North Carolina Newspapers

VOLUME XXIII NO. 35 ROTARIANS FAVOR BUILDING ROAD TO VA. BEACH Hear An Appeal for Support For Heart Rind Campaign in Dare The Manteo Rotary Club Mon day night gave its approval to the effort begun by the Nags Head Chamber of Commerce to get state aid toward building a road from Duck to the Virginia line. The club took under consideration an appeal presented by Dr. W. W. Harvey in behalf of the Heart Fund cam paign in Dare County. The proposal in behalf of the l>each road was presented by Law rence Swain and by Julian Oneto of Nags Head. The importance of such a highway has been pointed up by the recent interruption of traffle over Currituck Sound bridge, where ice tore part of the structure away. - It is now more forcibly present ed, when the area is shut off, and subjected to a hundred or more miles of extra driving in order to reach Elizabeth City or Norfolk. The beach road is advocated by some interests as the prime need of Dare County, although it was stated at the meeting it was not given a priority over the Alligator River bridge. PLANS GIVEN FOR HATTERAS PHASE OF PIRATES JAMBOREE Events of the Hatteras Island phase of Dare Coast Pirates Jam boree on Friday, April 26, will be held at the Point of Cape Hat teras, It was announced Thursday by Bill Dillon of Buxton. Dillon was elected Sunday at a meeting of Hatteras interests to be head of the island’s overall pro gram committee. In the meantime, several cos tumed pirates are scheduled to make their first out-of-town trek on Friday, February 28. This group goes to Washington, N. C., to appear in a parade marking the world premiere of “Lafayette Es eadrille,” a World War I story about a group of American volun teers who formed a flying unit to assist the French government. One of the outstanding members of the “Lafayette Escadrille” was Jim Baugham of Washington, who was killed when shot down by an enemy plane. Previously this week, Dare County Tourist Bureau mailed sev eral hundred folders advertising the Outer Banks and coming Jam boree to distribution outlets in Washington. “We plan to have three pre- Jamboree dances with dates to be announced soon,”, said Dillon. This year, instead of the six hour fishing event previously held at Hatteras, there will be a three day fishing contest which will end at noon on Friday, April 25. Again this year, the big attrac tion of the Hatteras day of the Jamboree will be the “world’s big gest salt-water fish fry,” accord ing to Dillon. Arrangements are hoped to be made with the Ocra coke Boy Scouts to bring their banker ponies to take part in the program. There will be a Coast See JAMBOREE, Page Five SHOP BUILDING BURNS AT WANCHESE TUESDAY A loss amounting to several thousand dollars was incurred Tuesday when fire completely de stroyed the shop building which was the headquarters at Harry’s Yacht Basin at Wanchese. The loss was partially covered by insurance, according to Harry Rhodes, owner. The fire started during the lunch hour when a pile of lumber caught from a small fire built behind the shop for heating some metal. Mr. Rhodes was in his house nearby eating when the lumber caught, and he said that when he reached the scene it would not have taken much water to have put the fire out He had no way of fighting the blaze however, so he returned to the house and called the fire de partment at Manteo. The building was all ablaze when the fire truck arrived, and then trouble with the pump caused a few more minutes delay" in getting water pouring on the fire. Lost along with the wooden frame building were numerous electrical tools, the large pile of lumber to have been used in build ing small skiffs, and one complet ed skiff; another skiff was also damaged. The nearby dry docks were not damaged except for wir ing leading to them, and several other boats were also moved away and saved. The Manteo firemen also ans wered a call Monday afternoon and eMkbwuished a brush fire near the home of Mickey Bridges at Wan chese, but not before a garage and barn had been burned. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUiLiSHEP WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA LEADERS WHO ATTENDED THE ANNUAL MANTEO SCOUT BANQUET ■ 52! '*!•? JR jyiPv JPt W jB • t F m jptm m ill ,WgM|L ? lv. ( JH p v " iff&pi Is .t %f r 7 " ■ mi— mi if FIGURING IN THE PROGRAM for the first annual Scout banquet held-Saturday evening, February 15, in Manteo were the men pictured above, left to right, Cliffoid Wag staff, Cubmaster at Wanchese; Dr! Nathaniel H. Shope, superintendent of Elizabeth City schools and the speaker of the evening; W. H. McCown of Manteo, who was toastmaster and introduced the speaker; Gene Trautwein of Elizabeth City, district Scout field executive; J. D. Earle, Scoutmaster at Manteo; and Gus Hultman, Cubmaster at Man teo. Over 100 persons, including Scouts, parents and leaders, were in attendance at the banquet, which was in observance of National Boy Scout Week. (Phito by Pratt Williamson, Jr.) FISHERIES ASSOCIATION TO SEEK MEMBERS IN DARE COUNTY AREA Roy Watson, President, of Ho bucken, and Fred Whitaker, Sec retary of the N. C. Fisheries Asso ciation and others met in Manteo Feb. 21 to discuss the recent situa tion among fishermen, result of ice damage. With them were Alvah Ward Jr., Dr. W. W. Harvey, Jr. and Lawrence Swain of Manteo. An estimated million dollar loss has resulted, in the opinion of these men, to the fishing industry of the northeastern area, including property worth a quarter million, and the balance in business loss for the season. Further plans for the deepening of Hatteras Inlet were discussed, with work scheduled to begin on a preliminary brief of the project in the near future. Tentative plans were discussed for a dinner meeting in the near future in the Manteo community building to explain to local fisher men the advantages of being mem bers of the Association. All fish buyers, fishermen and suppliers. will be invited to attend. Visited on this trip were Horace' Hooper of Stumpy Point, Malcolm and Arnold Daniels of Wanchese. ARLINGTON HOTEL DINING ROOM OPENS FOR SEASON The Arlington Hotel dining room at Nags Head will open for the season, Sunday evening, and be tween the hours of 6:30 to 8:30 a buffet dinner will be served, a por tion of the proceeds of which will be donated to the heart fund. Re servations may be made by tele phoning the Arlington at Nags Head. Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Hayman have been at the Arlington all win ter making preparations for the opening, and believe this will be aj good season on the Dare Beaches. I HIGH ON PREFERRED LIST FOR $63,000 ROAD , -4* * ■ sjppmjmaammKammmm i V. jfe ‘ • jw* 4 ? -fit i , , rn 'in 1 Vi ' ' ■' ‘fraftb >%■ - ,ff-i mSSm j|i ’’ i THIS STORE, at Buffalo City, 40 years old, valued at S2OO and no merchandise in it listed for taxes, is the objective of a $63,000 road job second on the priority list in all Dare County, according to the [ State Highway Commission, who have made a second “survey," and they say this week, 60 cars a day travel the road. The store belongs to Claude Duvall, chairman of the Dare County Board of Commis sion which makes it more important than other roads. The traffic counted by the highway comlfiission " is principally temporary, and is of cars and trucks waiting on a dragline that is digging a ditch across | the lands of the West Virginia Co. nearby. The two miles road now has a clay surface and is in excel | lent condition the year round. Four domiciles are listed on the road, having declined &om six a few months ago. This is another sample of the “new" highway commission which has taken the roads away from'the people and permits shenanigans between highwaymen and county politicians. GLOBE TROTTERS COMPLETE VISIT TO 18 COUNTRIES Dr. and Mrs. Mustian of K. D. Hills Travel 25,000 Milas in Midwinter" Dr. and Mrs. Wallace Mustian of Kill Devil Hills missed most of our rough winter, but landed back home in the worst of it last week. -They sailed from New York on Dec. 13, took a 25,000-mile trip, visited 18 countries, contended with ten languages, but got by with their knowledge of French. They visited North Africa, eastern Asia, Southern Europe and England. They sailed across on the tJ. S. Constitution, their first stop being Casablanca in North Africa. They, visited Gibralter, Monte Carlo, Na ples, Rome Egype. In Cairo, dur ing the African-Asian conference they got along all right, but found their room wired and they were spied on during their stay. Consid erable anti-American sentiment was manifest. In Egvnt their visited the'Pyr amids. They went to Jerusalem, ■Jordan, Israel, following in the I footsteps of Christ and Moses. I With maybe two exceptions, they stopped at luxury hotels, found the ancient religious shrines well kept, and costing only a reasonable fee for guide service. In Jordan they ; found people living in the poor con dition of 2,000 years ago, in caves and tents. Israel showed great progress, particularly in agricul ture. A striking thing in this coun try of Jews is a $300,000 Rocke feller donated YMCA building which is overflowing with Hebrew patrons. Turkey was found to be the poor est country visited. This nation is attempting to live at home and doesn’t have money to buy coffee. Greece was found in better shape, great cleanliness and progress pre vailed. Spain seemed favored with I See MUSTIANS, Page Five MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1958 MRS. CORA WISE TWIFORD DIES AT STUMPY POINT Mrs. Cora Wise Twiford, 69, died Wednesday while en route by ambulance to Belhaven hospital near Stumpy Point after a long illness. She wae the widow of the late Henry Twiford. the daughter of the late Spencer and Elizabeth Casey Wise of Stumpy Point, a lifelong resident of that community and a member of the Shiloh Meth odist Church. She is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Hildred Golden of Stumpy Point, and by one grandchild. i • Funeral services will be conduct ed Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. by Rev. George M. Kelley, pastor of Shiloh Methodist Church, and bur ial will follow in the community cemetery. DEAR MISTER EDITOR: I see by the papers where Sec retary of Agriculture Benson says the Lord is on his side in his squabbles with the farmers. I ain’t never took sides in this controversy between Benson and the farmers, but if he’s quoted correct, I got to say a few words about this statement. It’s funny now politics work on fellers that git in office. When they git pushed up in a comer, they all claim partner ship with the Lord. I recall a few years ago, when a feller down in a small town in Alabama got elected Mayor, the Baptists called a meeting and held a prayer service fer the town. This feller’s name was Rush Burton, and when he heard about the prayer service, he al lowed as how him and the Lord would just ignore the source. He hadn’t got in office good till he UNCLE TOM FROM TRENT WRITES: STRANGE WILD BEAST PROVES PUZZLE ON DARE MAINLAND By AYCOCK BROWN Manns Harbor.—There has been some controversy hereabouts that TJ. S. Naval personnel attached to the target maintenance station at Stumpy Point actually saw a pan ther. (cougar, mountain lion or puma) as reported recently, but the fact that aij animal of feline appearances and much larger than a bobcat, otter or housecat gone wild is on the prowl somewhere in the vicinity of U. S. 264 between Manns Harbor and Stumpy Point is a sure thing. The Coastland Times carried a report on this sub ject several months ago. “I saw it last night, in about the same vicinity as the Navy boys said they had sighted the animal,” said James Vannote, mainland mail carrier. ; “It was not a bobcat, but I would say that it could be h wild cat, larger than a dog, which is a large cat,” he said. “The residents of the mainland have been seeing or hearing these large cat-like animals for many .years. Some call them panthers, but most of the folks say it is a catamount,” Vannote added (The dictionary says a cata mount is a wild animal of the cat family, the cougar or lynx.) The story released several days ago giving an account of the “panther” sighted by the Stumpy Point navy boys has attracted wide attention. Rod Amundson, chief of the education division, State Wild life and Resources Commission writing Aycock Brown, coastal news correspondent stated: “I was interested in your news squib about a panther being sight ed’in Dare County. Two summers ago when I was returning from the fishing school at Nags Head, I 'saw a very large dark colored ani mal. just off the shoulder of the road. I was driving slowly and got a good look at it. It was definitely feline and much larger than a wild cat. It was feeding on the carcass of a road killed animal, and looked directly into the head lights of the car and snarled. I had not reported it hitherto be cause such observations puts one in the position of a person sight ing a flying saucer.” Vannote stated that in the glare See BEAST, Page Five started claiming partnership with the Lord. From years of observation, I could have told them good Bap tists down in Alabama that they was wasting their time praying fer a politician. But I won’t go into that at this time. Judging from the present price of farm produce, the farmers can’t claim that everything about Secretary Benson is bad. Fer in stant, Ed said he paid 70 cent fer a dozen eggs and 31 cent fer a dozen ears of corn. Ed said that if he et ’em his stummick might feel like a cash register. Up at the country store Satur day night a feller was telling about that farmer out in Arkan sas whose mule died and he hooked his wife up to the plow fer a substitute. After several days he offered to trade her for a mule and give SSO to boot. He said he was offering boot be cause his wife was stubbomer than a mule. Some of the fellers allowed as ' how a mule sorter set his pace according to who the owner is. Ed says a mule can size up a new owner quicker than a new owner can size up the mule. Then some of the hoys got to comparing a mule with a woman, and they all agreed that a woman was stub borner than a mule. That’ll give you a idea, Mister Editor, of what kind of tajk goes on at the country store on Sat urday night. And it’s the best proof we got that this is a great country to live in, even if our politicians all do claim partner ship with the Lord. There ain’t no other country in the world today where a group of farmers ain’t got nothing more to worry about than the question of which is the stub bornest, a woman or a mule. And speaking of farmers, they ain’t never agreed on nothing since the plow was invented. They was even arguing the other night about when Dog Days is. They had ’em all the way from July to September. Os course, it ain’t important no more, and as things is going now in the world it gits leu important all the time. In another six months ev ery day is apt to be Dog Day, or even Muttnik Day. Youys truly Uncle Tom COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN SEE POOR PROSPECT FOR PROFIT AFTER LOSSES IN FREEZE Damages Estimated at A Million Dollars in North eastern North Carolina As Fishermen Survey Damaged Nets and Delayed Prospects; Sixth of April Expected to Slow Up Season. AVON BOY GENERAL AGENT FOR WESTERN RAILWAY CO. PRESTON P. AUSTIN, 33, a na tive of Avon, is considered one of the youngest General Agents in the nationwide traffic organization of the North Western Railway Co. He is a popular son of Dare Coun ty; served in the Coast Guard un til after World War 11. A few weeks ago he was promoted to General Agent of the Railroad at Billings, Mont., succeeding the for mer agent who retired at 65. Young Austin was former District sales agent at Billings. Following his leaving Avon he entered the Coast Guard, and after his World War II service he went to work with the Chicago and North West ern in Duluth, Minn, in 1946. His wife is the former Jane Lept of Duluth and they have three little girls. In 1951 he was promoted to City Agent, Traveling Agent in 1955, and District Agent in May 1957. Mr. Austin is the son of the late Maness and Lula Austin of Avon, and grew up in the home of his "sister, Mrs. James M. Scarborough, his father having died when he was small. He has several relatixes in Dare County, an uncle, R. H. Gray of Wanchese, the family of his brother, Maness Austin, in Manteo; an aunt, Mi’s. Nellie Gray, and two uncles, H. J. and L. J. Gray at Buxton. BREAKING AND ENTERING CASES ARE SENT UP TO DARE SUPERIOR COURT Probable cause was found against Jon Arthur Williams of Wanchese on charges of breaking and entering and the cases were sent up to the superior court as a result of a hearing before Record er W. F. Baum in Manteo Tuesday afternoon. Young Williams, who has previously served time on the roads, was charged with breaking and entering stores of Glenn Bon ner and Carson Davis. He had pleaded not guilty, but a compan ion, Robert Sanderlin, who plead ed guilty two weeks earlier, went on the stand Tuesday and said that Williams was with him in both instances. The cases of both young men have been placed on the dock et for the May term of Dare County Superior Court. In another case against both Williams and Sanderlin, Sanderlin pleaded guilty to breaking and en tering a taxi driven by Harry Hayman and paid a fine of $25 and costs. Williams, found guilty of this charge by the recorder, ap pealed the conviction to superior court. Merlon Tillett, Manteo colored man, was found guilty of larceny of a skiff belonging to Henry Mc- Clees, the testimony revealing that after Tillett had taken the boat and sold it he recovered it and re turned it to McClees. Tillett was fined $25 and costs. Submissions were as follows: Robert Baldwin Preston, Kill Devil Hills, speeding 65 m.n.h., $lO fine and costs. Joe Tom Daniels, Wan chese, failing to stop at stop sign,, $5 fine and costs. John G. Neal,'' Engelhard, no operator’s license, $25 fine and costs. WANCHESE PTA MARCH 3 Mrs. Larry Ballance, president, announces that the March meeting of the Wanchese P.T.A. will be held on Monday night, March 8, at 7:30 in the school auditorium. All members and interested people are urged to attend. Single Copy 7# Looking back on the severe freeze of iast week, commercial fishermen of Northeastern North Carolina have chalked up their es timated losses for the season, and placed the estimate at a million dollars, of which a quarter million is in loss of nets, stakes, and labor of getting ready, and the rest in the estimated loss of the catch this season which will be reduced by a late start and a poor one. A guiding factor in all commer cial fishing markets in springtime is the Lenten season, and this year Easter Sunday coming on the 6th of April will put an end to the period. Demand for seafood is greatest during the Lenten season, and those people who abstain from meat out of religious beliefs, re turn to meat when Easter has end ed. North Carolina fishermen having lost their stakes, and such nets as had been put in the water, will, have little time left during March'* to get ready for the remainder of the season, and many fishermen will not go to the trouble to get ready. Some don’t have enough gear remaining. Some don’t see wherein it will profit them. Os course there are many fisher men, particularly in upper Albe marle Sound who had not yet got ten around to putting in this sea son’s nets. They are more fortunate than fishermen of the lower sounds iwho of necessity must start ear lier. Fishermen always have one ace in the hole; or they have deluded themselves in believing it is an ace. However most conservative-minded people think it is the biggest los ing card they have ever played. Just about every year, for one reason or another, usually one of distress, they appeal to the State Fisheries control board for an ex- See FISHING, Page Five TRAFFIC RESTORED ON CURRITUCK SOUND BRIDGE Traffic moved normally Tuesday , over the Wright Memorial Bridge : carrying US Route 158 across i Currituck Sound. The bridge was , closed Thursday of last week fol , lowing damage to seventeen bridge pilings from ice which formed over the fresh water sound. Assistant Chief Engineer for Bridges, T. B. Gunter, Jr., an • nounced the resumption of normal traffic at 11 a.m. Tuesday, over the I facility which had been closed be , cause of the damage. Highway Director W. F. Babcock | said bridge maintenance crews moved into the Dare County area on Thursday, but were delayed in , their repair work because of con tinuing ice conditions in the sound. Babcock said thirty-six piles were , required to put the bridge back into operation. In some cases, two I' piles were driven where only one i had been placed originally. Three bridge spans were damaged by the , ice with seventeen pilings severely damaged along with fifteen bents. ' Director Babcock praised the 1 work of the Bridge Maintenance ' | Department in effecting repairs so quickly. “Our forces had to work both Saturday and Sunday in an effort to minimize the inconven ience to motorists and facilitate the bridge work,” sadi Babcock. State Bridge Maintenance Engi neer C. B. Taylor of Raleigh di rected the work with the assist ance .of John H. Warren, Bridge Maintenance Superintendent; W. Spruill, First Division Highway Engineer; George Mack, District Engineer for Dare County; and two Bridge Foremen, Jim Twiford and L. P. Jordan. Highway Director Bibcock said although the damage to the bridge was serious, it could have been much worse. “We were helped considerably in the repair work by the warming trend of weather which began over the week end and extended into the early part of this week,” said Babcock. t «j JstA AMBASSADORS Raymond Wescott . and Bob Smith, both of Manteo, have been appointed Ambassadors of Sudan Shrine Temple for 1958 by Poten , tate Otis M. Banks of Cary. Am : bassadors are called upon when ' special work is to be done in their , communities for the Shriners Crip pled Children’s Hospitals and other ! related matters of importance to the Shrine. V .„? > ■•* '■