Wichita eagle., 1888-10-03
AMONG THE SKATERS.
QUEER LIFE m THE PINE BARRENS
OF LOWER DELAWARE.

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Lewes and Among tho Primitive People
VINO Live There-Wrestling with 'sthe
Agy"-Civilization.
Journeying southwark over the Delaware
division Of the Philadelphia, Wilmington
and Baltimore railroad one gets q fairly in
telhgent impression Of the magnitude of
peach cultivation in the Delaware peninsula.
a few miles below New Castle an abundanb
growth of trees and the large number Of
wagons and men scattered here and there In
the open fields indicate the commencement
of the great peach belt, and as the train pene-
trates still further there is greater density
Of trees, kemming in the track upon either
side until they seem to expand into an inter
minable wilderness Of INTERVIEWING trunks,
boughs and leaves, weighted down with
fruit. Long lines of cars are side tracked at
the different stations, loading with crates
and baskets for shipment to Philadelphia,
New York and the eastern markets, the
fruit coming not only from the prolific
orchards skirting the main stem, but from
the numerous feeders which ramify the
country.
Every mile the train covers you get deeper
and deeper into the region. 1t is peaches,
peaches everywhere, until you become abso-
lutely surfeited. The very atmosphere is
impregnated with the aroma that is waited
through the car windows from the depths Of
the orchards. Numerous little urchins, al
most before the wheels have ceased to gy-
rate, are climbing on the cars like pirates
boarding an ocean prize. They iInpudently
thrust their baskets in your face and vocif-
srously importune you to buy Of their stock.
Every other man on the car is q grower, a
buyer, a worker or speculator, or in some
way interested in the business.
Harrington Change cars for Lewsr'
shouts the brakeman.
At twilight the train comes to halt at the
station at Lewes, the historic old town of
Sussex county, with its antique, moss COW
cred houses, almost hidden from view in the
midst of a grand old forest Of oak and pine
trees. While looking about for suitable
conveyance a venerable looking negro. driv-
ing cadaverous OK attached to a rickety old
blackboard, came along. / found the old
lily agreed to take me for consideration,
and in a short time we were of for the Capes,
leaving a crowd Of people gazing curiously
after US.
At last we reached open country and ar
rived at Cape Henlopen light house. Here
for miles, stretching along the ocean front,
is great pine forest inhabited by cornmu-
nifty of people whose manners and customs
are similar to those of the CRACKERS" Of
Georgia. Near the light tower the road di-
verges to the right and runs parallel with
the ocean beach for long distance. We
followed it for a mile and half. when we
turned abruptly into by path and plunged
into the dismal looking place. Suddenly We
were greeted by the shouts of a troop of dirty,
ragged looking children, who seemed to have
sprung up out of the bushes. The driver e1-
planned that we had struck the CHARMS"
which l interpreted as meaning the clear
ings, and so they proved to be.
These clearings are located at short inter
walls, and consist of from one-half to an acre
of arabic land in comparatively good state
of cultivation. Upon this ground is raised an
abundance of vegetables and cabbage; sweet
and round potatoes are slowed away in large
quantities for winter use. There are cherry,
apple, peach, pear and plum trees, and some
of the more aesthetic and intelligent delight
in lolling in the shade of the silver maple or
gathering exquisite bouquets from the luxu-
rious flower beds set off in one corner of the
clearing. The manner in which the houses
are constructed is from which the appellation
Of ''pine shatter" is derived, and, indeed, it
is no misnomer. The houses are one story
high, built of pine slabs, some with and some
without the bark, and are put together sub
stantially. The roof is constructed of pine
shafts These shafts are the refuse from pine
trees, such as cones, leaves, twigs, etc, which
are mixed with composition of boiled sea
water and clay, which forms compact mass
absolutely impervious to water. The CHM
ney is of hard clay and ascends from the out
side of the house.
These people are evidently great econo-
mixers of space, for here in one of these small
rooms whole family, frequently consisting
of six and seven persons, eat, sleep and cook. A
large open fire place, with swinging crane,
from which is suspended the old fashioned
iron dinner pot an antique bedstead two or
three chairs and an immense chest complete
the furniture. There is no sign of carpet, and
no attempt is made at interior decoration,
except that the slabs have once upon a time
been whitewashed, for they are now SO be-
grined with SCOT and smoke it is hard to dis
tingush the presence Of the calcinliner. A
few pictures, cut from national newspapers,
which, in some .unaccountable manner, found
their way into the dismal abode of the shat
ter, are pasted on the Slabs and fishing nets,
cobwebs and herbs are mixed in apparent in
extricable confusion overhead, clinging TO
nails and wooden pegs. At the end Of the
house the inevitable rain barrel to catch the
drippings from the roof is used for washing
and drinking purposes, and besides the barrel
the ubiquitous ''gourd," SO famous every
where in the southern country as = drinking
utensll
Sitting in the shade Of tree near ono Of
these houses, knitting a seine and smoking
dirty clay pipe was thin, sallow faced man,
barefooted and bareheaded He was talka-
tive He said that he bad been nigh onto
DEATH" but was now ''fsehn' right smart"
A slatternly looking woman, with a hoe in
her hand, came up and entered at once into
conversation Taking rub Of snuff
they are all inveterate snuff takers-she
replaced the paper carefully in her pocket
and began in a most voluble tongue TO ex-
patiate upon the family misfortune: "Yes,
the old man over thar had the agy for more'n
year"
The community is diminishing, however,
for the encroachments OF progressive civil
ization and the development OF internal inn
provements has somewhat scattered them.
A great many have vacated the clearings for
the near by towns They are, comparatively
speaking, an industrious people, and just at
this season find plenty Of employment in the
fruit orchards or drying houses, earning
from so to 30 cents per day, and yet they are
happy and contelred and seem to thrive
upon this pittance They enjoy aa advan-
tage over the poorly paid laborer in the
cities, because during the summer they can
make their Clearing produce enough vese-
tables to last them through tho winter. Be-