The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1957-12-13
By EARL DEAN

Tuesday, Dec. II marks the 25th
anniversary of the dedication of
the Wright Memorial over on the
beach at Kill Devil Hills.
The graceful yet massive gran
| lite monument over there with its
design suggesting the sweep OF
flight and which rises so majesti-
cally from its star-shaped base
atop the biggest sand dune on the
North Carolina coast was unveiled
shortly before noon on November
10, 1882, as state and national dig
nitaries braved a downpour of rain
whipped by stiff southwest wind.
Along with Congressman Lind
say C. Warren, of Washington,
whose efforts were responsible for
getting the first Congressional ap-
preparation of $685. 900 with which
the great memorial was begun,
! was Orville Wright, who came
from Dayton, to be present for
the exercises near where he and
his late brother, Wilbur, made the
first successful flights in a power
driven airplane across the sands
of Kitty Hawk on December II,
1908.
Also present were Dare County
men who witnessed the first
flights: John T. Daniels, w. S.
Dough and Adam Etheridge, of
Kill Devil Hills Life Saving Sta
ton; and John Moore, of Coling-
ton. Capt. w. ]. Tate, of Coinjock,
at whose Kitty Hawk home the
Wright brothers stayed while MAX
ing their first experimental flights
in 1900, was also there. None Of
these men are alive today.
The principal address that windy
and rainy day % years ago was
delivered by Secretary of War Pat
rick J. Hurley, of Washington, d.
c., who paid a glowing tribute to
the genius of the Wright brothers.
The great monument itself was
unveiled by Miss Ruth Nichols, of
Rye, N. j., then one of the worlds
outstanding women aviators. Be-
tween November "a and December
1, 1880, she had flown from New
York to Los Angeles, California,
in 16 hours, SO minutes and 80
seconds flying time. The following
March she had set the worlds alti-
tude record for women filters, go
ing up 28,743 feet above the New
ark, N. J. airport. In October,
1881, she had made another record
breaking flight by flying nonstop
between Oakland, California and
Louisville, KY.
1t was great day for North
Carolina and all Dare County, how
ever bad the weather. A few short
years back few people down this
way ever dreamed that one day
would rise from the top of Kill
Devil Hills cleaning white monu-
ment commemorating the Wright
brothers and their first flights.
Little did they realize that thou
sands upon thousands of people
would visit this coastal shrine to
the first airplane flights. And one
of the most skeptical men of the
times, was Herbert Hoover, the
man in the White House when the
Wright Memorial was dedicated,
who had just been defeated by
Roosevelt and the overwhelming
vote for him.
The late w. o. Saunders, the
crusading Elizabeth City editor
who organized the Kill Devil Hills
Memorial Association, and who
was one of the first to visualize
memorial at Kill Devil Hills,
later recalled how once he made
a special trip to Washington to
solicit the aid of Hoover who, at
that time, was Secretary of Com
merce.
Saunders said Hoover threw up
his hands in disgust when the sub
ject of government-financed
memorial at Kill Devil Hills was
mentioned.
'SWhat point would there be in
throwing away over 100000 in
government funds to build such a
monument on a sand dune on a
bleak and isolated bit of sea coast
few people will ever see," Saun-
ders quoted Hoover as saying in
his office in Washington that day.
Few in official Washington in
those days could be convinced that
within few years time the age
old isolation of Dare County would
be broken by good roads and
bridges across intervening waters
which would make Kitty Hawk,
Kill Devil Hills and Roanoke Is
land easily accessible to thousands
of motorists.
President Hoover didn't attend
the dedication of the Wright
Memorial at Kill Devil Hills Is
years ago but it is certain he knew
about it for he sent his regrets by
Secretary of War Hurley and his
congratulations to Orville Wright.
And Of all the great and near
I