The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-05-31

Commencement Excrcises-NewM Man.
axement-FearfuID Destruction by Re-
cent Fioods-CanaI at Roanoke Rap
ids. Damaged-''Fraud Commission.
Reports stolen.
Messenger Bureau

Raleigh. y. g. May -
Hon Carroll d. Wright. United
States labor commissioner. arrived
this morning and today delivered the
annual address before the cadets of
the Agricultural and Mechanical coll
lege- He was introduced by Governor
Aycock.
The last meeting OF the old board Of
trustees OF the Agricultural and Me-
chanical college was held today. I'm
der new Law the board OF agriculture
will in future have charge OF the COL
lege. Some changes were made in the
FACULTY today, salaries reduced some
what and steps taken TO push the work
In the textile building. the plans for
which were submitted by Trustee n.
a. Tompkins
Mr.. II. F. Sewell. OF Carthage. says
the floods have literally destroyed the
land. He illustrates this by the case
yesterday and said: The corn and
cotton are gone" Well well repiant."
said the owner. But the land is
gone, said the tenant.
w. a. Graham. of Lincon county, Is
here. He says II will require ten years
time for the now ruined bottom land
10 restore its soil Never has he seen
such sweeping away OF lands and
crops In fact. hundreds OF thousans
of acres OF the finest bottom lands In
The state are ruined for years 10 come.
The governments weather and crop
report for this state, for the week
ended last night. was issued today and
makes interesting reading. 1t says:
"All minor features OF the crop con-
ditions during the past week are over
shadowed by the tremendous loss re-
sulting from the heavy rainfall on the
II nd TlJfc Cfn ra1
on the coast Of Texas on the morning
of the 18th. crossed the gulf states,
and thence passed northward over CEN
trail and western North Carolina The
characteristic feature of the storm
was the extensive area covered by the
excessive precipitation, which averag-
ed over inches for the state. as COM
pared with a normal for the week OF
only inch. At some points the DOWN
pour was exceedingly heavy: Marion.
Mcdowell county, reported 1.25 ir"hns
in twenty-four hours; Statesville. 7.40:
Chapel Hill and Durham, $50. The
rainfall diminished eastward to about
normal near the coast The damage
caused by the beating rains. high
winds. and subsequent floods in every
creek and river. to farm lands crops,
barns, mills bridges. and railroads can
not at present be estimated. Space
will not permit a detailed account here
of the loss reported, which seems to
have been greatest in Mcdowell Bun
combe. and Mitchell counties IN the
west. and Orange and Durahm in the
central section, but most other coun-
ties, except in the extreme east por-
ton, suffered proportional loss. Up
lands were badly washed. in some in
stances whole acres swept perfectly
clear: an unusually large a-rof 1ow--
lands was submerged. and IN the west
particularly immense crops OF the fin
est wheat were covered with sedin: ut
or totally destroyed. Corn and cotton
in the bottoms were very small. ar :
most of il will have TO be replanteo.
which will be the third replanting IN
many places.
The floods in the Yadkin. Catawba
and most other western rivers. as WEI
as in the Roanoke and Cape Fe~~-
were as high as. or higher. than pre-
ciously recorded. The dykes protect
ing the state farms on the lower Roam
oke We're broken.
THE temperature was slightly above
normal until the latter part OF the
week, which was again rainy and cool.
Crops have become very grassy, and
as they are still backward and small
they need working to prevent being
smothered by the grass and weeds. A
period of warm, clear weather is need
ed to dispel the present gloomy out
look.
Rainfall for the week at selected sta
tions lin inches): Goldsboro LA,
Greensboro 4.04. Lumberton 6.9s. New
Bern 2.2s. Weldon 2.7s, Charlotte 40.
Wilmington $50. Raleigh 4.93. South
port 321, Auburn Gas, Saxon 5.13. Chap
el Hill 6.6S. Monroe $50. Marion 9.53.
Statesville S.14, Patterson 7.s9. Brewers
100"
The sheriff of Forsyth county made
full tax settlement with the state to-
day. He is the fifty-eighth TO settle.
Governor Aycock will spend some
days at the encampment Of the state
guard in July. Next week he and all
the other state officers will attend the
state university commencement.
The reunion Of the alumni Of Wake
Forest college to be held tomorrow
is expected to be the largest n the
history of that institution.
Several of the alumni of Davidson
college who live here are attending
the commencement. Locke Craig, cf
Ashevil!o. delivered the annual al
dress To-Day.
Forty convicts were today sent from
the penitentiary here to rebd-id and
repair injured canals at Roanoke Rap
ids. The flood shut off the electric
lighting plant OF Weldon.
1t is found that the state has not n
copy Of the report OF the Bragg fraud
commission" which investigated
the special tax bonds of 1869. AIT
the books have been stolen by persons,
interested. In suppressfng the facts
brought out ss-s.