The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-09-21
FEARFUL ON THE ISLANDS.
From IL Most Trustworthy Source-Flrst
Report In Week.

From II Most Trustworthy Source-Flrst
Report in Week.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Sept. H.-Up to
date the only accurate report that the
outside world has obtained of the real
condition of affairs on the sea islands
OF South Carolina was from DR.. Bah
cock upon his return from tn @ islands.
1T has been some time since that report
came. Since then there has been moth
ing further to indicate the horrible con-
ditlon OF the people and the country,
but The State is enabled today to give
a most graphic and complete report of
this character. which comes from per
haps as reliable and well posted man
as there Is in the State, IL man
thoroughly intimate with the
territory, which he describes. This
report Is in the shape of a personal let
ter received yesterday by Col. Joseph
Daniel Pope from a relative, DR.. Dan
lei L. Pope. Col. Pope kindly sends a
copy of the letter to The State. saying
that "it gives a better account than
anything | have seen from Edisto, and
IT Will be read with interest by many
friends throughout the State" Here
Is the letter:
EDISTo ISLAND, Sept. q, 1893.
got back home lew days ago.
started from Saiuda just as soon as
communication was open to the island
wanted very much to stop one night
with you in Columbia, but as could
not hear from home | was anxious to
get through. When | reached home
found the account of the disaster on
our coast was not at all exaggerated
Wherever the eye turned there was
nothing but ruin and devastation, the
crops hopeleSSly destroyed. My house
was unrOoied, the tin stripped Off the
whole of the back and several large
trees in the yard blown down. Ny lawn
looks as if a fire had passed over the
trees, not a green leaf on many.
My crop, fear, will be a total loss.
The cotton has been stripped Of nearly
all the fruit except the very oldest on
the stalk, and my corn blown down Hat
TO the ground, and much of it III water
1T has been raining necessarily ever
since the storm, so am told; and since
my return 1t has rained every day, and
sometimes all day-what the up cOun-
try farmers call root soakers." 1t
came down in torrents, so that | fear
what little of the crops remaining in
the field will be lost or badly damaged.
The outlook is worse than when we
came back after the war, for at that
the nigh price of cotton and everybody
could get what credit he needed In the
way of supplies; but now see nothing
ahead staring us IN the face, for the
colored population, but starvation.
fear many of the whites are in the
same 1lX; some have saved nothing but
the clothes on their backs. 1T is going
to be serious thing to know how we
are going to feed these people without
bringing additional trouble here. since,
If the negroes are fed they will not
work any more; so that if there not he
very iudicious distribution of the
charity, more harm may be done than
good. Many are now looking to the
government to come to their rescue.
They have been the "government's
wards" so long that they look upon it as
certainty, and are not disposed to go
after work to better their condition.
The whites will not be able to give
much, If any help, in the way Of work
for they are not able to do so. Then,
their situation cannot be bettercd until
another crop is made and it Will be at
least nine months before any material
help from their own efforts can be re-
allZed IN the way of crop. Just as
soon now as the gleanings which they
are getting from the fields are exhaust
| have never seen such dpvastation
The storms Of 1891 although it lasted
two or three days can't be compared to
1t. My losses | can't begin to estimate.
How much | will realize ! fear to say,
but when | look around and see others
so much worse than | am, | can only
say thank God that | have something
left. | even lost my last years corn
The storm drove the rain so violently
under the shingles that the corn was
thoroughly wet and it heated and
rotted. After got home, had it i'm.
mediately hauled away and dumped in
to the lot l have for hogs. 50 that has
to be replaced for my stock.
The whole country smells so bad that
L hate to ride the roads. My family
VIII VIII not come from Saluda until the
llrSt OF October any way. There is so
much decayed vegetable matter living
all around, especially where the salt
water has covered the land, that all
vegetation has been killed and the
stencil arising from it Is so horrible
III some places that | have to hold nv
nose until | pass; and all Of this, when
there is scarcely "A day when the sun
shines. The weather, too, is excessive
ly hot, but no hot sunshine. If the
rains should hold up and the hot Sep
telnUST StlnS DaRo Jne laDu, II the tlll IL
via arising from so much deca, d veg
rtable matter don't produce Il great
deal OF sickness | can't see what will
prevent it.
| have written to Washington TO see
II some disentectants can't be sent
here, for if we have an epidemic of
dlarEh9a, dySpntary and fever, which
diseases may prevail tJ an alarming ex.
tent, only mentioned to show you that
with the deluging rains, we are hav-
ing, all the etlete matter, vegetable and
other, pouring into tn" wells. thous-
and who drink 1t must Imbibe 50 much
miasma into their systems. You must
excuse my writing so much Of our dis.
tress but | know You feel an interest in
all here and also in the welfare of the
coast, which will not recover from this
In ten years, if then. The Rockville
people, Know, need aid sadly. am
glad to see aid sent to any in distress,
and we have many.
\ ours allrCtiOnately,
DANIEL II. POrE
Collector Wsbsttr Kssigds.