S.A.L.magundi [1896 : January, v.1 : no.10]

Devoted to the Seaboard Air Line, and the Agricultural and Industrial Interests of the South. VOLUME S. A. L. PORTSMOUTH, VA„ JANUARY, 1896. NUMBER 10. Seaboard Air Line a gold medal-first prize. NEW FARMING CONDITIONS. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT R. C. HOFFMAN, - - President Baltimore, mo. E. ST. JOHN, - - Vice-President PORTSMOUTH, VA. L. R. WATTS, - General Counsel Portsmouth, Va. W. W. CHAMBERLAINE, - Comptroller Portsmouth, Va. JOHN H. SHARP, - - Treasurer Portsmouth, Va. J. B. MARTIN, - - General Auditor Portsmouth, Va. J. A. WALTON, - - Auditor Disbursements Portsmouth, Va. J. M. SHERWOOD, - - Auditor Receipts Portsmouth, Va. W. F. TUCKER, .... Paymaster Portsmouth, Va. Tne Seaboard Air Line Captures the Cake at the Atlanta Exposition. The Jury of awards at the Cotton States Inter¬ national Exposition at Atlanta, after due considera¬ tion, felt 'justified In bestowing upon the Seaboard A ra Line a Gold Medal (first prize), for its superior exhibit of agricultural products, and a Silver Medal (second prize), for its agricultural and mineral ex¬ hibits. This recognition of the efforts of President Hoff¬ man and Vice-President E. St. John to present to the world such a showing as would best illustrate the capacities, achievements and possibilities of the Im¬ perial domain tributary to their great railway system, is an official compliment to those gentlemen which they appreciate with feelings of the liveliest satisfac¬ tion. Nor will this verdict of a dispassionate Jury be less gratifying to the people of North Carolina espe¬ cially (who furnished the great majority of exhibits:, as well as those of South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia toward the merchant. He does not stand arrayed - | against the merchant and curse and howl against him, Poor Whites Find nmploymcnt In Cities. Enlarging the but on lho contrary he recognizes the relation of hlm- Market for Truck Supplies. The Best Whiles are now Cultivating Farms with the Aid of HOME OF A PENNSYLVANIA SETTLER AT SOUTHERN PINES, SEABOARD AIR LINE. OPERATING DEPARTMENT JOHN H. WINDER. - - General Manager Portsmouth, Va. WM. T. REED, - Supt. Motive Power and Machinery Portsmouth. Va. T. W. WHISNANT, - Superintendent xst Division Portsmouth. Va. WM. MONCURE, - Superintendent ad Division Portsmouth. Va V. E. McBEE, - Supt. 3d Division and General Agent Atlanta. Ga. CARROLL H. SMITH, - - - General Agent Portsmouth, Va. W. W. GWATHMEY, JR. - - Chief Engineer Portsmouth. Va. G. P. JOHNSON, - Superintendent Car Service Portsmouth, Va. W. J. EDWARDS, - - General Storekeeper Portsmouth, Va. CHAS. HOLDR1DGE, - - - - Car Inspector Raleigh. N. C. TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT H. W. B. GLOVER, - - - Traffic Manager Portsmouth, Va. GEO. L. RHODES. - General Agent Portsmouth. Va. T. J. ANDERSON, - - General Passenger Agent Portsmouth. Va. C. R. CAPPS, - - - General Freight Agent Portsmouth. Va. R. I. CHEATHAM, - - Division Freight Agent Atlanta. Ga. J. W, WILSON, - - - Claim and Trace Agent Portsmouth. Va. B. A. NEWLAND, - General Agent Pass. Department Atlanta, Ga. PASSENGER AND FR E I G HT AG E NTS A. B. FARNSWORTH. - Gen. Eastern Pass. Agent 287 Broadway. N. Y. O. H. KROH, - - Traveling Passenger Agent 287 Broadway. N. Y. H. P. SHOEMAKER. - Soliciting Passenger Agent 287 Broadway. N. Y. CHAS. I. MALONE. - Eastern Freight Agent 287 Broadway, N. Y. J. P. MURRAY. - - Soliciting Freight Agent 287 Broadway. N. Y. JOS. STRANG. - New England Trav. Passenger Agent 306 Washington street. Boston. Mass. WM. W. TULL, - - New England Agent 306 Washington street. Boston, Mass. H. L. ELKINS. . Agent 53 South Third street, Philadelphia, Pa. T. A. HICKEY, - - - Soliciting Agent f>3 South Third street. Philadelphia. Pa. CHAS. L. LONGSHORE. - - Passenger Agent 53 South Third street. Philadelphia, Pa. P. B. THOMPSON, .... Agent 207 East German street. Baltimore. Md. CHAS. F. HEDDINGER. - Soliciting Freight Agent 207 East German street. Baltimore. Md. H. M. BOYKIN. - Soliciting Freight and Pass. Agent 830 East Main St.. Richmond. Va. R. J. PARKE, - - - General Agent Room I. No. 601 Pennsylvania ave.. Washington. D.O. J. W. BROWN. JR.. - - City Passenger Agent Norfolk, Va. GEORGE McP. ВАТТЕ. - Traveling Passenger Agent Portsmouth, Va. F. P. JARVIS, - - Soliciting Freight Agent Norfolk. Va. E. D. KYLE. - - - Soliciting Freight Agent Fayetteville, N. C. H. S. LEARD, - Soliciting Freight and Pass. Agent Raleigh, N. C. K. S. FINCH. - Soliciting Freight and Pass. Agent Charlotte. N. C. TIIOS. D. MEARES. - General Agent Wilmington. N. C. PALMER TENNANT, Soliciting Frt. and Pass. Agent Augusta, Ga. J. N. WRIGHT. - Soliciting Freight and Pass. Agent Laurens. S. C. W. B. CLEMENTS. - Traveling Passenger Agent No. 6 Kimball Mouse. Atlanta. Ga. E. J. WALKER. - City Ticket and Passenger Agent No. 6 Kimball House, Atlanta. Ga. F. M. FREE MONT. - Soliciting Freight Agent Equitable Building. Atlanta, Ga. О. M. SPARKS. - - Traveling Freight Agent Equitable Building. Atlanta. Ga. .1. G. RAMEY. - Soliciting Freight and Pass. Agent Rome. Ga. J. II. GRIFFIN. - Soliciting Freight and Pass. Agent Montgomery. Ala. E. C. MAHONEY, - Traveling Frt. and Pass. Agent Macon. Ga. W. A. PKLOT. - Contracting Frt. and Pass. Agent 156 E. BavSt.. Charleston. S. C. W. H. KNOX. - Soliciting Freight and Pass. Agent Nashville. Tenn. B. S. TERHDNE. - - - Commercial Agent Room 5. Fosdick Building. Cincinnati. Ohio. Ы. I. NORVELL. - - Commercial Agent Room -107 Merchants' Exchange, St. Louis. Mo. R. H. TATE. - Southwestern Frt. and Pass. Agent 303 Camp street, New Orleans. La. I. N. WISNER, - Traveling Passenger Agent Houston. Texas. all of whom will derive a proportional measure of last¬ ing benefit from so creditable a display of their enter¬ prise and resources. In this connection the name of John T. Patrick, the superintendent in charge, must not he omitted from the list of honored beneficiaries. On that gentleman rested the exclusive responsibility for the arrange¬ ment In general and detail of the Seaboard Am Link exhibit. The work of collecting material was a slow and arduous task, involving quires of correspondence, personal visits to scores of places and firms, and an endless amount of energy, patience and perseverance. 1 Still more exacting and exhausting was the actual all- day-and-night labor required to look after the various shipments in transit, and as they arrived, and put them in presentable shape for the opening day. The writer happens to know of his own personal knowledge with what zeal and untiring assiduity Mr. Patrick devoted himself to the work. A man less in- I domitable and courageous, laboring under so many I obvious disadvantages, would have succumbed to the j extraordinary pressure on nerves, brain and muscle. , He "got there." however, all the same, on time. The gold medal in this Instance Is not less an en¬ during token and testimonial of services faithfully I performed than an emblem of success. Very properly 1 it was awarded to the Seaboard Air Line, but if any one is' entitled to wear It. Mr. Patrick is the man. Palmam qui meruit, feral. Among visitors to the Exposition was a party of some seventy-five members of the North Dakota Press Association, with their wives, sons and daughters. They arrived Colored Labor. The Change Beneficial to All Claeses. Cotton no Longer the Money Crop of tho South. We copy with pleasure an article contributed to the Charlotte Observer over the signature. " Farm Boy" —evidently no misnomer, for he writes from a practi¬ cal knowledge of his subject. What lu- says of Mecklen¬ burg county Is. however, equally applicable to other portions of North Carolina, and in a greater or less de¬ gree to all parts of the south. A revolution is In prog¬ ress both in business methods and In farming. While there Is an amazing industrial growth, agriculture still maintains Its lead among those activities of develop¬ ment which promote the happiness and prosperity of all classes of people. It Is not alone the Mecklenburg farmers who are now “living happily and making money." Within the last few years there has been a de¬ cided change in farm life in Mecklenburg and adjoin¬ ing counties. Five years ago all was cotton; nothing else shared the time and labor of the farmer; but to¬ day this is not true; cotton is only one of many money crops. Five years ago factories were Just beginning to be built in numbers; white farm labor .was still an important country element; and the owners of farms had begun to move to town. All of this changed in a short while. The factories began to be numerous and the white farm laborer or renter came to town to place his children and "women folks" in the factories. Before this move was begun, the poorer class of whites sought employment on the farms, and it was a rare thing to see a white wage hand or day laborer, but In¬ stead he was a renter— he worked the crop for a part. Some could be found who worked an ox farm ; others, who worked as much as a five or six-horse farm— it was governed by the number of children of working age he had. These renters lived a shifting, moving life— this year he was here and next year 100 miles away. Such a thing as clearing and saving money was unknown to him. All that was asked was plenty of the best that was going to eat and a scanty supply of clothes. Few of them attended church, and still fewer sent their children to school, even to the public schools. The children were kept in the fields from tender years till they had become of age. Sometimes they attended school a few weeks in August. THIS STATE OF AFFAIRS NO LONG KH EXISTS. No longer can you find this class of whites on farms In large numbers, hut you will find them In thousands in the towns, working in the mills. Thousands of women and children who four years ago hoed In cotton fields are now filling places in the cotton mills; while many of their fathers, husbands, brothers or sons are filling the mechanics’ or the machinists' shops: while some of the men live idle, shiftless lives, and live from the hire of their children and women. It is a sad fact to state that droves of able-bodied men loaf on the streets ami in the bar rooms and pool rooms while their wives and children are working day and night in the cotton mills to earn a livelihood for themselves and their trifling fathers or husbands. When this throng went from the farm to the town and the country was fairly well drained of the class the only ones left to till the farms were the while land owner and the negro. Now the cotton and corn that years before had been raised bv the poorer class of whites must he raised by the best whites and the I self to the merchant, and remembers that they are brothers traveling the same road, and that they will at last come to the same end. The calamity howler has not poured his bitter tale into his ear. His head and mind are free from the foulness that arrays one class, or one section, against another. A man of ability and prominence expressed a truth the other day when he said: "If you go to any meeting, religious, political or what not. and find some of Mecklenburg's best farmers ••MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND.” It was to the Inspiring and pathetic strains of this favorite song that the delegation of troops and vete¬ ran firemen from Baltimore debarked from the steam¬ ers at the seaboard Am Line landing in Portsmouth, on the morning of the 5th ult., en route for the Atlanta Exposition, The sea voyage on the Bay Line steam¬ ers, including an appetizing cuisine and a good night's rest, had refreshed them for the ride by rail and Its accompanying social festivities. There were 1.000 men in all, comprising the Fourth and Fifth regiments, the Naval reserves and the Veteran Firemen's association. there, you may call it a good meeting, held for a good Though the elements were not favorable, as a brisk purpose, and one that will result In good to the peo* snow storm was In progress when they reached Ports- ple." It is true. ; mouth, this fact did not dampen their ardor nor the attended the Atlanta Exposition— great droves of them have gone and spent days there; some have even gone twice. Whole families have attended. As Charlotte builds, Mecklenburg county builds— the one Is essential to the other. The country people are the back bone of the town, and Charlotte has a good one. It is growing stronger day by day. The harmony that exists between-the town and the country Is greater to-day than yesterday, and It will continue till the kingdom come. _ AN ERROR IN FIGURES CORRECTED. The following extract from a letter to Mr. E. St. John, vice-president of the Seaboard Aik Line, writ¬ ten by an editorial correspondent of the Chicago Inter Ocean, explains itself. It Is of date November 23 ult. : "lam greatly obliged for your inquiry regarding the corn crop of North Carolina. The figures did not look right to me, but I thought that the drought had cut down the crop. Had 1 gone back to the first of the season and figured the yield from the start, the result would have been different I have taken them up and find that Instead of North Carolina having 29,854,000 bushels, as Indicated at first, it has 36.781,000 bushels. The error was not my own, but that of one of the most careful statisticians here. Had a thorough analysis of the details been made it would negroes. This Is the condition of affair» to-day. Ju*t have been discovered. I was surprised al them, and before this move began, quite the reverse seemed ini- | thonghl you would be. mlnent. The best whites were beginning to move to The acreage in North Carolina this year increased own. as a place to live, while their farms were worked 2 percent ,)Ver tho previous one. and was 2, 508, BOO acres, by the poorer whites and the negro. The once Jarge South carol, na had i,a»,aoo acres, an Increase of 7 per •cut. Georgia had 8,244,000 acres, an Increase of 8 per A CHOIR OF COLORED WARBLERS WHO ACCOMPANIED JOHN T. PATRICK ON A RECENT PROSELYTING TRIP NORTH. city and country a mutdal iielp. | entliusiastic welcome that awaited them. A section of A fact that will prove that the farmers in and about 1 Grimes battery in front of the Seaboard Air Line Charlotte are doing well. Is that so many of them have 1 building vociferated loudly the cordial greeting, and at Atlanta on the 4th ult.. In time to es¬ cape the ter¬ rors of that ugly storm which began somewhere in southwestern Texas; scur¬ ried up the Mississippi valley, whoop¬ ing like mad: did u j) the trolley and street car sys¬ tems of Chi¬ cago. wreck¬ ing numerous vessels in Lake Michi¬ gan; raised particular hob In Cleve¬ land and Tol¬ edo, unroofing houses; piled up huge drifts of snow in northern New York; tore telegraph lines, blocked railway trav¬ el and com¬ mitted mill¬ ions of dol¬ lars’ worth of mischief be¬ fore It settled down In the lap of toler¬ ably decent weather. Some of the Dakota party (we note as stated) ex¬ pressed the intention of spending the winter months there and of becoming permanent residents if the climate suited. Those of the party who return— when the next blizzard winged gale swoops down on them from the north— will cast longing regrets at Atlanta, and wish they had stayed there with the more fortunate ones. THE “LION'S HEAD,” SEABOARD AIR LINE. farms were to be cut into small farms and rented out. But the tide turned and all this was reversed, and now' many well-to-do men are leaving the towns and going to the country as a most desirable place to live, better and moke scientific farming. The tendency is now for the retired moneyed man. and man of pleasure, to buy a farm and live happy; the tendency Is toward educated farmers, hence better and more scientific farming will be the result. The panic has educated thousands of persons; it has taught them to be economical and to vary their crops; It cent. Virginia had L 685,600 acres, or the same as -in 1804. The correction In North Carolina makes the crop 6,521,000 bushels more than last, and of the four states, North and South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. 129.- 556,000 bushels, or 10.520,000 bushels more than in 1894. The figures were made up from percentages furn¬ ished by thedepartmentof agriculture at Washington. They are issued at different periods, and we put them together and make a comprehensive statement of them. , , , . As they are Issued they arc of little account until thev taught them that cotton was not the only crop they „ gurcd nut. , a,„ greatlv ,)bliged you for calUng could raise. And as a great result, on the streets of attention to them. It shows how easy It Is for one Charlotte and neighboring towns, wagon loads of truck lo make an err„r handllng a ot „gureSf and can be seen From one wagon the writer has seen sold alK„ hmv qulckly a pract,cal eye can detect anything the same day, fine Jersey butter, pork, chickens and thal Jf. wron„ •• ' * turkeys, turnips, peas, fruits and other garden prod¬ ucts; corn, cotton, potatoes and hams. It Is not an unusual thing to see a country wagon loaded with a great variety of farm products— wagons that five years ago*hauled nothing but cotton to sell, to buy flour, meal and meat with. There Is no veget¬ able suited to this climate that Is not now raised arid marketed around Charlotte. King Cotton no longer stands out as the one and only money crop. It is, of course, the main crop, and will continue to be, but there are many other crops that now divide time and attention with it. There are many causes for this change; the main cause was the panic and the low price of cotton; but one cause, and a main one, of so much garden truck being raised is that the former farming families, who now are working in the factories, buy It with eager¬ ness. The farmer has found that he has soil that will produce anything and a market that calls for all that HAPPY AND INDEPENDENT FARMERS. Col. F. W. Kerchner returned recently from a trip through Bladen. Robeson and Richmond counties In this state, and Chesterfield. Darlington and Marion counties In South Carolina. In a. subsequent conver¬ sation with a representative of the Wilmington Me*- eevoer, he said that the people generally, and farmers especially, of the several sections he visited, had ne%-er been in better financial condition since the war. They are out of debt, and with corn cribs full, a plenty of fat hogs and poultry and some cash cotton on hand, there reigns in many a humble oountry home a happl- . ness that for years past has not been known. The con- I dltions of their homes, farms, fences and ditches, as observed during a long buggy ride, also showed a marked improvement. These results are only in part explained by the the mutual hand shaking with the visitors and crowd of citizens attracted by the occasion was as cordial as it was general. There were seven special trains of a dozen first-class coaches, each In readiness, and they were a splendid sight to behold, all newly caparisoned anil decorated with the oriole colors and lettered In¬ signia. It was evident that no pains nor expense had been spared by the official management to make the trip not merely comfortable, but an unusually delight¬ ful one in all respects— a " red letter day" to be long remembered— and such It proved. The different trains left after an Interval of delay always more or less in¬ cident to the transport of so large a body of excur¬ sionists (In this instance caused by the storm which he will produce. He Is no longer a slave to cotton, but strict economy practiced the past few years. They arc free to raise a great variety of crops with profit. chiefly due to the fact that farmers of late have made farming is тик "ideal LIFE." i their own bread, meat, potatoes, fodder and molasses Right at this time the farm in Mecklenburg county ' on their farms, and are keeping clear of liens on their affords the greatest opening for a young, well educated property and debts. Prices of land are advancing. man that could be asked for; it is the place to make money; It is where education is needed; it is where pleasure can be had at the least sacrifice; it is where religion can be enjoyed and where children can be raised to the best advantage. In fact. It Is the ideal life. and on all sides can be seen old homes undergoing re¬ pairs, and new ones in process of erection. The trucking district directly tributary to Norfolk - Portsmouth employs 10,000 hands steadily and as high It Is the best whites and the negro— the negro Is Just as 25,000 hands during various portions of the year. as essential as the soil. There are no happier people on the earth than Mecklenburg county's farmers— farm¬ ers who from year to year are making a good substan¬ tial living -plenty to eat and plenty to wear. With a church near by and a good preacher to hear; with a school in hearing distance of their homes, and bright children to attend It, they cannot help being happy. They are as happy as the negro that strolls from farm to farm on a moonshlny night, attending the corn shuckings and drinking the good ** mountain dew." His life has reached the ideal whenever he can make every¬ thing, except a few clothes, that he needs at home. The stranger can tell that a Mecklenburg farmer is happy to see him on the streets of Charlotte. He sees his bright face, his happy smile and his good feeling gain in importance. The number in the fish and oyster business Is 12.000. Railroad men. navy yard men and factory hands reach nearly 6,000. This army of wage earners put into cir¬ culation here, say 8100,000 or more, on an average per week, or 85,000,000 per annum. The enterprising citizens of Winston, the great to¬ bacco mart, are already agitating the feasibility of having a tobacco exposition in that place next autumn. The Mcesenyer believes it would not only be helpful to local tobacconists, but of benefit to the tobacco Inter¬ ests of the state and of this section. Great crowds would be attracted. Winston and its manufacturers would be handsomely advertised. The market would THE THREE WEIRD SISTERS, SEABOARD Ailt LINE. impeded the timely arrival of the steamers) and pro¬ ceeded about twenty minutes apart Ы their destina¬ tion. The tracks of the great Seaboard highway had been cleared and every precaution was taken to In¬ sure safety to the travelers, while their comfort, con¬ venience and enjoyment in every way possible was looked after by General Passenger Agent Anderson and his assistants in charge. At each stopping point along the line the soldiers and veterans had a rousing recep¬ tion. which culminated at Atlanta In an ovation that could not have been otherwise than gratifying. Capt. H. Brown, of Wadesboro, has the best clover patch In Anson county, which perhaps explains the fact that he owns a Jersey cow that gives five gallons daily of rich milk. Тпв largest general cargo shipped from New Or¬ leans in a single vessel was carried on the 2d ult. by the British steamship American which cleared from that port to Liverpool carrying 15,840 bales <»f cotton, 131,468 bushels of hulk corn, 12.300 feet of oak lumber. 65.800 pounds of cotton seed, 7.794 sacks of cotton seed meal, 5.970 oak staves. 837 cases of prawns, 172 cases of tongues, 1,000 packages of lard and 250 cases of meats. The same date witnessed the departure of the steamer Ahbil lor Bremen from that port with 13.972 bales of cotton. These two vessels consequently carried away 29,812 bales of cotton.