North Carolina Newspapers

VIE XIX NO. 35 9wME INTEREST IN DA“E POLITICS IS ~EING SHOWN Changes Desired in Some Localities; Candidates Appear Slowly However Interest has been slow in shap ing up in the primary campaign in Dare County this year, and there is no contest expected in any of the major county offices. Offices considered of lesser im portance, but which in too many instances are of greatest impor tance, like County Commission ers and member Board of Educa tion too often go begging. They are not profitable jobs, and quali fied persons are hard to find who are willing to make the sacrifice essential to winning them and filling them. It is difficult to elect good men to these offices for the entrench ed politicians, who stay behind the scenes and exploit public affairs for profit to themselves, put forth a lot of time and effort to defeat candidates who will fairly serve the public. They pre fer rubber stamp men, or men who know nothing about the job, and through this means keep their hold on public affairs, which means bad management, high taxes, and injustice to many people. Some sentiment is being ex pressed at Rodanthe that it is now time for Kinnekeet Town ship to share either one or the other of the Board members with the north end of the Township, both of which have been held for many years by Avon. It is gener ally conceded that members of the Board for four years, and both Kennekeet and Hatteras townships should not stand for reelection. They have been on the Board ofr four years, and have accomplished nothing to ward the progress of the schools, and have finally reached the point where they won’t vote either way on anything im ♦. After four years, they id nothing to offer to the s of the new high school .atteras Island. So far, the public generally views their net value officially to the Board or to the county as nothing. Sentiment has been expressed in Hatteras community, that since the school in all likelihood will eventually be built at Bux ton, that the Board of education office should go to Buxton, or someone very near it, while the county Commissioner post should go to Hatteras, in order to make for equitable distribution of the two offices. Reports have it that it will be hard to find any candi dates willing to run in Hatteras township. At one time or another, various members of the Board of Com missioners have expressed doubts they would run again, but Com missioner Lewark of Kill Devil Hills said positively after a few months in office he had had en ough and didn’t intend to run again. CANCER CLINIC IN ELIZABETH CITY * _________ People Desiring Examination Should Make Appointment At Early Date The Northeastern Cancer Clinic will be held on Friday, March 5, 1954, in Elizabeth City, at the Health Center with registration be ginning at 1:00. A free chest X-ray will be given to anyone wishing it along with the examination of the five areas of the body where can cer is most easily found and cured. There are no limitations as to sex, race, physical or economic status • at the center; however, there are age requirements. Women should be 35 or more; men should be 40 or over unless referred by a doc tor, or unless one of the “seven danger signals” or “symptoms” are present. Only 30 people can be seen at the Center each month due to limited facilities, so it is -sug —»sted that anyone who wishes to 0 assured of an appointment d write the Cancer Center, ibeth City, N. C., for a prior- Examinees are asked to bring a robe or housecoat with them. ' CURRITUCK HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT PLANNED Nearly $230,000 is to be spent on widening and resurfacing U.S. 158 between Grandy and Point Harbor, in Currituck County, a distance of 13.41 miles. The road will be straightened ind a number of houses will be moved. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA S6O Per Month Lured Richard Gray To Wanchese; Been On Job 41 Years Globe Fish Company Brought Him From Buxton; Tells of Better Fishing Days Many Years Ago. By Roger Meekins Richard H. Gray started work ing for the Globe Fich Company 41 years ago ,at the age of 18, where he was raised, in Buxton. At that time the company had a small fish house, about 20 by 40 feet, one-half mile offshore from Bnxton, and that is where he worked. He had to get out to work by boat. It was located there so the freighters of the company could load in the deep water. Richard Gray’s salary was $25 per month. His parents are Mathew J. and Louisa O’Neal Gray. His father died about six years ago, but Mrs. Gray is still living and is 88 years old. When Richard was 19, the Globe Fish Company wanted to transfer him to Wanchese. He didn’t want to go at first, but the lure of the increased salary of S6O per month brought him on anyway. While he was first here he thought he might go back, but in 1912 he married Miss Daisy Pugh of Wanchese ,and that kind of anchored him down. Hess been on the same job at the Wanchese Wharf now for 41% years, buy ing fish for the Globe Company and selling oil and running a store for himself. At the time he first came to work for the Globe Fish Com pany at Wanchese, the wharf was 900 feet long, with a hotel on the end. A hotel was necessary for the accomodation of passengers who traveled on the freight boats of the company. The hotel had eight rooms, and was always so full that some of the passengers had to stay on the boats over night. Tht Wanchese wharf at that time was an exchange point. The boats coming from Elizabeth City would pick up the cargo from the Hatteras boats and make the return trip tp Elizabeth City. The Hatteras boats would return to Hatteras and exchange passen gers. “The engines in some of those boats would run for a solid week sometimes,” Mr. Gray told. “There were a sot of fish back in those days, and they made one trip, then turned right around and made another.” All of the boats had engines, al though earilier there were some with sails. The “Quide,” “White Wing,” “ Pomano,” “Rowena,” and the “Fuerstein” were some of the freighters plying the waters between Hatteras and Elizabeth City, he Fuerstein had sails as well as engines. Thirty-five years ago the dock, with its hotel, small store, and oil storage facilities burned. “I went to dinner,” Mr. Gray said, “and when I came back I saw it burning. There was nothing you could do. Everybody was afraid to go near it, because there was a lot of oil and gas on it at the time. Nobody else was around.” The dock wasn’t rebuilt, but facilities were moved nearer the shore where the are today. The dock is on the edge of the water. The freight boats made their puns every day, carrying fish to Elizabeth City, Norfolk and northern markets. The Hatteras boat would leave about 3 a.m., make its run to Hatteras, pick up the load of fish, and make the return trip to Wanchese where the cargo would be transferred to the Elizabeth City boat. Some of the boats carried as much as 200 boxes, some 150, some 50. Fishing was much better thirty years ago and longer than it is today. There was a fish house at Roanoke Marshes which did a booming business for a long time, with around 100 boats operating out of there. A nearby camp housed 20 or 30 fishermen. In 1918 the dock was filed full of shad, and it was all the boats could do to keep the fish going out to market. But the fishing has fallen off so much since then that the fish house closed and only a shack remains there to day. Ice was brought from Manteo to Wanchese by sailboat, al though a dirt road existed. It was just as quick to travel by boat then. That was before Alvah Ward built the Wanchese plant. In lrl2, after the legislature passed the Vann Bill, which re stricted the length of nets and prohibited them from being set in the channels, a gunboat was sent down to enforce the law. Some of the fishermen refused to remove their nets from the channels, which kept the fish from going up the sound. Soon after the gunboat, which was SEES MANY CHANGES IN 40 YEARS OF FISHING I ... A ' fi® vw - ■lii - I v For more than 40 years, Richard H. Gray of Wanchese has been as sociated with the fishing industry, as agent for the Globe Fish Com pany at Wanchese Wharf. A story of his work is printed in adjacent columns. (Photo by Roger Meek ins.) i left over from the Spanish- American war, came down, the fishermen moved their long nets from the channels. “At that time there were probably 28 or 30 nets, some as long as 3,000 yards, in the sound ,but today there are only three or four,” Mr. Gray re vealed. “If Oregon Inlet were up fishing might pick up again,” he said. “The shoals in the inlet throw them off to sea again.” Today, after 30 years, Mr. Gray is still in the oil business for himself, as well as running a small store on the wharf at Wan chese. And, he is still with the Globe Fish Company, although most of the fishermen take their catches to Mill Landing now. He has tanks holding 12,000 gallons of gasoline, fuel oil, and kero sene. He operates two trucks as well as refueling boats ,and his gas is transported by land from Manteo. It used to come in by tanker straight to his wharf. He buys fish when they are avail able a,nd crabs which the crab bers from Croatan Sound bring in. During the busy season now about 30 boats per week are re fueled at the wharf, and in the winter abont 10 per week. Don, Richard’s youngest son, helps him with the business now, and drives one of the two trucks which go to fuel up the boats at Mill Landing and other places when they are called to do so. Mr. Gray has three children, Cecelia, who is now Mrs. Jethro Midgett, Jr.; Richard, Jr., who married Mildred Austin of Man teo; and Donald, who married Carolee Ballowe of Manteo. Also seven grandchildren; Jeffrey, son of Mr. and Mrs. Midgett; Wayne, Willie, Donna, Carroll, who are Richard, Jr.’s, children; and Win field and Christopher, Don’s children. LOUIS MANN GRAY DIES IN NEW JERSEY MONDAY Funeral services for Louis Mann Gray ,who died in Cam den, N. J., hospital Monday morning, were conducted Sunday morning at 11 o’clock in the As sembly of God Church in Avon with the Rev. John S. Rasnick, pastor, officiating, assisted by the Rev. P. M. Porter, pastor of the Avon Methodist Church. “Abide With Me” and “In The Garden” were sung by the church choir. “Beyond The Sunset” was sung by Mrs. Charlie Williams, Jr., accompanied by Mrs. G. H. Meekins at the piano. The casket was covered with a pall of red and white carnations and purple orchids and garden ias. Burial followed in the family plot at Avon. Pallbearers were Elmer Gray, Vance Gray, Boyd Gray, Carl Gray, Bill Gray, Clemmie Gray, Ray O’Neal and Dan Markert. LARGE MOUTH BASS LANDED J. T. Cozart of Oxford casting in the fresh waters of Colington Island landed the first large mouth bass of the 1954 season a few days ago, and five others, the largest going to three pounds, in less than two hours of casting. MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1954 DARE CO. PEOPLE RESPOND WELL TO RED CROSS Mrs. Marshall, Chairman, Ap points District Captains In County The interest shown by the cit izens of Dare County in the work of the Red Cross is most encour aging, according to Mrs. Charles S. Marshall, Fund Drive Chairman for the Dare County Chapter. Mrs. Marshall reports that she has talked with leaders in all com munities throughout the County. These citizens point out the need for courses in First Aid, Water Safety and Home Nursing among other possible activities which the Red Cross might sponsor during the coming year. In line with these desires the local Chapter has con tacted Red Cross headquarters to start planning for courses in these various subjects to be taught dur ing the summer of 1954. Definite plans still have to be made but it is hoped that First Aid and Water Safety courses can be taught in two or three places throughout the County, this summer with possibly a series of courses in Home Nurs ing follow later in the year. Mrs. Marshall also reports the District Captains for the Fund and Membership Drive appointed in most of the towns throughout the County. Leaders are still to be chosen in a few communities. The District Captains are as follows: Manteo businesses, Mrs. Louise Meekins; Manteo residential, Mrs. Leigh Hassell; Manteo Negro com munity, Mrs. Lonnie Gray; Wan chese, Mrs. Myrtle Tillett; Stumpy Point, Mrs. Doris Twiford; East Lake and Buffalo City, Mrs. Emily Smith; Duck, Mrs. Carrie Whitson; Nags Head, Mrs. Pat Bayne; Ro danthe, Mrs. Nora Herbert; Waves, Mrs. C. A. Midgett; Avon, Mrs. Thelma Barnett; Buxton, Mrs. E. R. Midgett; Frisco, Mrs.. Eliza beth Stowe; Hatteras, Mrs. Harold Midgett. OREGON INLET FISHING CENTER To BE OPERATED BY CAPT. TOBY TILLETT Oregon Inlet Fishing Centers, now part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area, has been leased to Capt. Toby Tillett, former owner-oper ator of the Oregon Inlet ferry. He is now making plans for op ening the center to sportsfisher men with the arrival of channel bass in Oregon Inlet waters. As sisting Captain Tillett in the opera tion of the center will be Capt. Sam Tillett, one of the best known fishing guides along the Dare coast. The Oregon Inlet fishing center was built two years ago by W. A. Worth of Elizabeth City, former owner of the property. Former managing operator was Capt. Zeke Midgett. An immediate ex pansion program for the center is planned including the construction of additional docking facilities for charter boats in the fleet which makes headquarters at the center from early spring until late autumn. DRIFTWOOD COLLECTING NOW BIG SCALE JKSL il Woodrow Stetson of Wanchese is using his spare time this winter to accumulate driftwood for next summer’s tourists. The driftwood business is something that hasn’t been developed too much, but Woodrow is going out full scale for it next season. Last year he sold 200 pieces, in spite of the fact that he didn’t ad vertise. This year he says he’s go ing to advertise and try to sell all he has, which stands now some where between 1,000 and 2,000 pieces. They sell anywhere from 75 cents to $2, for some of the larger pieces. Pamlico ,Sound provides good A CRIPPLED GANNET AT KILL DEVIL HILLS -VV -1 " ■' ” JL -ijfv x :} z , -4 , • ♦ •< < -• zil 81, *■ While beachcombing Tuesday afternoon, Mrs. Wallace Mustian of Kill Devil Hills ran across a Gannet, which is a bird not too often seen at close distance. The bird, apparently crippled, is a big, white one, somewhat resembling an overgrown sea gull. It has a wing spread of about six feet, and the tip of its wings are black. It is estimated that only about 14,000 of the American species of this bird are in existence. They range from Newfoundland to Cuba, and in the winter from Virginia to Cuba. They are found from the seashore seaward, but seldom more than 300 miles offshore. They live on fish that swim close to the surface, and they make aerial dives from as high as 100 feet. This bird also sometimes dives 50 feet below the surface of the water, using its wings to help propel itself. The birds breed in the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, and at the time of hatching are grayish in color, turning to black, and mature in about four years into a very clean white. Tkeir heads vary from an orange-buff color, through yellow, to white. The bird in Dr. Mustian’s captivity has a white head. They live to be 16 years old. In the accompanying photo Dr. Wallace Mustian and his grand son, Fred Murdaugh, spread the wings of the bird to show its span and beauty. Dr. Mustian, formerly of Durham, is now making his home at Kill Devil Hills. (Photo by Roger Meekins.) BIG GAME FISHING CENTER IS BEING BUILT, HATTERAS North Carolina’s first exclusive ly constructed big game fishing center is nearing completion on the harbor front in Hatteras. Capt. Edgar Styron of Hatteras and Walter Wilkins of Norfolk are as sociated in its construction. To be known as the Blue Marlin Fishing Docks, the center Will in clude one large building and berth ing space for several Gulf Stream cruisers. The building will house a tackle shop, refreshment rooms and a restaurant. Captain Styron and his asso ciate will have several cruisers ' available for big game fishermen, < including his sportsfisherman “The i Twins” built last year and a sim ilar craft to be ready this Spring. Two of the three blue marlin landed with rod and reel off Hat- . teras last year were taken from ; boats operating out of the Blue ; Marlin fishing center. Owners of ] the enterprise plan to develop Hat- i teras into one of the principal big j game fishing centers along the ; mid-Atlantic coast. • Location of the Blue Marlin 1 docks is just west of the former 1 U. S. Weather station. Privately 1 built concrete roadways lead to the ' spacious parking area of the new ’ fishing center. hunting ground for the light wood, and Woodrow does a good bit of searching around the • mainland shores of Stumpy Point and Long Shoal. Rusty, his 5-year-old son, goes with him on the hunts and nelps him gather up quite a mt. xUisty got hold of a piece too big tor nim once and fell overboard into the winter water. Woodrow is going to make lamps out of some of the driftwood, and he will try to sell those too. He has three children: Rusty, 5; Betty Lou, 8; and Joyce, 19, who is now Mrs. Harry Baum. Mrs. Stetson is the former Lucretia Williams of Wanchese. GOOD CHANNEL BASS FISHING N. C. FORECAST By Raymond R. Camp Outdoor Editor New York Times The prospects for early channel bass fishing are excellent. That was the conclusion reached yesterday by our correspondent from the dunes of Dare on North Carolina’s shore. He examined the color of the seaweed, the growth on submerged driftwood, the fatness of the local oysters and had discussed the situation with Outer Banks netters. The presence of channel bass in waters off Diamond Shoals in February, Aycock Brown, news director of Dare County Tourist Bureau insists, determines their time of appearance and forecasts their abundance along the shore in late March or early April. They have a similar “yard stick” down there for bluefish, and it seems to work. If the blues are early, plentiful and large at Hatteras, they make an early ap pearance off New Jersey and Long Island ,and are both fat and abundant. The boats operating in the trawling fleet off Hatteras a few days ago came in with large catches of the copper-colored channel bass. One boat docked with 12,100 pounds. This, accord ing to the local prophets, indi cates that the fish are making an early appearance along the beaches from Ocracoke and Hat teras to Nags Head and Kitty Hawk. Normally these fish are taken trolling at Hatteras and Oregon Inlets late in March, but usually it is two or three weeks later be fore they appear in any number along the beach. With the new road open from Nags Head to Hatteras village, anglers no long er need to worry about letting air out of their car tires in order to “run the beach.” The modern world is just beginning to make its mark on the Outer Banks, so if you want to enjoy the old fashioned pleasures of this area, don’t postpone your trip too long. BOAT CAPTAIN, NATIVE OF AVON DIES IN N. J. Louis Mann Gray, 55, husband of Mrs. Mae Gray and son of the late George M. and Mrs. Mon terey Meekins Gray, a native of Avon, N. C., and a resident of Camden, N. J., for 25 years, Mon day died at 9 a.m. in a Camden hospital. He was a captain for the Mc- Allister Towing Company. Besides his wife, he is survived by six daughters, Misses Gladys, Myrtle, Barbara, Nadine, Winfred and Juanita Gray, all of Camden; two sons, Raymond and Ronald Gray, of Camden; three sisters, Mrs- Annie Midgett and Mrs. Lucy Gray, of Buxton, and Mrs. Carrie O’Neal, of Avon; four brothers, C. C. Gray, of Avon, I Willie Gray, of Norfolk; T. J. Gray, of Port Angeles, Wash., and Curtis Gray, of Kitty Hawk. Single Copy 70 FERRIES HAUL 34,032 CARS IN FOUR MONTHS Estimated 100,000 Persons Cross Croatan, Oregon Inlet, Alligator River From October 1, 1953, through January 31 this year, a total of 34,032 automobiles were trans ported on Dare coast ferries oper ating across Croatan Sound, Ore gon Inlet and the Alligator River, it was announced this week by Dare County Tourist Bureau. The Bureau’s figures were ob tained from District Highway Com missioner Emmett Winslow of Hertford who pointed out that of the total number, 24,270 of the ears and trucks carried North Carolina licenses while 9,762 were foreign to this State. Greatest number of cars were carried on the Croatan Sound fer ry during the four months period. The total for Croatan Sound was 14,943 and the close runnerup was Oregon Inlet, where 14,717 cars used the state maintained and toll free facilities. During the same period 4,372 cars used the Alli gator River ferry on Route 64. It was interesting to note in the report that in October and Novem ber more automobiles were trans ported on the Oregon Inlet ferry than across Croatan Sound. Travel statisticians usually es timate that each car carries on an average of three to four passen gers. This being true, well over 100,000 persons crossed the water links of Dare highways via ferry during the four months period and approximately 50,000 persons were traveling on the Oregon Inlet fer ry and a similar number on the Croatan Sound run. The great amount of traffic dur ing the four months period will increase greatly during the Spring as more and more tourists visit the Dare coast to visit the historic sites, Cape Hatteras National Sea shore, to fish or to just visit and vacation, Tourist Bureau officials stated. SIX TRAFFIC CASES IN DARE RECORDER’S Dare County Recorder’s Court had only traffic cases Tuesday, February 23. Robert White, charged with speeding 65 miles per hour in a 55 zone, pleaded not guilty to the charge. Patrolman Holt, the ar resting officer, gave testimony that he clocked White for about a mile and a half on the beach before arresting him. White, defending himself, whipped out a slide rule and figured out mathematically that he could not have been speed ing, according to the testimony of time and distance traveled before the arrest. Judge Baum dismissed the case. » Clyde Elmer Stowe pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving on December 16. Stowe was driving a car headed east across the Currituck Sound bridge. The car turned over sev eral times and scattered a prison gang working on the north side of the road. None of the prisoners were hurt, but Stowe and a com panion were hurt. The sentence was 30 days on the roads, sus pended on payment of $25 and costs of court. Url Riggs of Currituck failed to appear on a traffic violation. A capias was issued for his appear ance at next Tuesday’s court. Sam Moore, Negro, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with no operator’s license, fined $25 and costs. Kieston Parker, Negro, pleaded guilty to the charge of operating* a motor vehicle while his license was suspended. It was the third count against him since July 3, 1953,. his other charges having been speeding. The sentence was 12 months on the roads, suspended on payment of SIOO and costs. St. Clair Basnight was found guilty to a charge of drunken driv ing. He sideswiped a car driven by Johnny Krider at the time. He was fined SIOO and costs of court, with the right to appeal the case within ten days. WORLD DAY OF PRAYER IS TO BE OBSERVED The World Day of Prayer will be observed in the Mount Olivet Methodist Church in Manteo on Thursday, March 4, and the pub lic is invited to attend. A special service will be conducted at eight p.m. in the church by the 1 Woman’s Society for Christian Service, with Mrs. Lucetta Willis as chairman. The program will be the same that is being used all over the world, having been prepared by a native Indian mis sionary who died in January. All homes and places of busi ness are asked to stop for two minutes at some time during the day for silent prayer.