SEND RENEWAL
OF SUBSCRIPTION
BEFORE EXPIRATION
DATE ON ADDRESS
VOLUME XXVI NO. 13
WE VIEW THE BIG SHIP UNITED STATES
BUT HURRIEDLY WIND UP A VACATION
THAT WAS TO HAVE BEEN LONG ONE
By CATHERINE D. MEEKINS
New York harbor was calm and
l>eaceful, and save for a mass of
floating debris there was nothing
to indicate that hurricane Donna
had made her vicious onslaught on
the entire eastern seaboard of the
United States and was then on the
way to blowing herself out in
Canada. It was the morning of
Tuesday, September 13, 1960, and
we (my husband, my sister-in-law
and I) were aboard the S. S. Unit
ed States, the ship having arrived
Monday just before Donna struck
her blow at New York. While we
were there the Queen Mary came
into port on one side, and on the
other side The Independence. We
learned later that The Independ
ence was carrying 27 injured pas
‘ .-engers, who were victims of Don
na as she threw a giant wave at
the ship.
We were being shown The Unit
ed States by courtesy of Capt.
S. J. (Sollie) Topping, a Belhaven
man who is general manager of
the. United States line and a friend
of my husband. Capt. Topping him
self was unable to accompany us,
because hurricane damage at other
piers required his presence, but he
ent his able assistant, Warren
’ Lindsay, whose gracious hospital
i ity and courtesy made our tour of
the ship a pleasure.
The United States is the world’s
' fastest Uner and Flagship of the
United State; Lines. She made a
: record crossing of the Atlantic in
three days, 10 hours and 40 min
r utes. She is 990 feet long, with a
breadth of 101 feet 6 inches arid a
depth of 122 feet from keel to top
: of superstructure, and 175 feet
I from keel to top of forward funnel.
1 She has twelve decks, with a total
I capacity of 2,000 passengers and
' 1,000 crew members. She was built
i in Newport Newsort News, Va.,
| by the Newport News Shipbuilding
I and Dry Dock Company, and was
I completed June 20, 1952. She
| makes two round-trip voyages to
I Europe each month.
It may be interesting to note
I here, that the late Capt. C. P.
I Midgett of Nags Head, Miles
I Clark of Elizabeth City and the
| late Fred P. Latham of Belhaven,
■ a close friend of Capt. Topping,
E were among the specially invited
|| guests who were taken on the
K shake-down cruise out of Newport
| News the day the new liner was
i completed. Mr. Latham was per-
I mitted to take the wheel of this
■ great ship on this cruise which
j| was shortly before his death.
We were taken to see aceommo
| dations in all the classes—first
| class, cabin class and tourist. Even
I the tourist class looked like luxur-
I ious quarters. Nothing is omitted
| that might add to the comfort of
II the liner’s passengers.
In the chart room we were given
I' a look at the chronometers which
I indicate time, and were shown how
II to calculate the difference in time
I between Greenwich time, which is
K used, by the instruments, and the
K time in other longitudes. Also we
I had a look at the chart which had
|j been kept on the progress of hurri-
I cane Donna.
Speaking of hurricane Donna,
| she hit the New York shore line a
I devastating blow, and people were
| evacuated from islands and outly-
I ing places in the storm’s path. In
I; the city itself, where we were dry
■ end safe from the wind on the
I 18th floor of a Manhattan hotel,
B more people were out in the weath-
|"er than would have been expected.
After more than half a day of
vainly trying to get word from
home, and being unable to get
telephone connections, or even
liword of this area from newspap
iers and television, I decided to go
to Times Square, where there is a
newsstand which handles nothing
but out-of-town newspapers, to try
and get a North Carolina or Vir-
Mginia newspaper. Being in need of
■i fresh air after being cooped up all
■ day, I walked in preference to
■l taking a cab. There were times
■[when I had to brace myself to
■ keep from losing my footing, but
I it was an interesting experience.
■ The New York police force was
■lout in numbers, and everywhere
■I there as a loose sign the sidewalk
■ had been roped off. At each corner
■ there were several policemen teli
■ ing pedestrians which way it would
■be safe to go. One thing that
■ amazed me was the number of
■ people walking along in winds at
I the height of a hurricane, strug
■ gling with—of all things—umbrel-
Rias. One man finally gave up. The
■ covering had ripped from the um
■ brella’s ribs, so he set it on the
■ sidewalk, tore off the handle, then
■ put both handle and top in a
■ trash can. Why he bothered to
■ -over the parts I could not fath
■om, unless that was his way of
■I venting his wrath at not being
Bible to control the umbrella
Ji i gainst the wind.
« After battling my way to Times
■ Square, the only close-to-home
THE COASTLAND TIMES
WITH WHICH IS COMBINED THE PILOT AND HERALD OF BELHAVEN AND SWAN QUARTER
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
papers available were the Monday
morning Raleigh and Norfolk pap
ers, which were of course printed
before the storm struck. Next
morning, still not being able to
contact home, we decided that eith
er Donna had bypassed the Cape
Hatteras area, or had been so ter
rible that word had not been able
to get out. We called our daughter
in Chapel Hill and her husband
read us the account of storm dam
age in the Raleigh News and Ob
server, which sosunded indeed
tragic.
Our business in New York hav
ing been delayed from Monday
because of the storm, we could not
leave until Wednesday morning.
Again in the afternoon I went to
Times Square for a paper, and
this time had just obtained a Vir
ginian-Pilot when I heard some
one else asking for a News and
Observer, which I had just learned
would not be there that day, due
to a railroad strike. This small
blond woman was greatly distress
ed, telling the news dealer that
she was worried about tilings at
home in North Carolina, and could
learn nothing. Since I had talked
to my son-in-law that morning, I
asked her what part of North
Carolina she was from and told
her I could tell her some of the
things that had hqpjjsned. She was
from Goldsboro, and after talking
a few minutes I found that she
was Mrs. Herman Spencer, sister
of Charlie Noble, superintendent of
Pea Island Wildlife Refuge in
Dare County, and a fairly close
neighbor of ours. Her people live
mostly in Hyde County and Bel
haven, and she was interested in
the same news we had been so
anxious to get. Small world, isn’t
See TRIP, Page Four
SWAN QUARTER LIONS TO
HOLD A WHITE CANE SALE
The Swan Quarter Lions Club
will join the other 366 Lions Clubs
of North Carolina in sponsoring
the annual White Cane Drive
from September 18-October 2, ac
cording to Tommie Gaylord-, Club
Chairman.
Last year the Association spent
over $66,000 in North Carolina for
services which included’ eye exami
nations, treatment, and surgery;
research on the prevention of
blindness; sponsoring visual aid
clinics; furnishing white cane
walking sticks for the blind; assist
ing the Eye Bank Program; and
other services to blind people.
The Swan Quarter Club last
year sent SB6 to the Association
to help furnish these services.
The Club goal this year is SIOO
according to Mr. Gaylord. “We
hope that your contribution to this
project will be generous’’ Tommie
Gaylord says.
EAST LAKE METHODIST
HOMECOMING SEPT. 25
Members of the East Lake Meth
odist Church are busily preparing
for their big annual homecoming
event September 25.
Guest speaker at the 10:30 serv
ice will be the Rev. R. L. Jerome,
Superintendent of the Elizabeth
City District. Special music by
members and friends of the church
will also be a feature of this serv
ice.
Tables have been set up for the
picnic lunch which will, follow im
mediately after the morning serv
ice when old friends can meet,
greet and eat.
A special song service will fol
low the lunch, when all the old
favorite hymns will be sung.
Everyone is cordially invited to
attend.
BLUES-SPAMSH MACKEREL
NAGS HEAD.—Anglers trolling
from charter boats at Oregon and
Hatteras Inlet are catching plenty
of bluefish and a few Spanish
mackerel this week. Weather con
ditons have been favorable and
most parties at Oregon Inlet have
returned to port with from 50 to
100 blues.
At Hatteras Inlet Spanish mack
erel have been added to the blue
fish catches by practically every
party that has gone trolling for
these surface feeders.
SURF AND SOUND
FISHING IMPROVING
BUXTON.—Surf fishing is defi
nitely on the upgrade as it is each
year during the early autumn. Surf
fishing usually reaches its autumn
peak here on the beaches of the
Dare Coast during October. Chan
nel bass catches are usually best
during late October and early No
vember. Already, however, chan
nel bass, mostly of the puppy drum
size are being caught here at Cape
Hatteras aong with blues, whiting
and other surf feeding fish.
SWAN QUARTER HAS
HEAVY DAMAGE; ITS
CITIZENS REBUILD
The atmosphere of Swan Quar
ter since the unwelcome visit of
Donna has been one of uncertain
ty and some frustration as the
home owners and farmers seek to
begin life almost anew.
Someone has called our Swan
Quarter a “little hamlet” which the
dictionary says is “a small village
of only a few houses”. During the
visit of the mighty w’ind and the
rising of the tide, many experi
enced the greatest threat of their
lives. To stand with a flash light
in their hands and watch the wa
ter creep up toward their door
steps, up, up, and wonder what
might happen. One expressed it
this way, “I watched the first bit
of water roll over my walk, then
up to the first, second and top
step, I held my breath wondering
if it would come in the door, the
next gust of wind. There was a
lull for minutes, then the tide turn
ed, as the wind changed, and began
to go out.” By this time many
homes had several feet of water
in them, trees were across the
roads, the lights were out, candles
and lamps gleamed like lightning
bugs, in the homes as the occu
pants moved from door to door
peering into the darkness.
Now that the nightmare is in
the past and Ethel too has passed
by ,the work of rehabilitation has
begun. Chainsaws are going at
full speed in all parts of the ham
let, tree limbs are piled along the
roads waiting for the highway men
to take them away. Many are go
ing around begging carpenters and
other workmen to do their work.
Shingles are littering almost every
yard and some roofs resemble
half-picked chickens. Few, if any,
homes escaped some damage, so,
all of Swan Quarter is working and
rebuilding, and all are agreeing
that God in his infinite mercy was
kind as no one was killed, nor
homes destreyed.
SIXTEEN CASES YIELD
SOME SSOO TUESDAY IN
DARE RECORDER COURT
Sixteen cases were disposed of
by Judge Baum in Recorders Court
on Tuesday. The charges ranged
from minor traffic violations to
driving drank and forcible tres
passing charges.
Sadie O'Neal Payne of Wanchese
was fined S2O and costs for im
proper use of dealer’s license and
for driving an auto without proper
registration.
Roland Dock Sawyer, Sr., was
fined $lO and costs for allowing
use of improper licenses in the
foregoing case.
Woodson Bradford Fearing was
charged with speeding 50 miles an
hour in a 35 mile zone. He plead
guilty to driving 45 miles an hour
and was fined $lO and costs.
Three escaped prisoners from
the Maple Camp were recaptured
and tried. Each were bound over
to superior court. They were Ern
est L. Jones, Jr., 34. Emory Joseph
Roux, 41, and William N. Beck.
50. They had escaped from a road
gang in Dare County.
Roosevelt Adalton Morgan, Du
val, Fla., was fined sls and costs
for speeding in 35 mile an hour
zone.
John M. Herndon, Jr., Oregon
Inlet LB Station, ws fined $25 and
costs for driving without an op
erator’s license, and Thomas Don
ald Foster, Elizabeth City, Route
3, paid similiar fine on a similiar
charge.
For improper use of Virginia li
cense plates, operating a car in
N. C., without first obtaining a
State registration and for opera
ting auto without liability insur
ance, Wilton Jarrell Payne, USCG,
Elizabeth City, paid fines totaling
S3O and costs.
For being drunk on the high
way cost Raymond Haines Branch,
Rich Square, $25 plus court costs.
Sheila Ray Reber was fined sls
and costs for driving 50 in a 35
mile an hour zone.
Charlie Bryan Spruill, Kitty
Hawk, N. C., paid fines and costs
totaling $126.20 for driving drunk
and speeding at 50 miles an hour
in a 35 mile zone.
Norman Lawrence Holmes, Man
teo, N. C., for driving left of cen
ter line on highway was fined $lO
and costs plus capias fees of $2.50.
Charged with forcible tresniss
in the cottage of Conrad Bailey,
Kill Devil Hills on Aue"’°t 30. cos*
a group of Virginia College stu
dents, Charles Mozingo Bill David
son, Edwin T. Hangood, Phillip
Heiner and Doyle Barnes a total
of $143.70 in fines and costs when
they plead guilty on Tuesday
through their attorney.
Harry Walton O’Neal of Ocra
coke, age 59, arrested at Buxton
on August 26 charged with driving
drunk, driving left of center line
while not passing another auto and
for going 40 miles an hour in a
35 mile zone paid fines totaling
slls plus costs of $13.70.
MANTEO, N. C.. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1960
SCOUTMASTER JACK EARLE
WINS MORE SCOUT HONORS
• -- f ■■■ • r,
■' ■ *
; ■
I#-* 7
JLA '
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Al
I 1
SCOUTMASTER JACK EARLE of
Troop 165, Manteo, sponsored by
the Mt. Olivet Methodist Church
completed his training in the Tide
water Council “Showando” held re
cently at the Little Creek Am
phibious Base in Norfolk.
Mr. Earle was also an instruc
tor and had demonstrations for the
area leaders in Compass work. He
was cited by Tidewater Council
officials for an outstanding job.
He was the first Scoutmaster se
lected as Council Instructor from
the Albemarle District.
The “Showando” is a training
experience showing about twenty
scouting skills that scouts are re
sponsible to master. These are
shown to adult leaders is the morn
ing session. Then they “Do” them
through various feats in the after
noon.
SMALL BUSINESS
LOAN OFFICE IN
NEW BERN READY
Office Established Wednesday of
This Week To Aid Victims
of Donna
Clarence P. Moore, Regional Di
rector of the Small Business Ad
ministration in Richmond, Virginia,
has announced that Phillip McCal
lum, Small Business Administra
tion Administrator, Washington,
D. C., under authority of Presi
dent Eisenhower, has declared the
Counties of Beaufort, Brunswick,
Camden, Careteret, Chowan, Crav
en, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, New
Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquo
tank, Pender and Perquimans in
North Carolina as disaster areas.
Accordingly, Mr. Moore added, vic
tims of Hurricane Donna can se
cure information and make applica
tion for disaster loans at a special
disaster field office to be located
in the New Bern Chamber of Com
merce, 611 Broad Street, New Bern,
N. C.
The office will open on Wed
nesday, September 21, 1960, and
will be in operation thereater
Monday through Friday from 9:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Satur
days from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Ray Shaw will be the Manager
of the Office and will be supported
by a staff to expedite processing
of all loan applications.
Those eligible for SBA disaster
loans include individuals, business
concerns, churches, charitable in
stitutions and other non-profit or
ganizations The purpose of the
loans is to repair or replace prop
erty, including real estate and
furniture damaged by the hurri
cane. The proceeds of the loans are
to be used to restore the victims’
homes or business properties as
nearly as possible to their pre
disaster condition. The loans would
be for the net loss not covered
by insurance. Individuals would be
expected to pledge such collateral
as they were in a position to furn
ish to secure said loans.
The loans would be repaid in
equal monthly installments, includ
ing interest, usually beginning not
later than five months after the
date of the note, with a maturity
based on the individuals’ ability to
repay, but in no case may exceed
20 years. The interest rate is 3%
per annum.
The Small Business Administra
tion is authorized by Congress to
provide loans for those individuals
who cannot qualify for the FJH.A.
improvement loans available
through many local banks. Neither
can SBA make loans to farmers,
who are eligible under the Farm
Home Administration disaster loan
program.
Prior to applying at the disaster
ofice, individuals should make an
estimate of their damages and
have an estimate from a contrac
tor on the amount necessary to re
store the property. Individuals
should also determine the amount
of loss to be recovered from in
surance companies.
I Mr. Moore urges that all those
seeking SBA assistance contact
this office as soon as possible. It
See LOAN, Page Four
BILLFISH TOURNEY
IS SCHEDULED TO
BEGIN SEPTEMBER 30
Another in the Growing Number
of Contests From Hatteras
Island Waters
HATTERAS. Under the spon
sorship of Cape Hatteras Billfish
Club an individual invitational
tournament will begin here on
September 30 and continue through
October 2, it was stated by Dr.
iJ. C. Overbey, president of the old
est billfishing club along the North
j Carolina Coast.
Approximately 12 cruisers with
competing anglers are expected to
narticipate in this second billfish
ing classic to be held off Cape
Hatteras during 1960. The first
was the Hatteras Marlin Club
sponsored International Blue Mar
lin Tournament in June.
Complete information of the
forthcoming billfishing tourney
may be obtained direct from Dr.
Overbey by addressing: Dr. J. C.
Overbey, President, Cape Hatteras
Billfishing Club, Medical Arts Cen
ter, Norfolk, Va.; or Capt. Ernal
Foster, Foster’s Quay, Hatteras,
N. C.
Handsome trophies will be
awarded the anglers catching the
largest blue marlin and its run
nerups. A special trophy will be
provided for the angler releasing
the most billfish.
The trophies will be awarded at
a banquet in the Channel Bass Res
taurant here on the evening of
October 2.
On Hatteras Island, the third
annual Cape Hatteras Anglers
Club Tournament, a surfcasting
event, will be held on November
3-5. Adrress of this sponsoring
club is Buxton.
BILLFISHING GOOD
ALONG DARE COAST
DURING FALL MONTHS
Billfishing for blue and white
marlin and sailfish is now at its
early autumn best in waters at
the western edge of the Gulf
Stream off the Dare Coast-Outer
Banks.
Just about everything that in
habits the blue warm waters of the
Stream are being landed by anglers
aboard Oregon Inlet and Hatteras
based boats during this late Sep
tember period. Dolphin by the hun
dreds, mostly small ones, plenty
of false albacore, large wahoo,
yellowfin and blackfin tuna and
oceanic bonita are being caught by
every party that goes eastward
from the Outer Banks to the edge
of the Stream at the 100 Fathom
Curve.
Since Donna, with full reports
from Hatteras billfishing skippers
lacking due to telephone lines be
ing out of order ,at least two blue
marlin have been taken.
The first, a 285 pounder was
caught off Hatteras three days aft
er Donna passed by Mrs. W. B.
Timms Jr., of Elyria, Ohio. She
was fishing with her husband on
September 15, aboard Capt. Edgar
Styron's Twins 11. Mrs. Styron who
sent in the report stated that
plenty of sailfish were also being
taken off Hatteras with dolphin as
plentiful as they have been any
time during 1960.
Jesse Moody of Seaboard, skip
ping boat from Capt. Charles Mid
gett’s cruiser Lois C off Oregon
Inlet brought in the second blue
since Donna. His marlin, caught
Sunday scaled at 28 pounds.
H. R. Howard, Jr., of Seaboard
in the Moody party boated a white
marlin, one that measured seven
See FISHING, Page Ten
HYDE AGENT REMINDS OF
"NICKELS FOR KNOW-HOW”
G. W. O'Neal, County Agent, has
reminded Hyde County farmers
that they have a big stake in the
Nickels for Know-How referendum
on September 30.
“There’re two major reasons
why Hyde farmers should make
a special effort to vote”, Mr.
O’Neal said. “First, money collect
ed under the program is needed
for agricultural research and edu
cation. And secondly, the program
proves that farm people are willing
to help solve their own problems.”
The money is collected from the
feed and fertilizer manufacturers
by the N. C. iDepartmeht of Agri
culture. It is turned over to North
Carolina State College for research
and education.
The program has been in effect
for nine years. On September 30,
voters will decide if the program
is to continue for another three
years.
All users of feed or fertilizer
and their wives or husbands are
eligible to vote. Members of FFA,
FHA, NFA, and 4-H Clubs are al
so eligible to vote if they purchase
feed or fertilizer for crop or live
stock projects.
No advance registration is re
quired.
HIGHWAY PROGRESS THOUGHT
FACTOR IN BRINGING HIGHER
TIDES IN HURRICANE DISASTER
Manteo-Oregon Inlet Deep Water Channel May
Have Paid for Its Cost in Manner Not Expect
ed; Highway Fill Held Up Water on Nags Head
Soundside; Citizens Rally From Donna's Cost
ly Rampages.
In ten days of effort to rally
from the costly rampage of Hurri
cane Donna along the N. C. coast,
conversation has developed many
theories why the tide water in
Manteo and Nags Head Soundside
was higher and more damaging
than ever before.
Chief among theories is that the
new by-pass along Nags Head
tended to hold back the water along
the shore of Roanoke Sound,
whereby buildings were more
readily undermined, and subject to
prey of winds. But drainage ditches
of this road, other ditches built by
hurricane funds, released the wa
ter quickly, and there were not the
usual large ponds left standing.
Had it not been for the newly
completed deep water channel be
tween Manteo and Oregon Inlet,
it is believed the tide would have
been much higher. For this chan
nel, which never existed before,
is some 400 feet wide and 12 feet
deep, and can accommodate a gi
gantic flow of water, ocean bound.
There was so much water com
ing back from the upper sounds
where it had been forced earlier
in the storm, that it rose higher
than ever before when it met so
many new barriers erected by
modern progress.
Since the last hurricane tides
from the northwest, the Coatan
Sound bridge has been created,
which now tends to hold up the wa-j
ter, and divert the flow more
strongly down Roanoke Sound.
Prior to the building of the
bridge and causeway leading to
Nags Head, there was no resist
ance offered in Roanoke Sound to
such tides, for then they flowed
freely across the marshes, and
sometimes across the flats as a
short cut to the sea.
Since the building of the first
beach highway, and the Roanoke
Sound causeway .tides have been
increasingly higher as the beach it
self began to grow higher through
sand fixation and reforesty pro
jects.
Dare Conty is belived to have
suffered a loss of two to three mil
lion dollars in property damaged,
principally north of Oregon Inlet
where most resistance to tides
was offered.
Some citizens express the opinion
that the new, deep channel on the
east side of Roanoke Island may
have saved a million dollars in
property loss.
Heavy losses were sustained by
the principal Manteo merchants.
Modern stores, heavily stocked with
costly merchandise, were flooded
a depth of more than two feet
above previous hurricane tides.
Federated Stores, Manteo Furni
ture Co., Davs Department Store,
the Fearing stores, and many
others had an almost total loss of
stock and fixtures as well. Fix
tures, like the floors, were swol
len and ruined, burst out and had
to be replaced. Some stores have
had to put in new floors before
opening for business.
Tide came four inches high over
courthouse floors, something which,
hasn’t happened before, and dam-|
ages to steel equipment will be
heavy and more manifest later as
rust sets in. I
Due to roofs being blown off,
and buidings swept away, the dam
ages on Nags Head was heavy. On
the ocean side there was heavy
damage from loss of roofs, par-i
ticularly those not solidly bolted on,
and which was followed by un-'
braced walls which then collapsed
under force of the wind.
As previously reported, there
were sections of two of five fish
ing piers swept out in the Nags
Head area.
Insurance Claims Filed.
Due to the sudden demand for
insurance reimbursements, the
companies have been unable to re
ceive claims rapidly. A notice has
been issued by stock insurance
companies, advising persons with
insurance claims to notify the
agent from whom they bought
their policy. The notice should ex
plain the extent and type of dam
age, and have an estimate of the
damage made out by a competent
carpenter or contractor attached to
it. With more than 450 claims from
Dare County alone it will take con
siderable time to process them. It
must be born in mind that in most
cases, policies have deductive
clauses. For instances, policies
written before February 1958, on a
three year period cover the full
loss. Then policies written before
MAIL SHOULD BE
ADDRESSED TO BOX 428
MANTEO, N. C.
NOT TO INDIVIDUALS
Single Copy 70
WHERE TO APPLY TO
RED CROSS FOR RELIEF
Howard Anderson of the Red
Cross maintains an office in P. O.
building in Washington to serve
the counties of Hyde, Beaufort, and
other counties west of Alligator
River.
Harry Ashley of the Red Cross
in maintaining an office, also open
every day, 8:30 to 5 p.m., in the
Manteo Community building to
serve Currituck County, Dare
County, Ocracoke Island, and the
entire northeastern section of the
state.
From now, it is estimated their
work on the local scene will be
completed in three weeks. In the
entire territory 131 applications
for aid have been received in the
entire northeastern section, Mr.
Ashley said.
All persons eligible for Red
Cross assistance should come for
ward promptly to their regional
ofice, he said. An office in Eliza
beth City is open each morning.
There are 111 claimants in Dare
County, he reports.
February 1959 have a SSO deducti
ble, and all after Feb. 1959 there
is a SIOO deductible, so if the loss
doesn’t exceed these sums, no
claims will be paid.
Due to the heavy losses sustain
ed on the coast, it is believed there
will be some cessation in the usual
building activity, which will mean
less real estate activity and a drop
in employment on new construc
tion. Meanwhile, all people who will
work can find jobs in the general
cleaning and repairing now re
quired.
Other Communities Lose.
Loss in property damage in
Hyde, Tyrrell and eastern Beau
fort in no wise approached the ex
tent of loss in Dare County. But
there were heavy losses in the
bountiful crops that hadn’t yet been
harvested. Highway water went
well up in the town of Swan Quar
ter ,even in the courthouse nearly
two feet; and in most homes. It
rose high and did much damage
in Engelhard; was four feet above
normal and flooding Columbia. In
Belhaven, high tides again wrecked
much havoc.
In comparison with other areas,
Hatteras Island had little damage
from either wind or tide. Many
shingles were blown off roofs;
some of the flimsiest buildings
were blown down. Reports on these
losses have occurred in other
columns.
An estimated $450,000 property
damage is reported in the Wash
ington area. Some $75,000 is re
ported to the Carolina Telephone
system serving this area. The
Washington electric system was
reported damaged some $50,000.
Heavy loss was sustained by pri
vate business.
Some two thirds of the Belhaven
homes were damaged by flooding.
Heavy losses to stocks and busi
ness houses occurred from tides.
Many merchants recruited all avail
able help, and avoided much dam
age by raising their stocks out of
reach of the tide. Roofs were
blown off about ten business build
ings, including that over Rose’s
big store. Upwards of SIO,OOO
damage to the dock at River For
est Manor hotel was estimated.
Beach Phones Hard Hit
While Virginia Electric & Pow
er Co. bounced back with almost
normal service in a few hours, in
the Roanoke Island and Nags Head
area, their lines suffered consider
able damage. Fortunate indeed it
was for customers that just about
all the system had been rebuilt
with new wires and poles during
the past two years. Had this not
been the case, it is believed the
old system would have been entire
ly destroyed.
A major loss befell the Norfolk
& Carolina Telephone & Telegraph
Company, while mile after mile of
poles were snapped off. Most of
these poles were more than 25
years old, and were originally
erected to carry a light load of
wires, but due to the heavy traffic
the fast development of the beach
es had demanded, they had been
triply burdened with more cross
arms and extra wires in addition
to a heavy lead cable carrying the
new system for the Kill Devil Hills
exchange. It was more than a
week before a long distance line
could be established out of Kill
See STORM. Page Few