The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-10-21
THE NEW ROAD
BEING BUILT ON
CAPE HATTERAS
Sea Bees Will Do The Job While
Building Big Secret Navy
Facility Near Buxton

Buxton on Cape Hatteras, Oct.
22.-Ten full years before there
has been any substantial hope that
it would happen, Conrad Wirth, di-
rector of the National Park Serv-
ice, will see the fulfillment of his
dream of a new highway approach
to the focal point of Cape Hat
teras National Seashore-a mile of
road with an estimated cost of
100000.
Not only will the road come into
being Immediately, but it will come
without cost to the National Park
Service, except for the relatively
small cost of laying some pave
ment, "a feet wide, next spring
when the formidable task of grad
ing is completed. And in the in
term Mr.. Wirth might well de-
vote some time to meditation upon
an ancient adage, the one about
clouds being lined with silver.
Maine and California will build
the road, with some supervisory
help from Texas and Michigan and
Virginia and from Wake County
in North Carolina. The road is go
ing to be graded, in their spare
time, by Detachment Jig, Sixth
Navy Mobile Construction Bat
talon, or the Seabees, presently
engaged in the erection of a secret
Navy Facility on a site about
1000 feet north of the Lighthouse.
For six months the presence of
these miracle workers right in the
middle of Cape Hatteras National
Seashore has provided a consider
able cloud on Mr.. Wirth's horizon,
and, nearer by, to those immed-
lately concerned with the admin
istration of the new recreational
area. They came unheralded and
they took over, with very few for
malities, an area of about 20 acres
on both sides the road leading from
the Outer Banks Highway past the
Lighthouse to Cape Point. They
number about ITS men.
Since whatever they are build
d is top-secret they have done
= explaining whatever about what
..ey are doing around here. They
have startling capacity of doing
much and saying little, or nothing
at all. They have said nothing
about the cost or the purpose of
their activity but it is good
guess that the cost will run be-
tween three and four million dol
lars, and they are going to build
a fence around whatever it is.
But to get back to Conrad
Wirth's dream. On his first visit to
the Seashore after the National
Park Service began moving in
three years ago Mr.. Wirth outlined
his dream of new and dramatic
approach to the Cape. 1t probably
derived from his experience, like
that of millions, when he topped
the last ridge, coming south,
through Kitty Hawk Woods, There
before and below him was spread
the stupendous sweep OF the
Atlantic ocean.
1t was something like that Mr..
Wirth wanted on Cape Hatteras.
He wanted a road beginning 1000
feet west of the present approach
to the Lighthouse and crossing the
marshes and ridges to come, fl
nally, to the crest of the 34-foot
ridge that lies westward from the
Lighthouse. Topping that rise the
traveller would see before him not
one but two oceans, with the Point
jutting out between them.
But the great drawback was the
question of money. There are four
ridges and five sedges-the native
name for marshes-between the
beginning and the end Of the road
and the estimated cost of grading
and paving it would be about
100000, or more than twice the
annual appropriation for the de-,
velopment and maintenance of the
See NEW ROAD, Page Eight