4 . ■ . Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 14 August '85

Kept Light Burning 30 Years

For most people, even the most vigorous shaking of the family tree is unlikely to reveal an ancestor who was both literally and figuratively a beacon to his community Not so Edwin Mace Hewitt, an artist who lives in Wildwood Crest. A first cousin of his grandfather, one Capt Freeling Hewitt, became the keeper of the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse in 1878. and kept the light burning for 30 years Capt Hewitt succeeded John March, who held the post less than three months before he drowned at sea i history does not record who was minding the light house while March was braving the waves), and John Nick, who maintained the lighthouse for four years. ItURING Capt Hewitt's tenure, the first religious service on Five Mile Beach was-held in IK7H. when the fishermen!* families gathered for a Baptist service In Wildwood. Middle of the Island, by George Buyer. copyright 1976. Mrs Jeannette DuBois Meooh. wifeol a prominent Baptist minister of the time and a devout churchwoman, recounts years later "It was held in the light house parlor under direction of Hewitt, who has kept the Hereford light hurniitg for 30 years, and for the same length of time has held up the Light of the World.in that community " CAI'TAIN Hewitt had two daughters. Mis.s-Broox le Hewitt and Mrs. Lena Hewitt Burns, whose husband was a doctor. Both girls grew up in the

Hereford I Jghthou.se Their portraits were donated to the Cape May County Historical and Genealogical Musuem in Court House by Elanor Gross of North Wildwood UPON hearing that the house where Capt. Hewitt and his family lived after he retired from his duties as lighthouse keeper was to Ik- demolished, Mrs. Gross salvaged the pictures of the daughters The house was located behind the First Baptist Church in Anglesea. Captain Freeling Hewitt's first cousin. Edwin S. Hewitt, the present Edwin Hewitt's grand father, served two terms as Mayor of North Wildwood.

in 1888 and 1894 He became Collector and Treasurer in 1890, and Assessor in 1885, according to Lewis Stevens' "History of Cape May County." 1897. ► THE HEREFORD Lighthouse was established by the U.S. Live Saving Service at Hereford Inlet in 1874. The U.S. Government took over all privately operated lifesaving stations in 1871, and established the Life Saving Service to operate them. In 1915, the Life Saving Services were combined as the present Coast Guard, according to the World Booh Encyclopedia. The United States Lighthouse Service is under the Coast Guard.

; i ryr>PEEK INTO PAST — Edwin M. Hewitt of Wildwood Crest poses with original handmade beacon from Hereford Inlet Lighthouse and portraits of Capt. Freeling Hewitt, first cousin of his grandfather, who became keeper of lighthouse in 1878. and Capt. Hewitt's daughters. Miss Krooxie Hewitt and Mrs. Lena Hewitt Burns.

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Transfer Tax Hike to Fund Beach Care?

MILL VI LITE - A painless — or at least not generally dolorous — way of solving the thorny problem of funding shore protection has been devised by state Sen. James R. Hurley. R-Capc May, Cumberland. Hurley's proposal, in legislation which he will introduce would add 50 cents per $500 to the real estate transfer tax in New Jersey which would be dedicated to shore protection. Tne im post. Hurley says, will earn as much as $16 million annually. THE CURRENT levy is $1.75 per $500 on property sold for under $150,000 and $2.50 per $500 for property sold for $150,000 or more. The addition of a 50 cent per $500 charge to the realty transfer tax would increase closing costs on a $100,000 home by $100 "Our past record of funding for beach protection has been poor." Hurley said. ' Considering the state gets alrtiost $10 billion annually from tourism — a large portion of which is generated at the shore — we cannot afford to sit idly by and watch a valuable economic and environmental resource be swept away by the tides. "EVEN WITH the addi tion of 50 cents, the real estate transfer tax in New Jersey is a bargain when compared to our neighbor ing states." Hurley said "In Pennsylvania, it is 1 percent, which translates to $5 per $500, and in Delaware it is 2 percent, or $10 per $500." According to Gerald D Silliphant. director and legislative budget officer of the* state's Division of Budget and Program review, a 50-cent hike in the realty transfer tax. based on revenues raised in fiscal year 1984. could raise $16.03 million a year for shore protection "WE MUST establish a stable source of beach pro tection funding before nature solves the problem for us by eroding our beaches away into the sea." Hurley "This proposal. I believe, will garner braod based support without adding an unfair burden to any one segment of the population " The added housing cost "is a small price to pay insure the future of one of our most valuable resources," Hurley said, "and it is a resource that is enjoyed by everyone throughout the state, which is why I t believe that everyone in * New Jersey has a stake in its continued viability " SOME OF the other proposals that have been put forward as a means of establishing a stable fund for beach protection include. —a 2 percent tax on room rentals at shore communities;

—increasing beach badge fees and then dedicating that increase to a beach erosion fund; —using a portion of the sales tax generated at shore communities for this purpose; —creating some kind of authority with the power to issue bonds for beach repairs; and —presenting larger bond issues to the voters to fund beach erosion projects over a number of years "ALL OF these alternatives have been discussed on state and local levels." Hurley said, "but there has always been some kind of basic disagreement that has kept them from becoming reality. He said he feels support for the realty transfer tax could enable it to become a reality. "I have spoken to several members of the real estate profession and they see no problem. with this proposal since it would be providing funds for a worthwhile project of benefit to the whole state." Hurley said "We really can't delay raising these funds any longer; the winds and tides are against us." ACCORDING TO Silliphant. the realty transfer tax is tied directly to the economy of the state and to interest rates and therefore the revenue can change from year to year, rising in good periods when interest rates afce declining and falling when interest rates are rising. He estimates that the revenues for 1985, for example. will be 20 percent

higher than those collected in fiscal year 1984. "There is general agreement. however, that fiscal year 1984 appears to be a middle year with respect to revenue collections," Silliphant wrote in a letter to Huley. "Therefore, it provides a reasonable perspective to the revenue potential on an annual basis over an extended period of time." OF THE TOTAL real estate transfer tax collected. 50 cents per $500 is returned to the counties. In fiscal year 1984, the 21 counties in New Jersey received $16,030,135 from this tax which would mean if there were an additional 50 cents for beach protection. a like amount would have gone into this fund. In the late 1970s, funds for beach protection, which weren't great to begin with, began to dry up to the point where, in 1977, New Jersey spent only $42,000 to protect its coastline. "Six year later," Hurleysaid. "the voters of this state approved a $50 million bond issue, which I sponsored, for shore protection in 1983. • HOWEVER, tlfis amount is still not enough," he added. "The Army Corps of Engineers estimated in 1980 that it would cost the state $?24 million to protect our beaches." Additionally. Hurley said, the bond issue route is a "one-shot deal." "In order to adequately protect our beaches." he concluded. "We must have a stable and reliable source of funding."

. Don* Ward Bl-GGY RIDES — Matt Gilbert. 12. gives his friend a pat while they wait for riders Saturday for Beverly Carr's Carriage Co. Gilbert, the son of Mr. and Mrs.' Robert Gilbert of West Cape May. is helping Carr this summer.