The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-12-19
SHELTER OF THE SILVER CROSS
MAY Be REBUILT ON CAROLINA BEACH
INSTEAD OF WRIGHTSVlLLE.
Captain Harper's Liberal Proposition
to Ladies' OF Ministering C~frcle-In-
teresting Facts Connected With the
Shelter Destroyed by the Great No.
vember Storm-An Appeal for Assist
ance In a Noble Cause.

The ladies composing the Ministering
Circle of The Kings Daughters, VINO
have for we'll nigh ten years
the Shelter of The Silver Cross on
Wrightsvflle Beach, are undecided as
yet exactly when or where they VIII
rebuild the shelter now that the build
ing they had On Wriglhtsville Beach
was swept away by the terrible storm
of November both. Mrs. G. II. king
the president Of the Circle, in CONVEX
sation with a member of the Messenger
staff last night said that they were
considering a proposition from Captain
J. w. Harper in which Captain a
per offers to donate a lot on Carolina
Beach either right on the sea front or
Just back of the sound on the railroad
track and holds out the additional in
ducement that he will transport to and
from the beach during each season all
their freight for use in the Shelter and
also all the inmates free Of charge on
the steamer Wilmington. This is an
especially liberal offer but has a pro-
yiso that the ladies must erect their
building his yea ready for use during
the next seaside season. They feel
that 1T will be impossible for them 10
raise the required funds for the buIld-
ing in so short a time as they coulo
not re-estab1ish the Shelter for less
than 81 900 and if they were required
to pay for lumber and other materials
outright it would take $1,000.
The cottage which the storm diStroy-
ed on Wrightsville Beach cost them
$3.50 in cash and an the lumber and
hardware were donated.
WILL NOT REBUILD ON OLD SITE
The ladies have decided that they
will not rebuild ON their WrightsVille
Beach lot for the reason that they fear
that while there will not in all proba-
bility be for years to come a recurrence
of the severe storm conditions which
they would have considerable trouble in
they fear they would have trouble in
inducing many of the poor old women
who usually take advantage of a fort
night stay at the seaside, to go Town
there. They speak i'm the highest terms
of the courtesies which ave been ex-
tended them by the Seacoast railroad
in that the road has always hauled the
freight for the Shelter free of charge.
Captain Harper, however, offers the
additional inducement of transporting
all the inmates of the Shelter free
which will amount to a considerable
saving during the course of a single
season.
TIN ANNIVERSARY OF SHELTER.
Had the Shelter on Wrightsvi1le
Beach not been swept away by the
storm the ladies would have held a fit
ting celebration of the 'Htin anniver-
sary'' of it's establishment early in the
1900 seaside season. 1t is of interest
to note THAT during the nine seasons
that the Shelter has been opened from
325 to $50 poor children and sick and
decreped grown up people have been
provided with ait least a fortnight re-
freshing stay at the seashore each
summer.
THEIRS Is A NOBLE WORK.
The work or the Mlnrstering Circle
is truely a noble one worthy of the
most liberal support of the community.
They request the Messenger to state
that after the New year they will be
ready as in times past to take contracts
for serving supper banQuets, etc. for
the purpose of accommodating n to-
ward the rebuilding of the Shelter and
they will also most thankfully receive
any donations which may be made by
benevolent1y inclined people. 1T has
been suggested by many that it would
e quite a nice thing ito do for the cot
5agers on the beach whose property
escaped 1.-THE storm unirjured or only
PARTIALLY damaged to make a thank
Offering toward the new Shelter of the
Silver Cross fund. The Ministerlng
Circle has a membership of about 30
ladies with the following efficient off,
GERS:
President and Treasurer-Mrs. c. H.
King.
Vice President-Miss Stella Thomp-
son.
Secretary-Miss Kate DeRosset.
INCIDENTS OF INTEREST.
1T would be impossible to convey any
adequate idea of the vast amount OF
good which has been accomplished by
this noble band of ladies during the
past decade in Frightening h lives or
poor enfebled, sal7ow checked boys and
girls and decreped old folks as We'll
who could scarcely, otherwise, have es-
capped the heat and dust OF n city
even for a day had not the Shelter been
provided.
In reply to questions about their
work Mrs. King said last night that she
we'll remembers one of the hrst persons
ever carried down to the Shelter, a
sixteen-year old girl who was so ema-
ciated that she tainted three or four
times on the train between wilmington
and the seaShore. AS they pore ner
from the train into the Shelter sne
gasped repeatedly. They placed her In
a rocker ON the piazza facing the sea,
the maCrOn DTOuSIll uCI d udlhIy "oiSCA
of food on which there was also a rose
bud. She breathed the pure sea air
partook of the temptin~ food in a mon
ner which evidence the fact that she
had never enjoyed them before. WIunln
a few hours she was able to walk about
the cottage and at the close of the sea-
SON came back to town and went to
work in the cotton factory supporuns
herself and aiding others who were de-
pendent upon her.
Another notable incident is that OF
Miss Jane Fowler. who for hv years
was a charity inmate OF the hospita!
every winter. She spent a summer at
the Shelter on the seashore and mas
for Ave years since worked regularly
in the factory except during the Two
weeks of each summer sne sves
,eo,Ilar1v down to the Shelter for he
vacation. -
An enfeebled and poverty stricken
Confederate veteran appracned NILS
King once and said that he understood
abAo ladies had a. place On the Deacn