UME XXI NO. 2
inEWLY formed corporation
STARTS VIGOROUS PROGRAM
ON BEACH MOSQUITO CONTROL
Charter Signed and Flown to Raleigh Thursday;
Group to Sell Shares at $ 100 Each to Purchase
Plane and Begin Work at Once; Enthusiastic
Response Shown on Dare Beaches in SIO,OOO
Campaign.
At a meeting of interested busi
ness men and women of the Dare
Beaches, Nags Head, Kill Devil
Hills, Kitty Hawk, at Jockey Ridge
Restaurant on Wednesday, July
13th, plans were made for imme
diate incorporation of a stock cor
poration for the purpose of control
of mosquitoes on the Dare Beaches.
Shares of -the corporate stock are
being subscribed for at SIOO.OO per
share, and application for a cor
porate charter was flown to Ra
leigh on Thursday morning. The
capital of the corporation will be
used for the acquisition of a suita
ble plane and spraying equipment,
and the materials and supplies to
begin an immediate .campaign
against the mosquito problem on
the beaches. Every effort is being
directed toward beginning opera
tion of the program within a week
or ten days. Incorporators of the
“Dare Mosquito Control Corpora
tion” were P. J. M. Bayne, W. H.
Smith, Jr. and Paul L. Gray. Upon
receipt of the corporate charter, a
meeting of the stockholders will
be held to elect officers and Board
of Directors to govern the corpora
tion, and to employ the personnel
to carry out the program. It was
pointed out by the incorporators
that cottage owners and interested
citizens would be requested to in
vest in the services of the program
eevn though they did not become
stockholders, and also that persons
could purchase the SIOO.OO shares
jointly if they so desired. The cor
poration plans to begin operation
upon a subscribed stock issue of
■'oo. ,
• ?r only three days of effort
irt of the initial backers,
a meeting held most every
night, the movement gained head
way like a snow-ball rolling down
hill, and rolled up support rapidly
too. Several hundred dollars were
immediately donated and more
pledged.
P. J. M. Bayne was chairman
of the meeting held at his restaur
ant at Nags Head Wednesday
night. Among those attending this
See MOSQUITOES, Page Five
EDISON MIDGETT
RISES IN SERVICE
AT AN EARLY AGE
Young Cape Hatteras Native Now
In Command of 83-Foot Patrol
Boat at Ocracoke
Ten years ago, when he was 16
or so, Edison Midgett was about
as promising a printer’s apprentice
as ever worked in a print shop and
the Times Printing Company was
looking forward to years and years
mutually profitable experience
with him.
But the call of his blood was in
him and he left to join the U. S.
Coast Guard, but first for a sea
soning hitch with the Merchant
Marine until the service of his
choice could take him aboard. He
had to be 17 to get joined up and
right after his 17th birthday he
joined.
Two weeks ago young Midgett
took command of the eighty-three
footer based at Ocracoke and
assigned to the Cape Hatteras
Group of the Coast Guard. Four
weeks earlier he had been pro
moted to the grade of Chief Bos’n
Mate, one of the youngest mem
ever to make the grade in the
service during peace-time.
Chief Midgett is the great
grandson of one of the legendary
stalwarts of the service, the Ihte
Capt. Benjamin Dailey who, with
his entire crew, was the first man
in the Coast Guard to be awarded 1
Gold Lifesaving Medal shortly
the decoration was establish
• the Congress. His leadership
rescue of the crew of the
.iam Williams off Big Kinna
keet station in December, 1884, is
one of the great tales of a great
day of the surfman.
Midgett came to Cape Hatteras
Station two years ago as BMlc
and under both CWO Cyrus Gray
and CWO Harold Glynn, group
commanders, proved himself. His
competence as a boatman was
spectacularly proved a year ago
when he handled the rescue of the
crew of the Omar Babun just north
of Chicamicomico. He made the
run from Cape Hatteras station to
the scene of the wreck, a distance
of 27 miles, in forty minutes flat
after the first radio signal was
See MIDGETT, Page Eight
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
AT KITTY HAWK
PRESENTS CLAIMS
Many Reasons Cited In Favor of
New High School Now Be
ing Sought For This
District
The following letter has been
sent to this newspaper with re
quest for publication, to set forth
the arguments of the citizens of
the Kitty Hawk School District in
behalf of the campaign for the
new high school in this commu
nity:
The decision of the County
Board of Education to construct
a new high school at Manteo is
much more than just another step
in the statewide program of school
consolidation, and because of the
great concern of the residents of
our school district we feel ob
ligated to bring the facts to the
attention of the public. They are
listed, in order, as follows:
1. The existing Kitty Hawk
School was constructed in 1924
through a special tax levy in the
Kitty Hawk School District.
2. When all the schools in the
State were taken over by the coun
ties the Kitty Hawk School was
taken over by Dare County, but
the indebtedness on the school was
not.
3. From the time the county took
over the Kitty Hawk School until
Gov. Scott’s fifty million dollar
statewide bond issue for special
school construction was approved,
Dare County made no major im-
See SCHOOL, Page Four
WHOPPING INCREASE
IN TOURIST TRAVEL
TO HATTERAS ISLE
National Park Service and Other
Promotion Has Developed
Record-Breaking Num
ber of Tourists
The result of advertising by the
National Park Service, the Dare
County Tourist Bureau and other
agencies has resulted in record
breaking travel to Hatteras Island
during the July 4 week end. More
than 11,000 visitors came to the
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Area. The tremendous gains by
leaps and bounds during the past
three years indicates that another
three years will demand a bridge,
three years will Remand a
bridge, for the capacity of
ferry boats to handle th traf
fic will be impracticable if not
impossible.
Yet in spite of all the tide of
dollars that has poured into Hat
teras Island, bringing income to
investors and employment to local
people, there are people now and
then so dense as to discount the
value' of this new income which is
proving a life-saver to take up the
slack left by dwindling commer
cial fisheries, and the remains of
a once profitable Coast Guard
service.
The figures, announced by Allyn
F. Hanks, Superintendent of the
Cape Hatteras National Seashore,
show the traffic counters recorded
the following:
“Visitation to Cape Hatteras
National Seashore Recreational
Area over the recent holiday week
end, July 2,3, and 4 to 4 o’clock
p.m:, based on automatic traffic
counters and periodic, observations,
reveals an estimated 11,620 visit
ors entered the area in 3,757 ve-
See INCREASE, Page Five
FISH FRY FOR DISTRICT
MASONS NEXT WEDNESDAY
Wanchese Masonic Lodge vyill be
host to a district meeting with a
fish fry at the Shrine Club, Nags
Head, starting at 6:30 Wednesday,
July 20th. Earlier, beginning at 4
p. m., a meeting for officers lyill
be held with Grand Master C. H.
Pugh of Gastonia present to dis
cuss the year’s program.
This announcement is made by
District DGM R. O. Ballance of
Manteo, who was appointed at the
grand lodge meeting in Wilming
ton, April 21.
The First Masonic District in
cludes Shawboro, Camden, Hert
ford, Gatesville, South Mills, Eliz
abeth City, Coinjock, Wanchese,
Manteo and Buxton.
PAUL GREEN TO HELP AUG. 18 dBSERVANCE
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SB S
PAUL GREEN, author of The Lost Colony, shown here at the micro
phone on the stage of Waterside Theatre as the drama opened its 15th
season, July 1, is taking an active role with the Garden Clubs of North
Carolina in making plans for the dedication of Elizabethan Gardens
here on August 18. The dedication of the gardens, where erection of
the statues, masonry work and initial landscaping activity is taking
place under the supervision of Albert Q. Bell for the E. W. Renieke
Company is taking place, would tie in with the annual Virginia Dare
birthday observance of The Lost Colony. A list of distinguished guests,
officials of the United States, Great Britain and also the State and
national garden clubs will be present, for the all day occasion culminat
ing with a special performance of The Lost Colony during the evening
of August 18. R. E. Jordan, manager of The Lost Colony and Aycock
Brown, manager of Dare County Tourist Bureau were in Raleigh,
Thursday (July 14) to attend a meeting of Garden Club officials and
Paul Green in connection with completing plans for the big observance
on August 18. (Photo by Aycock Brown)
DISTRICT GOVERNOR TO
VISIT MANTEO ROTARIANS
The Rotary Club of Manteo will
be host Monday night, July 18th
to Dr. H. Broadus Jones, Governor
of the 278th District of Rotary
International, who is making his
annual official visit to each of the
39 Rotary Clubs in this district,
which extends from Burlington
and Yanceyville eastward to the
coast. He will address the Club in
its regular dinner session at 6.30,
and confer with president Wallace
H. McCown, Secretary Ernest E.
Meekins and committee chairmen
on Rotary administration and
service activities.
Dr. Jones is head of the English
department of Wake Forest Col
lege. He was graduated from Wake
Forest College, and received the
Master of Arts and Doctor of
Philosophy degrees from the Uni
versity of Chicago. He is a char
ter member of the Rotary Club of
Wake Forest, which was organized
in 1937, is a past president of that
club and past secretary.
He was elected District Gover
nor of Rotary International for the
1955-56 fiscal year at Rotary’s
Golden Anniversary Convention in
Chicago last June. He is one of
238 district governors supervising
the activities of some 8,700 Rotary
clubs which have a membership of
414,000 business and professional
executives in 92 countries and geo
graphical regions throughout the
world.
“Wherever Rotary Clubs are
located,” President McCown stated
See ROTARY, Page Eight
OCRACOKE MAN WINS SEAT*
IN PRINCESS. ANNE COUNTY
Robert S. Wahab Jr., a prac
ticing attorney at Virginia Beach,
won the nomination Tuesday for
commonwealth’s attorney in Prin
cess Anne County in a hotly con
tested campaign. His vote was
6,576 against James E. Heath’s
4,189.
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY,- JULY 15, 1955
RAPID PROGRESS
ON IMPROVEMENT
TO MILL CREEK
Party from Engineer Corp. Visits
Oregon Inlet and Manteo,
and Discusses Proj
ects
In an atmosphere of good will
and encouragement, several Dare
County citizens met Wednesday
afternoon in Manteo to discuss
with Col. R. L. Hill of the Wil
mington office of the Corps of
Engineers, the probable early im
provement of the channel leading
into Wanchese, sometime in the
fall, for which funds seem now to
be in the bag. This project has
had vigorous backing stemming
out of the movement begun in the
Wanchese Ruritan Club and aided
by Congressman Herbert Bonner.
Col. Hill’s party also discussed
the status of the Oregon Inlet
project which has been approved
by Congress, but which has not
been successful in getting funds
appropriated for the work. Several
thousand dollars have been raised
and spent by interested parties,
and by Dare County in various
attempts to get the appropriation
through Congress. There is some
hope that it may be gotten in the
1957 budget if vigor and consistent
effort can be financed and contin
ued.
Accompanying Col. Hill to Man
teo were men from his office, in
cluding D. A. Gardner, Chief of
Operations Branch; W. F. Fowler,
Chief of Harbors and Waterways
Branch, and M. E. Wester, Comp
troller. Roanoke Island citizens at
tending the meeting were Mayor
See PROGRESS, Page Eight
K. HAWK WOMAN ENJOYS
LONG TRIP TO WEST COAST
Mrs. Gertrude Baum of Kitty
Hawk recently motored to Seattle,
Wash., with Mrs. Pat Jordan. The
latter was enroute to Kodiak,
Alaska to join her husband, who
was recently transferred to the
Naval Base there.
They visited in Seattle with Mr.
and Mrs. Larry Kbziel and son
Robin, Mrs. Koziel being Mrs.
Baum’s granddaughter: Mrs. Baum
spent two weeks there sight seeing
by semi-cruiser; traveled down the
West Coast to San Pedro, Calif.,
and visited a week with cousins
there, Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Mehler,
where they motored to Tijuana,
Mexico, for a full day of sight
seeing and saw many beautiful
fruit farms and flowers in pro
fusion. After a very nice visit with
the Mehlers, Mrs. Baum traveled
by bus via Houston and Galveston,
Texas to Norfolk, then at home to
Kitty Hawk. The trip in- all was a
very pleasant one and ’ it took
over a month to go and return.
WASTEFUL DARE
JAIL PROPOSALS
SNOWED UNDER
Voters By Two to One Saturday
Express Disapproval of Costly
Scheme to Waste
$85,000.
By a vote of almost two to one,
some over 600 voters went''to the
16 voting places in Dare County
Saturday, and expressed their dis
approval of the plan to spend
$85,000 on jails at Manteo and
Buxton. Even Hatteras Island,
Vjhere the $5,000 jail was to be
built, went against the measure by
better than two to one. Only Bux
ton and Avon gave it a majority,
while Hatteras, Rodanthe and
Frisco went against it.
The measures carried in only
two other precincts, namely Manns
Harbor and East Lake. Heaviest
majorities against the proposals
were at Wanchese, Hatteras, Duck,
Rodanthe, and Kill Devil Hills. It
didn’t even carry at the Manteo
box. Colington tied on the Buxton
jail.
To hold this election, the people
of Dare County had to pay more
than $1,300. This added to the S7OO
already paid on the architect’s
account for drawing plans for the
Manteo project, makes $2,000 that
has already been pistaway for
nothing.
In addition there are numerous
legal and incidental costs to run
up the total somewhat higher.
Commissioner James Scar-
See ELECTION, Page Five
FORT RALEIGH
GARDENS OPEN
ON AUGUST 18
Officials Met Thursday at Raleigh
to Plan Dedication Cer
emonies
Paul Green, author of “The Lost
Colony,” and officials of the Gar
den Clubs of North Carolina will
meet in Raleigh Thursday, at I p.
m. to complete pJans for the dedi
cation of the Elizabethan Gardens
at Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island
August 18. High ranking national
and international figures in addi
tion to officials and members of
the State’s Garden Clubs will be
present for the dedicatory cere
monies which will be held on the
actual site of the project.
Work on the gardens has been
moving forward at a rapid pace
recently under the direction of
Albert Q. Bell, of Manteo, superin
tendent of building for the E. W.
Reinecke Company, contractor.
Innocenti and Webel, of New
York, designers of the gardens,
and officials of the Garden Clubs
of North Carolina visited the site
recently.
The dedicatory ceremonies will
find the Jock Whitney Estate sta
tuary erected; several of the gar
den walls finished or nearing com
pletion, and initial landscaping
completed. The statuary, gift of
the Whitney Estates, are valued
at more than SIOO,OOO.
In connection with the dedica
tory exercises, “The Lost Colony”
will present a special perform
ance on the night of August 18, in
memory of Virginia Dare, first
child of English parentage born
in the New World. August 18th,
1587 was her birthdate.
The Thursday meeting was held
at the Sir, Walter Hotel.
Mrs. J. L. Murphy of Kill Devil
Hills left Thursday to attend this
meeting.
DOGS AND DUCKS CAUSE
RIFT AMONG NEIGHBORS
Mrs. Viola J. Short of Avalon
Beach heard a guh go off twice,
the yelp of a dog, and her own pet
came howling home. She looked
out and saw her neighbor Norman
P. Smith with a gun in his hand
and a frown on his face. She
brought the subject before Judge
Washington Baum in Recorder’s
court Tuesday.
The defendant avowed he shot
at the dog in defense of his ducks
while they were being greatly dis
turbed by Mrs. Short’s pet. He
paid a fine of $lO and court costs.
Willard W. Whitson of Coinjock
was exposing his glorious man
hood publicly at the Nags Head
casino. He paid a fine of $25 and
costs.
R. R. Carter and R. B. Walker
of Rocky Mount, allowed the game
warden to find them with under
sized fresh water fish. Each paid
a fine of $5 and costs.
Speeders were fined as follows:
William A. Gregory of Coinjock,
Fred Cecil Geer of Elizabeth City,
and David Richard Brisbon each
paid sls and costs for traveling
50 mhp in a 35-mile zone, at Nags
Head. Arthur McClain Meekins of
Stumpy Point paid S2O for travel
ing at 55 mph.
BINGO PROPERTY OWNERS GET
LUCKY BREAK IN RULING BY
JUDGE MORRIS SATURDAY
Restraining Order Made Permanent in Hearing at
Currituck; Appeal Not Expected in Case Clos
ing Three Bingo Games at Nags Head; Equip
ment Was Ordered Confiscated and Defend
ants Will Pay All Costs and Attorneys
GUEST MINISTER AT
LOST COLONY SUNDAY
1 I |
MU 4i|
THE REV. J. FRANK DAVIS, D.
D., pastor of St. Paul’s Evangeli
cal Lutheran Church, Wilmington,
N. C., will be guest minister at
the third in a series of Sunday
services at The Lost- Colony Sea
son at Waterside Theatre on Sun
day morning, July 17, it was an
nounced today by General Man
ager Dick Jordan.
The Rev. Mr. Davis has an
nounced that his sermon topic will
be “The Secrets of Christian
Courage.”
Music will be provided by The
Lost Colony Chorus under the di
rection of Nena Williams with
Hedley Yost at the console of the
great Lost Colony organ.
The guest minister is a native
of Bessemer City, N. C. He was
educated in Hickory High School,
Lenoir Rhyne College and later
attended the Lutheran Southern
Seminary, where he received his
B. D.; the University of South
Carolina where he was awarded an
M. A.; and later at Yale Divinity
School, New Haven,. Conn, and
Union Theological Seminary, New
York. He received his D. D. from
Lenoir Rhyne College in 1955.
Before his present pastorate he
was in the pulpits of Lutheran
Churches at Kannapolis, Concord,
Shelby, Gastonia, New York City,
and Augusta Ga. He is very active
in religious circles, holding key
posts in several Portestant or
ganizations.
SALE FOR SUPPORT
OF BLIND TO BE
HELD NEXT WEEK
Manteo Lions Club Sponsoring
Sale of Blind-Made Products,
Friday, Saturday
Fred Wescott, president of the
Manteo Lions Club, announced to
day that the club will sponsor a
“home industry sale” of blind
made articles on Friday and Sat
urday, July 22 and 23 in front of
Fearings, Inc., in Manteo. The
bazaar of blind-made articles will
consist of household and beach
items made by blind people in their
homes. All of these articles are
hand made.
Members of the local Lions Club
will assist Miss Sudie Cox, home
industry counselor, who is in
charge of the bazaar. Articles for
sale are non-profit making. The
blind person receives all in excess
of cost of materials for his labor.
Prices are in line with other mer
chandise of equal value. You will
find a high standard of quality is
maintained with all merchandise
offered for sale, according to Mr.
Wescott.
There are 70 odd’active home
bound workers in Eastern North
Carolina. Dare County has two
actively producing cases in its
number. Home-bound cases in
Eastern North Carolina produced
and marketed more than $3,500.00
in 1954.
Home industry sales are spon
sored jointly by the North Caro
lina Commission for the Blind and
the local Lions Clubs. Mr. Wescott
reveals that the home industry
program of the North Carolina
Commission for the Blind is a
branch of the rehabilitation divi
sion for the home-bound blind, to
give adjustment, to employ, to
supply income supplementing
See SALE, Page Eight
Single Copy
Undoubtedly a long sigh of re
lief went up in Currituck Court
house around noon Saturday from
three owners of property in which
Bingo games had been operated,
when Judge Chester Morris, while
ruling against the games, an
nounced that he would not order
confiscation of the property, which
he could have done under the law.
He did say the equipment would
be confiscated, and that in dictat
ing his order, he would stipulate
the defendants give bond in suffi
cient sum to pay all costs, as well
as reasonable attorneys fees for
the plaintiffs.
Judge Morris made permanent a
restraining order served some two
weeks before against G. T. West
cott, R. B. and Gertrude Lennon,
Gaston B. and Ella Mann, whose
buildings had housed three bingo
games. The games were operated
by Mr. Wescott, by Al Mater and
Mr. Lennon, and by Gene O’Don
nell for H. W. Jones.
The order was brought at the
instigation of several church
groups and signed by Mrs. Virgin
ia Wescott and Mrs. Marjorie Wes
cott of Manteo. They were repre
sented by Martin B. Simpson Jr.
of Elizabeth City.
The courtroom was more than
half filled with spectators from
Wanchese, Manteo, Kitty Hawk
and the beaches; including many
operators and former workers of
the bingft games.
Judge Morris expressed regret
that he had to pass on this case,
and he said some of the men in-
See BINGO, Page Eight
HAYMAN CLAN TO
MEET JULY 24
AT MANNS HARBOR
Morning Sermon To Be By Native
Son, Rev. L. D. Hayman; Pic
nic Dinner; Public Invited
The annual re-union of the Hay
man Clan which is one of Dare
County’s important events will be
held this year on Sunday, July
24th at the Manns Harbor Meth
odist Church. The regular date has
been changed to the fourth Sunday
in July, for several reasons. First
it makes possible the attendance
of many who cannot otherwise
attend. Second, it enables Rev. L.
D. Hayman’s usual sermon to be
heard at a time when it can have
larger attendance. For Mr. Hay
man is a popular man. Now resid
ing in retirement at Southport, he
is a native of Dare County.
Through the kindness of Rev. A.
L. G. Stephenson, the pastor, and
his official board, the clan has
been granted full use of the church
for this annual occasion.
The Clan head expresses his
appreciation to Rev. A. L. G.
Stephenson, the pastor, and
his congregation for this gen
erous courtesy. In return the Clan,
through its president, is extending
invitation to Rev. Mr. Stephenson
and his people to share with and in
all the several parts of the pro
gram during the day.
The general outline of the pro
gram for the day will follow along
these lines. All visitors and mem
bers of the clan are invited to
gather for the Church Schol hour
which is ten a. m. and worship
with the local Sunday School and
leaders for this hour. Registration
book for clan members will be open
in time for each member to regis
ter. Also the visitor’s book for
others to register. At eleven
o’clock, Rev. L. D. Hayman, presi
dent of the Clan will preach the
annual sermon to the Clan and all
visitors. Following the morning
worship, the picnic dinner for all
will be served on the grounds of
the church. Following the dinner
hour and get-acquainted-period,
See CLAN, Page Eight
6,000 FEET OF BRIDGE
Col. R. L. Hill of the Corp of
Engineers, Wilmington advises
that the new highway bridge being
constructed across Croatan Sound,
North Carolina, has now progress
ed westerly from Weir Point on
Roanoke Island to a point 6,000
feet from the shore.
All mariners are urged to exer
cise caution when navigating in
i the vicinity of floating plant en
i gaged in construction of the
1 bridge.