' GLUME XXI NO. 11
GOVERNOR ORDERS
ALLIGATOR RIVER
BRIDGE SURVEY
Meanwhile Plans Continue for Im
proving U. S. 64 and Build
ing Bridge at Columbia
Governor Luther Hodges this
week allocated $20,000 to make a
survey of the cost of a bridge over
Alligator River, which is good
news to those who have iong advo
cated this much needed structure.
He also allocated $20,000 to make
a survey for a new bridge across
the Cape Fear River at Wilming
ton.
It is estimated that the Alliga
tor River Bridge will cost around
$3,000,000, maybe a little more
than the Croatan Sound Bridge
now under construction. The esti
mated cost of the Cape Fear River
• Bridge will be about $12,000,000.
How soon the bridges must wait
probably will depend on what Con
gress does at its next session about
increasing the federal-aid highway
program. It did nothing at its past
session but, with election year ap
proaching, the chances may be bet
ter next spring.
The Highway Commission,
meanwhile, is moving to put US 64
in shape to handle the increased
traffic expected to result when the
Croatan and Alligator River fer
ries are replaced by bridges. As
part of the program, it proposes to
re-route US 64 through Colum
bia.
US 64 now passes through Co
lumbia over the town’s Main Street
and a drawbridge across the Scup
pernbng River. The commission
wants to build a new bridge over
the Scupper nong and move US 64
one block south of Main Street.
If the plan is carried opt, the
present bridge would be removed.
Columbia merchants are objecting
strongly. If the Highway Commis
sion must make changes, they con
tend, the changes should be limit
ed to widening Main Street. They
don’t want the old bridge razed.
The new bridge would be built
t a point crossed by an old rail
road trestle and the road leading
off the new bridge would run gen
erally along an old railroad right
of-way.
Highway engineers have told the
Columbia merchants the present
bridge eventually will have to be
replaced anyway. They pointed out
that the bridge is in poor shape
and could not continue to carry
■ heavy traffic. They also have point
ed out that it would be impractical
to widen Majn Street. There is
ionly 50 feet clearance between
storefronts and at least 80 feet
would be needed to meet minimum
standards for the improved sec
tion of US 64 the Highway Com
mission hopes to build.
The new Scuppernotig River
bridge would need no draw span.
It would be south of docks and
wharfs on the Scuppernong. The
present bridge, lying north of a
fish house and an oil terminal pier,
had to be equipped with a draw
span so that boats could make pas
sage.
CHARLES O. MIDGETT, JR. IS
NON-COMMISSIONED GRAD.
Fort Campbell, Ky., Sept. 6.
Sgt. Charles O. Midgett, Jr., son of
Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Midgette of
701 Stockely Gardens, Norfolk,
Virginia, recently graduated with
honors from Non-Commissioned
Officers School. He also is a grad
uate of Military Justice and Mine
Detector Schools. Sgt. Midgette is
Platoon Sgt. in his unit Company
“C” 27th Engineer Battalion (Com
bat) of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Sgt. Midgette entered the Army
on February 28, 1952. He received
Basic Training in Fort Leonard
Wood, Missouri. He was then sent
to Fort Hood, Texas, where he
served until December of 1952.
He was then sent to Korea where
he served until January of 1954.
He was returned to the States to
Fort Meade, Maryland, where he
received an ■honorable discharge.
In April, Sgt Midgette re-enliste
■d and was assigned to this unit.
Prior to entering the Army, Sgt.
~ I idgette attended the Blair Jun
.or High School in Norfolk, Vir
ginia. Among his decorations he
holds the Korean Citation, Good
Conduct Medal, NDSM, and Ko
rean Medal.
FRIGHTENED BY BEAR
WOMAN’S BACK INJURED
An unusual circumstance befell
Mrs. Al Mater, wife of a former
Nags Head bingo operator Sunday,
while en route home to Hampton,
Va. She had stopped in lower Cur
rituck County to look at the bear
kept at Enoch Banks’ service sta
tion. She probably fractured her
back, when she fell over while sud
denly moving away from the bear
which had moved toward her.
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
LEADS REVIVAL
irn
Hatteras. The Rev. and Mrs.
Dana H. Spence, Canadian-born
evangelist, youth and Sunday
School director of the Assemblies
of God of the District of North
Carolina, will conduct revival serv
ices at the Assembly of God
Church at Hatteras. This revival
begins September 13th and ex
tends through Sept. 27th. Services
each night except Monday nights.
Special singing and instrumental
numbers by Mrs. Spence. The pub
lic is extended a warm welcome,
according to the pastor, H. C. Dew.
FINES AND FORFEITURES
BRING SCHOOL FUND |350
Recorders Court Still Doing Business in
Dare County; Two Defendants
Forfeit Bonds Tuesday
The Dare County Recorder’s
Court took in about $350 Tuesday,
countihg the court costs taken in.
Eight warrants were disposed of
by Judge Baum.
William Roy Beacham, Jr. .of
Kitty Hawk, and Tommy Leon
O’Neal of Manteo each paid sls
and costs for driving at 50 m.p.h.
in a 35-mile zone.
For operating an automobile in
a reckless and careless manner and
driving without operator’s license,
Alvin O. Farrow, USCG of Ports
mouth, Va., paid fines of $25 and
sls and costs of court.
Gurney Nick Pittman, Jr., of
Suffolk, Va., charged with being
drunk and disorderly and resist
ing arrest, was fined sls and costs.
Jas. Henderson Cox of Wanchese
was fined $25 and costs for driv
ing after his operator’s license had
been suspended.
William Ralph James of Virgin
ia who had posted a SIOO cash bond
failed to appear. He had been
charged with operating in a reck
less and careless manner, interfer
ing with an officer while making
an arrest, committing assault with
a deadly weapon, to wit, an auto
mobile, and resisting arrest. Like
numerous other cases brought in
court by county officers, the war
rant failed to include the defend
ant’s address, but the school fund
gets the SIOO.
James Leonard Proffit of Am
herst, Va. was charged with oper
ating at 55 mph in a 35-mile zone.
He also had put up a $35 cash
bond, and failed to appear.
Jack Lamson, charged with cre
ating a disturbance at the Drafty
Tavern,, and assaulting Benny
Payne, paid fine and costs total
ing $28.20.
FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS
MANTEO VS. SUFFOLK, VA.
The opening of the football sea
son finds the Manteo High School
playing Suffolk, Va., Junior Varsity
League, on Saturday, September
17, at 8 p.m. in Manteo.
For out-of-towners who may
wish to watch the game and are
not well acquainted with the geog
raphy hereabouts, the ball park is
just off the highway by the Mantetf
water tower.
According to R. H. Stone, prin
cipal, the probable starting line
up for Manteo will be —Ends, Til
lett, Dough; tackles O’Neal,
Biggs; guard Glynn, Midgett;
center Hayes; backfield Bal
lance, Simpson, Basnight, and
Woodward.
At press time Simpson and
Hayes have some injuries but it is
hoped that some of the casualties
will be able to play on Saturday.
NEWSPAPER COUPLE SPEND
SEPTEMBER ON BEACH
Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord P. Godwin,
newspaper couple of Washington,
D. C. who have been coming for
the past three years to Nags
Head, are here for the month of
September, storm threat or no.
They like Nags Head, and think its
tops for vacation. Mr. Godwin, who
is with United Press, and Mrs.
Godwin, live in the beach home of
Mr. and Mrs. M. K. Fearing, Jr.
opposite the Sea Oatel.
$ I 3,000 ESTIMATED
COST OF MOSQUITO
CONTROL IN DARE
County Board Plans For Supervis
ion of Gift From Federal Funds
Coming to the Coastland
Soon
« Dare County through its board
of commissioners has applied for
Federal and Civil Defense funds
now available to assist communi
ties and areas plagued with mos
quitos resulting from the back
wash of Hurricanes Connie and
Diane which flooded lowlands and
marshes with salt waters of the
sounds and ocean, and kept flooded
by one of the rainiest late sum
mer and early autumn periods in
many years.
Cooperating with the commis
sioners in an advisory and tech
nical capacity have been members
of the county board of health.
A spokesman for the county
board stated today that the outlay
for mosquito control would include
two rented jeeps with fogging
equipment (which later may be
purchased at nominal cost by coun
ty), 15,000 gallons of 25 percent
DDT and fuel oil solution for fog
ging, and paying operators of the
rolling equipment. The program,,
expected to continue for some 90
days, would not be localized to any
one community but in all sectors
where mosquitos are currently a
serious problem, it was stated.
Applications will be approved
and the control measures will be
gin within the next week, it was
stated.
This initial application for mos
quito control funds does not in
clude drainage. The county board
is now working on an application
for special drainage funds which
may be acquired in the near future.
It has been announced that while
such drainage funds will be made
available, that only old ditches,
clogged up now, would be opened.
No new drainage ditches would be
dug.
| Fixhing<wtflunting A
M AS REPORTED BY AYCOCK BROWN fl
LARGE DOLPHIN AND
BILL FISH CAUGHT
IN HATTERAS WATERS
Hatteras.—Gulf Stream fishing,
hampered by rough season in early
days of September, has been up
to par or better off Hatteras when
seas were suitable for offshore
cruising, it was reported here to
day by Scotty Gibson. Gibson,
owner-operator of Atlantic View
Hotel, also reported that autumn
vacation patronage following the
stormy season of August is now
back to near normal in the Hat
teras region.
An outstanding catch of the past
week was a 47%-pound dolphin
boated by W. F. Price of Atlantic
City, N. J. Before sailing from
Hatteras for tuna waters farther
north during the past week, Price
and his cruiser had based at the
Blue Marlin docks of Capt. Edgar
Styron.
John Twohy IV, trolling from
his cruiser the Clipper 11, landed
a white marlin last week end. It
was the first white marlin landed
off Hatteras during the first half
of September. Twohy was guided
by Capt. Nelson Stowe who oper
ates from the Blue Marlin docks.
Mrs. Styron, wife of the operator
of Blue Marlin docks, reported that
several wahoo had been landed re
cently, one of the largest going to
30 pounds.
Dr. A. M. Stanton, Edenton,
skipping bait from Capt. Ernal
Foster’s cruiser Albatross 111 last
week end with Capt. Oliver O’Neal
as skipper and guide, boated a
seven foot, 10 inch sailfish.
Capt. Foster reported that Dr.
J. C. Overbey of Norfolk, after
spending several days fishing or
waiting fofr fishing weather at
Hatteras had raised five blue mar
lin in one day, had three hooked,
but failed to boat any. Dr. Over
bey caught a nice blue marlin dur
ing the latter part of August,
making his seventh.
Allan Ferguson .noted big game
angler of Washington, was sched
uled to fish for blue marlin off
Hatteras this month. He was in
strumental in selling the National
Park Service on the idea of doing
some movies about big game fish
ing off Hatteras. The outfit which
will produce the big game and surf
fishing pictures of the National
Seashore region, visited the area
this week. Shooting begin soon.
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1955
JUPITER PLUVIUS GOT IN
HIS WAY IN BIG LETTERS
KFw S ■
W?* St <
WOODROW EDWARDS, CBM,
USCG, was a disappointed man
last week when his committee for
the big celebration honoring the
old Life Savers and Coast Guards
men decided to postpone the three
day event until next spring. Mr.
Edwards had put in a lot of hard
work arranging the program, first
for late August, and due to hur
ricane scares it had been postpon-
until last week. And then old
Jupiter Pluvius went to work, and
it rained every day for two weeks,
so that the community was flooded
with water, and prospects were
that rains might continue. The
weather turned out good on the
week end, but then there was
threat of a new crop of mosquitos
to harass the visitors. Unfortu
nately at Rodanthe, through some
unaccountable piece of stupidity,
when highway engineers built the
road, they dug out a valley and
put the road down so low it can
not be drained, or else no effort is
made to drain it. In extremely
wet spells, one who parks his car
on one side of the road, cannot get
over to the other side without wad
ing. This highway is one of the
marvels of North Carolina road
building, and sometime in the fu-
I See EDWARDS, Page Eight
SURF CASTERS GETTING
LARGER CHANNEL BASS
ALONG OUTER BANKS
Nags Head. Channel bass
catches are increasing from day
to day in the surf along the Outer
Banks and the fish, sometimes call
ed red drum, are getting larger
and larger. The largest of the
season, the species which go to 40
pounds upwards, usually show up
in surf by late September and
throughout October to early No
vember. During this period each
year more prize winning channel
bass ae caught in the surf of the
Dare Coast and Outer Banks, than
anywhere else in the country.
Catches from Kitty Hawk to Hat
teras are of the yearling size, from
10 to 25 pounds.
St. Clair Beals of Kitty Hawk
fishing at Oregon Inlet, took two
—at 22 pounds and 18 pounds.
Willie Newsome of Hatteras re
ported channel bass caught by his
patrons up to 25 pounds. From
Cape Hatteras Fuller and Hooper
said anglers at the point were
catching channel bass of one size
or another almost daily. Surf cast
ers along the almost 100 miles of
Dare Coastal beaches are also
catching smaller varieties of surf
fish, such as sea mullet or king
fish, flounder, weakfish (or trout)
and spot almost daily.
Spot catches have been up to par
from most of the fishing piers in
the Nags Head area during the
first half of September.
BLUE FISH REPORTED
BY CAPT. ETHERIDGE IN
WATERS OFF WANCHESE
Wanchese.—The blue fish were
hitting trolled lures in Oregon In
let waters this week. Spanish
mackerel were also being caught
and bottom fishing in Pamlico
Sound near Oregon Inlet was re
ported very good, says Capt. Jesse
Etheridge of Wanchese, a leading
guide for the past 25 years.
“On Tuesday of this week, five
anglers from Floyd, Va., trolling
from my charter boat, The Cared
wyn, landed 197 bluefish and seven
Spanish mackerel,” said Capt.
Etheridge. “On the previous day
they had caught 50 trout (weak
fish) and several croakers, while
stillfishing in Pamlico Sound near
See FISHING, Page Eight
KILL DEVIL HILLS
SHARES HEAVY IN
POWELL FUND AID
Distribution of Highway Aid Funds
In Raleigh Listed for Towns
in The Coastland
The town of Kill Devil Hills
seems to profit highly in Powell
Fund Aid from Raleigh for work
on its streets, according to the re
port this week which reveals that
this year’s grant for the young
Dare County town, now having a
struggle for existence, came to $7,-
594.43. Among towns in the coast
land, it was second only to Bel
haven which has a population of
2,500 citizens.
Figures for other towns were as
follows: Manteo, $2,505.39; Bel
haven $10,892.38; Columbiia $3,-
808.98; Pantego $846.83; Bath sl,-
381.29; Creswell $1,733.26.
Total funds distributed under the
Powell Aid Fund throughout North
Carolina to 398 incorporated towns
and cities totaled $6,711,817.71.
This fund is distributed annually.
The fund is largest this year be
cause steadily increasing gasoline
sales have poured more gasoline
tax revenues into the Highway
Fund. The Powell Bill gives the
municipalities one-half cent out of
the tax collected on each gallon.
Raleigh will get $195,409.35
$123,230.57 on the basis of its pop
ulation and $72,178.78 on the basis
of its non-highway system street
mileage.
Charlotte, the. State’s largest
city, will get the largest share,
$416,618 little Falkland in Pitt
County the smallest, $350; Greens
boro, $246,841; Rocky Mount, $97,-
686.34; Wilmington, $131,536; Win
ston-Salem, $281,714; Asheville,
$201,941, and Fayetteville, sllß,-
265.08.
In 1951, a total of 386 towns
shared $4,543,096.20. In 1952, a to
tal of 388 towns qualified for a to
tal of $4,948,842.30. In 1953, the
figures rose to 394 towns and $5,-
244,203.40. Last year, the totals
were up to 396 towns and $5,391,-
717.41.
The money is available only to
legally incorporated cities and
towns which are active and eligi
ble and whose officials have qual
ified their communities by submit
ting certified statements and maps
of their street systems prior to the
third Monday in July.
MRS. ALVERNIA M. SIMMONS
Mrs. Alvernia Morris Simmons,
65, died Thursday, Sept. 8, while
returning to the Columbia Hospital
for treatment.
She was a native of Tyrrell
County and had been living at
East Lake for the last 50 years.
She was the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Lennon Morris and the widow
of George Henry Simmons.
■ She is survived by three sons,
Jimmy Simmons, George H. Sim
mons, and Acie Simmons, all of
Norfolk; three daughters, Mrs.
Wilbur Cohoon, Mrs. Dorothy Twi
ford, and Mrs. Gladys Twiford, all
of East Lake; a step-son, Frank
Simmons, of Norfolk; a sister,
Mrs. Jake Sawyer, of Creswell;
three half-sisters, Mrs. Clara
Roughton, of Hickory, Va., Mrs.
Harry Bowers and Mrs. Annie
Morris, both of Williamston; two
half-brothers, George Morris and
Robert Morris; 17 grandchildren,
and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were conducted
at the East Lake Methodist
Church Sunday at 2 p.m. by the
Rev. A. L. G. Stephenson, pastor,
and the Rev. Ed Hooper, Pente
costal preacher. Burial was in the
church cemetery.
ROUGH VOYAGE FOR ADMIRAL
WHEN AMBULANCE WRECKED
Twiford’s Ambulance from Eliz
abeth City had to go to the rescue
of a wrecked Navy ambulance in
Currituck County early Sunday.
The Navy ambulance was carrying
Admiral H. D. Clarke to Ports
mouth Naval Hospital from Nags
Head where he had suffered an at
tact of a heart ailment. He appar
ently was none the worse for the
Navy ambulance having slipped on
the highway during a rainstorm
and turning over. -The Admiral
had been week-ending at The Car
olinian.
MANTEO REBEKAHS WILL
MEET SEPTEMBER 19
The regular meeting of Manteo
Rebekah Lodge No. 52 will be held
on Monday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m.
A special program in the ob
servance of the 105th anniversary
of Rebekahs will be given. Final
plans for the district meeting,
which will be in Swan Quarter on
October 1, will be made. Mrs.
Tracy Ward, noble grand, asks that
all members be present.
CAPE HATTERAS SEASHORE TO
BE HIGHLY PUBLICIZED SOON
IN COLOR MOVING PICTURES
Another Gift of $40,000 Reported Soon to Be In
vested in Comprehensive Exposition of Varied
Natural and Historical Attractions in the Area
from Nags Head to Ocracoke Inlet. Prelimi
nary Survey On.
MANTEO WOMAN DELEGATE
TO NATIONAL OES MEET
MRS. LEO MIDGETTE of Manteo
is in Washington, D. C., attend
ing the meeting of the General
Grand Chapter of the U. S., Order
of Eastern Star, as a delegate from
North Carolina. Mrs. Midgette is
a past Grand District Deputy, and
a past Worthy Matron of the Wan
chese chapter.
INTERNATIONAL
BOAT RACES IN
ELIZABETH CITY
October I and 2 Events To Be
Greatest in Series; Comes
Close to Bath Celebration
Coming as it does on October 1
and 2, the International Cup Re
gatta in Elizabeth City this year
draws unusual attention to East
ern North Carolina, which also has
another exceptional event schedul
ed at Bath where that old town’s
250th anniversary is to be cele
brated on Tuesday, October sth. It
looks as if it will be a big season
in the Coastland of North Caro
lina.
The Elizabeth City event is of
particular interest to the people
of Dare County, who for many
generations have found in that
town its nearest big commercial
center, and where so many of its
people have gone to live at one
time or another in their lives. In
return, Elizabeth City interests
have been friendly neighbors of the
Coastland people, and have con
tributed liberally to various caus
es. They have been strong support
ers of the Lost Colony, their cap
ital has gone into the development
of many things in this area. It’s
a good town because so many of
its people are our people. Hence,
most of us will take much interest
in attending the cup regatta, as
in many other affairs through the
years.
This year’s International Cup Re
gatta, to be staged on the Pasquo
tank River October 1 and 2, is rap
idly shaping up as a “run-off” for
the winners of the other major
unlimited trophies this season .
Expected entries include defend
ing champion Gale V, winner of
the APB A Gold Cup at Seattle;
Tempo VII, Detroit Silver Cup
winner; Miss Cadillac, winner of
Canada’s Maple Leaf trophy; Gale
IV, Detroit Memorial winner, and
undoubtedly the winner of the
Washington, D. C. President’s Cup
to be decided this week end.
Because of its position as the
final major regatta of the season
for the unlimiteds, Elizabeth City’s
International Cup Regatta will
serve in effect as a “play-off” for
the 1955 campaign which to date
has resulted in an unusually equal
distribution of honors and points
to be tallied to determine the year’s
high point winner, an award which
very likely will be decided at Eliz
abeth City.
In addition to the cup winners
listed, other outstanding expected
entries include Miss Thriftaway,
from Seattle; Breathless, from Cal
ifornia; Rebel, Suh!, from Virgin
ia; Canada’s Miss Supertest; and
a whole fleet of other Detroit cam
paigners: Gale VI, Miss Pepsi, My
Sweetie Dora, Miss U. S., Miss
Wayne, Miss Detroit, Such Crust
111, and Wha Happen Too.
Single Copy 70
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Recreational Area will be movie
filmed in color as a result of a
project that has been in the mak
ing for the past year, it was
learned this week. Like many oth
er things received in the coast
land, it will be a gift, costing bet
ter than $40,000.
Gilbert Drake, representative of
Outdoors Afilm of West Palm
Beach, Florida, visited the Dare
Coast region this week to make a
preliminary survey. Here he ob
tained much area data from Dare
County Tourist Bureau and then
accompanied by National Seashore
officials and rangers he traveled
over the National Seashore region
from its northern boundaries at
Nags Head to its southen limits
on Ocracoke Island.
Upon his return from Ocracoke
the Outdoors Afilm representative
reported that he was much im
pressed with the area and that
the region offered excellent possi
bilities for the educational type
films that are planned. “The big
problem will be telling the com
plete story in the three films pro
posed to be shot during the next
several months,” he said. “The
reels would be 14 minutes in
length, if present plans carry, and
where there is so much pictorial
and action material available, as
here on the Outer Banks, it is a
big job to show everything in such
limited time.”
This project which will result
in National Seashore receiving
more world wide publicity has been
in the making, so to speak, for
many months. The Dare County
Tourist Bureau first learned about
plans for making movies of the
area about one year ago down at
Hatteras from Allan Ferguson of
Washington, D. C., and Dr. J. C.
Overbey of Norfolk, president of
the Cape Hatteras Bill Fishing
Club. These two big game fisher
men outlined their ideas for mov
ies which would not only tell the
world about the blue marlin and
Gulf Stream fishing offshore from
the National Seashore, but also
the surf fishing and general at-
for tourists and vacation
ists coming to this area in ever
increasing numbers as result of
America’s first public-owned ocean
side recreational area of the Na
tional Park System. Through var
ious contacts in Washington and
elsewhere, Ferguson sold the idea
to the National Seashore.
While it has not been publicly
announced, it is believed that mon
ies for the movie project were
made available through a special
grant or gift, probably from the
Mellon Foundation which had
originally matched State appropri
ated funds for acquiring lands of
the National Seashore region.
First indication that the “green
light” had been given for begin
ning the project, reached the Tour
ist Bureau just prior to Labor
Day when “Bounce” Anderson of
Outdoors Afilm called from West
Palm Beach to make arrangements
for certain coverage in movies of
what he though may result in
large crowds visiting the area - for
the holidays.
Following his initial survey for
the company which will do the
job, Drake left the Dare Coast
Wednesday for Washington where
he will join Anderson and mem
bers of the National Park Service
to complete plans for the movie
filming. It was indicated that, of
the three films planned, the first
would probably be an introduction
to the National Seashore, the sec
ond featuring surf and big game
fishing and the third to show his
torical highlights of not only the
National Seashore but also other
histry-famous Dare Coast spots
such as Wright Brothers National
Memorial, Fort Raleigh National
Historic Site, Elizabeth Gardens,"
the lighthouses and other pictorial
places where history has been
made in this region.
PUBLIC INVITED SCHOOL
MEETING FRIDAY, 8 P.M.
All interested people, men and
women, are invited to attend a
meeting to discuss the promotion
of a Boosters Club for the Manteo
High School. The meeting will be
held in the school auditorium on
Friday, September 16, at 8 p.m.