The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-01-20


res form one compact tract and sucn was :
view of Col. Harris in its purchase. ~
said to be Son Deep River and:cont'guous
. Buck Horn Falls.n The fact IS that tl'e
nd ot ono point for about $50 yards oniy
= ON the Riyer-Cape Fear River and not
[.sn River for it is 10 miles below tue
,,ctinn of Deep and Haw Rivers, and II Is
- bclow Buck Horn Fails, aud tue
n i in two parcels and several miles in-
81 vening. :. t.r.;,.
a we'll adapted to the usual crops.
+ Fine land itself apart from its minerals and
,tor nn,yers will in a short time doubt
sell for agricultural purposes alone
doubIe the price agreed to be PAID
vour committee,"-pp. 6 and 8. This,
far as the $3.50 acre parcel is con
lrned. is an entire mistake. 1t is
alueless for farming purposes as will be testi-
Id by members of the Senate residing near
and never will, probably, sell for $2o per
ERE. There is but small part OF the re-
bainin9 1900 acres that has any value III
his respect and the State will never pay
.nuch of her public debt by this speculation
IN farming lands o
Also II is said on this place-the 5000
,crpsy..;s an abundance of granite," land
1 LARGE quarry of granite immediately on the
lanks of the River, which can be easily
+. arried. placed on boats and carried by
ter within the walls of the Penitentiary."
q one with whom we conversed (and we
i6quired of the former owners) knew any
ling of granite on this land, on the river
&m0te from it. As said before there IS ex-
IEellcpt granite two miles below on the river
mot on the State land land the impression
Aa.le on Col. Harris mind was that 1t was
Il the tract he was negotiating for, he
ehnposino it to extend some distance down
~ River The granite he brought to Raj
pb AS specimen came from the North
9ton quarry. Mr.. Downing also testities
hat this specimen o: granite was said to
E,me from quarry on the land purchased
There also appears to be want of certain
h, to say the least, as it regards what was
. he secured for the State by them IN the
contract they made with parties for these
lands, water rights, &c There is no pur-
bose whatever to represent the committee
is acting wrongfully in this, but simply to
State fact there is not secured to the State
what was intended.
There is really an uncertainty in the minds
'of the committee. so far asexamined, as to
whom it was they negotiated with, or In
n hat relation lie stood to the land. The re-
t does not state of whom the land, etc.
Il purchased. 1t would be supposed that
i vas one party that negotiated tor the whole
lie. However the asslgnors are two par
lies and one of them is not named as party
! resenting claims. The site is conveyed by
g Deep River Manufacturing Company
5000 acres of land by D. J. Pruyn. Col
.arris testifes that he did not know that
Pruyn was to convey, but supposed that
others were concerned in it. M. Lassiter
testifics and thinks Pruyn made the offer as an
agent.n Mr. Downing testities: ut is hard
10 say of whom we purchased. The com
mittee bought of Mr.. Pruyn either as agent
or ownern
Mr. Pruyn himself testifes that he was
bot the owner in fee when he negotiated,
but had, by rerbal contract, bought the
hnd ON the condition that he could sell it.
u seems that even the Deep River Manufac-
Turing Company had no deeds when the
hegotiation was going on. The committee
did not know that when they paid $12.50
per acre for the 5000 acres Mr.. Pruyn paid
81, and that the Deep River Manufacturing
Company paid less than $3.50 per acre for
the same land at about the same time, and
that the titles from Mccoy and Douglas to
Deep River Manufacturing Company and
from the latter to Pruyn, and from Pruyn
to the State, are all Of nearly the same date,
and that part. perhaps the better part of the
ron ore bank, was bought after their pur-
chase, with nearly 100 acres of land, for
$500 by the Deep River Manufacturing
ECnmpany The deed from the Deep River
Manufacturing Company for the site does
not secure such right to the State as the
committee deemed it would. 1t does not
grant an unrestricted and unembarrassed
water power" but one greatly restricted. 1t
does not covenant that "a branch Railroad
shall terminate at the door of the Peniten-
tiary." and there does not exist any con-
tract to this effect that can DC enforced
Much is said of ''river navigation" and
"ocks and dams" These are all the prop
erty of the Deep River Manufacturing Com
pany so far us the State may need them for
the Peuitentiary The deed does agree that
'if the State will repair the Rives' lock and
dam that no toll will he charged at that
dam, and it ST. happens that this is the only
lock that will never he used by the State
either going up or down. 1t will cost the
State $4,000 to prepare the river to get up
t. the coal and sandstone for building--to
get down to the iron ore and that fine farm
ing land and that so well timbereu with
pine, hickory, etc. The committee has no
data Ivy which to estimate the cost as the
Buck Horn dam and locks are greatly
damaged.
Mr. Downing testifes: 1 Insisted on I'M
limited water power and railroad running
to or into the penitentiary. The company
gave US power to raise the Rives' dam as high
as We pleased. If the State repairs all the
dams and locks she is never to pay tolls.
There is yet one item of the report to which
We would refer. That is the estimated
value of the site as deducted from the $780,
900. The deed for the site sells at nomi-
nal price of 81. The Deep River Manufac
turing Company did not sell and SO invest.
1t was accepted as donation before even
the committee on the Penitertiary heard of
the 5000 acres Neither is it correct to say
that only $4,000 was paid-that may be
all the bonds now sell for, but the people of
the State knew that they were to be given
at par value-that they must pay interest
on 100000, and when they become due
pay all OF one hundred thousand dollars.
We must not neglect TO call the attention
of the Senate to the peculiar nature of the
title to the $3.50 acres of land in Harnett
county. 1t is simply some or any part of
10000 or $4,000 acres Of land that may be
fixed by arbitrators 1t is not between Sum-
merviIle and Neill McCoy's. 1t is not
bounded by the lands of Ncill Mccoy, Esq.
1t does not include part of 5000 acre sur
vey and a 5000 acre survey patented by
the late Jno. Gray Blount, but part of a
$500 acre survey patented 10y Allison.
and 5000 acre survey patented by the late
Inn Gr.u Riourf Hnu This If % III