Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-06-13
A PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED.
The Present and the Future OF the caro-
lima Sea Islanders.
CHarpers Weekly.)

(Harpers Weekly.)
Along the southeastern Atlantic coaS''
from Savannah TO Charleston. and from
Charteston north TO Georgetown, the shore
line Is very irregular perhaps more 80
than elsewhere on the Atlantic seaooaru.
Savannah. Beaufort. and Charleston WINE
scaport cities, with their large shipping
interests, are. in sense, inland 'o"ns'
They are reached through rivers s0u"us'
and bays. and the open ocean Is seen ohIy
by giimpses, II at all. these rivers anu
sounds cut the South Carolina coast into
noints. pcninsulas. and islands varying In
size. outline. and sometimes In general
character of formation. II one look at the
coast chart ne will wonder how the pilots
eyer learn the channels. and how, having
once mapped them, IL is possible 10 Io'-
low the changes all the time in progress
The mainland runs into the sea Ike the
fingers on ones hand, and the sea In It's
turn crosses the fingers and ponettates
them Ike the veins. The water Is oitch
fresh or salt according 10 the ebD OF inc
flow Of the tide. and the rivers nave TWO
currents. one towards the ocean ana 'ie
other from IL. $500,
as they are recognized. but their number
is doubled by heavy rains These Islands
are wooded with pines and oaks, and the
sandy soil produces, when fertlllHed anu
attentiyely cultivated, abundant crops VI
cotton, rice, corn, vatcTinelcns' ana d
variety OF vegetables. An industry which
| has become profitable during the past rev
years Is taking from the rich beds po,h
| on the land and in the rivers tHdr
stores of phosphate rock Inns business
gives employment to thousands. as In me
| Immediate vicinity Of peaufor: $4,000 tons
| of this rock are taken out and washed
preparatory to treatment every year. Inc
rice plantations claim much OF the uliaDie
| soil, and their product may be called one
| of the two leading staples. The other
| IL cotton; not the common upland kind OF
| Georgia and Mississippi. but the more
| sought-for Sea island cotton. During the
season Of 1912 the crJp OF the ISLANDS
was II ,J0l bales. The past season YIELDED
| about 200 bales. showing the loss sus-
| tanned in this one crop on account 81 the
| storm. These products are mentioned 10
| show tina: the Sea Islanders in luiT llmes
( are able 10 support the rstises
The population Of these Islands Is forty
| thousand or more. depending somewhat on
the season and the vigor with which the
| phosphate mines are operated. Eighty
| five per cent. of these people are coiored;
| the remaining Il per cent. include the
| Planters anu their AHt ANh''B
| ers. the owners Of business plants. and
some scattered Crackers" AS a whole.
| this population Of 1000 is not well-to-do.
| IL dwells in huts and cabins rather than in
| houses. 1t lives contcntedly on hominy
and bacon, with boiled rice for variety.
| and sweet potatoes and chickens for luxu-
| ries The majority Of the blacks do not
! lose sleep because their crops are often
| mortgaged when they are planted
| The awful tidal-wave of August q. 1895.
| could hardly have found in the United
| States a section whose topography was
more inviting to its fury. The
surface Of these islands is. for the
most part n scant five feet above
| tide water. Almost everything but
the tops Of the pines were submerged
| iy wave which at its highest Is said TO
have reached fifteen feet Cabins, fences.
bridges. boats, and everything not secure
| ~ anchored were carried out to sea; the
| growing crops, almost ready for The har-
| vest. were washed out of the ground or
| killed by the salt water; desolatiOn spread
| over the islands
! Prompt measures were adopted for re-
| lief. but the extent of the disaster in
| creased as the truth became known
At Charleston and at Beaufort commit
| tees were organized, and contributions
| came to them from the generous North
| though business depression then Swallowed
| the country. Much had been done, there
| was vastly more TO do. when, on the
nth OF September. Miss Clara Barton,
| president of the American National Red
| Cross, with assistants. arrived. Miss Bar
| ton came by the united requests of the
| Governor of South Carolina and the two
| United States senators. Accompanied by
| Governor Tilman, Senator Butler. State
| officers. and prominent citizens. an In
| vestigation was made This was thor
| oughly and conscientiousE done. even &c
| the taking Of a census of the destitute
| The islands were districted. distributing
| centres located. trained nurses and physi
| clans and experienced helpers were sum
| moned. Very soon the Red Cross had an
| organization nearly perfect, and Wa
| familiar with every part of the ISLANDS
| Delegations of sufferers called at mrs
| to present their needs, and later TO stat'
| what they could get along without. Inc
impression at the beginning was that tbs
| Red Cross is second edition or tn'
| old Freedmen's Bureau, distributing
agency 1t required six weeks to expiair
the character of the relief to be gwen
TO impress 1t upon the sufferers.