Raleigh's Expedition Visits Williamston
Group Travels Up
Roanoke Looking
For Gold In 1585
Led by Ralph Lane, Party
Was Attacked and Re
turned to Island
While interest in Sir Walter
Raleigh's expeditions is centered
around the Lost Colony, jit is ap
parent that the early explorers
wandered great distances from
the Island. Official records tell of
an adventure by Ralph Lane and
a party from the Island j up the
Roanoke River in 1885. In Halyut's
Voyages, embraced in Porchase's
history, an account says Lane
traveled 120 miles from the Island
up the Roanoke in search of gold,
that he was attacked by Indians
and after a stay of one night the
party took to their boats and made
a hurried retreat to Roanoke Is
land.
In 1866 another historian, ap
parently basing his story on the
accoun|t referred to, wrote the fol
lowing;
During the stay of Lane, Mona
tenon, chief of the Chowanokes,
awed by the presence of a race so
superior as the English, and anx
ious to be rid of such neighbors,
began to plot against them.
He cunningly observed the pas
sions of the English; and finding
that the great object of all their
researches was gold, he framed
ingenious stories, calculated to
confirm them in their delusive
hopes concerning the proximity
BIG LOAD
You get a food Idea at
what's back of Just one boat
load of food from this story
that Triple-A Chief Fred S.
Wallace likes to tell.
"A ship sailed for Ireland
the other day," he begins. "It
was Just an average cargo
ship. It carried dried and
evaporated milk, cheese, dried
eggs, canned and cured pork,
lard, flour and canned vege
tables.
"In that ship was the pro
duction of these foods for one
whole year from 3AM aver
age American farms . .
of the southern seas, and the great
abundance of the precious metals.
A tale, romantic and smacking
of eastern fancy, was invented in
relation to the Maratock, now
Roanoke River; a stream which, i
it was alleged, arose far towards
the setting sun, its fountain source
gushing from a huge rock so near
to the great ocean that the waters
of the spring were often embit- '
tered with the salt spray of the 1
sea. The banks of the river, ac
cording to this account, were peo
pled with rich and princely races,
skilled in the arts of procuring and
refining the metals in which their:
country abounded, and living in
walled cities which glittered "with <
barbaric pearl and gold."
Lane and his friends believed
these incredible stories; and, tak
ing with them a supply of provi- '
sions, attempted to ascend the dif
ficult current of the Roanoke.
Imagine an exploring expedi
Labor Shortage Likely To
Be More Serious Next Year
Martin County fanners, after
all is said and done, have so far
done an able job in maintaining
production in the face of dwindl
ing manpower ot\ the farm. But,
according to Secretary of Agri
culture Claude R. Wickard the
problem of farm labor and man
power in other lines of endeavor
will be more difficult next year
than this, although hardships have
been faced in some areas this
year.
"By next year," Mr. Wickard
continued, "farm machinery may
be even more difficult to get than
it is now and we will need more
men, and so will war factories.
Then, we'll have to make good
use of every lesson we iearn this
year."
Pointing out that labor prob
lems are different in different
areas, Mr. Wickard expressed the
belief that, despite difficulties at
some points, "most farmers can
get by this year. In many sections
plenty of help still is available.
Average figures for the whole
country show that there is enough
farm labor to go around."
If insufficient first-class farm
hands are to be found, the Secre
tary advised turning to other
sources of help, such as fanners
who have small farms and can
spare some extra time, farm-bred
boys who work in country towns
and can give some time, older men
who haven't been active lately but
can still get a lot of jobs done,
farm women and girls, high
school and college boys, white
collar workers willing to assist in
farm work on their vacations, and
women in land army organiza
tions.
The Secretary also suggested
higher wages might be necessary
in areas where they remain low
both as a means of getting more
farm workers and to make for a
sounder agriculture in the long
run.
tion, in open boats, rowing up the
Roanoke, in search of the Paci
fic Ocean!
The river is formed by the
junction of the Dan and Staunton,
opposite to the town of Clarks
ville, in the county of Mecklen
burg, Va.; no veins of gold or sil
ver are washed by its brief and
overflowing current; and even
now no cities adorn its banks. But
that which is better than gold has
been found in its wide alluvial
earths; and where the eager gold
hunter once roamed in search of
that idol whose presence makes
desolate its native home, vast
fields of luxuriant com now wave
in the summer breeze, and educa
tion, refinement and hospitality,
ease, peace, and plenty shed their
genial blessings among a rural
and agricultural race of freemen.'
The historian of this now rich j
and happy region is tempted to
pause for a moment and moralize
"WOd" Blood
Chicago? Recently a stalwart
gentleman stomped into the
Donor Center of the Chicago
chapter of the American Rod
Cross. "I'm a third cousin of Buff
alo Bill, and I've got wild blood
in my veins," he said. "I want to
give some of it to the
forces." His wish was granted.
an the vanity of human wishes,
the short-sightedness of man's
ambition. A fertile soil was the
last object of desire with the first
explorers of Roanoke River; and
yet how different would have
been the state of things had tha
precious metals abounded
the margin of this streaml
The face of nature, no./
and smiling with exuberant har
vests, would have been scarred,
and pitted ,and blackened with
chasms .and fissures ,and decay
ing tenements; vice and wretch
edness, avarice and desolation,
pomp and beggary, would have
dwelt in those borders where a
universal abundance is joined
with a charity and contentment
as broad and general.
Lane and his men, sharing tha
infatuation of all the first pilgrims
to these shores, perserved in their
vain pursuit of gold; nor did they
return until hunger compelled
them to eat the last dog that bore
them company. How far they as
cended in this singular adventure
cannot now be certainly known
it is probable, however, that this
exploring expedition to the south
ern seas did not, after great fa
tigue and hardships, get highae
than the present site of Williem
ston, in Martin County.
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COMPANY : : WILLIAMSTON, N. C.
GEORGE HARRIS, Proprietor.