The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1957-08-09
HOW FOUR MILLION DOLLARS
PLUS WAS DESTROYED
(Reprinted from the issue of
April 8, 1850

4 4
April 8, 1861
! How thoughtless and careless is
mankind, particularly when it
comes to dealing with fire. How
criminal it is, even to take chances,
and what wrongs are done present
and future generations by man.
kinds disregard of simple precau-
lions and elementary safety. There
is no way punishment can be met
ed out in any measure to recon-
pense the damage that was done
by fire during the week in the coun-
ties of Tyrrell and Hyde and in
some parts of Beaufort and Wash
ington, as we'll as in other parts OF
North Carolina.
Imagine the immediate losses
that will come to the small coun-
ties of Tyrrell and Hyde which
need all their resources and all
possible revenue to give the citi-
zens the benefits of government.
Yet here in one stroke, a fire has
been set out, which has resulted in
the greatest conflagration of its
kind in the history of North Caro-
lima since the fire centuries ago
that created Lake Mattamuskeet.
Immediately, landowners will APP
pear before county boards asking
for rebates in taxes, or tremendous
reductions in valuations, which of
course will reduce the tax incomes
of the counties and add burdens
to citizens already oyertaxed. Be-
cause of this fire every citizen must
suffer, yet so few of them have
appeared to be hitherto conscious
of fires great dangers and fright
full cost.
Another great source of income
is lost because of the thousands of
game birds and animals of all ma
tive types that have been destroy
ed. Deer and bear and many other
animals will not be so plentiful
hereafter, nor for a long time.
Fewer hunters will come to spend
money with native guides, and
tourist lodges.
Lost too, will be great payrolls
that might have gone to citizens
who harvest timber. This loss will
continue for many years. The $4,-
100000 in timber burned up is only
small part of the many millions
that will be lost through the years.
Millions that might have meant
income and livelihood to many
families, and when spent, might
have benefited just about every
person in these counties, so wide
spread are the benefits that come
from new money in circulation.
Lost also is the great investment
that landowning companies have
spent in reforestation projects
which would have rapidly increas-
ed the value of these properties for
taxes and for producing income for
iaborers. Lost to many of these
companies will be incentive to con-
tlnue with an investment program
that brings income to many fami-
lies today.
No hurricane, nor period of hur-
rlcanes have ever combined to
wreak so much costly damage on
the people of these counties. The
scars and losses of hurricanes are
usually hid in a year or two, but
the losses from a fire so disastrous
as this weeks will continue
through our lifetime, and into the
lifetime of children yet unborn.
1t is indeed tragic that human
KIND cannot see how important it
is to be careless with fire. 1t is un-
fortunate that humankind cannot
devise more effective educational
measures for prevention; that it
cannot devise some means of COM
batting such tragic holocausts, and
that it cannot detect the perpetra-
tors and deal out severe punish
ment to them in keeping with their
deserts.
There is nothing we know of so
costly as a forest fire. Then sure
iy no one can afford not to assist
In every way possible in any move
ment that will prevent repetition