(EY CITY OF THB MOUNTAIN
fubvmb 4Wiai '
SAV7 rJILL TIEARS
COMPLETION
Isolated Section of County
Redeemed by Highway
No. 28 Railroad Up the
Nantahala River.
(By Joe Moore)
Beyond Wallace gap, on the western
slope of tke Nantahalas, Charles Eg
bert Craddock might once have found
a picturesque setting for a story of
the mountain country. The road
.wound lazily down from the gap. dip
ping at intervals to the right to em
brace a ravine. It bordered clearings
in the larger depressions, each with
its wonted corn . patches, unpainted
ttwelling and outbuildings. The road
was rough;' towns were far away: the
neighborhood might easily have been
left to its tranquil isolation for an
other decade or two.
It was through this section of the
Nantahalas, however, that highway No.
28 was surveyed. Here , it was that
the W. M. Ritter , lumber;, company
located, erecting numerous structures,
and building a railroad up the Nana
hala river. Today a transformed
"mountain slope lies beyond Wallace
gap. Groups of workmen wield picks
and shovels along the route the new
highway will follow; a steam shovel is
in operation in one of the ravines;
railroad sidings border the rocky
Nantahala. Road construction and
the lumbering industry have, hand in
hand, come to the once remote vi
cinity. ' " 7 ,
Highway No. 28 has been completed
to Wallace gap. It winds Up the
eastern slope of the mountain, a
typical highland road, doubling back
time after time in such manner as to
command views of the distant Cowees.
Beyond the gap, wide swaths of tim
ber have been cleared in, preparation
for dynamite, the steam shovel, and
the convicts, who follow with shovels
and picks to complete the grading.
A camp for the convicts is under
Construction in a strip of meadow,
less than a mile from the divide.
They will be housed in two low wood
en buildings of considerable length,
and will be moved to the new location
shortly. The bustle of the workmen
here would be enough to change the
aspect of the locality, but the scene
of greater activity i$ a half mile
further on.
Here, on a Strip of smooth ground
between the river and the hills,
Ritter's lumber camp is nearing com
pletion. Big, unpainted structures cov
er portions ti the level land, . while
smaller buildings line the upper side
of the road. The band mill is housed
in the largest building on the grounds.
A sidetrack running into this struc
ture, and several smokestacks issuing
from the top, suggest the scene of
noise and activity soon to be in prog
ress. Another large building houses the
commissariat. A glance into the room
reveeals' stackr of overalls, shelves
filled with groceries, glimpses of
Workmen who Have come to trade.
And not all come to buy. One en
terprising farmer came down to find
a market for his surplus meal, and
probably found it, judging from the
saving he offered the commissary.
The lumber camp town will afford
a market for numerous farm products.
The big hotel where the crew, of
workmen is fed must be supplied, and
it is evident that the farmers are
aware of this source of profit.
Employment of many workmen has
hastened activities at the lumber camp.
The newly erected buildings, the near
by mountains, the- clusters of men
in lumber jackets at work, create an
atmosphere not unlike that which is
characteristic of a movie scene.
Railroad sidings cover the strip of
level land, and the main track con
tinues up the river to the big timber.
Lumbermen have begun cutting on
the 14,000-acre tract of virgin forest.
F&r ten year? the1 crash of trees and
the hum of the band saw will conV
tinne."'vi;v -X-': ' ' -'' tV
Lumbering is .necessary, but when
the ten years have passed, the 'west
ern slope of the Nantahalas will have
changed A junked railroad will lie
at the river's edge. Sprouts will
cover the -stumpy, deforested area.
But the locality will not revert to
its sedentary isolation, picturesque
though such tranquility may , be,l for
highway; No. 28, ; hardsurfaced, will
wind down the slope beyond Wallace
Rap-:' v ;-'; .. -:.
Gen. Harris Visits Franklin
General Peter C. Harris, U. S.
Army, retired, formerly Adjutant Gen
eral of the army, visited a local hos
pital here1 last Friday. - General Har
ris and his brothers, Senator W. J.
Harris, of Georgia, and Major Hunt-
DEM11C
ALLS
I1S.LI.LC0ZAD
In Hospital Three Months-
Was Prominent Leader in
Church and Civic Affairs.
A large circle of friends here have
learned with regret of the death
Monday afternoon h an Atlanta hos
pital of Mrs. M. E. Cozad, of An
drews, . mother of the late H. O.
Cozad, of Franklin. Mrs. Cozad, who
was- 78 years of age, had been in
the Atlanta hospital for the past three
months.
Funeral services were held at the
Methodist church in Andrews Wed
nesday, and the body was brought to
Franklin, where , interment was to be
sometime Wednesday, members of the
family said.
Mrs. Cozad, who had spent con
siderable time in Franklin, and who
had many friends : here, was known
in Andrews as a leader in church
and school work. For years, she was
an indefatigable worker in the Parent-Teacher
aspciation there, of
which she -was president.
She is survived by her husband,
who is well known throughout western
North Carolina; one daughter, Miss
Eleanor Cozad, formerly of Boston,
but who has been making her home
recently with her parents; and two
grandchildren, Misses Margaret and
Mildred Cozad, of Franklin.
Make Mayor's Office
Fistic Arena
Fncraffintr in a fist fieht in the office
of .the mayor that is the newest
offens: In Franklin.
Hailed before Mayor protem John
F. f Rirkman on the charge. Fred
Mn naid a fine of $5 and the cost
the , usual charge for fighting in
Franklin, ( The other participant,
rtiarlii" Oliver, was not tried at that
time. Since he witnessed the affray,
Mayor George B. Jfatton declined to
hear the case.
The trouble arose over Oliver's re
porting to Chief of Police Robert
Henry that Moss was drunk. In
formed whn renorted him. Moss nave
Oliver the lie, and. the affray fol
lowed, reaching considerable propor
tions before the mayor and 'officer
could intervene. .
The charge of drunkenness against
Moss was dismissed.
Bryson Reunion
The Brvson reunion or birthday din
ner will be held at the home of
Mrs.- Tames L. Bryson at West's Mill,
N. C, near the Cowee Baptist church,
on August 28.
All that are related or connected,
are cordiallv invited to come and
bring a well-filled basket. Dinner
will be served picnic fashion in the
grove.. ...
As will be remembered this is the
same date the reunion has been
being held in celebration of the late
James L. Bryson, who passed away
last September, We feel that we
should meet and honor the birthday
of him whom we loved so well.
He can't be with us this year. We
know it will be sad, just one short
year ago he was with us. We did
not know that day that in one short
month he would be taken away from
us.
"Alas! Alas! the autumn came,
How many hearts were weeping for
him who - 'neath the church nouse
shade lay sweetly, camly sleeping"
Long, Long, will we miss thee;
Long, Long, days for thee well weep,
And through many nights of sorrow
Memory "will vigils keep.
Rest Rooms Improved
The town and county co-operating,
have made Improvements in the public
rest -rooms at- the, court "house here.
in the' 'room for men, a separate
section has been .provided for negroes,
the room has been painted, and, more
important, a larger pipe provides suf
ficient water to make it possible to
keep the place in a clean and 'sani
tary condition. . ,
Some additional fixtures have been
installed. . - -
The work has just been competed.
The .new arrangement is I . striking
improvement over the conditions pre
viously prevaling. The town and coun
ty are expected, jointly, to employ a
man whose duty will be to' keep the
rooms clean.
er Harris, together with their families,
have been spending a part of the
summer at Dillard. .
FRANU4N, N. C THURSDAY, AUGUST
PROPOSE SCIENCE SCHOOL
NANTAHALA RANGE
Buying Power of
County Low
Macon county . ranks , eighty-second
among the state's 100 counties, as
shown by an index of the total buy
ing power of the various counties.
The index was compiled by Dartncll
Advertisers Guide, and is quoted by
the University, of North Carolina News
Letter.
The index is determined, it is point
ed out bv the News Letter, hv mm.
bining a serios of factors chosen tn
indicate the purchasing power of coun
ties, the tactors chosen are: Value
added by manufacture, value of mined
products, value of crops, Value i;
livestock products, value of fishing
products, bond deposits, number of
domestic lichtinir consumers, nnmher
of passenger cars, number of income
tax returns, circulation of 30 lead
ing magazines, total population, and
an index of population, and an index
of population quality.
the taible is designed to show only
purchasing power, and is not an index
of how counties rank in other par
tucilars, says the News Letter. Coun
ties who buy large quantities of
products produced elsewhere stand
high, while those that largely live at
home rank low in this particular
list, it adds. .,
Forsyth county, largely on account
of its tobacco products, is given a
buying power index figures of 366.
Graham county at the foot of the
table, has a buying index figure of
5. In other words, Forsyth county
has a buying power 73 times as great
as Graham,
Macon county's figure is 17. Swain
and Jackson are tied for 75th rank.
Their relative buying power is 19.
Cherokee stands sixty-ninth, with a
buying power just double that of
either Swain or Jackson, the table
shows.
Funeral Services Held
For Claude Kinsland
Funeral services for Claude Kins
land, who died in a Knixville hospital
last Thursday from injuries received
in the blsat in the tunnel on Yellow
Creek, Graham county, last Monday,
were held at Upper Watauga Metho
dist church at 11 o'clock Saturday
morning.
Mr. Kinsland was a -native of
Macon county, and is survived by .his
father, Charles Kinsland, and four
sisters, Mrs. James Guest, of Frank
lin, Mrs. Ivory Henry, of California,
and Misses Myrtle and Irene Kins
land, of Easlcy, S. C. ,
The deceased, had many friends
here, and had the reputation of being
a steady, hard-working young man,
of good character.
He was foreman of the crew in
tunnel No. 11 being dug by the
Connor Construction company for the
Tallassrjc Power company in the Yel
low Creek community of Graham
county. The premature explosion took
the lives of several workmen, and
fatally injured young Kinsland.
The funeral services were conduct
ed by the Rev. Alvin S. Solcsbee, and
a large number of relatives and friends
attested their esteem by their at
tendance. Mountains Inspires Preacher
:. Dr. and Mrs. JVS. Dill are spend
ing a vacation in Franklin and mak
ing trips to various points of interest
while here. Recently they drove to
Bryson City and on to the Indian
reservation. . Dr. DHL a prominent
diivne , at Greenville, S. C, has be
come enthusiastic over the scenery in
the mountains around Franklin. Be
low appears a poem from the pen of
Dr. Dul. ; This poem ' vas inspired
by the - view at ;, jhe: horseshoe- bend
between franklin arid : Bryson City :
So grandly rise the mountains,
Tis wonderful to see,
And yield their crystal fountains
To gladcn you ami me. ,
Adown the vale a river roams,
The tawny Tennessee, -O'er
rocky beds it frets and foams
And hurries to the sea.
The .flowers are blooming fresh and
- fair,- ; . ' :
Their fragrance does not falter.
But gives its odors to the air
Like insense from an altar.
To nature's God then let. us look
Who shap'd it all so grand,
And holds before us nature's book
In hollows of his hand.
-J. L. D.
18, 1127
Dr. J. M. Reade, University
of Georgia, Picks White
Oak Flats as Site For
School in National His
tory Sciences.
Dr. J. M. Reade, of the University
of Georgia, visited Franklin some
months ago, and outlined, in a gener
al way, to the Board of Directors
of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce
and Agriculture, a plan he had in
mind for the opening, somewhere in
the Southern mountains, of a summer
school for research in the natural
history sciences, with the view that
such a school ultimately might and
probably would grow into a ycar
Yound institute for research the type
of educational institution on which
educators today arc placing most cm-1
phasis, according to Dr. Reade. "
The Georgia professor was assured
of Franklin's interest in such a pro
ject, and was asked to formulate his!
plans in definite shape, and then pre
sent them. He has done just that,1
and copies of his "prospectus of an
idea" have been received here.
Such a project could not be safely
started on less than $25,000, Dr. Reade
suggested, and in his prospectus he
outlines the uses to which that money
would be put, a saf margin being
kept in reserve to tke care or the
institution's needs over the first three
years. . I
Dr. Reade was much impressed with'
the White Oak Flats, at the head
of the Nantahala river, in this county.
This site was shown him by Z. B.
Byrd, of . the local forest service of
fice and a director of the Chamber of
Commerce and Agriculture. The prop
erty, it is understood, could be leased
from the government for educational
purposes without cost. The govern
ment would also co-operate, it is be
lieved, in building a road from High
way No. 28, at Wallace gap, to the
site. . '
Other towns, however, are under
stood to be bidding for the school,
and those most interested believe that
it would be necessary for Franklin to
show its interest by contributing at
leeast a few thousand dollars to lo
cate the school in this county. This
procedure is not unusual, it is pointed
out, towns generally contributing heav
ily to the eendownmcnt funds of
educational isntitutions in order to get
them located at or near the towns in
question.
"It is proposed," says Dr. Reade in
his prospectus, "to establish on the
edge of the Nantahala Forest in the
Southern Appalachian Mountains a
summer camp school wheih shall offer
instruction of college grade in the
natural history sciences, especially at
first in botany.
"The opportunity for such a ven
ture can scarcely be doubted. The
mountain territory is the natural sum
mer resort of a wide region. . . .For
all this region the mountains are fair
ly central and readily accessible. . . .
"Throughout the South there is a
growing number of students, under
graduate and graduates, and of teach
ers in schools and , small colleges, who
should benefit by the tamp. It of
fers them a wajj to use the long
vacation to get recreation and re
freshment for the year ahead and at
the same time to improve themselves
by study and association. To the
student and teacher clientele must be
added to an increasing number of
others.- Leaders of girl and boy
scouts, and simitar organizations are
among them, as are, too, persons con
cerned with public recreation and con
servation. Both, then, the wide terri
tory to be served and an abundant
clientele are here."
The prospectus discusses the possi
bilities of growth from such a school,
the' -.requirements of location and the
advantages.' of a number that have
been examined, and camp plans and
estimates of cost, quoting figures for
other such schools there is no such
school, incidentally, in the South to
dayand takes up the questions of
faculty and staff. It is proposed, at
first, to give courses in' general
botany, physiography and geology of
the region, taxonomy of seed plants,
taxondmv of green cryptogams, mycol
ogy, and genetics. . ,
.The , actual operating expense . per
season, at the start, is" estimated at
$3,600, and to this "must be added the
costs o publicity, and .the emergency
of having fewer students than expect
ed particularly at first. The school
should have funds upon ' which to
ope;.ite for . several years. . . .Three
years of expense of operation would
probably total an amount not far
f ro lifflOA gainst this we miht
t?.jj- but not too much
NUMBER THIRTY-THREE
HAMSPSIDS
MOT PUPIL
Seventy-Seven Other Coun
ties Spend More Per Pupil
Term of Average Macon
Rural School 135 Days.
Seventy-seven other North Carolina
counties spend more per white pupil,
for school instruction than does Mac
on. To instruct each white pupil
in the public schools, this county, in
the school year 1925-26, spent an
average of $19.28. This is in com
parison with an average for the state
at large city and rural schools of
The figures are taken from the cur-
lished by the State Department of
Public Instruction.
This county ranks fifty-eighth in
the per capita cost of instruction of
negroes. The figure was $8.64. This
is in comparison with an average of
$10.24 for the state.
Macon county, in 1925-26, paid its
114 rural white teachers an average
salary for the year of $598.97, or
about $250 less than the average of
$853.23 paid throughout the state.
This county paid its negro teachers
an average annual salary of $289.58.
The negro teachers over the state
as a whole drew salaries averaging
$467.43. ,
And, with a lower cost of instruc
tion than the average, and paying
teachers salaries lower than the ave
rage, the county, quite naturally em
ployed teachers with professional
qualifications lower than the average
for the state. The publication ' gives
teachers, in accordance with their pro
fessional training and general educa
tion, a scholarship index figure. That
figure for the average white teacher
in North Carolina was 579, and it
aropea to noy in Aiacon county.
The average school term in North
Carolina for the year under consider
ation was 149 days, as compared with
135 in Macon county.
The publication shows that the cost
of instruction of pupils, both white
and negroes, has increased over the
state.
ti. ... - :i i r
iuc average ycr pupil cusi ui in
struction in the white schools in
1904-05 was $3.19, while in 1925-26
it was $26.54.
This increase, it points out, is due
to a number of causes: the increase
in the average school term from 94
days in white schools in 1904-05 to
149 days in 1925-26; the increase in
the salaries of teachers from an aver
age of $14823 per year for white
teeachers in 1904-05 to $853.23 in
1925-26; a decided improvement in the
professional training and general edu
cation of the teachers; "the decrease
m the purchasing power of the dollar ;
the number of pupils per teacher;
and the increase in the number of
high school pupils where .costs are
wit vi If tfwlltr mrwtk tliin 4 a tlt 4-1 a i
are"in the elementary schools."
Justice Dismisses Charge
Justice of the Peace George Car
penter last Thursday dismissed the
charges, against Mrs. Maude Jackson,
of Tallulah Lodge, Ga., brought by
her husband, Ed Jackson, also of
Tallulah Lodge, charging Mrs. Jack
son and Blaine Butler with improper
relations.
The case was dismissed in the ab
sence , of the man, and of sufficient
evidence, m r. carpenter sata.
to persuade Mrs. Jackson to return
to Georgia with her husband were
unavailing.
It is proposed to charge each student
a flat fee of $150 for the eight weeks
session. More than half that amount
would be oyer and above the cost of
food. On the basis of 25 students
that would mean a surplus of about
$2,000 to go toward other expenses.
, "Judicious publicity should be a mat
ter of importance. An attractive an
nouncement, other printing, correspon
dence, clerk hire, publications are esti
mated at a cost of $1,000 per year.
Publication should become a more im
portant item after the start.
"In summary, we seem warranted in
thinking that given a site, $10,000 for
physical plant and a $15,000 fupd for
three years . operation, the i Camp
Nature school might be started with
reasonable prospect of success and
uesfulness."
A copy of the prospectus, which ha
been quoted only in part, and which
contains other facts, about the pro
posed school, as well as blue sprints,
etc., is in the hands of the editor of
anyone interested in invest i.'7,,M"" '
proposal.