The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-11-06

from a comparatively large town
of one thousand inhabitants to a
lesser place. The steamships
could not navigate the waters
offshore from Portsmouth, and
the Importance of the island port
diminished rapidly. The marine
hospital was closed and the
building used as a telegraph Of
flee. Later the big structure be-
came an apartment house, and
finally burned to the ground.
Fishing Era
A new era, less spectacular,
less remuneratice, came upon
Portsmouth. 1t was the fishing
era. Portsmouth men were sea-
farers first of all. Those, who did
not leave home to follow the sea
from larger ports or turn to other
occupations, began to fish.
AS far back as 1866 a modern
menhaden processing plant,
Gray's factory, had been erected
at Portsmouth. Menhaden fishing
made history here. For the first
time purse seines were used, but
Gray's factory closed after three
years, despite the new purse
seines. Big menhaden boats could
not dock in the shallow waters of
Portsmouth.
Later, when the Portsmouth
people turned to fishing as a
main source of livelihood, they
shrimped, went oystering and
marketed edible fish for the most
part, but they, too, found the
shallow waters surrounding the
island hindrance. AS fishermen
| they prospered until their small
sailing skiffs, common in Pamlico
Sound two or three decades ago,
were outmoded by larger draft
boats equipped with gasoline en-
gines. More Portsmouth men left
the island to seek better jobs. The
depression fastened the exodus
And that's the real reason
Portsmouth has only eighteen
year-round residents today,
Don't believe the stories that the
bad storms ran the Portsmouth
population to the mainland tc
live. Those who know, the island
ers, declare through all the years
of hurricanes, nobody on Ports
mouth island ever lost his life ir
storm. Nobody was especially
frightened.
| AS one old lady reminisced
"We didn't have any reports
ahead when a storm was coming
| We just studied the sky, the sea
| and the wind, tied down the
boats and things and come on II
the house and shut the door,"
! Industrial Change.
1t was not the storms, but the
industrial change, that thinnec
out the town of Portsmouth.
The banks country is famous
for its storms. Major geographi
cal changes have been made b,
hurricanes old inlets filled in
new inlets cut. Whaleboat Inle
was filled in so many years ag,
that most folks have forgotten
ever existed. A fabulous hum
mock of liveoaks on the bank
below Portsmouth was inundated
and lost forever. But the settle
ment' of Portsmouth has neve
had a great disaster from
storm.
Among Portsmouth's NOTABLE
storms were the following:
AS early as 1765 it is recorded
that some damage was don
along the waterfront by hurri
. cane.
In August, 1899, there wer
three days of continuous gal
and rain with a dangerously higl
tide. After all, Portsmouth islam,
, is mighty close to sea level. Fisl
houses and boats were damaged
A hundred foot sailing vesse
the Hard Castle, trying to max
harbor, foundered in the heav
seas near Portsmouth, with tn
loss of the captain and severs
crew members.
II A hurricane came screamin
in from the southeast IN the fal
of 1913, blowing down the villag
church and doing some damag
to homes.
Inlet Reopened.
The most notable result of tn
1888 storm was the reopening Q
Drum Inlet. Some fish house
: were washed away on Ports
mouth island.
The storm of 1914 brought tn
worst tide older residents ha
, ever seen, the tide rising "to tn
third stair step" in island house
built high from the ground. TIL
wind and the tide destroye
many fences and did much mine
damage.