Newspapers / The Coastland Times (Manteo, … / March 9, 1956, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOLUME XXI NO. 36 CHANNEL BIDS OUT AT STUMPY POINT AND ENGELHARD Seven Feet To Be Restored; Bid Openings March 20th on Two Jobs The office of the Corp of Engi neers at Wilmington announces that invitations for bids went out Tuesday, March 6, for some 140,000 cubic yards of dredging at Stumpy Point and Far Creek at Engelhard. The Stumpy Point Channel will be restored to seven feet deep and 75 feet wide. At ' Engelhard it will be seven feet by 60 feet. An overdepth of two feet will be dredged at both points. Bids for this combined job are scheduled to be opened March 20 with work to begin within 20 days thereafter. The Engineer Dredge Gerig com pleted a million-cubic-yard main tenance dredging job in the Beau fort Inlet bar channel on February 29 and is now on similar work in the Cape Fear bar channel at Southport. P. M. Snell, head of the Corps of Engineers District Construction Division here, advises that the Beaufort Inlet Channel is in “ex cellent shape” with all markers in correct locations and the water depth at 30 feet (plus two feet overdepth) and 400 feet wide in’ the outer channel and 300 feet wide in the gorge. Normally, Snell explains, the volume of dredging would be much less but Hurricanes Connie, Diane and lone last year imposed above average shoals in the channel. In other activities, the Dredge Savannah (Norfolk Dredging Com pany) will begin woric on Bardens Inlet (Back Sound to Lookout Bight) on Wednesday, March 7. The Savannah will move to the area from entrance channel dredg ing at Oriental. Bardens Inlet, now five feet deep by 50 feet wide, See PROJECT, Page Four MANTEO GROUP ORGANIZES BOAT ASSOCIATION f Officers Elected Wednesday Night; To Work For Races and Waterfront Im provement A group of Manteo young men meeting Wednesday night in the Community Building organized the Dare Power Boat Association, Inc., and dected officers. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, March 13 at 8 p.m. in the same place. Attending the meeting were the following: Ralph Davis, Commo dore; Jack Wilson, Vice-Commo dore; Burwell Evans, Secretary- Treasurer; Roy Wescott, Racing Chairman; Selden Midgett, Fred Wescott, Jesse White, Gordon Kel logg, Robert Shannon, Keith Fear ing, Jr., Billy Cox, Steve Basnight, Jr., Willett Tillett, Ralph Davis, Carroll Berry, Wallace Shannon, Jqhn Allen. Also Edward Wescott, Charlie O’Neal, Ellsworth Midgett, who with Robert H. Midgett and Joe Dowdy make up the five members of the Board of Directors. The organization of this club is the outgrowth of a discussion in the Manteo Lions Club. The mem bership fee is $5 per year. The members plan activity on the wat erfront—its improvement, the pro motion of races and the stimula tion of interest in the value of power boating to this area. STATEWIDE LOST COLONY TRYOUTS ON MARCH 17 The annual state wide tryouts for roles in the cast of The Lost Colony and also the drama’s famous choir will be held ifi Chapel Hill on Saturday, March 17, it was announced this week by General Manager R. E. Jordan. . There will be no Island tryouts for roles this year until early June as all persons on the coast who desire parts in the play have al ready made application for same through the local office of the show to Mr. Jordan. It should be advantageous for persons seeking principal roles in the cast of the show er in the chorus to attend the Chapel Hill auditions, it was stated. LOUIS HERBERT MIDGETT Louis Herbert Midgett, 60, son of the late Christopher D. and Mary Williams Midgett died Sun day in a Brooklyn hospital. He was a native of Avon, but had , lived in Norfolk for the past 11 1 years at 8624 Granby St. He was buried Wednesday in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk. Surviving him are a brother, William E. Midgett; two sisters, Mrs. Wednell Harvey and Mrs. Elizabeth Craun, all of Norfolk. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA WOMAN BREAKS LEG ON LINDSAY WARREN CAPTAIN IS FIRED Capt. Leslie Hooper Gets Re instated After Being Let Off Ferry Boat A quiet commotion during the past ten days rocked the island of Hatteras from stem to stern over the summary firing of young Cap tain Leslie Hooper from his com mand of the Oregon Inlet ferry boat Lindsay Warren, by Highway Maintenance Engineer George Mack. The general opinion is that Hooper got rather abrupt treat ment, and a great protest went up. A Mrs. Linville Meekins of Avon had the misfortune to fall through an open manhole and break a leg, following which she threatened to bring suit against the State. The manhole cover had been left off for several weeks, and it look ed like a case of carelessness. Crew members said they had the plate off in order to insert a pump into a tank below. The manhole was situated in one corner of the backhouse that serves all people of all sexes, crew members included. Mrs. Meekins went to the Eliz abeth City hospital for treatment. Capt Hooper has been success fully operating the boats for sev eral years, and considered by boat men one of the few competent men employed on the ferries. The pub lic disapproved his having been fired. SHORT COURSE IN FISHING PROMISES INTERESTING SESSION Unusual Event Being Planned To Take Place at Nags Head From June 11 th to 15th Raleigh. Advanced registra tions for the forthcoming 1956 Sports Fishing Short Course offer ed by the North Carolina State College Extension Division have already exceeded last year’s total enrollment, Director Edward W. Ruggles Os the Extension Division reports. The short course will be held June 11-15 at Nags Head ori the Outer Banks of North Carolina. During the week-long school, stu dents will learn about fresh and salt water fishing from experts. Not only will students learn how and where to fish, but they will also have ample opportunities to enjoy fresh and salt water fish ing. Present advanced enrollment have been received from 36 fisher men and fisherwomen from nine different states and the District of Columbia. Seven doctors from Winston- Salem are enrolled, and five hus band-wife teams. Registrations have come from throughout North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Kan sas, Georgia, Illinois, Virginia, Michigan, New Jersey, South Caro lina, and Washington, D. C. Several prospective students have inquired about airport facili ties. The airport is within ten miles of the Carolinian Hotel where the fishing school students will stay during the course. Director Ruggles stated that Nags Head was chosen as the site for the school because •of its ex cellent fishing areas and its nu mererous tourist attractions. Nags Head has 25 miles of beach for fishing, swimming, and boat ing. Nearby are the quaint village , See SESSION, Page Four ALBERT STYRON APPEARS LOST OFF OCRACOKE ID. The Coast Guard Wednesday night reported no results from separate searches for 58-year-old Albert Styron, Ocracoke oyster man and a 60-foot fishing vessel. Three patrol boats and a plane searched the North Carolina sounds Wednesday for Albert Sty ron, who left Ocracoke Harbor Tuesday at 2 p.m. in his fishing vessel, towing a 14-foot boat to plant oysters near Beacon Island, in Pamlico Sound. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Styron’s son, Albert, Jr., notified' the Coast Guard his father was overdue. Searchers said it had been defi nitely determined that Styron’s boat was not on the shoreline or in shoal waters in the area. The missing fishing vessel, the Captain' Bill Orth, was the object of an aircraft search ranging 317 miles seaward from Elizabeth City. A two-masted craft, it was believed to have persons aboard. The search for the Captain Bill Orth was ordered by the com mander, Eastern Area, with quarters in New York. Details about the vessel and her crew were not known here. J Fishing w Hunting j W AS REPORTED BY AYCOCK BROWN H FISHING PIER MAY BE BUILT AT RODANTHE, HATTERAS ID. Rodanthe.—R. D. Owens is com pleting a very unusual task here in the village of Rodanthe which is one of the Hatteras Island com munities now making a bid for the influx of vacationists and tourists attracted to the region as a result of Cape Hatteras National Sea shore Recreational Area which em braces most of the land area be tween lower Nags Head and Ocra coke Inlet. Mr. Owens has moved his Chicamacomico Motel from the sound side adjacent to the new all paved highway to the ocean side of the island. He has also moved his restaurant which is operated in connection with the motel. Now, if his plans carry, Mr. Owens expects to build an ocean fishing pier close by his motel and restaurant. Negotiations for con struction of the pier on land leased from the National Seashore have reached an advanced stage and the project may be completed by late Spring or early summer. It will be the first fishing pier for Hatteras Island and the location if con structed where planned will be in one of the best fishing spots along the coast. Many anglers have had exceptionally good luck in recent years casting in the surf near the hulks of two old LST’s that were, wrecked on the beach here during] the mid-1940’5. One of the hulks is abreast the village of Rodan the, the other abreast Waves, the community once known as South Rodanthe which is two miles away. The fishing pier over the surf and ocean will be between the two wrecks. Surf fishing should be starting soon in the area according to Asa Gray of Waves who keeps tabs on sportsfiahing from year to year in the Rodanthe-Waves sector. Al ready beach haulers with seines have caught a variety of species including “puppy drum” or small channel bass in the Rodanthe- Waves section this year. In addition to Chicamacomico Motel, now becoming an oceanside hostelry, there are numerous other places of accommodations in the section, Mr. Gray pointed out in cluding Mirlo Lodge at Rodanthe and several rental cottages in both communities. WILDLIFE RESOURCES NOW HAS EAST L’KE ACCESS AREA Manns Harbor.—Now ready for the use of anglers who enjoy their large mouth bass and other fresh water fishing is the East Lake Access Area just completed by the State Wildlife Resources Commis sion in cooperation with West Vir ginia Pulp and Paper Company. The new access area is convenient ly located to the state road be tween Manns Harbor and the vil lage of Mashoes. W. S. White, local game pro tector for North Carolina, stated that the new access area cost ap proximately $15,000. It was nec essary to clear land and use drag lines' to build the approach road and the parking area for autos and boat trailers. A ramp for launch ing small boats has also been con structed. East Lake on the Dare main land is undisputedly the best fresh water fishing area along the Caro lina coast, according to White. “More limits of largemouth bass and other fresh water species are taken there, and in less time, than anywhere I know,” he said. MANTEO TALENT SHOW Manteo High School will give a talent show on March 23 at the school with every class represented. It is stated that talent from other than school students will be inter spersed among the school numbers. The sponsoring body for the show is the Athletic Association and the full program for the evening and time of showing will be announced in a later issue of this paper. NOTICE If the chicken-hearted trio who signed in a letter to the editor their initials, with a blue type writer ribbon, will send us their names, not for publication of course, we will print their letter, favoring a school at Manteo, let ting it stand signed “J. D. 8., G. H. M. and C. L. D.” ' MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 1956 CHANNEL BASS IN NETS OF PAMLICO SD. FISHERMEN Channel bass are showing up in coastal waters in pound nets of commercial fishermen at Hatteras during the past week. If the pisca torial pattern of March is repeated for the Dare Coast again this year the first of the season to be taken with rod and reel may be landed before another week has passed. Whether this comes to pass, how ever, depends much on the weather which could not be finer during early Spring than it has been for several days with temperatures go ing to the eighties. March is a de ceitful month however, and per sons who are ready to match their skill against channel bass at the moment, may see some very un fishable weather before April. April is the best bet for surf casters and also the angler who likes to take his channel bass troll ing or drifting in Oregon and Hat teras inlets. Last year the first fish taken from the inlet was not landed until April 6. This was a 60-pounder, boated by Forrest Dunstan of Elizabeth City while trolling from Capt. Jesse Ether idge’s cruiser the Caredwyn. Almost a month earlier, howev er, in the surf at Hatteras Inlet, Ivy Batten had caught a small channel bass weighing nine and one quar j ter pounds. It was on Palm Sunday three weeks later that the first channel bass was taken from the surf at Cape Hatteras, where the species showed up later than usual last reason. The Cape Hatteras “first” was a 35% pounder caught in the surf by Bob Gardner of the Tidewater Anglers Club of Nor folk. One of the several taken in nets at Hatteras earlier this week top ped 50 pounds. It was landed from a pound-net operated by Perry Austin and crew. There have been reports, but none specific, of small channel bass, or “puppy drum” be- See FISHING, Page Four The Fish Camp Colony Shad Fishing In Dare County Waters 50 Years Ago By Rev. L. D. HAYMAN, Southport, N. C. About the turn of the century and for many years prior there to, the tenth of February—if it did not fall on Sunday—was a day of exodus for the menfolk of Dare County, North Carolina. On or about this day of the month, some two hundred or more fishing boats cleared from Mill Creek and adja cent private landings for Duck Is land, the cut-through Hog Island, Smith’s Creek and the Roanoke Marshes. For the next three months, these men, heads of fam ilies—their older sons, and many hired men from Gum Neck, Colum bia, and elsewhere, spent six days a week at these fishing points. The wives, mothers and sisters were left at home to care for'the smaller children, and to look after things in general until Saturday afternoons, when most of the fish ermen returned to their homes to spend afternoon and Sunday with their families, and to attend Sunday School and church services in general. By four o’clock on each Monday morning, come rain or shine, the men took off from their landings for their fishing places for the next five or six days. Prior to 1905, most of the fishing was done in sail boats of the'sprit-sail type. By 1910, most of the boats were converted to gasoline engine power and soon the beautiful sight of from one to two hundred fishing boats under sail on the reefs and the middle sound areas were fast disappearing from the fishing waters of Dare County. Any one of the places named in this story would be interesting to write about. Time and space would prohibit a full account of each of them. I have taken Duck Island—the larger reef-fishing camp-site as the basis of my story, asserting that what was typical of that place, would ih large meas ure be the same for other places. However, in those days of 1890 to 1925, there were two classifica tions of fishermen at fhese camps. One class was known as the deep water or middle sound fishermen with gill nets. The other class was known as reef or shallow water fishermen with gill nets. There were also two other classi fications, viz. the gill-net fisher men just mentioned and the pound NAVY FORCES AT CAPE CELEBRATE WITH HILARITY • « Change Commands This Week, Observe Birthday, and Stage a Show at Buxton Buxton on Cape Hatteras, Mar. B.—Members of the Seventh Bat talion celebrated this week the 14th anniversary of the formation of the Navy Department’s war-famed Mobile Construction Force, got themselves a new commanding officer, got underway with con struction of the National Park Service’s fabulous scenic by-pass road, and still had time to do their appointed task within the enclos ure of the Navy’s secret facility here and haul a thousand yards oi* so of earth to fill in low places around the Hatteras Island Health Center. Monday was the outfit’s birth day and the event was observed with a dinner at noon-time that left most of the celebrants feeling like not doing much of anything for the afternoon, which they didn’t on account of the rising and retiring battalion Commanders or dering a muster to hear the con gratulations of the Navy Depart ment for the outfit—and to look at what will go down in Island folklore as the most uproarious show ever staged on the Island. Throughout the show it was an open and not settled question of whether Commander John D. Cos grove, who took offcial leave two days later and headed home to in active duty after 14 years, or ris ing commander, Lt. Crd. E. E. Johnson, who took over command of the outfit at brief ceremonies Wednesday afternoon. The ques tion, which got kind of lost in the foregoing sentence was which of them laughed the loudest and the longest. Neither could have been out done even by Patrolman Arthur Fields and Deputy Sheriff Ray mdhd Basnett, who were specially invited guests of the men of the battalion, or Dr. Don Wolfe, who was present as guest of the bat talion surgeon, Lieutenant Young. As for the men themselves—some of the villagers around the light house heard the roaring and came over to see what caused it. They See NAVY, Page Four ' net fishermen. An interesting . story could be written concerning the pound-net fishermen, who back there thought that about four 36- ft. square nets and 200 yards of ! leader span were about all any • two or three men could handle. . Twenty years later—about 1910 i and on, a single crew of two or three men could handle ten to fif teen of these heavy pound nets — , much larger than just mentioned. Three Hard Months Getting back to Duck Island, where I spent four seasons—Feb ruary to first of May each succes sive year, a few interesting facts may be in order. The month of February was the get-things ready-month for the March and April runs of shad and also her ■ ring for those who wished to pre pare for them. Boat loads of net stakes would be brought to Duck > Island and other ports on ; schooners, sharpies and other smaller boats—poles from ten feet to thirty feet in length, from Alli gator River and other places where these could be secured. Fish ermen who had small swamp lands growing gum trees would cut the smaller ones for stakes and some times resort to the pine groves for a cutting of small pine. Next in order would be gathering “bats” where ever they could be found. These were half-brick pieces and were slung on small twine and used for weights for the gill nets on the reef. The net-hanging per iod was generally in January and stretched out into February. Chief ly, this work was done in what was called “net yards”—small clearings made in a wooded place and banked with the clearings for protection from wintry weather. The women and younger people for the most part shared in the net-hanging work. These nets were about eighteen yards in length with long top-end lines for fasten ings to stakes when set. A stand of nets as they were called, con sisted of 100 to 150 nets as above described, meshes of proper size , to snag or gill the shad. Skimpy Fare Prevailed i Moving to camp was a big event ’ for all concerned. The boats would , take off loaded with bedding, clothes, bags of Irish potatoes, • onions, large quantity of salt I See OLD DAYS, Page Four GOVERNOR HODGES ATTEND DARE COAST PIRATES JAMBOREE By AYCOCK BROWN Governor Luther Hodges, who was guest of honor with Honorary Tar Heels at the event in April last year, has indicated that he will be present again on April 27-29 to take part in the second annual Dare Coast Pirates Jam boree, according to Julian Oneto, chairman of the Dare Beaches phase of the festival. The three day Jamboree will begin at Hat teras April 27, moving to the Dare beaches of Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills on Saturday the following day, with a colorful program concluding with religious services at Roanoke Island, Sun day, April 29. The Dare Beaches phase of the Jamboree in which Governor Hod ges will have a role is the landing of the Pirate King and Queen from boats in Kitty Hawk Bay. This landing will follow morning events on April 28, which include the un veiling of the blue marlin landed in 1955 by Al Plews of Glen Bumie, Md., off Hatteras on May 28. The fish has been mounted and will be placed in a special case at Journeys End Motel on Kitty Hawk Beach adjacent to U. S. Highway 158. The unveiling cere monies will be accompanied by the Elizabeth City High School band, with its majorettes and musicians dressed in colorful pirate costumes. Another event of the morning will be a treasure hunt at Kitty Hawk for children attending the Jam boree. In the afternoon will be model plane contests, a program of free flight competition from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.; jeep obstacle races and fast jalopy races at Nags See HODGES, Page Four DARE TAX FUNDS PAY SMALL PART OF SCHOOL BILLS Figures Show County Budget Un der 20 Cents on the Dollar Spent; Annual Per Pupil Cost $169. Lucky people of Dare County! The average cost of sending each child through nine months of school this year is approximately $169. Os this sum, the average cost to the Dare County treasury is approximately s3l. Dare County taxpayers are paying less than 20 cents on the dollar for the educa tion of children in Dare County. And best of all. Those who re side in Dare County, are paying less than half of this s3l. Since perhaps half of the resident tax payers have no children attending school, the average cost per child for schooling to the parent is per haps less than $7. Now when you boil it down, that’s a pretty good deal—sl69 Worth for only $7 a year. z Well, that’s how it stacks up, and there is another angle to this picture that is interesting too, for the larger part of our recent in vestment in school buildings, in fact just about all of it came into Dare County from the recent State Bond issues, and the county now has some $71,000 left of this money unspent. All things being considered, doesn’t the spending of this money call for some mighty careful planning, and effort to see that the children get full value? After all it is collected for the benefit of the children themselves, and the children alone. To spend it for any other purpose or motive would be a criminal and foolish waste. See DARE TAX, Page Five LIGHT SESSION TUESDAY OF DARE COMMISSIONERS Little business was transacted Tuesday at the meeting of the Dare County Commissioners, two of the five members being absent, and the meeting was held by Chairman C. C. Duvall, J. W. Scar borough, and E. P. White. Dr. W. W. Johnston, District Health offi cer presented a resume of efforts for a mosquito control program this year, and expressed hope of getting outside help, provided the county supplements the program. The Board agreed to contribute' $l5O to aid a worthy Manteo boy now away in school. It took under advisement a request to buy 75 acres of land in Kitty Hawk, own ed by the county, and obtained un der a tax foreclosure. R. E. White was appointed electrical inspector for Dare County. It was agreed to give the county attorney ten per cent of certain sums collected for the county. And a request was made to the State Highway Com mission to improve Main Street extension at Manteo.. ♦ Single Copy 70 KITTY HAWK HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS TO COME TO MANTEO Dare Board Votes Plan Effective Next Year; "No Man's Land" Children May Ride Bus. Many Kitty Hawk citizens ap peared in Manteo Tuesday, sup porting the efforts of their school committee to get the Dare County Board of Education to reverse a previous action to consolidate the high school at Kitty Hawk with Manteo. The committee had been w'orking for a long time to get a high school built somewhere in the district, by a bond election to be financed by a special tax on the property in Kitty Hawk, Duck, Colington, and a part of Nags Head township, constituting the Kitty Hawk School district. The group in Nags Head town ship living in the area sometimes known as “No man’s Land,” lo cated the new township line and the Jigsaw Road to the sound shore, brought a petition signed by nearly 100 per cent of the school patrons asking that “No Man’s Land,” be taken out of Kitty Hawk District and kept a part of the Manteo District, where they preferred to send their children. A petition signed by 30 or more people asking that the District re main unchanged, was also present ed. A few signers had signed both petitions—diplomacy, and tact, prevailing, no doubt After a lengthy meeting in the courthouse, which was attended by a large group, for which Attorney Wallace McCown was spokesman for the Kitty Hawk people and Wallace Gray for the “No Man’s Land” people, the meeting conclud ed about noon. During the course of the afternoon, after further con sideration of the issues, the Board of Education acted as follows: Denied the motion of the Kitty Hawk Committee and directed beginning with the 1956-57 schoM terms, all high school pupils in the area be brought to Manteo High School. Granted the motion of the peo ple of Nags Head to exclude the “No Man’s Land” area from the Kitty Hawk District for purposes of taxation. And they ruled that children from this area now at tending Manteo School be permit ted to ride the bus to Manteo, provided they make their own way to the boundary line of “No Man’s Land,” to wit: the Jigsaw road. Further action on the request to make this area a permanent part of Manteo district was deferred. Kitty Hawk partisans expressed great disappointment at the out come of the hearing. By a consent judgement, the restraining order which they had gotten against the Board of Education was dissolved., This order prohibited the Board from pursuing with plans for con solidation in any form. Some of the Kitty Hawk people expressed bitterness over alleged action of the Board of Education See SCHOOLS, Page Five EASTER SEAL SALE BEGINS THIS WEEK Drive For Crippled Children Heeded by Mrs. W. 8. Feering of Manteo Who Expects Good Response The annual Easter seal sale, for the benefit of crippled children, gets underway in Dare County this week, with Mrs. W. B. Fearing of Manteo as chairman. The funds raised by this drive are used to aid crippled children, whose condition comes from other causes than polio, and is separate and apart from the polio fund. Mrs. Fearing is mailing out sheets of seals this week and hopes to get excellent response. School children all over the county will receive coin cards next week. Mrs. Fearing says that in some cases there may be duplication of names, and if anyone should by mistake receive more than one letter con taining seals, she asks that it be disregarded. She does not want the extra seals mailed back to her. The drive will last from March 10 through April 10. BIG BLUES TAKEN IN TRAWL NETS OFF CAPE Large bluefish, some weighing up to eight and 10 pounds each were taken in trawl nets off Cape Hatteras recently according to Clyde Potter, fish dealer and trawler fleet operation of Belha ven. Reports of the big fish have also come from the Hatteras area. One resident of Hatteras stated that back in the middle 1930 s fol lowing a very severe winter large blues were taken and that during the period, many giant specimens Vfere caught with rod and reel. These big fish are commonly known as “Hatteras Blum.”
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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March 9, 1956, edition 1
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