The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1883-09-29
NEW BERNE.
THE TWO WAYS THE NAME is
SPELLED, AND WHICH Is RIGHT.
A Rapid Review of he Places Com
merciaI PrOgreSS--Her Trade IN Ma
val Stores and Cotton.
,S,1ecial Corrcspondence Of the Chronicle.

NEW BERNE, n. u, ScptSuoCi So
The name or the manner OF spelling the
name. has been one of lengthy controversy.
The original charter is given to the town OF
Newbern, and so far as is now known 1t
was quietly submitted to- by all the people
of the State without dissent until about 1880
or later, when the Weekly Post, a literary
paper published at Raleigh, claimed that it
should haze been New Berne. because the
name was given by the Swiss settlers and
was in honor Of their own capital Berne.
and the new was prefix and should be so
applied.
This idea took with some who thought
the reasons sufficient, and at once adopted
that mode of spelling it, among whom the
writer was one but On one occasion, hav-
ing SO spelled it, in paper writing In
which the late James w. Bryan was inter
esseasssaes. infosmsd ssay .th.@ genlleman,
that the propriety of the spelling was de-
cided by the legislature when the charter
was given, and that no matter what might
have been the intention Of the early settlers,
the legal name was Newbern and must so
remain until changed by similar authority.
After the late war, some of the Northern
people who remained here introduced the
Past manner Of spelling it, which was
badly relished by some who feel that 1T was
an objectionable innovation, and a Yankee
ism to which they would not submit SO
high did the controversy nun that enc mer
cnhnI refused 10 receive Il 1Ot 81 manu- DllIS
from printing Office because the printer
said he was in New Berne. while the mer-
chant claimed that he was doing business
in ewbern, and did not wish to advertise
in place that he knew nothing Of
Even the Northern men were divided in
sentiment on the spelling. Once a Ger
man, an educated man, struck at the root
of the discussion and insisted that the
Swiss settlers themselves would not have
1l.ll fho
they used the capital B, and urged as a
reason that the final would have made it
a word OF three syllabers instead OF two.
Thus the controversy was prolonged and
never decided, but [ think the city charter
calls for New Berne, and the amended
charter the same; so, quiet upon that
vexed question has at last been attained,
although some old people think it ought
not to have been changed, even in the
small matter of spelling the name.
The change of letters in the name, how
ever, has not been SO great as the change
in the commercial status of the city.
Soon after peace was restored with Eng
land in the war of 1912, Newbern became
quite a shipping port to foreign countries;
that is, chiefly to the West India Islands.
Corn, peas, poultry, pork, and various
articles of farm products, were shipped
on board of sail vessels along with lumber,
sawed with whip saws and afterwards with
| improved gang mill saws, run by both
steam and water power. Much Of the
property in ships was owned in New Berne.
and the profits accrued to the wealth OF
| citizens. The ventures in outward cargOes
were profitable, while the returns were in
v5sfeo nj Grof,i,n, ls~ss~sz-e 8ss..sss e,e@
lasses, rum and fruits, which often yielded
a better per centage than the outward
shipments, as the large trade from the in
terror counties, by wagons, furnishing a
ready market at remunerative prices
At a later period the commerce of New
| Berne was directed more cOastWiSe than to
foreign ports, owing mainly to the change
! in the productions of the country. Lum-
ber was giving way to the turpentine in
| tere>t, which at one time was OF great
| profit to the town. as the diStlling was
carried on here, and the carrying trade was
still in the hands of her citizens. bOtl as
to the crude article to the town, and the
| prOducts-spirits and rOsin from the same.
From this industry New Berne reaped
an abundant harvest of profitable trade,
and added no little to the accumulated d
wealth of her population, and at the time
of the decline on the supply, had reached
the exalted position Of having within her
limits the largest distillery in the world.
The turpentine farmer furnished a good
consuming population to be supplied by
| the grain and meat growing farmers, who
each sought a market at New Eerne, and
| gave fair profit to the merchants Of the
place in the exchange of commodities
Like cotton now, turpentine then always
| commanded cash from the distiller, while
the corn and bacon were also sold for cash
| to the merchant. who would often furnish
the turpentine maker with his supplies un
til dipping time" which was better than
the modern crop time,'' because of its
more frequent recurrence" dipping
time' generally getting around about once
in every three month, while i" crop time,
| believe, has been hard to fetch up once
| in twelve.
This brings us down to what may b.
termed the ''cotton period,'' which wa
just blooming and booming when the lat.
war between the States began, which pu
a stop to the wheels of commerce, anC
about everything else except the wheels o
time, which ran on with an unceasing roa
for four memorable years
A convenient place in the narrative i
here found to call a halt, before startin:
on the rugged march up to the presen
date, so we will stack arms and gathe
around the camp fires, did many of he
brave boys on that occasion. and rest il
bivouac> until proper occasion present
itself to resume the tedious march.
d. Il. @.