The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-12-23
STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Annual Report of the
State GeOlOgist.
w IMPORTANT WORKS

Weather. for Chrfstmas-MoOnshining
on the acknowledgements
Grady's History Of h United States
New Railway TO Southport.
Messenger Bureau
Raleigh n. c., December q.
Extremely bad weather, with spring
temperature and showers and drizzles
for two days and nights, has knocked
the bottom out of the holiday trade.
Revenue deputies say there is no
doubt of a great increase in moon
shining. For some reason the higher
authorities deny that there is an in
crease.
| Ex-Congressman B. F. Grady has
| completed a history Of the United
States, which he will soon publish.
Associate Justice Douglass, of the
| supreme court, says it will adjourn
Friday.
Quite a lot of the fusion officers are
getting ready to step down and out.
They will get quite a shaking Up in the
next sixty or ninety days.
Asqill Baker, of Harnett county, was
sentenced in the United States district
court here to a years Imprisonment for
moonshining. His wife went in person
| to see Judge Purnell and made so pitt
full an appeal that the sentence was
reduced to thirty days.
! The Boston base ball team will prob
ably do it's practice work next season
on the Trinity college ground at Dur
ham.
A member of the Goldsboro company
| of the First regiment died in camp at
| Marianao on the 18th.
The Andrews Opera Company appear
| ed at the Academy of Music this even
| ing in Martha" The audience was
large and fashionable.
There is general pleasure here at the
election of w. C. McMackin as Wake
| county's supervisor of roads. The fus-
iOnists custer him over a year ago.
Southport people are interested in
| the news that the Cape Fear and North
ern railway will go to that point or to
| Wilmington. Quite a large force is
now at work on this line between Apex,
in this county, and the Harnett county
/ line. The road at Apex will join the
| Seaboard Air Line and over the ~latter's
tracks trains will get into Raleigh.
The annual report of State Geologist
Holmes was made yesterday afternoon
| at the meeting of the state geological
| board. 1t says:
The work of the survey during the
| year ending November 80, 1898, has
been carried forward in accordance
with plans submitted and discussed at
the meeting of this board a year ago.
Subsequent to that time al opportunity
was presented for our undertaking two
new lines of work: % the establish
ment of magnetic meridian posts and
the beginning of a magnetic survey of
the state; and (2) the investigation as
to the rate of growth under different
conditions of the short leaf pine, the
| principal timber trees of eastern North
Carolina. The extent and nature of
the investigation in connection with
both Of these subjects are described be-
low. 1t is encouraging to note that in
many portions of the state there has
been during the past few months a
| greater interest and activity manifest
| ed in connection with mining, water
power and timber development than at
| any time for several years, a condition
which it may be fairly claimed is in
part a result of the work done by the
survey, n which it is believed the re-
suits of this work will continue to en-
courage along lines which give most
promise of success.
The United States geological survey
has continued to cooperate with us in
the making of a great topographic and
geologic map of the state and the work
along this line has been carried on dur
ing the year in some portions of the
area west Of the Blue Ridge, especially
in the region lying to the north and
west of Asheville.
The question as to the best and most
economic methods Of improving the
public roads of the state, the character
and distribution of the best materials
for matchmaking roads, have attract
ed an increasing amount of attention in
all portions of the state. The survey
has not only carried on Investigations
concerning the road materials but has
also given a large amount of informa-
ton concerning the methods of road
building and we have now nearly ready
for publication a report giving a large
amount of information concerning
these subjects. Already more than
AN ~ IA kAO "a nave duOUI-
ed in part at least, the policy OF work
ing roads by taxation and there is every
reason to believe that at the approach
ing session of the general assembly a
still larger number of counties will ask
| to be added 4 the list.
/ A republican office-holder here mada
the very positive assertion last night
that G.. L. French will return to VIII
mington- He also says that he under
stands Collector Dancy tcolored) has
never returned to Wilmington since he
made q hasty departure from there on
a steamer for New York, four or five
| days after the election.
The state charters the NJ. B. Wilkin-
son Lumber Company. of BuncomDe
| county, partly owned by PhiIadeI-
| phians. and with $50. 700 capital.
! DR.. p. L. Murphy. superintendent,
and ]. G. Hall and James O.. sawyer.
of A~shevilie. directors of the Western
hospital for the insane. arrived today
n had a conference with the super