The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1960-12-30

essential difference was simple:
The Germans turned the entire
house around to face the sail into
the wind and the Dutch merely
turned the roof and for this they
had device not unlike the tail ro-
TOR of modern helicopter. The
Dutch windmill automatically turn
ed into the wind and the Germanz
had to get down and swing the en-
tire structure, which turned upon
massive wheel set at the end of
a strut.
Many Sources.
Why the German type windmill
was adapted to the villages Of the
Outer Banks no man can now say.
There is a lot that no man can say,
with any definiteness, about the
development of these early power
plants. Nobody has been able to
set forth any generally acceptable
theory as to where the mill stones
came from. There is just no record
that l have been able to discover
and biologists who have examined
specimens of the stones say they
came from many sources. Some OF
them are definitely European, some
of New England, some from those
curious stone quarries n Craven
and Onslow counties where the
formation in its natural state can
be cut with an ordinary knife and,
after exposure to the air, it hardens
to a flinty fixity.
From my very earliest recollec-
ton the grist mill has been domi-
nant interest. This was the first
powered thing that I ever saw and
when I came to this Island first
now 80 years ago, I brought with
me a sort of conditioned wonder
about where they got their grind
ing done. Since / began residence
here / have continued in wonder
about and have from time to time
made tentative inquiries of an OBJ
lique sort. I had long since
learned that direct inquiry serves
no sensible purpose anywhere.
W'ndmills, yes, there used to bt
windmills. But nobody, somehow
remembered very much about them
But in this region you learn patti
ence and you get to know that
sometime, the thing will appear
But it never had occurred to me
that would owe so profound
debt to the late DIR. Collier Cobb
or that I might begin to know him
anew on a somewhat casual visit
to the Mariners Museum in New.
port News, where Dudley Bagley
and l had gone for a days out
ing.
There Was Picture.
Casually enough John Lockhead
the librarian there, got out some Of
he Collier Cobb pictures, made
from negatives done on visits Il
the Outer Banks beginning back
lin the late 1S80s. And there wa.
the windmill picture, which appear
herewith. Lockhead gave me
print of it, or rather we TRADED
for one. He has added to an al
ready magnificent collection some
stuff of my own done in this coun
try during the past IS years. DR.
Cobb had, insofar as I have beer
able to discover, taken the only
picture in existence Of Nortf
Carolina windmill.
And with that picture I wen
very casually about the Island. II
every village, when anybody of thu
age Of 10 or above saw the picture
he began to remember the wind
mills in this village or that.
Up in Avon a good dozen old
timers recognized the picture u
the Bateman Miller mill. Som
were of the opinion that it nigh
have been the Farrow Scarborough
mill also in Avon. Nearer home
in Buxton, Kit Midgett's, when HI
came down from the attic will
Garfield's preserved horns - Gar
field was fabulous OK curren
in Capt. Midgett's boyhood - HI
was sure that it must be one O
the two windmills that were in thii
village. Rocky Robinson was SUR
that it was the mill down in Fris
co-"or one just like it."
And SO the story-the stories
began to come tumbling out O.
their long hiding, their forgotten
ness. There was this one abou