Newspapers / The Coastland Times (Manteo, … / Feb. 21, 1958, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOLUME XXIII NO. 34 SENTIMENT GROWS IN FAVOR OF RETAINING CHARTER IN TOWN OF KILL DEVIL HILLS Permanent Residents Conclude It is Poor Busi ness to Throw Away the Nine Dollars They are Getting For Everyone They Pay, Just to Please A Handful of Outsiders Who Move in To Tear Down What They Can’t Run As They Please. There appears to be something of a majority now in favor of re taining the town charter at Kill Devil Hills, but it can be a hard fight to keep it, is the opinion of several citizens of the town this week. While it is not a certainty how the election will turn on March 15, it shews something of the wind, when some voters once indifferent, and some who were against the town, now express themselves as having changed their mind, and expect to vote for the town to re tain its charter after March 15. One thing having weight in the issue is the hard campaign being waged by a few citizens who have moved in from neighboring com munities, apparently for the single purpose of voting against the town, and then moving out at once afterward, as was done before. “If these are the kind of people we have to listen to, we prefer to be against them,” one citizen said. “They have no interest in our wel fare and they either want to save town taxes or be allowed to clutter up real estate they own in any way that will make them a profit, regardless of how much they tear down neighboring values. “It’s been mighty hard on some of them shivering stubbornly through this cold spell, merely to carry a point,” he said. The things which helped to pre cipitate the issue in Kill Devil Hills when the first election was held some two years, was first, the ne glect of the citizens to come for ward with level headed leadership from their own ranks; and next, the overbearing attitude sometimes taken officially toward some citi zens and the tilings that appeared to be grave problems to them. As a result, real estate men and others who wished to cash in on property without being subject to restrictions on type and character of usuage, developed a lot of senti ment against the municipality. Sober reflection however, has changed the view of some people who had been influenced by real estate men and other property owners whose primary object has been profit. Seldom if ever, has there been an instance where the people got so much for so little. To begin with, more than 80 per cent of the taxes paid into the town treasury is paid by non-resi dent cottage or other property owners, who use their property only a small part of the year, and when they are there, they spend a great deal of money in the com munity. Most of them have expressed themselves as glad to pay the tax es if only for the sense pf security upon having some sort of police and fire protection which the municipality now provides. See ELECTION, Page Four JOHN REBER LOSES HOME AT WANCHESE TUESDAY Mr- and Mrs. John Reber had the misfortune to lose their home and most of their belongings at Wanchese shortly before noon Fri day when the hause caught fire from an overheated flue. The house was the former Ed Pugh home sit uated across the road from Richard Gray, and while the house was .past saving before the Manteo fire department could reach it, the ef fective work of the firemen was responsible in preventing the loss! of nearby property. Richard Gray says he believes his home was saved only because of the efforts of the firemen. Mr. and Mrs. Reber have six children. They have moved into the Paul Dykstra house at Wanchese, because of the acute circumstances,' neighbors have been raising some funds and gifts of clothing and furniture to help them. DARE CO. SCHOOLS TO BE CLOSED REST OF THE WEEK Due to break-downs, freezing of water mains, and inadequacy of heating plants to supply sufficient warmth, the schools of Dare Coun ty with one exception will remain closed all the week. The Negro school near Manteo has been operating all the week; : the Cape Hatteras school might have operated save for bus trouble and lack of gasoline. All schools are expected to open Monday. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA WESTMINSTER CHOIR VOICES EXPECTED TO RETURN TO 1958 LOST COLONY North Carolina singers featured in The ‘Lost Colony Chorus for the past two seasons will be replaced this year by voices of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, N. J., un der the direction of Gilbert Piro vano, it was announced today by the drama’s general manager Dick Jordan. “Voices of Westminster Choir College and directors built up pres tige and national recognition musi cally, for The Lost Colony, during its first 15 seasons,” said Jordan, who returned from New York a few days ago after completing ne gotiations for bringing the highly trained student and graduate sing ers to Roanoke Island for the show’s 18th season beginning on June 28 this year. Hedley Yost or Fred Haley, both former organists of The Lost Col ony, will return to the drama to play accompaniment to the West minster singers of the play’s chor us, it was stated. Pirovano, a graduate of West minster Choir College and later a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, will not be new in the field of outdoor drama musical directing. For four years he was in charge of music and organist with “Unto These Hills,” the Cherokee drama and for two years directed the choir and was composer of music with Wilderness Road, Berea College, Kentucky, before beginning work on his doc torate at Columbia University. During a tour- of duty with the U. S. Navy in 1946-67 he was or ganist and director of the famous Bluejackets Choir at Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois. His most recent position when not with dramas or studying, were minister of music at the First Com munity Church 1953-55, Dallas, Texas, and at the First Presbyter in Church, Jamaica, L. 1., N. Y. Jordan said. ✓ MANY FINED FOR DRIVING HEAVY TRUCKS ON ROAD For not having proper operator’s licenses while driving what the warrants described as 25,000 pound trucks owned by a contractor on Hatteras Island work, several young Avon men, employed on the job, were each fined $lO and costs in Dare Recorders Court Tuesday. These men were C. T. Williams, J. W. Green, Dallas B. Miller, H. L. Austin, and Ray L. Williams. Per ley L. Farrow of Buxton was fined $25 and costs for careless and reck less driving. L. L. Midgett of Manns Harbor was fined $25 and costs for public drunkenness at Nags Head. F. M. Taylor made good and paid court costs on worth less check charges totalling $81.60, the complaint having been brought by V. G. Midgett of Manns Harbor. N. C. Mason of Atlantic paid a S2OO fine and costs, for driving after his license had been revoked; L. L. Dowe of Maryland for speed ing, while intoxicated slls and costs; Kelly J. Jordan of Manteo for driving while intoxicated SIOO and costs. S. C. Midgett of Manteo and J. W. Gibbs of Engelhard, each for failing to stop at a stop sign, paid fines of $5 and costs. J. L. Leary of Gregory paid sls and costs for speeding at 70 m.p.h. Jon Arthur Williams of Wan chese who is to come up next week on charges of breaking in and rob bery was charged with being drunk and disorderly at the Fla mingo Restaurant at Nags Head. He drew a 60 day road sentence, but this was suspended provided he be of good behavior for two years, not to go m the Flamingo premises in that period and pay two $25 fines and costs. S4OO FIRE ON PREMISES OF FLETCHER’S STORE Damage estimated at S4OO was done the store of A. W. Fletcher at Kitty Hawk by a fire which broke out in the pump house where a light bulb had been burning to prevent freezing. This was the year’s first fire in the Kitty Hawk area. The Kill Devil Hills Fire Department rendered aid at 5.45 when notified Thursday morning. .•- - ' ALCOHOL WORKSHOP TO BE HELD AT CITY ROAD CHURCH J -* 4* jf ; . /W / 7 Jr An Alcohol Education Workshop will be held at City Road Meth odist Church, Elizabeth City, with Dr. Caradine R. Hooten, Secretary of the Methodist Board of Temperance, Washington, D. C., as the principal speaker. This is one of the Institutes which will be held in the nine districts of the North Carolina Methodist Conference the week of March 3-7. Chaplain Paul Wesley Aitken of Duke Hospital and Keeley Insti tute will also appear on the program, which will cover the eastern part of the state. Dr. Hooten has recently returned from a world tour as officer of the International Committee for the Prevention of Alcoholism, after inferring with leading statesmen, educators, and public relations offi cials and holding numerous meetings on temperance. Following pastorates in Texas and Oklahoma, Dr. Hooten has held r number of Conference and Jurisdictional positions as an outstanding leader in Methodism. * The youths will be featured in the workshops, with Dr. Hooten neeting with the young people, while Chaplain Aitken will conduct :he counseling period with the adults. Dr. Hooten will also speak to the adults and youth during the first part of the program. As Chaplain of Keeley Institute, Greensboro, and Duke Hospital, Durham, Mr. Aitken has worked closely with alcoholics for some years. He was a community ambassador to Oslo, Norway, during the summer of 1949. He is a member of the American Protestant Hospital Associa tion and the N. C. Methodist Conference. All persons interested are invited to attend. WANCHESE BOYS TAKEN FROM ICE BY HELICOPTER Four adventuresome Wanchese lads, off in a boat near Wanchese wharf were rescued by Coast Guard helicopter from Elizabeth City Tuesday afternoon. Bobby Scarborough, Victor Dan iels, Jr., Wayne Johnson and Ros coe Beasley were out in a small boat looking around and their boat got shut off in an air hole. Richard Gray, Wanchsee mer chant observed their plight and called the Coast Guard. Beyond reach of a boat, a helicopter got to them and brought them ashore, late in the afternoon. The boys were somewhat the worse for wear from their expos ure to icy winds, but it is believed will recover without serious injury. MRS. CLARA M. GRAY OF STUMPY POINT SUCCUMBS Mrs. Clara Mae Midgett Gray, widow of the late Seymore Gray, died Thursday morning at her home at Stumpy Point after an illness of five days. Mrs. Gray, who was 69, was born at Rodanthe, daughter of the late Orenda S. and Joseph Midgett. She was a mem ber of the Stumpy Point Method ist Church. Funeral services will be held from the chapel of Twi ford’s Funeral Home in Manteo at 11 a.m. Saturday, with the Rev. George M. Kelley, pastor of the Stumpy Point Methodist Church, officiating. Mrs. Gray is surrvived by two sons, A. Peston Gray of Stumpy Point and Ronald G. Gray of Nor folk; three brothers, Levene W. Midgett of Rodanthe, Andrew Mid gett of Morehead City, and Joseph Midgett of Manteo; seven sisters, Mrs. Rowena O’Neal, Mrs. C. A. Midgett and Mrs. Darland Midgett of Waves, Mrs. E. R. Midgett of Rodanthe, Mrs. Robert Baum of Norfolk, and Mrs. Minnie Midgett and Mrs. Frances Midget Gray of Manteo. < FISH ARE FROZEN ALONG DARE COAST’S SHORE Frozen fish during the current big freeze of 1958 are being re ported from several shore points in Dare. Some are completely life less, while others stunned by the cold waters and icy conditions are apparently in the last stages of life before freezing. Commercial fishing is at a stand still due to the great fields of ice that have formed on the sounds of northeastern Carolina. Capt. Tom Basnight, local fish eries patrolman, stated that ice conditions would undoubtedly bring about great losses to fishermen through the loss of nets. MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1958 K* - I till VALENTINE FOX HUNT ENDED IN RAINSTORM The annual Valentine Season ' Fox Hunt at Nags Head on the past week end started in a bliz zard and ended three days later in a pre-freeze rainstorm. As re sult only two brushes were actu ally accounted for during the three days of hunting, two in the lower Nags Head region and one in Nags Head Woods. The event this year attracted more than 100 hunters and spectators and 150 or more hounds and included social events each evening. BENEFIT CARD PARTY BY WOMAN’S CLUB FEBRUARY 22 A card party will be given on Saturday evening, February 22, in' the Carolinian Hotel, Nags Head, by the Manteo Woman’s Club, pro-1 ceeds to go towards the club’s scholarship fund. The scholarship is given each year to a member of the Manteo high school graduating class, and has been increased from SIOO to $l5O. The party vyill start at 8:30, and the public is invited to attend. 1 UNCLE WILLIE FROM WANCHESE WRITES: DEAR MISTER EDITOR: The fellers up at Mack’s store Saturday night was wondering if Sputnik will have any effect on the weather. Ed allowed as how Congress was liable to take over the weather if we git too many of them things flying around. I think Ed’s wrong, and I’ll tell you why. If our Congressmen was to take over the rain, fer instant, we’d have to file a 10-page appli cation to git a heavy dew, and fer a real gulley washer we’d have to git the political endorse ment of the county chairman. By the time the Rain Committee got through with the red tape and was about ready to send us a sprinkle, it would be too late fer this year’s crops. And if one of them Senate investigating com mittees discovered that some member of the Rain Committee had broke bread with Jim Hoffa, they’d hold up the application until we might never git any more rain. It wouldn’t work, Mister Editor. Moving over from Congress men to hogs, the fellers got to talking about this year’s hog killing crop. They got to arguing over the way a pig’s tail curls. Ed sticks to the old claim that you can tell a pig by the way his tail hangs. If it hangs to the left the pig ain’t no good. I ain’t never watched, it real close but seems like a pig always does better if his tails hangs clock wise, like Ed says. But some of the fellers argued that it don’t make much difference so long as it hangs one side or the other. PIRATES JAMBOREE FEATURES EVENTS FOR ALL AGES Dare Coast Pirates Jamboree this year on April 24-27 will feature events for all ages, including ad ults, teenagers or young adults and children, it was stated today by Alvah Ward, chairman of the overall steering committee. His announcement came follow ing reports that Dare Coast young sters who had roles in several events last season were being left out this year. For the very young, that is chil dren under 12 years of age, there wilt be a treasure hunt in the Dare Beaches area and also costume con tests. A pre-Jamboree attraction for teen-agers and young adults will be a Pirate Royal dance at which a prince and princess will be se lected. Already several male teen-agers in the Manteo con solidated school are acquiring a surprising growth of beard and ad ults from Kitty Hawk to Hatteras are sporting full or trimmed beards. A complete tentative schedule for the Dare Beaches area was an nounced this week by co-chairmen George Sides and Dick Jordan. Something new in vehicular sport are bicycle races on the circle sur rounding Wright Memorial to re place beach buggy races in upper Dare. The frog-jumping contests this year, a preliminary to the in ternational Frog Jumping Jubilee at Angels Camps, Calif, will be held in a s section of Nags Head where there will be adequate parking. Frog jumpers will make entries that they hope will outjump Or ville Baum’s “Atom Baum” which flew to Angels Camp last year- for competition. Several pre-Jamboree events are planned in the way of dances at Nags Head Casino, and caravans to various North Carolina and Vir ginia cities. Actual coronation of the pirate king and queen succeed ing Pat Bayne and Virginia Swain this year will be held in the open, probably at Coquina Beach. MRS. MARGARET MIDGETT DIES AT MANNS HARBOR Mrs. Margaret Midgett, 44, died Tuesday night at 11:30 o’clock at the residence in Manns Harbor after a long illness. She was the daughter of Mrs. Nancy Twiford Midgett and the late Joe Thomas Midgett She was a native and lifelong resident of Dare County and was a member of the Mt. Carmel Methodist Church. Besides her mother, she is sur vived by two daughters, Mrs. Wil lis Crees of Dover, Del., and Miss ' Rosa Lee Daugherty of Manns Harbor; two brothers, Cecil and I Morris B. Midgett of Manns Har | bor; one sister, Mrs. Mary Dicker son of Mann Harbor. Funeral services wree conducted Thursday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the home of the Rev. Geo. M. Kelly, pastor of Mt. Carmel Meth odist Church. Burial followed in the 1 Mann Cemetery. that it’s the tail that don’t hang either way that tells a pig ain’t no good. With the spring pri maries not too far off, it’s a pity some of these public office hold ers ain’t got tails so’s we could separate the left-tailers and the right-tailers from the straight tailers. I see by the paper yesterday where a woman writer says “lip stick has done more for the mo rale of Amreican women than anything else. It uplifts the soul and sustains the spirit” That, Mister Editor, is what I would call taking nothing and trying to make poetry out of it. If lipstick “uplifts the soul,” then I reckon a finger wave and shampoo would be about equal to one good reincarnation. I also see by the papers where a scientist predicts that dresses will all be made from glass in another 10 year. There was a time when I’d have got all excit ed over that news, but that was before wimmen got to wearing nothing at all. Glass or no glass, it wouldn’t make much differ ence now. Well, I come into town last Saturday to do some shopping around and went in a case and got me a oyster stew. I would like fer you, Mister Editor, to git in touch with the Health Depart ment or the Bureau of Standards & Measurements and ask them how many oyster stews a case is allowed to flavor with one oyster. I think maybe I got me a case against that case. Yours truly. Uncle Willie COASTLAND’S BIGGEST FREEZE SINCE WINTER OF 1918 BRINGS SURPRISES AND NEW EXPENSES Maybe Not So Heavy a Freeze But Will Prove Many Times More Expensive Than 30-Day Siege During World War I; More Discomfort Among People Now Accustomed to Easier Living; Set-Back for Fishermen. SENT TO NORFOLK FOR NEW NAVY ASSIGNMENT r i A- A ■ ■■■ V s * JAMES E. BYRD, seaman appren tice, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Byrd of 1710 Colonial Way, New Bern, has been sent to the U. S. Naval Receiving Station at Nor folk, Va., for assignment. His wife, Mrs. James E. Byrd, is the former Cecelia Sue Etheridge of Manteo. The Norfolk Naval Receiving Station, commanded by Capt. E. B. Pugsley, USN, processes ap proximately 8,000 men a month on their way to and from Naval acti vities all over the world. GASOLINE FIRE INJURES TWO NEAR KITTY HAWK Andrew Tillett and William Swindell Get Cuts and Burns Wednesday; Truck A Total Loss The sudden explosion and fire resulting from dripping of gasoline from the fuel tank of the truck driven by William Swindell and Andrew Tillett of Manteo resulted in painful injuries for both men, and in the total loss by fire of the truck, which was owned by Andmar Appliance Co. About 4:05 p.m. while they were returning to Manteo, and near the intersection of 158 and the old Duck road, flames suddenly sprang up around them. The two men jumped out, and Mr. Tillett suf fered injuries to an ankle which prevents walking, and a gash on the head about three inches long. Mr. Swindell suffered severe burns. The men were treated by Dr. W. W. Harvey and not hospitalized. HEART SUNDAY IN DARE IS CHANGED FROM NEXT SUNDAY TO MARCH 2nd A one-week postponement of Dare County’s Heart Sunday col 'lection of funds for the fight against heart diseases has been announced by Woody Fearing of Manteo, county Heart Fund chair man. Mr. Fearing reported that the past week’s weather conditions resulting in halting of the Oregon Inlet ferry had made it impossible for him to contact all the volun teers who will carry on the door to-door canvass. In view of this, it has been decided that within Dare County March 2 will be des ignated as Heart Sunday instead of this coming Sunday, February 23, as previously planned. The Heart Sunday collections will be made in other areas of the nation as planned next Sunday, with more than a million volun teers in thousands of communities making door-to-door visits in all residential areas. Each of the Heart Sunday volun teers will visit several homes, mostly in his or her immediate neighborhood. Each will be iden tified by a circular lapel badge and will carry official printed en velopes in which contributors may seal their checks, bills or coins. The amount of the contribution need not be revealed. Where the volunteer finds no one at home, he or she will leave a pre-addressed envelope in which a contribution may be readily mailed to Heart Fund headquarters. Single Copy 7# It’s the biggest freeze in 40 years, but not near so rough. It just seems much worse for today’s people used to so many luxuries, and who are not conditioned for such abrupt changes in tempera ture. That’s the opinion of old timers who compare this week’s rugged, weather with that of the freeze which lasted for nearly 30 days in the winter of 1917-18. Temperatures this week are re ported as down to ten degrees in the N. C. Coastland, but nothing to compare with the cold suffered in states farther inland. In the north western states temperatures have been reported as low as 37 degrees below. Hundreds of deaths have BULLETIN Traffic was halted Thursday at 3 pm. across the Wright Memorial Bridge over Currituck Sound as a result of pressing ice floes. A section of the bridge near the west shore was reported to have sunk about three feet, and State Highway officials closed the bridge to highway traffic until an exami nation could be made to deter mine the extent of the damages. resulted from exposure and acci dents that followed the low temp eratures, including lives lost in burning buildings. It appears now that most all nets and stakes of fishermen, al ready set or in process of being set for the spring season, will have been swept away by ice. A torrent of fresh water pouring down the sounds will be expected to delay the replacement of such nets, and in many cases fishermen will have insufficient gear to make a fresh start this year. Many people were caught by surprise when it began snowing last week end and then rapidly turning to colder weather, which resulted in the freezing over of bays, sounds and rivers in a short time Kitty Hawk Bay, Colington Creek, Manteo Bay, and places of like size were soon followed by Roanoke, Croatan and Currituck Sounds becoming a solid sheet of ice. Ferries were frozen solid in their slips and couldn’t make their runs. Oil supplies began running low on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands and the situation began to look grim. Finally on Wednesday afternoon a ferry trip was made, and oil went across. There have been a lot of changes in 40 years. Now we are living under a government by crisis, but in 1918 we were in the midst of World War I which was going to make the world safe from war forever. In those days most of the people of the coastland kept warm by firewood. Out of the Trent woods came most of the fuel that warmed the people of Hatteras Is land. In subsequent years as wood grew scarce and people less in clined toward manual labor, coal began to grow in favor. Finally now, most everyone depends on oil, a few on bottled gas and they are more at the mercy of outside forces and economic conditions than ever before. Forty years ago, the men of the household got up what ‘wood was burned for cooking and heating. People went to the store about once a week, and what with their salt meat and fish, and various vegetables, from a family garden, they seldom felt the pinch of any- See FREEZE, Page Four ROANOKE ISLAND NATIVE DIES THURSDAY IN NORFOLK . Mrs. Minnie Mclnnis Twiford died at her home in Norfolk Thurs day morning following a long ill ness. Funeral arrangements were incomplete at press time. Mrs. Twiford was a native of Roanoke Island, the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Meekins. She is survived by her husband, Eugene M. Twiford of Norfolk; two daughters, Mrs. Inez Jenkins of Norfolk; Mrs. Hazel Lewis of Cincinnati, Ohio; three grandchildren and several great grandchildren; two brothers, Wil liam S. Meekins and Roland S. Meekins of Manteo; two sisters, Mrs. C. C. Jones and Mrs. Gladys Brantley of Manteo. ■
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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Feb. 21, 1958, edition 1
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