North Carolina Newspapers

SEND RENEWAL OF SUBSCRIPTION BEFORE EXPIRATION. DATE ON ADDRESS VOLUME XXVI NO. 38 TRAVEL STIRRING EARLY OPENING OF BEACH HOTELS Warm Wea+er Results in Increas ed Travel ion Dare Coast This Spring i By AYCOCK BROWN Summer-tike weather since early March has caused a big increase in travel to the Dare Coast region. One observer stated that more per sons have visited the coast region during the past 15 days than dur ing January and February combin ed. National Park Service traffic counts indicate that in January and February a total of 15 949 persons visited the Cape Hatteras National Seariiore. Os the two months total, 7,139 were counted in February. Proximately 5.000 persons visit ed the Wright Brothers National Monument during the two months, and less than 2,000 persons were counted at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Warm weather has made the coast region more attractive to visitors and vacationists and the early opening of many of the ho tels and motels, which closed for the winter, is expected. Only two o f the larger motels were open during the winter months. They were Bea con Motor Lodge and Cavalier Motor Court. On Roanoke Island Manteo Motel remained open through the winter months and also Fort Raleigh Hotel at Manteo. With a new addition now com pleted the Sea Oatel in lower Nags Head opened on March 15, and The Carolinian Hotel has announced its formal opening for 1961 on March 29. Several of the restaurants clos ed for the winter will be opening during early April, and by Pirate Jamboree time on Anril 28, 29, all vacation facilities will be ready to open. On Nags Head there will be at least two new motels and one trail er court completed, ready for busi ness. On Hatteras Island the General Mitchell ‘Motel and The Sea Gull are doubling capacity for vacation ists in cunent construction of addi tions. STUMPY POINT CHANNEL TO BE DREDGED SOON Bids were opened in Wilmington Tuesday for maintenance dredging art Stumpy Point to restore projects depth of seven feet by 75 feet wide in the entrance channel and seven feet deep and 50 feet wide in the basin. The bids were opened by Col. R. P. Davidson, District Engineer, who announced that the Atkinson Dred ging Co. of Norfolk was low at $19,794. There were two additional bid ders: Cottrell Contracting Corp., $22 600 and Norfolk Dredging Co. $37380. Both are Norfolk firms. An estimated 62.000 cubic yards of work is involved in the job. Colonel Davidson said the con tract will likely be awarded this week with the notice to proceed to follow within a few days. Based on this schedule, the dredging will probably begin during the first half of April in view of the fact that the contractor has 30 days to begin work after the notice to pro ceed is issued. With weather per mitting, the job will take from 10 days tn two weeks. HUGH MORTON HELPS DARE PUBLICITY EFFORTS Hugh Morton, Wilmington, head of the advertising committee, N. C. Department of Conservation and Development, who owns Grandfath er Mountain, and who is one of the outstanding photographers of the nation has aided in the publicity ottorbs of the Dare Coast Outer Banks this week. He has forwarded at no cost to Dare County Tourist Bureau, a nuumber of Bxlo black white reprints of Significant historical tand vacation scenes he shot last summer for his all-color post cards, which are distributed in northeast ern North Carolina by Dick Jordan of The Snapshop on Nags Head. The scenes include Queen Elizabeth and Waterside Theatre, a day and night shot of Wright Brothers Na tional Monument, Bodie Island, Oc raeoke and • Cape Hatteras light houses, Jockeys Ridge, Harteras waterfront and Coquina Beach. The biack and white pictures will be distributed to travel editors by Due County Tourist Bureau. DARE CO. SCIENCE FAIR The annual Dare County Science Fair will be held March 17, in the Manteo Elementary School gym, with all Dare County Schools tak ing part. The gym will be open for public viewing from ten A.M. to time-thirty PM. The winner will go to the District Science Fair to be held in Greenville. N. C., March 24. * 7-7-61 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 ENGELHARD'S OLDEST MAN PASSED ON LAST WEEK 1 I i -Jf* 1 L < ■ M L* I ' ■ *4 . V? T • ■ SO LONG HAD JOHN EDWARD ROSE been a symbol of rugged strength and inspiring self-reli ance that he was-thedast person in the Engelhard vicnity its people expected to die, although he was 94 years old. But last Wednesday, he died from a heart attack, living alone to the last in his small farm home, where he cooked, kept house and cut firewood for himself, and kept up with the world through the news releases on his television set. Last rites were held for him Saturday at the Christian church of which he had been a faitful life member. No man was held in high er esteem in the community. Surviving are one daughter, Mrs. Eunice Spencer of Engelhard, three sons,- Ira Rose of Belhaven, Johnnie Rose of Columbia and Theodore -Rose vs Elizabeth City. 24 grandchildren, 63 great grand children and one great-great grandchild. In addition to his children, the following out of town people at tended his funeral: Mr. and Mrs. T. R. Sawyer of Beaufort, Rev. and Mrs. Coleman Rose and little daughter of New Bern, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Powell and children of Belhaven, Mr. and Mrs. Chester Fornel and Children, Mrs. Beulah Rose of Norfolk, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Willis and children of Okalahoma. P.A. SYSTEM PURCHASED FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA Group Hears Report From Mrs. Gibbs on United Forces for Edu cation Meeting in Raleigh The Manteo Elementary School PTA, meeting Monday night, heard a report from Mrs. Robert Gibbs, who with R. O. Ballance of the county school board attended a meeting in Raleigh of the United Forces for Education on the B-bud get. The group met with the rep resentative and senators and Mrs. Gibbs gave information on the de tails. Mrs. Raymond Wescott announc ed that a previously-authorized public address system has been purchased by the PTA for the ele mentary school, and that it will be installed at an early date. The president, Mrs. Ambrose, ap pointed the following nominating committee. Mrs. F. W. Meekins of Manteo, chairman; Mrs. Jasper . Hooper of Stumpy Point; Mrs. Les sie Mann of Nags Head; and Mrs. Larry Ballance of Wanchese. Robert S. Smith requested the PTA to re-charter and sponsor the Cub Scouts for another year, the cost to be at a minimum of $25 and a maximum of S3O for the year, depending on the number of Cub. Scouts. The PTA agreed to do this, and the following sponsoring com mittee was named: Raymond Wes cott, chairman; Burwell Evans, Willis Wise and Ellsworth Midgett, Jr. THREE DAY OUTLOOK The following weather outlook has been released by the U. S. Weather Bureau at Hatteras: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, temperatures will be average, near normal. The normal high will be 60, the low 47. A few scattered showers expected for Saturday and Sunday. Total rain* fall about one half inch. Tern* penatures will be cool Friday and Sunday; warmer Saturday. RECOGNITION, STATE AND NATIONAL FOR OLD FORT RALEIGH Congressman Herbert C. Bonner, representing North Carolina’s Ist District, Monday introduced a bill in the House of Representatives, revising the boundaries of the Fort Raleigh National Historic Shrine on Roanoke Island. “I have always felt the need for the expansion of this historical site”, Congressman Bonner stated. “The present 18% acres do not adequately represent the historical land that was utilized by the colo nists. With an expanded acreage the area can be made more attrac tive and give adequate space for the proper development of this National Shrine. It will also give archeologists more room for histo rical research, discovery and deve lopment.” The Fort Raleigh National His toric Shrine is well known. The site preserves the scene of Sir Wal ter Raleigh’s ill-fated attempts to establish an English colony in the New World. It was here that the agents of Sir Walter Raleigh and subjects of Queen Elizabeth, suf fered or died in the effort to begin the conquest of the North Ameri can Continent. The hardships of the first colony (1585-86) and the tra gic disappearance of the "Lost Colony” of 1587 gave forewarning of the many practical difficulties to be overcome before conquest of the new Continent could become a reality. Bonner concluded, “We are all proud of the attraction Eastern North Carolina holds for tourists each year. We hope developments of this tvpe encourage more people to visit our colorful coast.” Assembly in Raleigh Monday night enacted a bill appropirating 10,000 toward the cost of rebuild ing the Outer Banks theater where “The Lost Colony” outdoor pag eant is held. The theater was destroyed by Hurricane Donna. Total cost of re building it was put at $50,000, but Rep. M. Keith Fearing of Dare and Sens. Lindsav Warren of Beaufort and P. D. Midgett Jr. of Hyde said the other’ funds came from pri vate sources. WEATHER BUREAU CHIEF IS SPEAKER TO ROTARY CLUB Ben Williams, Texaslbom obser ver in charge of the U. S. Weather and Storm Warning station at Bux ton on Cape Hatteras said here Monday night that movement of the high altitude jet stream south ward from its normal course was responsible for the stormy and bit terly cold winters that sometimes are considered unusual in the sonth. ‘“Likewise the movement of the jet stream back to its normal course has to do with early springs such as experienced this year and referred to in long range forecasts by the U. S. Weather Bureau sev eral weeks ago,” he said. Williams was the principal speaker at the weekly meeting of the Manteo Rotary Club. His re marks and a question and answer period was proceded by a short movie prepared by the National Park Service which showed cloud formations and the coastal area of Cape Hatteras, and the various in struments and facilities of the im portant Cape Hatteras station which is in his chr-ge. Giving the history of some of the famous storms in years gone by he said that the August hurricane of 1899 was one of the worst, con tinuing for 60 hours. The lowest barometer was noted during the hurricane of 1944 when a reading of below 28 inches was recorded. The wind velocity of Hurricane Donna was as great or greater than any preceding storm in sec tions where it struck, but this was a storm of short duration, the hur ricane velocity continuing for only a few hours. Os surprising interest to many of his listeners was Williams’ re port that the highest temperature ever recorded at the Hatteras wea ther station was only 97 and the lowest eight degrees. “We normal ly have only 13 days of below free zing weather at Cape Hatteras during a one year period, although more days than that were recorded during the past winter,” he said. EASTER CANTATA IS TO BE SUNG IN MANTEO SUNDAY An Easter cantata, “Pentience, Pardon and Peace” by J. H. Maun der, will be presented at the morn ing services of Mount Oilvet Meth odist Church in Manteo next Sun day, March 19. The cantata will take the place of the usual pastoral sermon. Mrs. John Bell will direct the group and Mrs. Rennie Wil tiamaon will be organist. Soloists will be Mrs. Raymond Wescott, Mrs. Burwell Evans, John H. Long and Thomas Jordan. MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 1961 N ENGELHARD MAN PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN IN ARMY CAPTAIN WILLIAM S. BURRUS, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Pell Burrus of Engelhard was promoted to his present rank Feb. 27. Capt. Burrus was graduated from the Engelhard High School in June, 1948 and began his Army Career by enlisting in October of that year. He served with the Communi cation Section, General Headquart er® in Tokyo, Japan prior to re turning to the states in 1959. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy by Congressman Herbert C. Bonner in 1951 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant following graduation in 1955. Capt. Murrus is married to the fornter Miss Dorinda Berry of En gelhard. They have three sons. Carl and Craig, twins age 2 years, and Billie, 9, months. They are pre -ently making their home at Fort Benning, Ga. where Capt. Burrus is attending the Infantry Officers Career Course. Upon completion of this course in June, they will leave for a three year tour of duty in Germany. FUND STARTED TO BUY - SCHOOL ACTIVITIES BUS There is a great need for an ac tivities bus in the Manteo Schools for students participation in super vised activities, which lend them selves, to contribute to the over all educational program. A fund is be ing started to apply to the pur chase of an activities bus for this purpose. Tire “kick off’ for the campaign will be a subscription card party at Fearings Restaurant on Friday, March 17th at 8:00 p.m. Reserva tions can be made by calling Mrs. Gordon Kellogg. During the week of March 20 through 25 there will be a door to door canvas, soliciting contribu tions for the fund. On Saturday night, March 25 there will be a dance at the Dare County Shrine Club at 9:00 p.m. Admission “one dollar” per person. Strange Legend A Half Century Old— Polly, the Witch of Sandy Ridge. Is Dead At 105 She Sat Down With Her Back to the Wall and Died. Reprinted from the Elizabeth City Independent, Sept. 2, 1909 Polly Sanderlin is dead. No more will her shrill cry "blood” re-echo through the forests of Dare by night; no more will she hold strange orgies with the owls and snakes and brew strange teas by the light of the moon; no more will she paddle her crude canoe in isolated places and prowl naked far from the haunts of men. The death of Polly Sanlerlin marks the passing of the maddest human being that e<rer lived in this country, and we read of her like only among the folk lore of witches in the black and supersti tious days of long ago. Polly Sanderlin was born and raised and lived her hideous life at Sandy Ridge, near East Lake in Dare County. She lived to the age of 95 it is certain, some say she was 105 years old. Oldest resi dents remember her as a handsome woman grown to dignified middle age when they were but children. Polly was marked at birth by a queer bump at the base of her skull. A phrenologist of the olden days predicted insanity for her. And in 1844 she began to act queerly. Her father had been murdered and this helped to unsettle her mind. She told neighbors she was turning to soot and ashes. Other strange hallucinations troubled her. All at once she took an unusual liking to animals. Putting on- her best black silk, she would go into the fields and sit for hours with the cattle and pretend to converse with them. And then one night she went the home of a neighbor. The neigh bor was the father of Sam D. CHANNEL BASS IN HATTERAS WATERS HAVE SHOWN UP Three weeks ahead of 1960, the first channel bass of the 1961 sea son were boated at Hatteras Sun day by local anglers casting from boats in Hatteras Inlet. Six ang lers, some of them professional charter boat skippers, caught a to tal of 11 fish ranging from 33 to 47 pounds each. Credited with hooking and land ing the season’s first was State Highway Patrolman D. S. Skiles, who was transferred to du'y on Hatteras Island from Jackson N. C. last year. Skiles also caught the second. From there on out, Capt Edgar Styron, from whose craiser Twins, the 11 fish were reported taken, Lee and Nacie Peele, Donald Oden and Capt. Clam Stowe shared in the catches, according to Oden who first reported the catch. The anglers were using hunks of shad and tsquid for bait. Thev cast into the school from the Twins which was allowed to drift with the tides. Location of the catches was not far from the spot where the broth ers, Lawrence and Perry Austin, commercial fishermen here, had caught two bass on Saturday. “We could have loaded the boat, if there had not been any limit law for the fish.” said Styron, add ing, “And there’s plenty more.” WINS SPELLING CONTEST I * . AgHIW • MISS GLORIA LINDA PARENT, . a stuudent in the sixth grade at Manteo Elementary School, was the winner in the spelling contest ! held there. Second place yinner was Conchita Tillett of Wanchese, ’ a seventh grade student. Miss Parent will take part in the spelling contest to be held at Wil i liam and Mary College in Norfolk, i April 29. The winner there will go • to the National Spelling Bee to be ’ held in Washington, D. C.. May 29. i Participating in the contests are all s schools in Eastern North Carolina > and Virginia, and “The Ledger I Star” is sponsoring them. I Smith, a septagenarian who still lives at East Lake and who remem bers distinctly every incident con inected with this visit. At the Smith home Polly acted queerly before retiring. She arose, dressed, called the family and ask ed for prayers. She had them send for a pious old man who lived far down the road. He came and he prayed. And even as he prayed the thread snapped and Polly was a raving lunatic. She cursed those who prayed. She struck down a powerful man who attempted to hold her. A Negro slave was asked to hold her. She became more violent. Pointing her finger at the black, she shriek ed: “It is written, it is written, it is written. No Negro shall touch the person of a white woman.” And the story is told that the Negro was paralyzed with fright and fell in a swoon. It is told that the mad woman then and there tore her clothing to shreds and cast it aside,, Naked as when she was bom, she plunged in to the woods. For days there was no trace of her, and then she was captured near the Leigh farm in Perquimans County. She was taken back to Sandy Ridge and put under lock and key. It is told that she would take neither food nor drink for 18 days. But fasting tamed her and she was released. Free of her prison, she drank a basin of water; her strength returned and she plunged again into the woods. The story of her life would fill a volume. It cannot be given in detail here. Most interesting is the f«cv See WITCH, Page Seven COLUMBIA GIRL IS A CAMPBELL CHOIR MEMBER < • <' - jit - ; '-a Among the sopranos of the 45- voice Touring Choir of Campbell College, visiting schools and churches in Virginia and West Vir ginia this week (March 13-17) is Gloria Faye Hopkins of Columbia. Campbell is this year in transi tion from junior to senior college status. Miss. Hopkins, now a sopho more preparing to be a primary teacher, plans to be one of its first graduating seniors in 1963. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Stafford Hopkins of Route 2, Columbia. PLANS MADE FOR INTERNATIONAL MARLIN EVENT HATTERAS Duke Doucet of West Palm Beach, Fla., will be di rector of the second annual Hat* teras Marlin Club-sponsored Inter national Blue Marlin Tournament here on June 17-27, it has been announced by Earl Phillips of High Point, N. C., vice president of the local club. “Doucet handled the Internation al Light Tackle Tournament at Palm Beach earlier this year, and he is also staging the big tourna ment at West End in the Bahamas starting March 20,” said Phillips, , “He is very capable.” t Lansdale “Bounce” Anderson a ! former resident of Palm Beach now ■ living here and engaged in writing, staged the first international tour , nament sponsored by Hatteras Marlin Club last year. > The tournament was a big sue . cess with Club Nautico of San , Juan, P. R., winning first honors in i team competition. A total of 19 blue marlin were boated during the tournament last year. “We are expecting many more . teams and individuals to take part in the tournament this year than in 1960,” he added. DARE COUNTY HEART FUND REACHES TOTAL OF $673.43 The 1961 Heart Fund campaign in Dare County had netted a total of $673.43 as of March 15, the figures broken down as follows: Manteo: Mrs. Naomi Shannon, chairman, $175.56; Manteo Elemen tary School 43.27; Manteo High School $30.75; total $249.58. Manteo Colored. Mrs. Quimilla Scarborough, Chairman, $51.69; Roanoke School $9.49; total $61.18. Stumpy Point: Mrs. Melba Hoop er. chairman, $17.07. Rodanthe - Salvo - Waves: Mrs. Bethany Gray, chairman, $20.00. Hatteras: Mrs. Rose Gray, chair man, $89.00. Cape Hatteras School $27.70; total $116.70. Kitty Hawk: Mrs. Evelyn Forbes, chairman, $74.28; Kitty Hawk School $11.60; total $85.88. Nags Head: Mrs. Sally Nune maker, chairman, $6145. Avon: Mrs. Velma W. Barnett, chairman, $14.17. Kill Devil- Hills: Mrs. Judy York, chairman, $47.70. Mrs. Carolyn Etheridge of Man teo is county chairman. REDDEN SADLER DIES Redden Sadler, 53, of Swan Quarter, lied early Monday morn ing. Born in Hyde County, he was married to the former Carrie Tate. Surviviors, beside his wife, are one son, Edward Sadler of Maysville; one daughter, Mrs. Rolland Stotes berry of Swan Quarter; four grandchildren; three brothers, Charlie and Muri, both of Swan Quarter, and W. D. Sadler of Elia beth City; two sisters, Mrs. Vir ginia Brinn of Portsmouth, Va., and Mrs. Janie Jarvis of Belhav en. Funeral services were held at the chapel of Paul Funeral Home in Belhaven Tuesday at 2 p.m., con ducted b» the Rev. Macon Spencer. Buurial was h. Soule Cemetery. MAIL SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO BOX 428 MANTEO, N. C. NOT TO INDIVIDUALS Single Copy 7£ DEVELOPMENT OF DARE’S RESORTS TO BE PLANNED All-County Seminar To Be Held at Nags Head Beginning Monday, March 27 Robert D. Barbour, head of the division of community planning, N. C. Department of Conservation and Development and Robert E. Stite, assistant director of the Institute of Government in Chapel Hill will conduct opening discussions at a two-day Dare County Planning Seminar starting March 27, it has been announced by Ted Wood of the Nags Head Chamber of Com merce. The all-county seminar will be held at Beacon Motor Lodge, Nags Head, where rooms and meals will be provided those in attendance free of charge by George Crocker, official of the Chamber of Com merce. Invitations to attend the seminar which has as its objective the future development of this re sort area, has been limited to less than 100 persons. Leaders in the vacation and travel industries of the region are included on the in vitation list. » Following the opening session at 10 o’clock on Monday, March 27, luncheon will be served at 12:15 followed by study groups of from five to eight people each who will draw up detailed lists of long range needs. Dinner will be served at 5:30 and a general seminar will begin at 7 o’clock to consolidate the information compiled in the afternoon study groups. On Tuesday morning following an early breakfast, study groups concerned with different types of long-range problems will meet to make preliminary plans and draw up priority lists. A final general seminar will be held during the afternoon beginning at 1 o’clock. The idea for such seminars de signed to draw up plans for devel oping resort areas is not new. The Beaufort-Mo.- '-.cad City and Car teret coast sector already has such a plan in operation, and a similar program is underway in the Buggs Island resort area. Invitations to the seminar with details of the purposes involved and planned are now being mailed and individuals planning to at tend have been requested to notify George Crocker by Thursday eve ning, March 23, so arrangements for housing and feeding the group may be completed. FITZ ETHERIDGE DIES Fitz Etheridge, 63, died Sunday. He was a native of Wanchese and had been residing at Port Isabelle, Texas for the past 19 years. He was in the shrimping business. He was the son of Mrs. Martha Gallop and the late J. Albert Etheridge of Wanchese, and husband of Mrs. Nina Midgett Etheridge. Besides his mother and wife, he is survived by one daughter June Etheridge of Overseas, four sisters, Mrs. Alma Cudworth of Wanchese, Mrs. Lil lie Midgett of Manteo, Mrs. Syl via Culpepper of Nags Head and Mrs. Cammie Dicks of Newport News, Va.; three brothers, Theo dore Etheridge of Wanchese, Jess Willard Etheridge and Henry Burr Etheridge, both of Texas. PARK SUPERINTENDENT SPEAKS TO WOMAN’S CLUB The Manteo Woman’s club met Tuesday night, March 14 at the Community Building. Amendments to the Constitution and By-laws were voted on and carried by the members. The club voted to send $5 to CARE which comes under the International Affairs Depart ment. The President announced that the District President, Mrs. Julian Porter wanted one member from the Club to serve as District Chairman of the International Af faire Department. The Club voted to contribute $5 to the Dare County Tourist Bureau for public relations purposes. After the business session, Mrs. Linwood Cuthrell, program chair man, introduced Robert F. Gibbs to the members. Mr. Gibbs gave a most interesting and informative picture-slide talk on the Conserva tion of the Cape Hatteras Nation al Seashore Park. All members were interested in what the Park Service has done to stabilize the sand dunes on our shores thus pre venting erosion. At the close of the program, re freshments were served by the Hostesses. Mrs. Dennis McGinnis and Mrs. H. A. Crees, Jr. BIG FISH FRY There will be a “fish fry” on Saturday, March 18, at the Man teo Masonic Lot. For the price of $1 you get all the fish, cole slaw, corn bread, and tea that you can eat Come anytime between 4:30 end 7:30 p.m. The proceeds will go the Manteo High School Senior Class.