Newspapers / The Coastland Times (Manteo, … / Dec. 2, 1955, edition 1 / Page 1
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* uUME XXI NO. 22 13 YEAR OLD BOY KILLS BROTHER, 9, IN CURRITUCK CO. Johnnie Bridgeman Accidently Shot While Gun Is Unloaded in Living Room A tragic occurred Tuesday afternoon when a nine-year-old boy was shot and killed by his 13- year-old brother near Powells Point in Currituck County as the older boy was unloading a shot gun in the living room of the fam ily home. Tuesday afternoon Johnnie Ar thur Bridgeman was shot in the back of the head by the gun which was being unloaded by his broth er Wade, who had returned after an attempt to kill some geese which were flying over the home. The boy was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Bridgeman, and he is also survived by six sisters and two brothers. Sheriff Laurence Dozier and Deputy Lindsay Dowdy investigat ed and termed the shooting purely accidental. Coroner Bryan Smith said no inquest would be neces sary. AMAZEMENT EXPRESSED AT ARGUMENTS OFFERED TO STYMIE FERRY SERVICE The delegation from Hatteras Island which met with Highway Commissioner Emmett Winslow in Hertford County Friday came back somewhat disappointed and as they stated, somewhat amazed. They had gone to ask for improvement in the Oregon Inlet ferry schedule, and while pleased at the reception given them by Mr. Winslow, they were somewhat amazed to find the ferry superintendnt on hand in opposition to their proposition, and giving some reasons for not running night boats which they say do not bear out the facts. The Hatteras Island delegation, composed of W. W. Edwards, R. T ' Owens, James Scarborough and ”e Fuller went to Hertford W i petition signed by all the — z nts of the island and of acoke as well. They were t';ld it was not safe to operate a ferry boat at night, that the boat might get ashore; that the navigator on the north-bound trip might be blinded by the flashing of Bodie Island lighthouse and therefore lose his way at times. The delegation came back con vinced that the ferries are now being operated for the conven ience and pleasure of the employes of the state and not for the benefit of the public. They have talked ti many navigators and men who have spent a lifetime around Ore gon Inlet, who say there is nothing to fear in such trips if the boats are handled by competent people. There is now some talk of try ing to get the Coast Guard to bear down on the ferries and put them under inspection and operated by duly licensed and competent opera tors for boats of their size. BANK OF MANTEO DISBURSES CHRISTMAS CHECKS $17,885 Customers of the Bank of Man teo lacked only about S2OO of sav ing as much in Christmas Clubs as last year, despite aM the bad work of hurricanes, which played havoc with the incomes of most of our people’. The bank this week mailed out $17,885 in checks. Many hearts will be glad because someone had the foresight and thrift to save this sum of money and when it gets in circulation it will be worth much to local mer chants. Sometimes people use this method of saving for a means of paying their taxes, or for many other occasions which demand pay ments of more than ordinary size. But most of it goes into Christmas gifts. The bank is now starting its Christmas Savings Clubs for next year. J ISTMAS HOLIDAYS REVISED IN SCHOOLS Due to days lost during the fall hurricanes, the orginal Christmas holidays scheduled for Dare Coun ty schools have been revised. Roanoke School, which missed only one day, which has since been made up, will begin the holiday period on Friday, December 16, at 1:30 p.m. All other schools in the county will b gin the holiday period on Tuesday, December 20, at 1:30 p.m. Christmas vacation for all schools extends, through Sunday, January 1, with schools opening at regular time on Monday, January 2. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA LOVES DARE COAST AND WRITES BALLADS ON IT * Sig® EV dllfe. At ' 1 EUGENE W. (Seaweed) SAWYER This 38-year-old Norfolk native is of Tarheel ancestry hence his great love for the sea. His father is John B. Sawyer, born in Cam den County and his mother was Lillie Waterfield of Knotts Island, so he says: “While I am by birth a Virginian but at heart a North Carolinian." That’s why he and his wife, who is also a North Caro linian, love to spend a lot of time on the Kitty Hawk coast, and he has gone to writing ballads about it and has had them put on a rec ord, which he is selling. Sawyer, who lives at 941 Dogwood Terrace, Norfolk, was recently the subject of a lengthy article in the Virgin ian-Pilot. Here’s a verse from one of his songs: “When I’m tired of the city and ready to die, Tired of the heat and ready to fry, You’ll find me down on the eoast of Caroline, A-Dancing in my shorts in the shadow of a pine." The songs he sings are accom panied by his tamourine, harmon ica and pocket comb. He had a thousand long-playing records made of his motley music and car rying six of his ballads. There just isn’t anything exactly like his per formance and it might have been pretty entertaining to a lot of peo ple if there had been a better re cording job done. The tunes are “Northeast Hurricane a-Coming Down the Coast,” “From the Banks of Kitty Hawk to the town of Manteo,” “Shipwreck off Nags Head,” “The Ghost of Virginia Dare,” “Cape Hatteras Mumbo,” i and “Coast of Carolina.” Sawyer has had considerable | education. He has worked at nu merous enterprises he established, and he always sets out with grim determination to do whatever he wants to do. He says: “There’s, nobody in the world who loves that Nags Head area better than I do. All our spare time my wife and I spend driving to Kitty Hawk along the beach.” W. C. GRAY INJURED AND CAR TOTAL LOSS MONDAY ■ a_ At about 1:30 a.m. Monday morning, a 1949 4-door Plymouth driven by William Curtis Gray, 28 of Kitty Hawk went off the road at the curve near the Journey’s End Motel at Kitty Hawk Beach, and was a total loss. He lost con trol of the car, it skidded across the road and overturned. He suf fered bruises and shock, and was hospitalized. He was north bound when the mishap occurred. TUESDAY THE TIME TO SET DATE FOR JAIL ELECTION Tuesday, December 6 is the date the Dare Commissioners have set to decide what date to call the second election for voting bonds to tear down the County jail, build a new one,, add to the courthouse and build a jail at Buxton. The Manteo iail is structureally in good shape, but in order to build some finer offices for county officials, it is necessary to waste it, and build a new one. The county has $50,000 cash now idle and it must be spent, but more must be voted to add to it. , The people defeated this measure on July 9th at a cost of nearly $3,000 wasted, but by a vote of two to one. The Board now thinks they will change their mind and vote for even higher taxes than they are having to pay this year. No effort is being made to keep in repair what the county now has. No consideration whatever was given to trying to get a hospital built with the $50,000 and state and Federal grants for which no bonds would be issued nor taxes raised. We’ve got to have two jails, so as to be different from any other county. Room and Board, Guide Service and All For Wildfowl Hunters at $4 Per Day In Currituck Sound Lodge Sixty Years Ago President Grover Cleveland Visited the White Lodge at Curri tuck Inlet Which Was One of the Largest Along the Coast; When Seasons Had No Limit. Recently we invited articles from our readers about the hunting lodges, and what they meant to the economy of the Coastland be fore the hunting season and bag limits were so greatly curtailed as to discourage the maintenance of these old time landmarks. Many of the hunting clubs turn ed a lot of money loose among local guides and others who were em ployed by the clubs during the sea son. The people of the community looked forward to the opening of these lodges. It brought a lot of “Christmas money” into the com munity. Often the wealthy sports men gave liberally to the church. Some of them gave lavish tips, clothing and many other things to their employes. Now and then a promising boy would be taken north, helped to schooling or a job. One of the biggest hunting lod ges, while it was not exactly a hunting club, was the White Gun ning Lodge at Sea Gull, about five miles north of Corolla in Currituck County, on the shore of the sound at old Currituck Inlet. It was one of the biggest establishments catering to sportsmen some 50 to 60 years ago. It was a popular duck hunting club. One of the heirs who now own the property, Mrs. Bess I White Sessions of Kitty Hawk gives us an account of this club. She says: “The house was surrounded by nearly 500 acres of marsh land and sand and water. There were 19 rooms in this house, and a wide porch almost all abound it, and nine bedrooms, so we could accom- odate a big party of hunters. Prices were only four dollars a day, including room, board and a guide for every two sportsmen. “This was when live decoys were used; swan, geese and ducks were kept in a large pen, and straps were put on their legs and the guides would tie them out in and around the several point blinds to attract others to themselves and when they came flying by or to I the sportsman, sitting in the blind, I were shot. Some were killed, others just wingtipped. WRONG LICENSE TAGS AND NO OPERATOR'S LICENSE ■ CONTINUE TO BE COSTLY Notice having been given some j weeks ago, the highway patiol con tinues to crack down on cases in which tags of other states are used on North Carolina automobiles. Tuesday in Dare Recorders Courts, the following cases were disposed of: James Bethea had no operator’s license, was taxed with the costs $8.20, the court being lenient be cause he had formerly had a driv ing permit in South Carolina. Henry McCleese, who was driving the car of Cleon Tillett which used a Virginia tag, paid court costs. Theodore Robertson Meekins, who was driving without his glasess, when his driving permit required them, was fined $5 and costs. Mallory Reynolds Thompson of Kitty Hawk, driving with Virginia tags, paid $lO and costs. For speeding 65 mph Cary Worth Stetson of Wanchese, paid S2O and costs. P. J. M. Bayne of Nags Head, paid sls and costs for go ing at 70 mph. Elmo Hughes Daniels of Wanchese, paid $lO for going at 65 mph. LEGION POST TO GIVE CAR AWAY JANUARY 28th A 1956 4-door Chevrolet sedan is to be given away by Fort Ra leigh Post No. 26, American Legion of Manteo on the night of Janu ary 28th, 1956 during the inter mission of a grand ball which the Post will give at the Dare County Shrine Club home on that date. | The dance will begin at 8:30 p.m. In order to finance the building of the post’s contemplated home near Kill Devil Hills a campaign is being conducted to raise funds, and the giving of the Chevrolet is one of the methods used. Tickets to the dance will be sold. During the intermission some lucky person will win a new car. The post now owns a lot near Kill Devil Hills on which the hut will be built. James M. Vannote is Post Com mander and Pennell A. Tillett is ad jutant. The post usuapy meets on the fourth Thursday night in each month in the community building in Manteo. Donald A. Kietchncr post commander of Granite Falls, N. C. came to Manteo this week to assist in the campaign. MANTEO, N. C., F-RIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1955 “There was a wonderful water dog named Jim Harrison which would swim out and bring them in unharmed, and the wingtipped ones were cured and used for decoys. It was lawful to use live decoys then, and before the law against shoot ing swan came in and there was no bag limit on any kind of game. “I also remember that one of the sportsmen killed one of the swan decoys accidentally, named Annie Oakley—and he had to pay, the owner S6O for it. But the hunters who came there were very wealthy and didn’t mind it. There was another of the swan named Buffalo Bill. There were 17 kept in a separate pen from other- fowl, and they were a beautiful sight. “There was no way of getting to this famous hunting club except by water or drive from Virginia Beach. So the guests were met at Virginia Beach in a surry to which was hitched Bess and Bill, the carriage horses. I remember when President Grover Cleveland came to hunt he was so heavy he broke the stirrup off in getting into the carriage. “The only other way to get to the club was to come to Knotts Island on a steamer (Old stern wheeler) from Norfolk, and which only came twice a week, to bring passengers and freight. So they were met there by Mr. White and taken over four miles and up in Currituck Inlet in a sail boat named Climax. After awhile when motors began to be used, there was a seven horse power Palmer engine put in the Climax when she was re-named Jubilee, but the sail were kept on. I remember it had a fly ing jib too. So if the engine broke : down, which was often, they could sail on in. “I also remember the' many ducks, geese and swan hung up at night around the porch to keep cool until the guides could pack them in barrels and ship them to the hunters’ homes up north. They could sell and ship.all one wanted to those days, so you see it was a long time ago. “Besides keeping hunters, there were over two hundred cat’le owned by the Whites, and Banker ponies that roamed the marshes and beach, each of we children had our own pony and rode no other. We used to help round up the cattle and wild banker ponies as they had to be branded and their colts. Once there was an eclipse of the sun while the roundup was go ing on and the chickens went to roost. All the people got off their ponies and looked at the sun through pieces of smoked glass. When the eclipse was over they branded the colts and calves. Then everyone came in the big dining room and had a wonderful dinner and talked about the horses, cattle, and re-told their experiences with wild cattle and Banker ponies, and I remember, they were really wild. “Well, the nice old house in which so many famous people had visited and had such fun is torn down, but the hunting goes on. The Inlet is sanded up, I remember when it was 20 feet deep back of the long row of stables. Airplanes now land right where the old Inl >t was and sportsmen are tak- n down there in jeeps to hunt now, instead of having to be met at Virginia Beach in the surry. Then- is yet no modern highway to service this area.” MANTEO GIRL IS GLEE CLUB OFFICER isk,. 8 ft PAT BAUM of Manteo, seated, left, is librarian of the Greensboro College Glee Club, which will appear in Manteo Sunday, December 4, for the first concert of the season’s tour. Other officers are Elizabeth Walker, vice-president, standing; Jo Ann Padley, president and student director; Ann Munford, secretary; Ann Woodward, business manager; Sylvia Gregg, treasurer; Barbara Reynolds, accompanist. K.D.H. PROGRAM TO FEATURE THE LATEST AIRCRAFT By AYCOCK BROWN Kill Devil Hills.—A feature of the 52nd anniversary celebration of the first flights of the Wright Brothers’ heavier-than-air air ma chine here at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903, will be a flyover of America’s most modern air craft, it was an- I nounced today by Miles L. Clark, , president of Kill Devil Hills Mem • orial Association. Arrangement ■for the flyover is now being made by Ralph V. Whitener, program di rector of the Air Force Associa tion in Washington, D. C. The Air Force Association, Kill | Devil Hills Memorial Society, Na jtional Park Service and the North Carolina Anniversary Commission are co-sponsors of the event. Cere monies will begin at 10:45 on De cember 17 with music provided by Elizabeth City’s famed High School Band. ; Following ceremonies at the Hill and monument where there will be brief speeches by dignataries which Clark will announce during the current week, the scene of celebration activities will move to the Carolinian Hotel for an annual First Flight banquet. In addition to the flyover by Air Force craft, Whitener has request ed a special plane to transport newsmen, TV and radio commenta tors to the celebration from Wash ington, D. C. FIVE NEW HOMES NOW BEING BUILT IN KITTY HAWK The desirability of the forest sheltered village of Kitty Hawk for a homeplace is manifested by five new homes now under con struction. Three of them are being built on the Sound Landing road and two in the lower part of the community. Will Perry, retired after 29 years of service in the Coast I Guard, and bis son-in-law, Will C. .Rogers are each building homes near Austin Cemetery. Thos. Beacham, retired after 21 years service is the third native to re turn, and is building a home in the same vicinity. Clifton Perry, whose wife is the former Norma Spruill, and Rad ford Tillett, who married Miss Margie Haskett are building their j homes in the area nearer church and postoffice. These are both young couples. Other new homes are contem plated in Kitty Hawk. For the past ten years there have been many fine homes built in the community, all of modern type, some of them costing as much as $20,000. GREENSBORO COLLEGE GLEE CLUB TO SING IN MANTEO The Greensboro College Glee Club under the direction of E. L. Williams, will present their first concert of the season on their fall tour in Manteo. The program will 'take the place of the morning worship service in Mount Olivet Methodist Church Sunday, Decem ber 4 at 11 o’clock, and the public is invited to attend. Two Manteo girls, Mary Meekins and Pat Baum, are members of the 45-voice group, who will tour North Carolina and go as far south as Georgia. They will leave Greensboro Saturday, December 3, by bus, and arrive in Manteo that afternoon. Early Sunday afternoon they will proceed on their journey. RECEIVES NAVY PROMOTION ■ I ■" CHIEF ELECTRONIC TECHNI CIAN 1/c William B. Elliott, who was recently promoted from Elec tronic T 1/c. Chief Elliott has been in the Navy for almost 11 years and lives in Oceana, Va. He recently returned from a Mediter ranean cruise. Chief Elliott is a native of Homestead, Pa., and is married to the former Helen Mid gett of Manteo, daughter of Mrs. Peleg Midgett and the late Mr. Midgett. TWO FINE OYSTER BOTTOMS IN HYDE TO OPEN 21 DAYS Two of the gest known oyster bottoms in Hyde county will be opened to oystermen from Decem ber 5 through December 23, Direc tor Ben E. Douglas of the Depart ment of Conservation and Develop men announced today. Douglas said the areas to. be opened are Shell Bay (Deep Cove) and the Deep Bay section of Rose Bay along the south shore in Hyde county. Some of the finest flavor ed oysters in the State come from these areas, the C&D head said. The Point of Marsh Back Bay oyster areas in Carteret county, which were opened to oystermen some time ago, will be allowed to remain open through December 3, Douglas said. Recommendations for opening the Hyde and Carteret areas, Douglas said, were made by Dr. A. F. Chestnut, acting director of the Institute of Fisheries Research at Morehead City and C. G. Hol land, State fisheries commissioner. The areas were stocked bv the C&D Department’s commercial fisheries division about three years ago with seed oysters and oyster shells. Normally, it takes about three years for an oyster to reach maturity. Dr. Chestnut reported oysters in the Hyde and Carctcret areas are of good quality, Douglas said. The escallop season will also be opened December 1. Holland re ports the escallops are of good quality and that commercial fisher men are looking forward to a fine season. Fishermen will be permit ted to take escallops Mondays through Friday. No night opera tions in taking of escallops are permitted under law, Holland said. THIS SUBMARINE WAS NOT ATOM-POWERED A. W. Drink Water, retired com munications official of the old U.S Weather Service and the present day Coast Guard, recalled today that the atom-powered Nautilus, the most modern of America’s un dersea fighting craft, is a far cry from the old Moycasin, a subma rine which founded on the beach at Corolla north of Nags Head 52 years ago. Drinkwater should know what he is talking about be cause he was the man assigned to give daily telephone and telegra phic reports on the Navy’s salvage operation of the Moccasin. “At that time the Navy’s sub marine fleet consisted of two ves sels, the Moccasin and the Adder,’’ recalls Drinkwater. "They were in tow from New England to Hamp ton Roads. The tug Peoria was towing them.” “Off Cape Henry the vessels ran into bad weather, overshot the Capes entrance to Hampton Roads and continued southward. Off Cur rituck the Moccasin broke loose and came ashore at Corolla near what was then called Whaleshead Lighthouse. My salvage reports wore sent to not only the Navy but to Theodore Roosevelt in the White House. The Moccasin was finally refloated and salvaged suc ’essfully,” says Drinkwater. “The Moccasin came ashore on Decem ber 3, just two weeks before the Wright, Brothers made their suc cessful first flights at Kill Devil near Kitty Hawk,” he added. Single Copy 70 HIGH ENTHUSIASM FOR ALL SEASHORE HIGHWAY PREVAILS Further Planning Takes Place at Nags Head Wednesday For Genuine Highway. In an enthusiastic and well-or ganized meeting, the All-Seashore Highway Association met Tuesday in the Carolinian at Nags Head, with about 50 persons attending. One of the most important recom mendations was to call upon the State for a permanent All-Sea shore State Commission to be ap pointed for the purpose of building this road connecting the various points along the North Carolina Seashore. Glenn Tucker of Carolina Beach is now president of the Associa tion and the group decided to meet on January 19th in Washington, N. C. for further discussion of its aims. Among those who were rec ognized or who made talks were Alvah Hamilton of Morehead City, a former president of the Associ ation; Stanley Wahab of Ocra coke, Aycock Brown, Dare Tourist Bureau manager; Wallace McCown of Nags Head; Mrs. Emily Mus tian, Mayor of Kill Devil Hills; Joe Dußois, the Secretary, of Morehead City. The principal resolutions were adopted by the Association Tues day. One having to do with mos quito control; one for the comple tion of the highway, by connecting ferry from Ocracoke to Carteret County; and the other urging a mighty beach erosion project to build up the Outer Banks, to “pro tect five million acres, mostly rich farmland in 21 coastal counties." KILL DEVIL HILLS IS GRANTED $11,676.20 FOR DISASTER RELIEF The town of Kill Devil Hills finds itself ahead in the amount of $11,676.20 by virtue of its still being recognized as a municipal entity. Mrs. Emily F. Mustian, the mayor, was advised yesterday that s he town’s application for a grant from the Federal Disaster Relief fund in this amount had been ap proved, in a letter from General Edward F. Griffin, N. C. Director of Civil Defense. This notification gives the town the go-ahead signal to proceed with its health, sanitary and open ditch drainage project, including mosquito control. The Lown’s con tribution added to this sum w'll be $5,511.79, making a total jf $17,- 187.79. Part of the town’s obliga tion has already been taken care of with the conduits that have al ready been opened. ST. ANDREWS BY SEA ANNIVERSARY DINNER TO BE DECEMBER 13 Nags Head.—St. Andrews-by t h e-S ea, protestant Episcopal church which started at scratch and now has more than 50 com municants will present its first anniversary Layman’s dinner in the Shrine - Club at Nags Head on Tuesday evening, December 13 at 6:30 o’clock, it was announced to day by Dewey Hayman, senior warden of the board of vestry. The dinner will be open to all persons or all denominations, it was stated and about 300 persons are expected to be present. The dinner will be presided over by the Rev. A. C. D. Noe, rector of the church and the menu will feature roast turkey and clam chowder. Committee in charge of arrange ments for the Laymen’s Dinner are P. B. Zevely, Tom Chears and Fred True. WANCHESE HAS DOCTOR FOR FIRST TIME; MANTEO NONE The Ruritan Club at Wanchese has been talking for a long time about trying to get a doctor, since one has never before practiced in that growing community. The clubs at Manteo have been trying a long time to get another one. Dr. Cary F. Harris, who has been practicing for four years at Man teo, has now moved his offices from the Dr. Johnston building in Manteo to his residence at Wan chese. Last year Dr. Harris bought the former Zora Burrus homeplace at Wanchese and it has been done ever, and an office added. This week he opened it and his phone ir 270-W. Roanoke Island finds it more difficult to attract doctors. It has no hospital, and doctors these days like to establish their practice in towns which have hospital facili ties.
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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Dec. 2, 1955, edition 1
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