The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-02-02
NORTH CAROLINA COAST.
A Charming Article From the Pen Of
CASTOR POCl.
The HAUNFS OF PIRATE TEACH

The Ornithologist May Find Much In
terest Him There-The Sand Dunes
the Scene of Many Tragedies-The he
Grisly Skeletons From Hatteras to
Cape Fear-Other Interesting News
CASTOR Pool il Goldthwaite's Geographical
Magazine
The sand dunes of North Carolina
have been famous as the scene of ma
rine tragedies. The bleaching ribs of
some of the stateliest craft that ever
plOWed the deep. bear testimony to
the rayages of old ocean. The Eng
lish merchantmen, the Portuguese
galleon, the Dutch briganJine, the
Spanish treasure ship, the French cor
vette, the Norwegian bark-represer-
tatives Of every maritime nation on
the glObe-are scattered over the
beach, from HatteraS to Cape Fear
teeir grisly skeletons, pr0truding from
the sands, like antediluVian monsters
in some geological bed. This narrow
strip of SAND, winding like a yellow
ribbon between the inland sounds and
the sea, presents Il curious study to
the geolOgiSt. For years it has been
gradually sinking, and at the same
time becoming narrower: till now its
average width is not more than mile;
and the libertine waters of the great
sea not seldom rush across the frail
barrier 10 embrace those of the amO-
rOus Albemarle. The slender divide
has not always been able to withstand
the matchleSs flood. which has in
times of unusual commOtiOn, literally
cut pathway sthrougll the yielding
sands These form ''inletS." of which
Oregon, Hatteras and New are the
most important. Through the first,
Burnside's fleet Of WaI ships, Of light
draught, ,defiled on sits way to the
bOmbardment of Roanoke island. The
channels are constantly. shifting: and
skillful pilots are required to guide
vessels safely over the bar.
The OrnithOlOgiSt may here find
much to interest him, and the con-
chologist revels in paradise Of shells.
But the nautilus, pale and pearly, and
the delicate blush of the sea cOnch,
have small influence ION the rude ma
ture OfEthe native Banker" Isolated
from the world on this barren waste
of shifting sand, the Banker of forty
years ago was almost a barbarian.
His savage instincts not only made
him consider all fiotsam and jetsam
his lawful property, but induced him
to use every means TO lure vessels
ashore for purposes of plunder. And
when wreck occurred the WreckerS
made high carnival. The sparse pop
ulation turned out en- maSse, and with
demOniac yellS and curses dire, MUIR
dered, without remOrSe, the hapl eSS
victims who escaped the raging surf.
In those days, before the friendly life
saving stations were established, a
wreck was much more terrible
thing than it is today. Imagine some
doomed ship, about to be hurled to
destruction on haggard reef, the de-
Spairlng passengers and crew gazing,
with -horror-distended eyes, into the
baieful orbs of the human vampires
on shore, ready to impede in every
possible way the road to safety, or
turning their eyes, behold the grim
form of pallida mOrs, sheathed in
shadowy foam, beckon with horrid fin
ger to another world. Besides their
occupation as Wrcckers, the Bankers
are born fishermen, and every ten year
old child is an adept in handling a
boat.
Agriculture is little practiced, but
by dint of cOaXing, WatermelonS and
sweet potatoes are persuaded to grow.
''EiSh and 'taterS," is the staple
diet.
Nag's head, a favorite resort along
the coast, was named from habit
the Bankers had of hobbling horse,
suspending lantern from it's neck,
and walking it up and down the beach,
impressing the unwary mariner with
the belief that a vessel was riding safe
at anchor. Through this device many
good ship has gone down, and much
valuable booty secured to the land
pirates.
The Bankers of today are different
beings from their ancestors of former
generations. Fellowship with enlight-
ened peop has had a humaniZing in
fuence, anu they are now good useful
citizens.
The North Carolina coast is proyi-
ded with three light houses of the first
class-Hatteras Whales head and
Body'S island. The last mentioned it
is my purpose to describe: those at
Hatteras and Whales head being al
most exactly similar.
1t was my good fortune to spend ten
days at Body's island, as a guest of
one of the keepers of the light. Body's
island is no longer an island, Nays
head inlet, which formed its northern
boundary, having been completely
closed up by the encroaching sands.
1t is bounded on south. west and east
respectively, by Oregon inlet, Albe-
marie sound and the Atlantic ocean.
The dunes, for the most PAL t barren
of vegetation, have, in some places, a
stunted growth of forest trees, and in
others large marshes, covered with a
rank growth of coarse grass, on which
herds of wild cattle and Blanks" po-
nieS Craze.
Myriads of billions of mosquitoes in.
fest these marshes-mosquitoe mi.
c.oscopic, mosquitoes Brobdignagian
red Tipped mosquitoes, mosquitoes
blear eyed and bloated from the in.
| toXicating effect of human bood. The
most extrayagant statements fall short
of the reality. An old native told me
| that by swinging pint cup through q
column of these pests you could easily
catch quart.
Thousands of snakes, their eyes
cleaning with baleful fire through the
Watery ooze, inhabit the fresh water
| lagoons which occur at frequent inter
/ yals in the marshes. In the midst oil
one of the most extensive of these mo
| rasses. one aid a half miles from Ore
gon inlet and about twelve miles from
| Nag's head, the Boyd's island light
| tower pierceS the ether to an altitude
/ OF $50 feet. tt is an imposing monu
ment to civilization, to humanity anC
| to engineering skill. 1t stands midway
between the ocean and the sound, ca
reering heavenward. A bed of piles
driven deep in the sane, surmount