The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-05-18
A VISIT TO FORT RALEIGH
The islanders a Study, Hospitable,
Intelligent People.
AWAKE TO IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION
A Peep at fessenden's Wireless Telegraph
Station, Manteo and the Tranquil House.
Carloads of Fish Flung Into
Burrows as Fertilizer.
(Staf Correspondence.

(Staf correspondence.
Manteo, Dare Counay, n. c.. May b
For some weeks 1 have purposed a visi:
Friday last, at the Athens of North
Carolina, | boarded the elegant steamer
Neuse and soon the trip down the beau
tiful river of the same name was begun
Up country folk who have lcvcr taken
Tic trip canaOt appreciate tie &ppli'a'
ti,L beautiful to the river Ncuse, but
| those OF US whose pleasure it has been
to be borne on it's bosom east OF
New Bern, grasp it fully)
Beginning with a width of mile and
quarter, at New Bern, the river gradu-
ally widens as it pours it's waters into
Pamlico sound, some forty miles below,
reaching the broad eXpanse of some
eight miles, before reaching Oriental
thirty-two miles distant
The trip across the sound must have
been a pleasant one. l was not conscious
of it being lost in slumber Approach
ing the landing at Roanoke Island,
was awakened and having hastily donned
my summer apparel l was on the wharf
confronted by a drop in the Thermometer
of about So degrees and a stiff breeze
I that made me sigh for an overcoat, ever
wish l was at home"
| will not paint a picture of the islanC
as l first saw it,. the island has so of
| been pictured before. Running the pier
[ was soon in what there is of the port
of Skyco, 'rousing from sleep the
| coon" that takes the mail and any
stray passenger to Manteo, the chic
town of the island. Rubbing his eyes
| the coon" with his carriage, a cart
was ready, but just then my old friend
/ 5. r. Moyle, the beloved Bishop of the
| Methodist church at Manteo, hailed me
| saying, "Ill take you over in my buggy
1 the pony can pull us two A drive o
| three miles and we had passed through
| the town and were stopped at our hotel
| the Tranquil House, of which | shall
| speak later on. | could scarcely believ,
| my own eyes so agreeably surprised
1 was to find so town-like town on Roa
| noke Island.
| Manteo has a population of some fou
hundred. and is situated on the cas-
side OF the island on Shallenbas Bay
| which links the town with the sands o
| the seashOre. Just across the bay am
! on the sound side of the beach is Nag
| Head Manteo has a good municipalit
| with w. G. Forbes as the executive head
and is dotted with splendid homes an
d number of mercantile establishments
Among these, the we'll kept stores o
Jno. w. Evans, w. j. Griffin, Griffin
Sample & Co., A. H. Davenport, w. G
| Forbes, Evans & Meekins.
Awake to the Importance of education
the Manteo Academy is in full blast
|
principal and is ably assisted by Mis-
Ida Watts, a bright young flower pluck
ed from the fertile fields of Virginia
There exists a daily mail service wit
the world outside and the population
also in touch the one section with tn
other by telephone.
| The island surroundings afford excel
lent fishing and this is the chief indus
try of it's people. From Roanoke Islam
wharf is marketed more Shad than frol
any single shipping point in the worlt
The island is twelve miles long an
three and one-half wide, and has a pOpJ
lation of about LOO, some 800 of thes
being negroes. The people are a sturd
hospitable one and to use the statemer
of a prominent educator, "a very brigf
. one" A thoughtIess youth recently gay
offense to this people by referring
: the island as being far removed frol
civilization" forgetful of the fact thu
the Red man of the forest, tn
first inhabitants of the Roanoke IslanC
was referred to by the early colonist
being ''as mannerly and civil as any
Europe" and, that, this holds good wit
the nobler race that abide here today.
In the town of ManteO there is but on
church This flock of this one is fed {
Bishop S. r. Moyle, above referred t
The Bishop is an old friend of mine, an
. it gives me pleasure to say he is dom
a splendid work and is very populf
r with this people There are but thre
| | churches on the island-two Methods
and one Baptist. Besides the Mamie
Academy. there is the Wanchese Hig
School. at Wanchese, an excellent scho
; under the principalship of Rev c.
Taylor, and several public schools on Il
. island.
? But little attention is paid to farmir
| and yet the needs of the island cou
t largely be grown. A growth of short LEI
} pine practically covers the island. The
are other woods of course, and fro
these pines strOw and woodmold to
depth OF several inches covers the fore
land. | visited a few small farms al
@ was both surprised and interested in Il
} system of fertilizing in vogue. Fish
the principal fertilizer used. A furrO