North Carolina Newspapers

SEND RENEWAL OF SUBSCRIPTION BEFORE EXPIRATION DATE ON ADDRESS VOLUME XXVI NO. 41 HATTERAS CALLED I U. S. PLAYGROUND BY MIKE KIRWAN Ohio Representative Enthusiastic About Opportunities For the Region; Helped Before Ohio Representative Mike Kir wan, who played a large part as a member of the appropriations committee in bringing to success the Oregon Inlet channel project, following his visits on fishing trips , to Mirlo Lodge in Rodanthe, has given the area another big boost. I He now urges that the National Park Service give priority to de veloping the Cape Hatteras Na tional Seashore as a recreational playground for millions of Amer icans. A close friend of Hon. Lindsay Warren and Congressman Bonner, he has several times come to the area with them, along with Speak er Sam Raylburn and other leaders in Congress. He heads a subcom mittee on Dept, of Interior Af fairs, and he spoke glowingly of the possibilities of the Cape Hat teras Seashore in recent hearings of his committee on budget re quests for the area. He would like to see air passenger service to the area, for he felt the need of Hat teras for better accessibility. The subcommittee chairman said he would rather see the expendi ture of “a million dollars down there than $25 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Monu ment.* Action Is Urged He urged that the Hatteras Rec reational area “be developed prop erly and developed right now, not taking it at the rate of a couple hundred thousand a year.” “We should be developing that as America’s playground and not spending a lot of money on these little places,” Kirkan said. National Parks Director Conrad Wirth did not share Kirwan’s en thusiasm. He said the Park Service year for the Hatteras Seashore could not use $1 million in one area because such an amount could not be spent properly. Wirth did say that more money could be used for dune stabiliza-s tion and sand fixation. A sum of SIOO,OOO has been requested for this work. Wirth also said that Hatteras “is one of the finest beaches in the world.” Sand Dune Work Wirth said that in the past sand dunes were built up and stabilized with grass on Ocracoke Island and that during Hurricane Donna last September, these dunes held and others that were not built up were washed over by the ocean. Kirwan said he felt that one need at Hatteras was better ac cessibility. “The way you can get in a plane today and travel, if you had an airstrip down there, millions of people would go there. It would be a fine place to go.” Kirwan said Hatteras “is about the only place left in America where you have a sound on one side and the ocean on the other.” Hatteras has a newly construct ed airstrip, Billy Mitchell field, but is not served by commercial air-; lines. Speaking at Tarboro Wednesday, Gov. Terry Sanford said one of the prime needs for development of Northeast North Carolina is ade quate airline service. Sanford'suggested that the ma jor cities of the area Rocky Mount, Wilson, Greenville, Golds boro and Kinston—need a consoli dated airport obtained by a joint effort. HATTERAS GROUP VISITS GOVERNOR ABOUT FERRIES A group of Hatteras Island citi zens went to Raleigh Thursday to visit with Governor Sanford, and appeal to him to help alleviate what tlhey call intolerable ferry conditions at Oregon Inet before the Tourist Season begins. They fear a great economic loss, due to the long schedules required by the present route across the inlet The direct channel has silted in, and they wish it opened, so that boats may return to their former sched ules, and cut the trip in half. They want night trips across the inlet to better accommodate the heavy traffic, and to serve the needs of the citizens at night time. They have appealed to the governor, be cause they have felt consistent op position on the local level from of ficials in charge of the ferries, who are opposed to night trips. They say the State should employ men to operate these boats who are competent to make night tripe. In pursuance of these and other objectives, the citizens recently fonned the Hatteras Island Better ment Association. Attorney Wal lace Gray, a Buxton native was spokesman for the group in Ral edgh. 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 BISHOP WRIGHT DUE IN HYDE COUNTY SUNDAY .--X * BISHOP T. H. WRIGHT of Wilm ington will visit Hyde County this Sunday April 9th. He will conduct morning worship, preach and con firm, at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Lake Landing at eleven o’clock, followed by a covered dish dinner in the parish hou’e. At three o’clock in the same, afternoon he will preach and confirm at All Saint’s, Fairfield. Sunday night at seven thirty o’clock he will preach and conduct evening worship at Calvary, Swan Quarter. While in Hyde the bishop will be guest of the Rev. and Mrs. G. H. Harris at the rectory. The public is cordially invited to all services. THE ELIZABETHAN GARDEN IS NOW COMING TO BLOOM Spring Planting Completed; Many New Flowers, Shrubs; Gifts of Furnishings MANTEO One of the most popular attractions on the Dare Coast at this time is the Garden Club of Norh Carolina-sponsored Elizabehan Garden adjacent to Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island. Final planting of flowers asd shrubs according to the plans of Inocenti and Webel, the architects who designed the Garden, is now underway. Under the direction of Louis Midgett, the Elizabethan Gardener, Spring or current planting has in cluded, 450 more azalea plants, 70 osthmanthus, 15 Magnolia soulan geous, six Virbumum carlessi, one flowering almond, two fruiting pomegranate and 25 pyrocantha. Additional terrace furnishings are being placed adding to the un usual display of antique statuary already decorating the garden. The additions include: A pair of antique benches, gift of Mrs. John Kellenberger; two pedestals, gift of Miss Elizabeth Rosenthal Cone and Mrs. Olin Sykes; a pair of antique lead urns, as a memorial to E. W. Reineke, builder of the garden; one bench a gift of Andy Griffith, former Sir Walter Raleigh of The Lost Colony, who is now a famous tele vision actor with “The Andy Grif fith Show”; and three other Ita lian stone benches. FORMER DARE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT DIES Russell I. Leake, 65, of Rich Square, died Tuesday night. Funer al services were conducted Thurs day at 2:30 p.m. at the Rich Square Methodist Church by the pastor, the Rev. Vance Lewis, as sisted by the Rev. R. Lee King, pastor of the Rich Square Baptist Church. Burial was in Cedar Lawn Cemetery. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Clara Lassiter Leake, and one brother, William B. Leake of Stillwater, Okla. A graduate of Duke University, he was past pres ident of the Rotary Club and past worshipful master of the Wan chese Masonic Lodge, former prin cipal of the Manteo High School and later Dare County Superin tendent of Schools. He was prior to that principal of the Roberson ville School for 13 years. He was a veteran of World War I. FISH FRY SATURDAY A fish fry, with SI.OO buying all the fish, etc., one can eat, will be held Saturday afternoon, April 8, beginning at five o’clock, on the grounds of the new Masonic Hall in Manteo. Proceeds will go to help for the new building. The public is invited. WEEKEND WEATHER A cool week-end is indicated with lowest temperatures aver aging between 43-45 degrees and highest 56-58 degrees. Occasional rain Friday and Sunday accord ing to report from the Cape Hat teras weather station. A NEGRO FORGER FIGHTS IN JAIL; APPEALS SENTENCE Set Fire in Cell and Assaulted Officers; Gets Eight Months Sentence Within 24 hours from the time he had departed for Currituck to begin an 8-months sentence for damage to public property, to-wit: the Dare County jail, and assault on Policeman Russell Sears with a deadly weapon, to wit: a razor blade and fork, and Deputy Sher iff D. F. Twyne with deadly wea pon, to wit: a paint can or corn beef jar, James Perkins, Jr., was back in the county jail again. The negro, who was being held on charges of forging some 18 or more checks in denominations ranging from $8 to sls, is said to be from Indiana, but more re cently from Currituck and then Manteo. He claimed, after the Cur rituck prison camp for felons wouldn’t take him (due to his con victions on misdemeanors) and aft er he had spent the night in the Currituck County jail that he would appeal from the sentences on which he was convicted in Man teo Tuesday. Deputy Sheriff Donis White stated that Perkins had 10 days to complete his appeal, which he hadn’t made when sentenced, and also that he is subject to indict ment on other charges. One of the other charges is breaking jail. Prior to setting fire inside his cell, which resulted in Officers Sears and Twyne going to the jail and subsequently being assaulted by Perkins, the Negro had walked out to temporary free dom when the main door to the cell block was left open by the jail attendant. Perkins had clever ly jammed the door to his cell with paper or cardboard which prevent ed it from being locked, so when the attendant was in another sec tion of the block, the Negro slip ped out, hid temporarily in a broom closet and later headed for temporary freedom, by strolling out of town to the westward. On the charges of forgery, a fel ony, Perkins was scheduled to be tried in May term of Superior Court. Other cases in court in Manteo Tuesday included charges against Leland Erskine Gibbs of Barco for operating an auto with no in surance, without having auto prop erly registered as required by law and for improper use of a dealer’s license tag. Found guilty, he was fined S3O and costs. Melvin Shafter Austin, Jr., Fris co, charged with drunken driving, was found guilty and fined SIOO and costs of court. William Jackson Midgett of Manteo was fined $25 and costs for being drunk on the streets of Manteo. Annie Pierce Daniels was fined $lO and costs for failing to stop at a highway stop sign. Rev. Sitnms Again During the session of recorder’s court on March 28, J. C. Simms, Norfolk, a negro preacher, was fined SSO and costs and given a 60-day suspended sentence. He took an appeal to Superior Court and bond was set at S3OO, and he is scheduled for re-trial in May. Simms was charged with engag ing in rude and disorderly conduct on the premises of and in the presence of the congregation of Haven Creek Baptist Church near Manteo, while the congregation of said church was assembled for di vine worship. It is not the first time that the Negro preacher has had trouble with the local Havens Creek Church. He was ordered by the court some time ago to stay off the premises when his appearance there had disrupted the church membership. For traveling 67 miles an hour in a 55-mile zone, Malcolm S. See COURT, Page Six LARGE GAIN REPORTED IN DARE COUNTY ABC SALES Sales by Dare County ABC stores during the month of March this year totaled $21,383.70 as com pared with March 1960 of $15,805.- 35. The gain in sales was $5,578 35. The ABC Board paid over to the county for March the sum of sl,-1 924.53, profit half of which will be 1 spent by the Dare County Tourist 1 Bureau as their share under spec-1 ial legislation which gives them half of the profits, regardless of amount. March sales in 1960 showed a gain above March sales in 1959, and the rule has followed each month since early in 1959. The reason given for last month’s increase is that increasing tourist business in Dare County is responsible. Another reason given is the increase in prices Gut have gone in effect during the past year in Virginia ABC stores. MANTEO. N. C., FRIDAY, APRIL 7. 1961 ROANOKE ISLAND OES HAS INSTALLATION SERVICE ■ a I I JHML K" M ■ rwhwril ■ V t /.-J™ ®' ■ I K ■ M 'ULIM !■ * ''mH J , . fJOtetL jjH NEW OFFICERS WERE INSTALLED by the Roanoke Island Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star Thursday night, March 30, in an open installation service in Wanchese Masonic Lodge hall. A large crowd was present, including many from out of the state. Officers installed are shown in the above picture as follows: Front row: Dorothy Garrison, Marshall; Elma Midgett, Inst. Chaplain; Estelle Wilson, Inst. Mar shall; Lyna Harbour, Worthy Matron; Edwin Midgett, Worthy Patron; Margaret Tillett, Inst. Officer. Second row: Alma Finn, Asso. Cond.; Jackson Twiford, Assoc. Patron; Josephine Twiford, Assoc. Matron; Mildred Midgett, Ruth; Fannie Payne, Conductress; Hilda Ballance, organist. Third row: Lois Bridges, Secretary; Lucille Midgett, Treasurer; Mary Dowdy, Chaplain; Ethel Par ker, Esther; Kathryn Perry, Martha; Eula Payne, Adah; Madge Barnett, Electa. Carlos Dowdy, Sentinel, is not shown in the picture. Because of illness, the Warder will be installed at a later date. Norma Cahoon was installing organist. COLUMBIA GIRL, ECC SENIOR, TO OMAHA CONVENTION JACQUELINE HARRIS of Colum bia, and Sue Lassiter of Rt. 3, Four Oaks, are official delegates representing the East Carolina Col lege chapter of the Association for Childhood Education International at the 1961 national convention of the organization being held in Omaha, Nebraska, March 30- April 7. Both seniors at the college, the two delegates from East Carolina were elected by members of the campus ACEI to participate in the Omaha convention. Miss Lassiter is majoring in pri mary education and library science I at East Carolina. Miss Hanis is first vice presi dent of the college chapter of ACEI. She is specializing in pri mary education at East Carolina She has served as a college mar shal and as a “Big Sister” counse lor to freshmen women. Her par ents are Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Harris of Columbia. CHANNEL BASS LANDED BY CANADIAN ANGLERS Four channel bass were caught in Hatteras Inlet by a group of Canadian Embassy anglers during the Easter Holidays. They were fishing with Capt. Edgar Styron from aboard his cruiser Twins, using cut bait. In the party were J. C. Langley, J. S. Nutt, and son R. Nutt and Mrs. Langley. They accounted for three of the fish. A fourth was 'caught by E. K. Sckenke of Hat teras. The fish weighed from 33 to 43 pounds each. The largest was boat- I ed by Schenke. This was the second Embassy group to visit on Hatteras recent-; ly. A few days ago British Am bassador Sir Harry Caccia aand his Embassy Secretary P. S. Rank- i ine flew to the Island for a visit! with Robert F. Gibbs, superinten dent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. j Sir Harry and Mr. Rankine were not interested in fishing. They camo to do some birdwatching at Pea Island National Wildlife Re-1 fuge. > PIRATE JAMBOREE SHIP "SEA HAG" IS CHRISTENED The Pirate Jamboree ship “Sea Hag” was christened on Kitty Hawk Beach late Wednesday and the 28 foot craft mounted on an auto chassis shoved off for Ra leigh on its maiden trip shortly afterwards with Buccaneers W. H. Smith, and Mr. and Mrs. Bud Rose as crew members. Thursday at noon many more costumed buccaneers of the Pi rates Jamboree boarded the ves sel in Raleigh at the State Capi tol where they were joined by Governor Terry “The Pirate” San ford who received an official invi tation to attend the annual kick off of the Outer Banks vacation season on April 28-29. The “Sea Hag”, a low-masted but realistic looking vessel was officially christened by Mrs. Sarah Smith of Kitty Hawk immediately before the vessel sailed. Mrs. Smith, age 74, is the oldest of more than 100 members of the re cently organiezd Sea Hag Fishing Club of the Outer Banks area. The vessel was built by W. H. “Smitty” Smith, Bud Rose and other promoters of the annual Dare Coast Pirates Jamboree. In Raleigh, where the “Sea Hag” was due to attract considerable attention, the bold buccaneers of the Dare Coast had a heavy sched ule of promotional activities, in cluding the visit to the Governor on Thursday and to the General Assembly on Friday morning. The colorful group headed by King Blackbeard VI (Dick Ward) and Pirate Queen Ina Evans were scheduled for a luncheon appear ance with the Raleigh Civitan Club Thursday, followed by visits to newspaper offices and press galler ies and a television show with a dinner party later at Cameron Vil lage. After visiting the Legislators on Friday morning the Pirates will stop over in Tarboro on their re turn trip home where Sam Clark, a summer resident of Dare Coast who lives there, will be their host while they take over the historic Town Common. The current trip is one of two junkets planned. Next week, April 12, the costumed pirates shove off for Pittsburgh, Pa. HARBOR SEALS CAUGHT IN DARE WATERS At least two harbor seals have been caught and others have been sighted in the Oregon Inlet, Kitty Hawk Beach area recently. The seals, far from their native habitat, ' have been seen in greater numbers along the coast of Dare this year j than ever before. I First catch reported was by Nor man and Philip Sawyer of Kitty (Hawk Beach. This one was covered j wi‘h oil it had swum into some where along its journey from the New England coast. The second seal was caught by an employee of I Andrew Tillett of Manteo and ■placed in a pool owned by Tillett. SEARCH CEASES FOR 2 DROWNED IN PUNGO RIVER Tragedy Again Comes so . Fisher men on River Near Bel haven Saturday A daylong Coast Guard search Sunday failed to locate two Rocky Mount youths believed drowned when their outboard motorboat over-turned in the Pungo River Saturday. The search was abandon ed Monday by the Coast Guard. Two companions, als 0 from Rocky Mount, reached shore after ringing to the 15-foot boat about five hours, a Coast Guard spokes man said. The accident happened some 300 yards from the shoreline of the Pungo River five miles south of here about 12:15 p.m. Missing were Patrick B. Couglin and Hugh M. Finch, both 20. Two survivors, Arthur E. (Bud) Cockrell Jr., 21, of 841 Sunset Ave., and Robert Lee Carr, 21, of 1112 Lafayette Ave., told searchers their companions held onto the boat un til shortly before they reached shore near Sandy Point. A shrimp boat passed within 75 yards of the capsized boat short ly after the mishap, but failed to see the youths. A 42-foot Coast Guard vessel searched the area Saturday night without locating the youths. A helicoper and several boats found the outboard boat Sunday before halting the search because of darkness. Another Coast Guard took up the search Monday. Cockrell, said the water was nor mal when the boat tipped. He said he and his companions cut off tihe boat’s motor to light a cigarette just before a wave swamped the small craft. “After the boat tipped, the waves really began to kick up and the water got cold. We were ih.it five or six hours,” he explained. “We were pushing the boat to shore and in the process Coughlin and Finch couldn’t make it.” Cockrell said both Couglin and Finch “ were in pretty bad shape” when they let go. Cockrell, a business senior at the University of North Carolina, and Carr, a junior in business at East Carolina College, were vaca tioning during the Easter recess. The four youngsters were stay ing at the Cockrell cottage at Pam lico Beach. ■» Finch, a night cleric at a Rocky Mount motel, had been planning to go to Atlantic Christian College in the summer to complete the two years he still lacked toward a degree. Coughlin, who also had two years of college, was uncertain about his future plans. It seems that a year can’t pass without a drowning tragedy among fisherman who come to enjoy the delightful sport of the Pungo Riv er country. Unfortunately, many who come to fish in small boats have little knowledge of the vagar ies of the wind and tides on the water. MAIL SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO BOX 428 MANTEO. N. C. NOT TO INDIVIDUALS Single Copy 7£ TRAVEL FIGURES IN DARE SHOWN ON THE INCREASE -erries Make Special Runs To Accommodate Visitors To Outer Banks Region Travel is on the increase in the Dare Coast-Outer Banks section of North Carolina’s northeast vaca tion region. Oregon Inlet ferries have had to add special runs in addition to the hourly schedules during daylight hours which now begin before dawn from the north shore. Even with the addition of ferries on the 45 minute crossing from the Nags Head region to Hatteras Island, many autos laden with vacationists have been delayed at times and some have reportedly missed com pletely the last schedules during the evening. During the peak rush of Easter holidays the ferries maintained service from the south shore until long after sunset, and no mishaps were reported in the night runs, schedules which have been sought by Hatteras residents, but which have not been granted or approved officially by the State as yet . . . Traffic was also re ported very heavy on the Ocra coke-Hatteras ferry with more and more people visiting that section of the Outer Banks since island leaders have stepped up their ad vertising and promotion program this year. Only official account of travel figures are those released by the National Park Service units locat ed within the limits of Dare Coun ty. The latest reports, covering the month of March, and not including the Easter peak visitation begin ning Saturday, follows: Wright Brothers National Me morial count for March, 6,205 en tered visitors; , Fort Raleigh National Historic k Site, 2,370 entered visitors for March and 4,342 for the calendar - year through March 31. (The Ft. Raleigh March count was 120 per cent above March 1960) Cape Hatteras National Sea i shore, for March 16,404 and for f calendar year to date, a total of ] 29,569 visitors counted. IMPROVEMENT SOUGHT BY WATERWAYS GROUP FOR SEAFOOD INDUSTRY At a meeting held in Wanchese on the 25th of March, called by Dr. W. W. Harvey, Jr., Chairman of Dare County Waterways Im irovement Committee, and attend ed by commercial fishermen, char ter boat fishermen, merchants and professional people concerned with commercial fishing, sports fishing, and conservation along the Dare Coast, also representatives of North Carolina Salt Water Sport Fishing Association and the Dare County Charter Boat Guides As sociation, the following proposals were made as means of conserv ing the fishing industry in Dare County, in preparation for pres entation at the Conservation and Development commercial meeting Friday, April 7, in Morehead City. Along the line extending from Long Shoal to Oliver’s Reef (this is a line of existence relative to crab potting) be made and approv ed for the following conditions in order to promote conservation in this area: 1. Oyster dredging be limited to 25 tubs per boat, with a daily limit of 25 tubs. 2. No trawler be permitted to shrimp in this area that is over fifty feet in length, according to its registry. 3. That all double-rigged trawl ers be prohibited from this area for shrimping. 4. To consider the possibility of prohibiting night shrimping in thia area. 5. To consider the prohibiting of crab dredging because of its de structive effect upon the oyster rocks. 6. All crab and oyster dredges to be limited to 100 pounds. 7. That pier owners and oper ators mark the piers for fishing by buoys as is their present pre rogative by law. This composite group was in unanimous accord that there is a definite necessity for maintaining our conservation measures, but al so it was realized that much fur ther research may be necessary before definite measures should be See GROUP, Page Six BILLY MITCHELL AIRPORT BOON TO FLYING ANGLERS The new Billy Mitchell Airport on Hatteras Island located near Frisco and about half way between Cape Hatteras and Hatteras Vil lage is proving of great conveni ence to flying fisherman. Many anglers are flying to the island in private or charter planes. The run way is paved.