State

Anecdotes of the Cape Fear A trip clow ii the river by noted W iliiiin^loii Chronicler. THE DRAM TREE Looking ahead to the farthest point in view, we distinguish an object, the passing of which was signalized in "ye olden time" by the popping of corks or by other demonstration of a convivial nature. It is an old cypress tree, moss- covered and battered by the storms of centuries. Like a grim sentinel, it stands to warn the out-going mariner that his voyage has begun, and to wel¬ come the in-coming storm-tossed sailor to the quiet harbor beyond. Its name is significant. It is called the Dram Tree, and it has borne this name for more than a hundred years. For fur¬ ther particulars see Captain Harper. OLD TOWN SETTLEMENT Passing Barnard's Creek on the East side, near which in the olden time were several valuable plantations, we come to Town Creek, where 800 colonists from Barbadoes, led by Sir John Ycamans. built a town in the year 1665 and called it Charlestown in honor of the reigning sovereign of England. King Charles II. Sir John had been a loyal adherent of the deposed King, and was re¬ warded upon the Restoration with the order of Knighthood and a royal grant of lands in Carolina. He is said to have been the first British Governor of Clarendon, which extended originally from Albemarle to St. Augustine, Florida. The settlement did not pros¬ per. In a few years the colonists aban¬ doned it and removed, some to Charleston. S. C.. others to Albemarle, in the North. Not a white man re¬ mained. and the river land continued in possession of the Indians for many years after. BIG ISLAND— RICE BIRDS About a mile below Old Town is Big Island, a tract of nearly 300 acres of rich alluvial soil, which the first voyagers to the Cape Fear in 1663 named Crane Island, and which is Note: Seventy -five yean aeo. James Sprunt, author of "Chronicles of the Cape Fear” made a boat trip down the Cape Fear from Wilmington to gel material for his "Tales of the Cape Fear.” Following arc extracts from that hook describing points of interest as they appeared at that time. charted by the United States Coast Survey as Campbell's Island. It was formerly a light-house station, but the light was discontinued during the late war and a battery erected in its place. There is a fortune in this island wait¬ ing for sonic enterprising truck farmer, as the State Geologist says it contains some of the richest lands in the South, that will never need ferti¬ lizing. Millions of fat rice birds roost here at night after preying upon the milky rice of the neighboring planta¬ tions during the day. It is estimated that these toothsome little pests de¬ vour 25 per cent of all the rice made on the Cape Fear. They appear every Fall together on the same day and de¬ part during a single night when the rice gets too hard for them. The planters have never been able to pro¬ tect their crops from the yearly ravages of these birds. Although a gang of boys and men are kept firing guns at them all day, a very small proportion of the immense droves is killed. For a dainty supper, a fat rice bird is per¬ haps the most delicious morsel that ever tickled the palate of an epicure. FIRST NAVIGATORS OF THE CAPE FEAR— The first reference made in history to Big Island is in the report of the Commissioners sent from Barbadoes in October. 1663. to explore the river Cape Fear. After describing the voyage to the Cape, they say that the channel is on the East side by the Cape shore, and that it lies close aboard the Cape land, being 18 feet at high water in the shal¬ lowest place in the channel, just at the entrance, but that as soon as this shallow place is passed, a half cable length inward, thirty and thirty-five feet water is found, which continues that depth for twenty-one miles, when the river becomes shallower until there is only twenty-feet depth running down to ten feet (where Wilmington now stands). These bold voyagers brought their vessel some distance higher than Wil¬ mington. and were much pleased with the land on the main river above Point Petrc. They found many Indians living on their plantations of corn, which were also well stocked with fat cattle and hogs stolen from the Massachusetts settlers of 1660 on the Cape opposite Orton Point. Game was very abun¬ dant. and fish was also plentiful. Dur¬ ing an expedition higher up in a small boat, they killed four swan, ten geese, ten turkeys, forty ducks, thirty-six paraquitos and seventy plover. They were attacked by Indians once; a display of fire-arms afterwards compelled the peaceful recognition of the natives. And when the ship reached Crane Island (now Big Is¬ land) on the return. Sunday. 29th November, 1663, they met the first ruler of the "Cape Fear Country." the Indian Chief Watcoosa. who sold the river and land to the Barbadians, An¬ thony Long. William Hilton and Peter Fabian. KING WATCOOSA AND HIS DAUGHTERS A ludicrous incident which the vir¬ tuous Barbadians took very seriously occurred during their negotiations. The King. Watcoosa, accompanied by forty lusty warriors, made a long speech to them, which, although unintelligible to the white men. was undoubtedly of a peaceful nature, as he indicated by pantomime that he would cut off the heads of any of his people who at¬ tempted to injure them, and in testi¬ mony of his goodwill, at the conclusion THE STATE. January 21. 1961 13