born Andy Griffith who is
currently skyrocketing to fame for his hilarious monologues. On Sun
day night he was featured on the coast-to-coast Ed Sullivan ’’Toast of
the Town” show. Previously he had been signed up by Capital Records
and his funny football and Romeo and Juliet record is becoming a na
tional best seller. This photo was made during one of his floor shows
in Dare County during The Lost Colony season of 1953.
(Photo by Aycock Brown)
THREE AVON BOYS
COMPLETE COAST
GUARD TRAINING
Cape May, N. J. John D.
O’Neal, 19, Loran P. O’Neal, 19,
and Charles Haywood, 20, all of
Avon have just completed their
12 weeks of recruit training at
the receiving center in Cape May.
They are seamen recruits.
John D. O’Neal was graduated
with the class of 1952 from Cape
Hatteras High School where he
was vice-president of his class.
Employed as a sheet metal work
er he was sworn in as a recruit
in the U. S. Coast Guard on
October 12, 1953. He is the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Frank O’Neal.
Haywood attended the Cape
Hatteras High School from 1948
to 1950. He served with the US
Army for three years including
two years of overseas duty. Em
ployed as sales clerk for the In
ternational Harvester Company
Haywood was sworn in as a re
cruit in the U. S. Coast Guard on
October 12, 1953. His parents are
Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Haywood.
Loran O’Neal was graduated
with the class of 1953 from Cape
Hatteras High School. Employed
as a deck hand by the Virginia
Ferry Company he was sworn in
as a recruit in the U. S. Coast
Guard on October 12, 1953. He is
the son of Mr. and Mrs. Loran
O’Neal.
CHAS. EDMOND WAHAB
OF HYDE COUNTY PASSES
Funeral services for Charles
Edmond Wahab, a well-known
and highly respected resident of
Hyde County, who died January
6 in a Concord nursing home,
were held at Calvary Episcopal
Church in Swan Quarter Satur
day at 11 o’clock.
He was born September 28,
1877, son of the late James How
ard Wahab and Emma Smith
Wahab, and was a life-long re
sident of Hyde County.
Rev. J. N. Bynum of Battle
boro officiated, assisted by Rev.
C. Edward Sharpe of Lake Land
ing and Rev. Arthur J. Mackie of
Belhaven. Internment was in the
family cemetery in Currituck.
Surviving are four daughters,
Mrs. D. D. Topping of Pantego,
Mrs. Thomas W. Cahoon of Swan
Quarter, Mrs. James W. Barkley
of Rocky Mount, and Mrs. Robert
E. Tunnell of Greenville; three
sons, Job H. Wahab and Charles
E. Wahab, Jr., of Warsaw, N. C.,
and Captain Thomas W. Wahab
of the U.S. Air Force, presently
stationed at Columbus, Ohio; two
sisters, Mrs. Carl Wilson of Bel
haven and Mrs. Herbert Ritten
house of New Haven, Conn.; two
brothers, H. W. Wahab of Bel
haven and W. W. Wahab of
Scranton and several grand
children.
CREEF INSTALLS NEW
PANORAMIC SCREEN
Addition Enables Showing of Var
ied Types of 'Pictures
A new panoramic screen was
installed early this week in the
Pioneer Theatre, and a new
sound system is to be installed
soon, announces owner Herbert
Crees.
The new type screen is built
with a 10-inch curve in the
center, giving more depth to a
picture. Special lenses have been
purchased and put to use in the
projectors, giving the full effect
of the picture. Under this system,
3-D, Panoramic and the regular
films may be shown, on the same
screen.
COAST GUARD AIDS
MORE CASES IN YEAR
Norfolk, Va. Coast Guards
men in the Fifth Coact Guard
District, which stretches from
the Delaware border to South
Carolina, handled 168 more dis
tress and assistance cases dur
ing the past year tan they did in
1952, according to a headquarters
report. .
And last July turned up in the
Coast Guard’s books as the all
time record month in the number
of cases with 171.
Total assistance cases ran to
1,240 for the past year, while
1952’s top was 1,072.
At the top of the Coast Guard’s
breakdown of cases stood vessel
disablings. The service assisted
450 craft ranging from fishing
boats to freighters and tankers
that were adrift, out of fuel, or
on the Coast Guard’s list,
idsabled because of heavy seas,
engine trouble, dead batteries or
broken rudders.
Vessels that ran aground num
bered 158 and took second place
RALPH L. NIXON FORMER
STUMPY PT. MAN DIES
Ralph L. Nixon, 63, husband of
Mrs. Laura Spencer Nixon, of 108
Wayne Circle, Norview, died Fri
day, Jan. 8, at the United States
Public Health Center Service
Hospital, Baltimore, Md., after an
illness of one year.
Prior to moving to Norfolk he
had lived many years at Stumpy
Point where he engaged in fish
ing.
A native of Engelhard, N. C„
he had resided in Norfolk 12
years. He was a son of the late
William and Mrs. Mernivia Mc-
Kinney Nixon.
Besides his wife, surviving are
three sons, R. M. Nixon, USN;
W. M. Nixon, USCG, and B. B.
Nixon, of South Norfolk; three
daughters, Mrs. Beatrice Cheek,
of Norview, Mrs. Edna Bernick,
and Mrs. Exie Russell, both of
Norfolk; one sister, Mrs. Mae
Zabawa, of Petersburg, Mich.; 12
grandchildren and three great
grandchildren.
MANTEO, N. C„ FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1954
BOLD BEAR LOSES
DARING RAID ON
MIGHTY HUNTER
Bob Midgett of Stumpy Point,
king of Bear Hunters was vic
torius again at 2 a.m. yesterday
morning, when the king of bears
invaded his home and tried to
break in his back door.
Midgett is the mortal enemy
ot the bear kingdom because of
the many sportsmen he has
guided to glory and he was alert
when the noise of this invader
in his back yard roused him from
sleep at an unearthly hour.
He fired a shot at the bear, but
the bear didn’t stop. It took six
shots to stop him. One neighbor
reported the bear weighed 450
pounds. Division by two might be
better.
The old bear had been causing
trouble a long time around Mid
gett’s home. Some folks think he
was the king of the tribe.
In fact many bears have caused
trouble for a year or more at
Stumpy Point. They raided Alton
Best’s fish house, one of these big
Tallows was slain at that time.
They railed ether pecrlc’s hog
pens, and chicken houses. In
April one, weighing 300 p:uids !
attacked Victor Meekins Pontiac
at 9 o’clock at night, near Manns
Harbor, but lost his life. The car
owner was the loser.
In fact bear hunting at Stumpy
Point has ceased to be a sport, but
a defensive warfare, and hunters
no longer have to spend long
hours in chilly anticipation. They
now have bear chills in fear a
bear will attack ’em.
It’s all because the law is strict,
and because the storm blew all
the gumberries off the trees. The
bears just have to come out for
something to eat.
OFFICERS EXAMINATION
FOR MERCHANT MARINE
Norfolk, Va., Jan 7. The
next examination for licensed
officers of the Merchant Marine
for commissions in the Coast
Guard will be held March 1, 2
and 3 in Norfolk and Baltimore,
according to Rear Admiral Wood,
sth District Commandant.
Applications should be post
marked prior to February 19 to
insure processing for this ex
amination.
Commissions will be offered in
the ranks of lieutenant (junior
grade), lieutenant and lieutenant
commander, depending upon age,
experience and professional abil
ity. All applicants must be be
tween the ages of 21 and 40.
The examination is open to
both licensed deck and licensed
engineer officers of the UIS. Mer
chant Marine. Appropriate ex
aminations will be given each
group. Application forms may be
secured by writing to the Com
mandant of the U. S. Coast Guard
(PTP), Washington 25, D. C, or
from any Coast Guard district
office or Marine Inspection office.
The Fifth District office is located
in the Norolk Post Office build
ing, and Marine Inspection of
fices are located in Norfolk, Bal
timore and Wilmington, N. C.
NEW COTTAGE COURT TO
BE BUILT NEAR AVON
A new cottage court to be
operated in conjunction with
the Cape Hatteras Hotel at Avon
will be built and ready for opera
tion by the beginning of the 1954
vacation season Charles Williams
advises.
Williams, with his son Charles.
Jr, has operated the Cape Hat
teras Hotel for the past two sea
sons. The new units will be built
on the east side of the Highway.
The first unit of the cottage
court will be a structure 80 feet
in length with four apartments.
It will be located convenient to
a proposed lunchroom and tackle
shop, to be also owned by Mr.
Williams and his son.
FLOUNDER FISHING GOOD
IN OREGON INLET AREA
Flounder fishing has been good
off Oregon Inlet recently as more
than 25 vessels have been making
excellent catches.
One dealer estimated SIB,OOO
worth were taken in trawl nets
by the boats basing at Oregon
Inlet during the past week.,
MANTEO P. T. A.
The Manteo P. T. A. is to meet
Wednesday, January 20th, 8 p.m.
at the School Building. The guest
speaker is to be Dr. Ellen Win
ston and the topic of her dis
course will be Mental Hygiene.
Invitation to attend is extended
to all P.T.A. groups.
A GOOD NEIGHBOR SEEKS
N. C. SENATE POST
I
N. ELTON AYDLETT, Mayor of
Elizabeth City, is a candidate for
State Senator from the Ist Dis
trict, comprising the counties of
Currituck, Camden, Pasquotank,
Perquimans, Chowan, Gates and
Hertford.
NORTHWEST FORK
TO BE BRIDGED
DURING THE YEAR
A new bridge on Route 94 be
tween Gum Neck and Kilkenny
crossing the Northwest Fork of
the Alligator River is to be built
this year, the State Highway
Commission announces. The con
tract will be let Jan. 28 for a
concrete floor on creosoted tim
ber piles. It will be 26 feet wide
and 361 feet long. It will replace
the old floating barge, now in
service, and will greatly aid
travel and commerce between
Fairfield and Columbia.
The commission plans the
building of 1.30 miles of road on
U. S. 64 at Roper. In Beaufort
County, 5.68 miles of grading and
structures is planned on No. 33
near Mineola.
OCRACOKE CIVIC CLUB
ENJOYS OYSTER STEW
The Ocracoke Civic Club met on
Monday night with cooks Elmo
Fulcher, Stacy Howard, William
Garrish, and Harry O’Neal serving
up some good oyster stew. Chief
discussion was the formation of an
Ocracoke Cemetery Association
and transfer of the deed to the
land recently acquired by the Civ
ic Club to such an Association. It
was voted to hold a community
meeting to discuss the formation
of such an association on Monday
night, January 25th, at the school
house. Two new members were
added to the Civic Club roll: Bill
Spencer and Rev. Robert Vickery.
On Monday night, January 18th,
the P.T.A. meets at the school li
brary. Hostesses are Mrs. Wahab
Howard, Mrs. Bertha O’Neal, Mrs.
Naomi O’Neal,, Mrs. Edna O’Neal,
Mrs. aKtie O’Neal, Mrs. Ansley
O’Neal, and Mrs. Marcia Peele.
HARBOR SEALS SHOW
UP IN OREGON INLET
Harbor seals, a pair of them,
probably driven south by ex
treme cold weather have been
making themselves at home in
Oregon Inlet during the past few
days, and were first sighted by
personnel of the Oregon Inlet
ferry. It is not unusual to see
seals in North Carolina waters
during extreme cold weather but
the pair sighted here on several
occasions this week are the first
to show up this winter.
Harbor seals are common in
ports and along the New England
coast during the winter months.
In years gone by they have been
sighted as far south as Cape
Lookout and a few have been
captured in that section of the
coast.
Unlike some species of seal the
fur of harbor seals, a mottled
brown has little if any com
mercial value.
KITTY HAWK SEAMAN WITH
NAVY FORCES IN NORFOLK
Norfolk, Va, (FHTNC) Ser
ving aboard the attack transport
USS Olmsted which took part in
amphibious force training opera
tions near Norfolk last month is
Edward L. O’Neal, damage con
trolman first class, USN, son of
Mr. and Mrs. William T. O’Neal,
and husband of Mrs. Martha P.
O’Neal, all of Kitty Hawk.
Drills were conducted during
the exercise to advance training
of personnel in gunnery, com
munications and various other
amphibious techniques.
The highlight of the operation
for the Olmsted was assault boat
landings made on beaches at
Little Creek, Va.
SEASHORE PARK
ADDS GOOSEVILLE
CLUB TO ITS AREA
By AYCOCK BROWN
Property recently added to the
Cape Hatteras National Sea
shoreßecreation Area, south of
Hatteras village will open to pub
lic use another of the finest surf
fishing areas along the Atlantic
coast, it was stated today by
Clark Stratton, lands acquisition
officer of the National Park Ser
vice.
The property, owned since 1930
by the Gooseville Gun Club in
cludes 755 acres beginning near
the southern boundaries of Hat
teras and extending to the inlet.
The club owned by Albert Lyon
of Detroit has maintained the
area as a fishing and hunting pre
serve for the past 23 years.
“It will be late Spring before
possession of the property will be
transferred as one of the condi
tions of the sale allows members
reasonable time to remove per
sonal property from the club
buildings,” said Mr. Stratton.
The deed for property stated a
consideration of $47,090, as the
purchase price.
Lyon and Wilson, a Delaware 1
corporation of which Albert Lyon
of Detroit is president owned the
property. Three of the most ac
tive members included Lyon, who
only recently was knighted by
Queen Elizabeth for his coopera
tion in developing the British
owned island of Bimini as one
of the great sportsfishing centers
of the world. Harry Stelwagon of
Philadelphia, president of the
Surf Anglers Association, an in
ternational organization has been
associated with Lyon as one of
the club’s most active members
in recent years. Previously an ac
tive member of the club was Van
Campen Heilper, the noted
author of hunting and fishing
stories, who with his associates
Lyon and Stelwagon produced a
number of hunting and fishing
movies in the area, movies which
have been shown throughout the
world and resulted in much
favorable publicity for the Hat
teras region.
Opening of the area to sports
fishing will be good news to
many anglers who consider the
surf and inlet there as one of the
best casting spots along the
Atlantic coast. The surf line of
the property is approximately
three and a half miles in length.
For years it was closed by the
owners to public fishing.
This was not from a selfish
motive, owners declared. Instead
it was a conservation move. They
closed the area after fishing
parties consistently made big
catches of fish which were never
utilized for food but left on the
beach to decay.
Acquisition of this property
provides the National Seashore
Recreational Area with a third
choice location for surf fishing,
the others being at Oregon Inlet
and the Point of Cape Hatteras,
just south of Hatteras Light, it
was pointed out.
“For hunting, all of Ocracoke
Island and some 2,000 additional
acres on Hatteras and Bodie Is
lands adjacent to Pamlico and
Roanoke Sounds, are already
open for hunting migratory
waterfowl in compliance with
state and federal regulations,”
said Stratton.
“In view of the existing facili
ties for hunting, no plans have
been announced for opening the
Gooseville Gun Club area for
shooting,” he added. “The former
owners have done little or no
hunting on the property in re
cent years but have held it main
ly as a migratory waterfowl sanc
tuary.”
GRADY BRICKHOUSE
DIES IN NORFOLK
Funeral services for Grady
Brickhouse, 45, who died Friday
in a Norfolk hospital, were con
ducted at the Providence Baptist
Church, Noroflk, Sunday after
noon at 3 o’clock. Burial was in
Riverside Memorial Park. Mr.
Brickhouse was a native of Co
lumbia, the son of Claude and
Mollie Hawlis Brickhouse; the
husband of Mrs. Sybil Pinkham
Brickhouse, and an employee of
the Regent Construction Com
pany, of Oceana, Va. He had
lived in Virginia for 13 years.
Surviving besides his wife are
two daughters, Frances Carroll
and Nancy Jane Brickhouse, and
three sons, Albert, Rogers, and
Grady Brickhouse, all of South
Norfolk; three sisters, Mrs. Dale
Daughtrey, Mrs. Willard Jenkins,
and Mrs. Benny Jones, all of
Elizabeth City; a half-sister, Mrs.
Elwood Smith; three brothers,
Albert, of Berkley, Va., Raymond
and Louis Brickhouse, both of
Elizabeth City, and his step
mother, Mrs. Mattie Davis.
Single Copy
SIX NEGROES IN
ENGELHARD DIE
IN NIGHT FIRE
Tragic Mishap Early Sunday
Morning At Home of
Willie Spencer
Reported as the worst tragedy
in the history of Hyde County
was the death of Willie Spencer,
his wife, and their four young
children in a fire early Sunday
morning which destroyed their
home near Engelhard.
The fire apparently started
after midnight, and when dis
covered by a neighbor on his way
home it was beyond human aid.
Neighbors believe the heavily
papered house caught from a
lamp or overheated stove, and
that the fumes overcame the
family before they became aware
of thejr plight.
Willie Spencer is described as a
good citizen and was highly re
garded as an employee by R. L.
Gibbs & Co. where he had been
a truck driver for several years.
He had gone home C-alurday
night after buying groceries for
the week end at the store of Thos.
Spencer.
Burned beyond recognition
were Spencer and wife Mary,
their four children, all of school
age but one; Willie Jr., Bobbie
Yula and Shirley.
The remains were gathered up
next day and buried in a single
box.
Some of the group had ap
parently gotten to a window in
an effort to get out, but succumb
ed and burned up.
Dave Spencer, a negro store
keeper was the first to appear
on the scene, and he ran for help,
about 3:30 a.m.
The house in which they lived
was the property of Braxton
Marshall.
ENTIRE COURT TAKEN
WITH TRAFFIC CASES
All three cases in Dare Record
ers Court Tuesday involved the
operation of automobiles. Robert
Hilton Parker of Spot, again be
fore the court charged both with
drunken driving and reckless
driving was found not guilty on
the first offense, but paid a ine
of $75 and costs for the second.
Noah Price, Jr., of Avon, plead
ed guility of driving drunk, and
was fined SIOO and costs. The
case developed following a colli
sion with a car in which Ralph
Twiddy and his mother-in-law,
Mrs. Lou Farrow of Frisco were
occupants, and this couple an
nounced intention of bringing a
civil suit for damages.
Steward Leon Ballance and
Ray Enoch Banks of Mamie, Cur
rituck County were bound over
to Superior Court on the charge
of stealing an automobile from
Milton U. Gard of Kitty Hawk.
MILTON MEEKINS, BOAT
CAPTAIN DIES; NORFOLK
Milton Wood Meekins, 44, a
native of Hatteras, and for many
years captain of the passenger
and freight boat between Engel
hard and Hatteras died Monday
in a Norfolk hospital. He was the
husband of the late Mrs. Irma
Meekins and the son of Mrs.
Nancy J. Meekins and the late
John W. Meekins of Hatteras. He
is also survived by a daughter,
Mrs. (Dixie) Chas. Darlington of
Sault Ste Marie, Mich, and one
granddaughter.
He was highly regarded as a
citizen and had a wide circle of
friends. He was the only son of
his parents, and had been a life
long resident of Hatteras.
He was a member of the Meth
odist Church.
Funeral services will be con
ducted at Hatteras, Friday.
MORE FERRIES; BETTER
RAMPS ARE PROMISED
State Highway officials in
Manteo this week announced that
plans have been made to rebuild
the ramps of the Oregon Inlet
landings. Since the ramps were
first built last year numerous
automobiles have been damaged
as result of the short, steep ramps
which have proven inadequate
when the tides are low.
The officials said plans have
been drawn and that work on im
proving the ferry slips will begin
in the near future and be com
pleted well in advance of the
peak travel season of the Cape
Hatteras National Seashore re
gion. Two ferries, converted
landing craft will be placed in
operation at Oregon Inlet this
year, it was stated.
And they won’t be there be
fore they are needed.