The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-03-08

OF the tillasale soil, and their product
may be called d Of the two leading
staples. The other is cotton-not the
common upland kind OF Georgia and
Mississippi, but the more sought-for
Sea island cotton. During the season
Of 1912 the crop Of the islands was
eleven thousand Eve hundred and one
bales. The past season yielaea but
about twenty-one hundred bales. show
ing the loss sustained in this ole crop
on accout of the storm. These products
+ mentioned to show that the Sea
islanders in fair times are able to sup
port themselves.
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-fve per cent. of
these people r colored; the remain
ing fifteen per cent. include the plant
ers and their agents, the s-torckeepers,
the owners Of business plants and some
scattered crackers" AS a whole, this
population of forty thousand is not
well-to-do. It dwells in huts and cab
ms rather than in houses. 1t lives
contentedly on hominy and bacon. with
boiled rice for variety and sweet pota-
toes and chickens for luxuries. The
majority of the blacks. do not lose sleep
because their crops are often mort
gagged when they are planted.
The awful tidal wave of August q,
1898, could hardly have found in the
United States a section whose topogra-
ply was more inviting to it's fury.
The surface Of these islands is, for the
most part, a scant five feet above tide
water. Almost everything but the
tops of the pines was submerged by a
wave which at it's highest is said to
have reached fifteen feet. Cabins,
fences, bridges, boats, and everything
not securely anchored were carried out
to sea; the growing crops almost ready
for the harvest were washed out of the
ground or killed by the salt water;
desolation spread over the islands.
Prompt measures were adopted for
relief, but the extent of the disaster
increased 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 14th Of September,
Miss Clara Barton, president Of the
American National Red Cross, with as
sistants. arrived. Miss Barton came by
the united requests of the governor of
South Carolina and the two United
States senator's. Accompanied by
Gov. Tillman, Senator Butler, state
officers and prominent citizeng,
an investigation was made. This
was thoroughly and conscientious
~ done, even to the taking Of a census
Of the destitute. The islands were
districted, distributing centers located,
trained nurses and physicians and ex-
pcrienced helpers were summoned.
Very soon the Red Cross had an organi-
cation nearly perfect, and was familiar
with every part of the islands. Dele
cations of sufferers called at first to
present their needs, and later to state
what they could get along without.
The impression at the beginning was
that the Red Cross is a second edition
of the old Freedrlen's bureau, a dis
tributing agency. 1t required six weeks
to explain the character of the relief
to be given, to impress it upon the suf-
ferers.