State

THE STATE March 31, 1934 THE OLD DRAM TREE ★ FRANK Л. MONTGOMERY. Jr. ★ THERE'S ли old. moss-covered cypress that stands on the east¬ ern hank of the lower Cape Fear, and for as long as men have sailed this historic, waterway it has served seamen as a friendly and familiar landmark. Both a promise and a warn¬ ing to the men who go “down to the sea in ships,” the proud old sentinel has stood guard at this chosen spot since the days when Sir John Yeamans and his willing crew rode the muddy waters that gave it birth. The same breezes that fanned its green boughs sang through the rigging of furtive, low-hulled pirate ships and, later, as those brigands of the water¬ ways disappeared from the coastal sections, the same proud crest noddl'd a friendly greeting to the bold mer¬ chantmen from far across the seas. Through summer storms and many a wintry blizzard the old tree has Stood firm, unyielding, until it has come to occupy a place in the Carolina “hall of fame” that is as firm and sure as that of the section where it grows. It is not a pretty tree, measured by the somewhat biased standards of beauty as we know them; its gnarled, weatherbeaten old branches are too seared and marked by the ravages of time for that. But still, in its proud, austere mien as it stands in lonely vigil upon the river shore, there is some¬ thing that draws the eye— that holds the attention. It is something apart IT stands on the cost shore of the Cope Fcor River, neor Wilmington, and for more than two centuries it has been о landmark for maritime folks. First sight of the old tree wos о signol for captains of vessels to issue a dram of grog to the men, and thot's how the old tree got its name— the "drom tree." - * - from the history that permeates its rugged form ; some quality that is dif¬ ficult to define. Perhaps it is the wav¬ ing banners of gray moss that clothe the broken limbs, or the measure of respect one instinctively feels for the very aged. Who can say? Two hundred years ago, when white settlers l>egan to dribble into the Cape Fear section of North Carolina, a cus¬ tom prevailed among seafaring men that was as unfailing in practice as the furling of .sails or the call of the cook from the galley. It was the cus¬ tom of serving grog to the sailors— the portioning out of a dram of whis¬ key or rum. To this little custom is the old “Dram Tree” indebted for its cognomen. For, when the incoming vessels hove in sight of the erookiil old cypress standing out in sharp relief from its fellows along the shore line, they know without prompting that the "end of the road’’ for that particular voyage was in sight. Two miles on lay Wil¬ mington, their objective. Thus it was Page Five that the men wen* invariably issued their dram of grog. Л similar cere¬ mony wns carried out on the return journey out to sea, and then, instead of a symbol of welcome to the seamen, the old tree gave solemn warning a warning of ]>crilous days to come when once the bar had Imtii crossed and the ship stood out to sea. So it came to be that wherever sailor men gathered, whether it lie in the harbor in Wilmington or some port far from the Cape Fear regions, the famous old cypress was known ns the “Dram Tree.” Gradually its fame spread, until, at last, the storm-swept tree became synonymous with Wil¬ mington and the Cape Fear River. Crews of many a New England clip¬ per ship learned of the old “Dram Tree,” ami carried its story with them not only to their home ports in the north, but also to all the seven seas. Often, it has been told, the old tree was used as a refuge — once by a young man who escaped from n British gun¬ boat during the Revolution and hid among its thick branches until an op¬ portunity presented itself to proceed to Wilmington. And once by a young girl, wife of a Cape Fear planter, who escaped from a pirate crew which had abducted her from up the river, until rescueil by an avenging husband. The ancient tree is approximately two miles down stream from Wilming¬ ton, and is located upon a sort of promontory where the Cape Fear makes a turn. From towards the city limits it is sharply outlined against the water, and appears to be growing far out into the stream. Likewise, ap¬ proaching the city on the water, it appears silhouetted against the yellow river, so that it is an outstanding land¬ mark. As to its age, no one knows. But it hns been mentioned and has been known to stand there for nearly two centuries. Only the hardy may reach it from the land, or shoreward side, as it is cut off from high land by an almost impenetrable river swamp. Dr. James Sprunt, widely-read his¬ torian of the lower Cape Fear, has paid much tribute to the old “Drain Tree” in his numerous and exhaustive works on the section. To him, as a one-time member of the crew of a Confederate blockade runner, it was more than a symbol; it was, in fact a friend, and he seemed always to re¬ serve a sort of hallowed spot in his memory for the proud old cypress.