The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1888-01-11
The Coast-GaIf and ship Island Rail-
rod Convict Camps. Etc.

EDIToR CLARION. Within the last
two weeks / have Ataken in the Gulf
Shore. the Gulf & Ship Island Railroad.
the Penitentiary Convict Camps, and
the wonderful yellow pine regions Of
Southeast Mississippi. wnnld - rcelvl
fare 70 enter fields in which tie efaee-
al pen Of saw Mil jones' has sol
ecently made explorations; sin nay,
9TH dimdence, venture to suggest thai
- importance Of the recent sab-terra
pTeries and their relation to the
alta horticultural interest Of the
Sor has not struck his mind with
ne IorN il has mine. mean the
a teslAn Aells sporting their waters
- pure as the ewdrops Of Mount
Hermon 70 an eleTatiosQof from Is to
- ieets and Cd almost sufficient
fo1nme % run q glist mill, certainly IN
sumclent quantities and at sufficient
height, 70 enable the vegetable grower.
with : supple pipe and ordinary hoss,
70 lrFlgate larger gardens than they
naye even about Cry stat Springs. This,
with the exhaustless supply Of muck,
richer than the gardens Of Belgium.
found BY the one hundred square miles
along the %rigolets," will, when the
o. & 5. /. Z. r brings the sWeskn 3
hundred miles nearer to our Sez-shore
than it Is to Mobile or to New Orleans.
make this region the garden-spof Of
Gods beautiful creation.
| made careful note of
THE G. AND RI,
for thirty-four miles, 70 near the Perry
county line, to where they propose to
have the grading completed, (ay SO
miles,, By the middle Of February.
They now have about u to II miles Of
track laid. / noticed, LIST, that The work
is much heavier than had supposed.
After passing ab0u. eight miles back
they encounter a succession Of heavy
ridges, requiring long, deep cuts, and
heavy, long embankments, which permit
very little "doublingon the work, Nith
their present means Isolely the wheeE
barrow, Of removing dirt. ID. That
they are completing the work to its con-
templated grade as they 60; and Sd,
that the material is extra fine for road
construction, scarcely washing and
ner1 caving. The road-bed when
finished is thing of beauty.
/ took a very close inspection of
HE CONVICT CAMPS,
together with all the environments. The
cages are distributed along the line,
from to miles apart, according to
the water supply. They are about 60
feet long by 80 wide, constructed of
straight pine poles, say inches in
diameter, set in a ditch on end, leaving
rro11- IN - 81 Il
ditch on each side feet deep, aud in
winter the dirt thrown up feet high
against the walls, all securely covered
in with pine boards. Hospital % feet
long at the end same construction
making altogether safe, comfortable
and healthy arrangement, when good
police regulations are maintained. The
food is abundant and well cooked, consist
ing of good smoked pork, corn bread, With
hominy, beans, rice, sweet potatoes aud
onions, with cabbage, and turnips, and
pickles occasionally. The clothing Is of
the best lnaterial-pure wool, Wesson
Jeans for pants, shirts and coats-the
latter being lined with heavy domes-
tic; shoes generally good. l examined
the clothing upon the convicts, and in
commissary carefully, and the demands
of humanitarianism are fully met
Wash-day comes every Saturday after
noon, but in winter when it is necessary
to permit fires, and schimneys can not
be allowed, they build 10 or 20 nine
knot fires in two rows the whole length
of the cage. You see the "smokedest'
looking lot of men you will ever see
again.
Thax- have obo,,t ssfl ,,,,,,.;-... -