The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter., 1959-11-27
ATTENTION GIVEN
WANCHESE NATIVE
ON NEW YORK JOB
Capt. Otis Simpson Covers
1900 Miles A Year on Har-
Dor Assignment
(By RAYMOND A. WITTEK
In the Staten Island Advance)

In Cne SCaUen lSlanQ AQVance)
They may soon erase Capt. Otis
S. Simpsons name from the prop
erty list"
And what's a property ist?"
Listen to Simpson:
"When they cneck through the
list and don't find your name, they
simply add it. In other words,
you're no longer government
employe, you're government prop
erty."
Capt. Simpson, who resides at
$50 Rose Ave-, New DOrp, Con
Staten Island) related the stand
ing service joke about emplOye
longevity aboard the Army Corps
of Engineers steam lighter Cor
ham. He's skipper of the stubby
little ship, the jack-of- -all-trades
of the New York District.
He is the son of the late Charlie
Simpson of Wanchese, and he mar
ried the former Zella Daily of Bux-
ton. A brother, Jasper Simpson
lives in Manteo
The 54-year-old captain, who'll
celebrate his birthday next month,
long has been on the property list.
AS he recalled without any effort,
he has been with the corps thirty
three years, six months and three
days."
Sounds like man with an eye
on the calendar?
"Just a good memory" he says.
But in the same breath he'll admit
that Every probably" he will re-
tire next year, regretfully ending
career with the corps that goes
back to 1927.
Simpson spoke of his approach
ing retirement with a certain
amount of apprehension and mixed
feelings.
On one hand, he admitted he
would miss the service with it's Sc
curity, diversity of jobs, camarade-
RE and old friendships which sur
vived the years.
On the other hand, he looked
forward to the change. Not one
to sit idle, his eyes frightened
as he contemplated the horizon.
Skippering a yacht entering
private businessmen just vague
ideas, but sound job offers.
"In any event." he said, "I'll fol-
low the water"
Simpson has been following
the water" ever since he was II
and still in high school at Wanchese
on Roanoke Island. AS far back as
he can remember the men on his
paternal side had been seafarers.
His father was a fisherman and
boatman, and he spent summers
with him.
Otis S. Simpson left home in
1928 and joined the Engineers
Corps in Norfolk, as a motorboat
operator. However, this lasted only
six or seven months, and he join
ed the Coast Guard for year.
On leaving the service, he re-
turned to North Carolina where
he worked as commercial fisher
man and later as a ferryboat OPP
orator.
On Aug. Is, 1927, Simpson re-
Joined the corps-this time to stay.
He served aboard a dredge in the
Gulf of Mexico and later in Nor
folk, but the job kept him away
for long periods from his family.
Then in 1886 an opportunity to
live a normal family life present.
ed itself in New York, and Simp-
son moved here with his wife.
ZelIa, and their three children.
settling on Staten Island.
Simpson served on various ships
getting his first command in 1889
Today he holds masters ticket
for unlimited tonnage and pilot
licenses for most of the major
ports between Mexico and Canada.
He was given command of the
270-ton Gorham in 1945, and as he
says, "You name it; we do it."
The 115-foot lighter is one Of the
corps small fleet of ships thai
wages an unrelenting war against
driftwood and refuse found float,
ing-and sometimes sunken-in the
| harbor.
It differs from other ships
in the fleet in that it also de-
livers general supplies to dred-
ges and is used to grade newly
dredged areas. It also does con-
siderable towing and hosting
with its 45-foot-long, 12-ton der
, rick.
Unlike the larger Drift Master
which was designed especially fol
drift collecting, the Gorham use'
an auxiliary vessel. This collector Y
a small, catamarantype float tina
, scoops up refuse in mesh stee
net.
When the net is filled with abou
IL tons of refuse, it is dropped Of
, the deck of the Gorham and anothel
: net is lowered. Later the Gorhan
. SfaaYns To n concrete barpa anchor