Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / Oct. 30, 1925, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page Two THE PILOT Friday, October 30, 1925 DAYS OF THE PAST IN THE SANDHILLS (Continued from page one; 1909 that the measure was finally enacted, after which, of course, com munity fences were removed. Then followed a movement on the part of the state Department of Agriculture to eradicate the cattle ticks. They elicited the assistance of the United States Department, and after much argument pro and con, (largely “con”) Moore County cattle were quarantined and none could be shipped out until inspected and de clared free from ticks. This had the desired effect, and in due time these “pesky little varmints” moved on to more fertile fields and ceased to be a serious menace to Moore County cattle, so the embargo was raised. Meanwhile Dr. Stiles, of Wilming ton, N. C., who had made an ex haustive study of the hookworm and its ravages on the genus homo, pub lished the results of his research, and funds were made available by the Rockfeller Foundation to finance a war of extermination against this human parasite. At first the move ment was ridiculed but gradually the importance of the subject was borne in upon the minds of people, and they finally submitted willingly to the treatment then applied. On one oc casion a physician came to a certain school in a nearby village and his examination disclosed the fact that 43 out of 44 pupils (and the teacher) were infested with hookworm. It took a couple of years to do the work, but at the end of that time science had triumphed and Mr. Hook worm was gone from these parts forever. Probably the most important, cer tainly the most apparent step in the march of progress has been the con struction of good roads followed by the use of automobiles, trucks and buses. For several years I - lived in Lake- view and in the early days used to drive to Southern Pines and Carthage in a Tyson & Jones buggy. The horse went step by step through sand fet lock deep, and it was not an uncom mon occurence to find a tree, which, having lived its alloted time, had gone back to mingle its dust with mother earth and was lying squarely in the path of progress. If small, we drove over it, if too large, we went around it, and there it lay until disintegrated by the elements and insects, or con sumed by forest fires which burned over nearly all the wild land in the county every year. If such a tree proved too large to drive over, and obstacles intervened to prevent going around it, there was but one of two alternatives to choose, either cut it up and remove it from the road or turn back and let somebody else do it. Needless to say, I never started on any important drive without an ax or a saw somewhere in the buggy. There was no adequate system or organization for constructing and maintaining roads and no money available had there been one, so as traffic increased these sand trails went rapidly from bad to worse and from worse to worst until the situa tion became well-nigh hopeless. Social economists say that when the necessity for a public improve ment becomes positively imperative a way is always found to supply the need, and, sure enough, this intoler able lack of serviceable highways was the darkness that preceeded the dawn, for just in the nick of time necessity, that indefatigable mother of inven tion, led to the discovery and utiliza tion of a material which had lain close at hand unnoticed for eons ever since the waters of the Atlantic re treated and surrendered this section for the ultimate use of mankind as a place for industry and recreation. As the ocean receded a combination of .clay and sand, now known as sand- clay, ideally mixed by the waves, was left behind in pockets peculiarly well situated for the use of man. It is said that along about the year 1900, prior to the passage of North Carolina’s prohibitory law and long before the 18th amendment had be come an adornment of the Constitu tion of the United States, a certain station agent at a junction point not a thousand miles from Southern Pines where three railways, meet, finding great difficulty moving from one train to another the great truckloads of “still waters” coming in on the trunk line and consigned to points on the short roads running out, had some clay hauled in and spread about the depot in the hope that when packed it would provide a surface that would afford suitable traction for the wheels of his trucks and thus relieve the physical and m ntal strain resulting from the freq^’ent stalling of these vehicles when their wheels sank de&p in the dry powery sand. At first the experiment looked like a dismal failure, for the first time it rained the mixture became a vicious and viscous mud that stuck to the feet and made a mess of things generally. But gradually it began to pack and as it got harder and harder a smooth solid surface appeared and the trucks were rolled about with comparative ease “Great oaks from little acorns grow Great aches from little toe-corns grow” And this was the humble begin ning of the use of sand-clay as road material Then came Mr. James W. Tufts, founder and then owner of Pinehurst. His interest was immediately arrested by the smooth hard surface around the depot and upon his return to the “Model Village” he promptly insti tuted search for similar soil, straight way found it and promptly caused the streets on his property to be surfaced with it to the great satisfaction and deep appreciation of all who had oc casion to use them A few years later Mr M N. Sugg, who at that time conducted a livery stable in Southern Pines, and a man in Aberdeen (I think it was Mr. Heckart) started a movement to top- soil the road between those two places with sand-clay By popular subscrip tion money was raised to pay for this and though the top-soil was applied only to a depth of two or three inches when packed, and the surface conse quently broke through in a short time, it lasted long enough to demonstrate the value of sand-clay roads, and proved to be seed in fertile ground, and from this seed sprang the Moore County good roads tree, which threw out branches in all directions, and thrived and grew like the green bay tree of biblical fame. In 1907 Mr. Leonard Tufts who was then the owner of Pinehurst, promoted an improved road from that place to Southern Pines by agreeing to build and top-soil what is now known as “the old road” as far as Wicker’s ford, and by heading with a substan tial donation a subscription list to be circulated in Southern Pines to de fray the cost of the intervening stretch. At that time I was in business in Southern Pines and was chosen a com mittee with Mr. J. N. Powell to over see the work It has been said this road was built by popular subscrip tion, but I doubt if a more un-pcjJular subscription was ever made to any thing. However, with the assistance of a very generous second contribu tion from the late Mr. James Boyd, the origrinal owner of Weymouth Heights, and by dint of much argu ment and cajolery, the road was com pleted. One day during its construc tion, Dr. Ferguson, the mayor of Southern Pines, and the writer met by appointment Mr. Tufts and Mr. G. B. McMillan, who had just purchased a home in Pinehurst, on the hill where the road to the Highland Pines Inn branches off, to discuss the best route for our proposed road over the hill. During the talk, Mr. McMillan, who by the way, came from Detroit the home of the “Flivver,” said “You know, you folks should be careful not to get your curves too sharp, because we’re going to have automobiles on this road some day.” At that Mr. Tufts nudged me and wispered candestinely, “Huh, I guess it’ll be after you and I are dead.” This was in 1907, mind you, and there was not an auto in the county, and it didn’t look as though there ever would be. But the appreciation of and desire for good roads was becoming evident on all sides, and in all parts of the state, and soon crystallized into an insistant demand, but Moore County was the pioneer, famous for her good roads and leader in the move ment. Pandora was out of the box, and her influence extended further and further until it resulted in action by the legislature establishing a road commission with millions to spend, under the supervision of Mr. Frank Page, himself a native and resident of Moore County, whose achievements have brought him and the state fame throughout this and other countries. In 1904, the year I came to dip my heels in the tar of the Sandhill sec tion and become a loving adopted son of the Old North State, there were not over 25 houses east of the railroad track in what are now the corporated limits of Southern Pines. The sand hill opposite the depot extended almost to the main track. and for some years freight cars were continually lined up on a siding there to be loaded with sand to be hauled away for construction purposes. There were no stores east of the railroad. The village boasted but four brick buildings. There was no golf course, no movie theatre, and precious little in the way of entertainment; but I could go on almost indefinitely about the changes that have occurred with in my memory; the improvement in train service, the growth of banks, the installation of water works and sewer system, the improvement in electric power distribution, new schools, new court house, and so on ad libitum. But I have already reached a point where I feel like apologizing as did an old lady who wrote at the end of a lengthy epistle; “Please excuse my longevity.” Compared with that of some places in Florida, our progress has been slow, and some there are who think we should have gone more rapidly, so it is well occasionally to look b ick and take stock of things. To me such a review of the Sandhills is gratifying and inspiring. We are growing and progressing steadily, substantially and rapidly, and with the finest climate in the world, per fect drainage, fine clear water in abundance, interesting rolling topo graphy dotted with long leaf pines breathing health and vigor, and over all God’s golden sunshine, the Sand hill section of North Carolina reaches out with open arms and cordial wel come to rich and poor, strong and weak, great and small to make a Home in the Sandhill section Where the sun shines bright and fair. Where the peach grows sweet and luscious And magnolias scent the air. Where the night is soft and balmy And sool and fresh the morn. Where the fields are white with cotton Or green with waving corn. GOLF TOURNAMENT AT SOUTHERN PINES On November 16 and 17 the North and South Carolina open golf tourna ment will be played on the grounds of the Country club at Southern Pines. It is expected that at least two hundred or more players will be present from both states. The hotels are offering special rates to visitors for the occasion, and the grounds have been put in excellent condition for the two-day affair. With the ex panded facilities at the country club Southern Pines is favored by many more golf players, and when the new course of 18 holes is completed the two full courses then will rank well with any thing in the South. Few points now offer broader chance for golf than at Southern Pines, but the increasing patronage has made the second full course a necessity. Tournaments like this will further in crease the demand for more holes. Compare ^leseSdkr^SKXiSedam wUh *‘Coadief These finer closed cars are built on the famous Buick chassis with the 21-year-proved, 60 and 75 horsepower Buick Valve-in-Head engines. Extra power! And they have the famous “Sealed Chassis’* and the aew “Triple Sealed Engine.” No other car, regardless of price, furnishes this completeness of protection for driving parts. And these Buicks have the characteristic Buick charm of body * profile. They are finished in Duco. They seat five full-grown people in roomy comfort. They have the Fisher V V one-piece» ventilating windshield, automatic windshield wiper, and a host of like necessities. Buick’s exacting closed car standards prevail in their Fisher-built bodies. Come in and see how much superior these Better Buick Sedant ^ are to “Coaches”, before you spend your money! BUICK MOTOR COMPANY, FLINT, MICHIGAN Division, of General TAotors Corporation q ^eSefferBVlCK Brown Buick Service Sta. Sanford, N. C. HEADQUARTERS FOR DURAELE-DURHAM HOSIERY LET US OVERHAUL I THE CAR Winter days are here—you’ll want to have the car and Batteries in per fect order. Bring" it in now for a gen eral overhauling’. Let us inspect it. We’ll tell you what is necessary be fore we start re pairing. Come in. Keiths’ Garage On the Highway VASS, N. C. - % 11,000,000 Reasons why you, too, will like this Hosiery! ONE thousand men and women who wear Durham Hosiery were interviewed. Over 90% came back a second, a thfrd, a fourth time—satisfied, steady buyers. This means something. It means that Durham Hosiery does what we say it will gives both fine appearance and long life. It explains why 11,000,000 people wear Durable- Durham Hosiery—the largest fol lowing any hosiery ever had DURABLE-DURHAM HOSIERY for Men—Women —Children MercerizecTand CottonHosiery, 15c. toSOc. Silk Hosiery, 75c. to $2.00 Made by the world’s largest hosiery manufacturer, operating 18 modem mills. Production of 90 mil- hon pairs yearly saves 7 3^ % in fa 2t Dry cojts. This sa^g is passed on to you in added quality— and at least 20% more wear. Every pair doubly guaranteed—replaced free of charge if you are not entirely satisfied. VASS MERCANTILE CO. VASS, N. C. S iak and Mrs. “'•ill.?* the e rf poole* Tiifr- and Mrs. r^filon a ^orf^Biirsh, spe ^l^ence S. C. Mr. and Mrs. L Gardner, Gardner, motore lirAsi' college®* Mrs. Brawley •iiHne Mr. and ^ Mr. and Mrs. spent Sunday h Mr. J. B. Eas Saturday. Last Saturda and old met at the purpose of munity club, ing Mr. J. Dwight Gardner secreta Littlefield treas to meet once a many problems After much di turned mt many games we ent contests w licious refresh Miss Littlefield, and Mrs. N. L. Mrs. Wm. Minnie Oldham in Southern Pi Mrs. Stella Johnsie of Roc the home of Smith. Quite a nu this place atte was given at auditorium Fri a great success. Mrs. L. D. Pe sister here, re" Florence, S. C., Miss Lou Ri visiting Mr. an Mr and Mrs. ley, and daugh day evening in Mr. C. W. Sp Wednesday in CA TH Pinehurst The “The Wagon James Cru “THE Betty Earn Wa >■ Don Great In Pony weekl semi- from to PI miles time t CO bei Thi that Wed So Th THE AND T the SE
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 30, 1925, edition 1
2
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