North Carolina Newspapers

VOLUME XIX NO. 41 OCRACOKE PART SEA LEVEL C OF C PROMOTION PLAN Ocracoke To Be Included In To Promote Develop ment of Lower Banks Ocracoke.—According to a letter reeived here by R. S. Wahab and posted publicly, Ocracoke will be benefited immeasurably by the newly organized Sea Level Cham ber of Commerce, which will in clude coastal communities from Beaufort to and including Ocra coke. Joe Dußois, formerly with the Chamber of Commerce of More head City, is , manager of the Sea Level Chamber of Commerce and for the present will have his office and headquarters at Sea Level Inn. According to the plans this office will serve as a clearing house for all of the coastal communities. One of the first objectives would be the building of a hard surface highway down Ocracoke Island so as to make a closer connection be tween Hatteras and Atlantic. A clever cartoon recently published in the Carteret County News-Times depicted the fact that the North Carolina beaches are more isolated to the tourist than those of South Carolina and Georgia, and that when an autoist reached Atlantic he is 300 miles by paved road from Hatteras, and vice versa. In .addition to transportation projects, the Community Chamber of Commerce group would cooper ate in national advertising, in san itation projects, and in community betterment in general. Towns included in the Sea Level group are Ocracoke, Atlantic, Ce dar Island, Davis, Harkers Island, Smyrna, Stacy, Williston, Otway, Gloucester, Straits, Betty and Beaufort. Several people from Ocracoke attended a meeting Tues day at Sea Level to hear more about the proposed cooperative venture. TWO DARE COUNTY GIRLS ECC HONORARY SOCIETY Misses Jackie Forehand of iqchese and Mary Ann Bryan ( / Kitty Hawk have been honor- " . with an invitation to join the East Carolina College chapter of Phi Omicron, a national honor ary home economics society. Members are chosen on the basis of excellence in scholarship and qualities of leadership. Miss Forehand, a sophomore at East Carolina, graduated from Manteo high school in 1952. She made the dean’s list the first quarter at East Carolina, and is rated as a “2-plus” student. OLDEST MEMBER TO BE HONORED BY BAPTISTS The oldest member of the Man teo Baptist Church, Mrs. Eliza Twyne of Manteo, will be honor ed Sunday afternoon, April 11, at 3:30 o’clock in the recreation room of the church. Sharing honors with Mrs. Twyne will be all the new members, who have become affiliated with the church during the pastorate of Rev. H V. Napier. All church members are urged to be present. VFW LADIES AUXILIARY ELECT NEW OFFICERS • The Ladies Auxiliary to Dare County Post No. 9959, Veterans of Fpreign Wars, installed of ficers for the coming year, Thurs day night, April 1, by Mrs. Mary Newman, past president: Mrs. Marian Cochran, presi dent; Mrs. Mary Basnight; senior vice president; Mrs. Beatrice Lewark, junior vice president; , Mrs. Camille Podolski, treasurer; Mrs. Mary Newman, chaplain; Mrs. Naomi Shannon, conduc tress; Mrs. Rennie Fuqua, guard; Mrs. Grace Ward, trustee; Mrs. Pearl Riddick, secretary; Mrs. Sarah Etheridge, historian; Mrs. Nancy Lewis, patriotic instructor. The ladies are looking forward to a good year with their main project to be the building of a nost home. ES TO THANK MANY W -IENDS FOR REMEMBRANCE A. W. Drinkwater, after a cou ple of spells in the hospital, is now home with his family, and rapidly regaining strength. “It made it not so hard being in the hospital, when I considered the many flowers, cheering messages, cards and vis its paid me by friends,” Mr. Drink wofar cniH Mr. Drinkwater’s daughters, Dorothy and Marguerite also add their thanks for the fine thoughts of bo many people for their father. So now it looks like most of the trouble is out of the way, and friend-Alpheus will be on his feet and going strong again by the time the season gets in full swing. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA MRS. E. R. MIDGETT, BUXTON, l(IEW MEMBER DARE WELFARE BOARD ill I R A ’ ■ 'A XT 1 MRS. CEDRICK S. MIDGETT of Buxton has accepted appoint ment as a member of Dare Coun ty board of public welfare to take office on April 1 as the ap pointee of the State Board of Public Welfare. Announcement of this selection was confirmed this week by Walter D. Perry, Chairman of County Welfare Board. The county welfare board, composed of three persons from the county, has responsibility under State law for the adminis tration of the public welfare pro gram in the county in accordance with uniform State-wide policies. This board determines who is eligible for public assistance and in what amount. The welfare board and the board of county commissioners determine annual ly in joint session the amount of county money available for pub lic welfare, including the welfare department’s administrative and assistance budgets.. Mrs. Cedrick S. Midgett is one of the 100 persons in North Caro lina, one in each county, who have been named this year as the State Board appointee of their respective county welfare boards for a three-year term. Mrs. Midgett has not served previously on the Dare County Welfare Board. She graduated from the Buxton High School and taught in the Dare County Schools. Later she married Mr. E. R. Midgett, merchant of the Buxton community. Their only son, Boyce, a graduate of N. C. State College, is now employed with the N. C. Public Works Commission as an engineer. The See MEMBER, Page Four i Fishing j U AS REPORTED BY AYCOCK BROWN MOUSE LURE TAKES BASS A top-water mouse lure was used successfully for taking large mouth bass from the waters of Kitty Hawk Bay during the past week by a family of Englewood, N. J., anglers spending a spring vacation. Previously, silver spoon and pork-rind lures had been used for catching these Nags Head fresh water species in the waters of nearby Colington Is land or Kitty Hawk Bay. The Engelwood family of fish ermen, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Cross and their children, Nancy and Jack, were fishing with Capt. Lee Perry when they tried out their mouse lure. Although fresh water fishes have been taking live bait for the past several weeks, the large mouth bass are just begin ning to show an interest in ar tificial lures and catches are in creasing from day jto day. SEA TROUT BITING First sea trout of the season were landed on the week end by anglers fishing in the waters of Roanoke Sound near the “Little” Bridge between Nags Head and Roanoke Island. Only a few were landed, but those taken were weighed in at from three to four pounds each. Anglers fishing for sea trout at the Little Bridge use various types of lures to attract the fish. In addition to trout occasional striped bass are landed from these waters during the mid spring fishing season at the Little Bridge. FOUR VEHICLES INVOLVED IN FOGGY ACCIDENT A low-lying fog early Tues day morning caused a Daniels Building Supply truck to side swipe the Virginia Dare Trans portation Co. bus headed south toward Wanchese on the 6 a.m. schedule. The truck, headed north, driven by Lloyd Sander lin of Wanchese, had its wheels left of the center line, and the bus, headed south, driven by Bud Quidley of Manteo, was side swiped about a mile north of the village of Wanchese. The bus took off at an angle through the marsh for about 25 yards after Quidley lost control. Neither vehicle upset. There were two passengers on the bus, and neither was hurt. Marvin Daniels, Wanchese taxi driver, was following along back of the bus, saw the accident and stopped. Then Ernest Walker, driving a state pickup truck and following behind Daniels, ran into the back of the taxi. Neither vehicle was damaged badly. Damage to the bus was esti mated around SSOO. Sanderlin was charged with having his wheels left of the cen ter line. Patrolman R. C. Holt of Manteo investigated the accident. BODIE ISLAND C. G. TO BE ALTERED FOR PARK HEADQUARTERS Old Bodie Island Coast Guard station between Nags Head and Oregon Inlet will soon become the administration building of Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recre ational Area, it was announced by Allen Hanks, recently appointed superintendent of this new and first seaside unit of the National Park System. Already the old station building, inactive as a Coast Guard unit since Worid War 11, is underoging conversion. At the present time Hanks, who came here -from Everglades Na tional Park to assume his super intendency duties on March 1, is making his temporary headquar ters in the Governor White cottage at Fort Raleigh. In addition to converting the station building into a modern ad ministration building, plans call for entrance highways and a park ing area from nearby Nag Head- Hatteras highway to the building. The ocean beach in the area is expected to be converted into a public bathing area during the coming summer. As this phase of the seashore’s development is made, there would be lifeguards assisting park rangers in operation of the area, it was stated . 10 PRIZE WINNING FISHES LANDED IN DARE DURING 1953 A 570% pound blue marlin landed with rod and reel in the Gulf Stream off Hatteras on last September 19, by Dr. J. C. Over bey, Norfolk, was the largest fish of that species taken by any ang ler during 1953. Dr. Overbey’s big marlin won first place in the national Field and Stream Magazine contest. Second prize winner was a 416 pounder landed by James B. Booze off Ocean City, Maryland on July 31, and the third place winner was the 383-pounder landed off Hatteras on May 29 by William P. Wilkins of Norfolk. Two other blue marlin entered in the national contest was a 303- pounder landed off Walkers Cay in the Bahamas, and a 170-pound er boated off Point Judith, R. I. Hatteras waters produced an other prize winning billfish, a 75-pound sail, taken by A. B. Windham on August 25, the eighth-place winner of 10 entered in this class. First prize sail was a 96-pounder landed by J. L. Lauricella, Sr., off Grand Isle, Louisanna. Os 10 winning channel bass en tered in the contests, eight were taken in N. C. coast waters and six from the surf or inlets of Dare county. First prize channel bass was a 61 pound 12 ounce speci man taken near Hatteras Inlet on Ocracoke Island. Hayes Fulcher of Buxton caught a 60% pounder for second prize. Third prize fish was a 56% pounder landed by See FISHING, Page Four MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 1954 NAGS HEAD C of C TALKS MOSQUITO, MEMORIAL LIGHT Elizabeth City Night Wednes day With Speaker; Spray ing, Lighting Talked Wednesday night was Eliza beth City night at the Nags Head Chamber of Commerce meeting. Forrest Jones, speaker, talked about the financing of a chamber of commerce as an investment rather than a contribution. Other Elizabeth City people present, who are property own ers on the beaches, Moore, Miles Clark, Wade Marr, C. Alden Baker, Jack Jennette, and Charles Hollowell. Mrs. Lucille Purser, chairman of the advertising committee, gave a report on plans for the coming year, and also gave tri bute to the Dare County Tourist Bureau and Aycock Brown. The Tourist Bureau does work which the Chamber of Commerce can’t do, she said. Aycock Brown ex plained the $16,000 budget for the. year. Jesse Outlaw, a cropduster who has just moved to Manteo, talked about spraying the beaches with DDT and an -oil base, which would probably last all season and not wash away after rain which it has done in the past. The dusting would cost $1 per acre, and the dust about 25 cents per acre, he said. W. A. Williams is chairman of the mosquito con trol committee. Letters were read from Senator Hoey, Congressman Bonner, and Conrad Wirth concerning the year round lighting of the Wright Memorial. There is no money ap propriated at present for this pur pose, but they all have promised to work on the project and get it through by next year. POSTMASTER OPENING AT KITTY HAWK An examination for Postmaster at Kitty Hawk, $3,400 a year, un der revised and more exacting eli gibility requirements agreed upon by the U. S. Civil Service Com mission and the Post Office De partment will be open for receipt of applications until May 4, 1954, ■ the Commission announced today. All previously existing postmas ter examinations for first-, second-, and third-class post offices and lists of eligibles were cancelled at the time higher standards of eligi -1 bility were prescribed for the filling of more than 1,700 vacant positions ' throughout the country. The Commission is taking all 1 possible steps through special pub -1 licity to civic and other community 1 organizations to encourage well qualified persons to apply for the examination. Competitors "for the postmaster vacancy must show that they can deal with the public agreeably and effectively and that they are relia ble citizens who would command the respect and confidence of pa trons of the post office. They must also show that their background I will enable them to maintain sim- I pie records of accounts or that it I has given them a knowledge of postal procedures. Applicants must take a written test. Those who pass will be as- I signed final ratings on the basis of this test and on their experience, ability, and character. There is a 1-year residence requirement and applicants must be at least 21 years of age and must not have passed their sixty-third birthday. Complete information about the examination requirements and in structions for filing applications may be obtained at the post of fice for which this examination is being announced. Application forms must be received in the U. S. Civil Service Commission, Washington 25, D. C., not later than May 4. EVAN JAMES MIDGETTE DIES IN ELIZABETH CITY Evan James Midgette. 81, died Monday morning at 5:45 o’clock in the Albemarle Hospital follow ing a short illness. He was a native of Avon and had lived in Elizabeth City at 802 Southern avenue for the past 35 years. He was the son of the late, William Riley and Mary Scarbor ough Midgette. He was a member of the Methodist Church. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Nancy William Midgette; two daughters, Mrs. A. L. Zavilenski of Norfolk and Mrs. L. S. Meiggs of Maysville; six sons, Dennis W. Midgette and Evan E. Midgette of Elizabeth City, William P. Mid gette of Los Angeles, Calif., Hal las C. Midgete, U. S. Army, sta tioned in Korea, Woodrow W. and James B. Midgette of Havelock; one sister, Mrs. Mary W. Gray of Avon and 16 grandchildren. SPEAKS IN MANTEO AT LIONS DINNER M Joi w. KERR SCOTT, Senatorial can didate, spoke tq the Manteo Lions Club Tuesday night, declaring that the next big step in Dare County is Oregon Inlet. “I would like to help along that line,” the former governor said.” (Photo by Roger Meekins.) DARE JURORS NAMED FOR MAY SUPERIOR COURT The names of those persons drawn to serve on the jury of the May term of the Dare County Superior Court have been re leased by Melvin Daniels, clerk to the board of commissioners. The list is as follows: Loranzo Gaskins, Hatteras; Harvey Sutton, Manns Harbor; John Evans Midgett, Buxton; Horace J. Barnett, Nags Head; Marvin L. Mann, Manteo; Mrs. Annie May Midgett, Manns Har bor; Dortha Twiford, East Lake; Calvin McCoy Hooper, Stumpy Point; Thomas L. Russell, Man teo; Ivey Daniels, Wanchese; Mrs. Lula Anderson, Kitty Hawk; Basil Daniels, Wanchese: Mrs. Etta Peele, Manteo; Benja mine A. Crees, Manteo; Neva D. Beasley, Wanchese; Mrs. John Krider, Manteo; Hannah Spruill, Kitty Hawk. Louise Roundtree, Salvo; Oscar Sanderlin, Kitty Hawk; Kate Austin Burrus, Hatteras; Ruth M. Hooper, Stumpy Point; Her bert L. Perry, Kitty Hawk; Mrs. Sam Basnight, Mashoes; Mar garet Haywood, Avon: Albert Austin, Hatteras; A. S. Austin, Jr., Hatteras; Mrs. Mildred Mid gett, Manns Harbor; Mrs. Isabel Murphy, Kill Devil Hills; Burgess Gray, Avon, Myrai Twiddy, Fris co; Edward Hooper, Salvo; Vance Dowdy, Kitty Hawk; Edward H. Fulcher, Buxton. See JURORS, Page Four MISSING CASH AFTER TRIP TO BANK MONDAY Miss Marie Etheridge lost S3O in cash Monday after she had cashed a check at the bank. She went out of the bank, put the money in her pocketbook, she thinks, went to the drug store and then to the school building. She does not know whether she lost the money or whether it was stolen from her pocketbook, but is asking anyone who might know the whereabouts of the missing cash to get in touch with her. BETA CLUB MEMBERS AT GRIGGS HIGH SCHOOL — wwr <>: gioUd , < KUIFU jfcrf fc 2 1 THE BETA CLUB of Griggs High School recently inducted ten new members in the club, making a total of 24. Seven of the members are planning to attend the Beta Convention in Asheville on April 16-19. Seated, left to right: Miss Grace Pou, advisor; Susie Gregory, presi dent; Jean Jackson, vice-president; Carolyn Bishop, secretary; Dean Owens, treasurer; standing, left to right: Edwin Woodhouse, Ruth Dunton, Mary Bateman, Shirley Justus, Kaye Chappell, Richard Bishop, Paul Parker, Gerald Bunch. Members not pictured are: Edgar Parker, Bobby Cahoon, Roy Barnard, Joyce Twiford, Jean Sawyer, Marie Bate man, Dot Evans, Fred Dhnton, Carrie Mcßride, Grace Twiford, Ann Blanchard. ’ SCOTT ADVOCATES AID FOR OREGON INLET PROJECT IN CAMPAIGN TALK IN DARE CO. Senatorial Candidate and Former Governor Says Good Roads to Churches Aid Religious Upbringing of Youth; Speaks to Manteo Lions Club Tuesday Night Boosting Cause of Transportation. By ROGER MEEKINS “Oregon Inlet is the next big step in Dare County,” said W. Kerr Scott to the Manteo Lions Club Tuesday night, “and I think I can help you along those lines.” The former governor and now senatorial candidate was accompa nied on his tour here by Henry Shelton, former highway commis sioner of the first district. “I am a transportation-minded man,” the former governor said, “and I believe that by keeping Ore gon Inlet open we will be aiding the transportation of the nation. The bill has already been approved by Congress, but somehow the money never quite seems to be ap propriated. I would like to cooper ate with the other senator from North Carolina and try to get the appropriation through.” Candidate Scott believes that the United States money lying idle in banks, most of which is in four banks in New York, could be put to work the same as was the North Carolina money when he went into office as Governor. “The money which is now drawing no interest could be drawing close to 300 mil lion dollars in interest a year,” Mr. Scott said. “And that would relieve 68,000 taxpayers in North Carolina alone.” Mr. Scott explained how he be lieved the country church was the backbone of the state, and that in keeping these churches open all year with paved roads his adminis tration as governor has been look ing forward to the future needs of North Carolina. “Two-thirds of North Carolina’s people belong to the country church,” he said, “and so we tried to tie in the church with the road program wherever possible. This will help to give our young people better training in Christian principles.” North Carolina’s population, ac cording to present statistics, will increase from four milion to eight million in the next 35 years, and in order to meet the needs of an in creasing population we need men with vision,” Mr. Scott said. “Be fore my gubernatorial campaign I traveled over a million miles in North Carolina, talked to thous ands of people, and soon I began to find out that many of their problems were the same. I believe I know about as much about the potentials of North Carolina as the average men, and I would like to put that knowledge to work as a Senator from North Carolina,” Mr. Scott went on. “Many people now say that the next generation will never see the road and school bonds paid off in this state, but that is not so. They will be paid off in the next 16 years,” the candidate said. “The bonds that you, the people, voted in are being paid off now at the rate which you voted for. Those bonds were obtained at the small est interest rate ever, 1.69 per cent. These road and school bonds were part of that program in look ing out for the progress and future needs of this state.” Mr. Scott spent the day Tues day traveling about the county with Henry Shelton, who ac companied him on the trip here, See SCOTT, Page Four Single Copy 70 MARINE PILOT GIVES ACCOUNT FORCED LANDING Fighter Pilot Landed Jet On Beach Last Week; CG Hel icopter Dispatched Second Lieutenant A. E. Smith, who made an emergency landing in his Marine F9F-4 .Panther jet near Avon last week, has been giv en credit for doing a swell job of saving the jet and himself from total destruction. “The Windsock,” newspaper at Cherry Point Marine base, carried a first-hand account of the event. The article appears as follows: Lieutenant Smith was out of fuel when he landed, and reports that he had been in trouble for some time prior to the landing. He had prepared once to bail out, but was too low for a safe jump. With his wheels up, he landed the jet a few yards from the surf on Hatteras Island. His approxi mate landing position was deter mined as between Avon, N. C., and the Little Kinnakeet Coast Guard Life Boat Station. The Coast Guard unit, after receiving his distress calls, dis patched a PBM, an R4D and a helicopter from Elizabeth City. Chief Thomas Tate picked up Lieutenant Smith in the helicop ter and returned him to Cherry Point. After returning safely to the I Station, Smith explained the in cident in detail: “I was in a five-plane division let-down (a dive in formation), near Camp Lejeune, N. C. The weather was very bad and we were ‘souped’ in. On the let-down, I lost radio contact, became lost from the division and experienced hydraulic failure. I decided to bail out and ejected my canopy. I broke out of the soup at 1000 feet, recov ered from the dive, and leveled off. My ejection seat was armed (on impact it would have thrown him clear of the plane). Visibility was still very poor and my radio aids were out. I noticed that my fuel was down to 800 pounds. I decided to head north and radioed my in tention to land at Elizabeth City. I landed on the beach with no dam age to the plane.” What Lieutenant Smith did not realize until he had returned to Cherry Point was that his messag es had been picked up by another Cherry Point pilot, Second Lieu tenant C. G. Gebsen of VMF-114. Though Lieutenant Gebeen re ceived Smith’s radioed distress calls, he could not contact Smith. The canopy that Smith had ejected earlier held the radio re ceiving antenna. Lieutenant Smith could send messages, but not receive them without the an tenna. Lieutenant Gebsen relayed Smith’s calls to the tower at Cher ry Point and a rescue helicopter was dispatched. The Coast Guard unit at Kinna keet, which observed the landing, stated that the landing was so skillfully executed that they did not realize Lieutenant Smith had experienced a fuel shortage. SOUTH ALBEMARLE MEETING THURSDAY 10:30 PLYMOUTH Some 50 members of the six county executive committee of the Southern Albemarle Association, will accompany Dr. W. T. Ralph of Belhaven, the President, to Plymouth Thursday morning of next week, April 15, to transact business of the committee, in the first committee meeting of the year. The group will be the guests of the Washington County Board of Commissioners. Counties repre sented will be Washington, Tyr rell, Dare, Hyde, Martin and Beaufort. Dr. Ralph was elected president at the annual convention in Manteo in November. ONE CASE POSTPONED DARE RECORDER’S COURT Wilbur Mackey, Negro service man, pleaded not guilty to the charges of driving a motor vehicle recklessly, and driving while in toxicated, in Dare County Record er’s Court Tuesday. The case was postponed until next week as the state’s witnesses were not present.