The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-03-26
HOW THEY DIG PHOSPHATE.
NEGRO LABORERS IN THE
ROCK FIELDS.


Visit to the Phosphate Rocl
Fields.
Arthur James in charleston Sunda
News.
The sunlight falls OIL q low cottage
whose . tall white ohimneys ant
ovelhanglpg red roof bring to mind {
Dutch picture. The view from its
vine.clad porch opens on one of the
loveliest landscapes of the Southland
There are no mountains, nor is there
any sea, only fine sloping lawn sur.
rounded by avenues of live oaks
which have numbered their centuries,
and from whose widespread arms
hang streaming pendants of grey moss.
These trees, like sentinels, seem guard
ing the approach to colonial mansion
now in ruins.
In sunshine and shadow, in rain, in
storm, or fair moonlight, these oaks
are ever grand and beautiful. In the
stiffness of dawn they stand motion
less, but for tho quivering Of their bill
lion leaves, which seem to nod and
shake and say: {" We are alive, and
have been here for ages; we know 80
much, oh, so very much We know
the joys and sorrows of the many gen
erations who have passed under our
arms; we know Iature's secrets that
you poor mortals are yet cropping blind
ly to find out"
"We are as God made us, while
you, who are made in His image, are
ever defacing His hahdiwork in your
natur 8 as well as your deeds. You
are ever making crosses and burdens
for your own aching backs, by striving
against your Creator, oh, ye puny
men, of so small wisdom"
Beneath these oaks spreads
smooth, wide lawn, with shaggy sheep
browsing on dry tufts of grass. 1t
was here our ancestors mounted their
gambolled, welcomes extended and
farewells said. Here the slaves were
gathered to receive largess in the
Christmas season, here burned the
bonfires which celebrated the births
and marriages of the children of the
house, and hence wended the shadowy
PROFESSIONS when the dead were taken
to their last resting place IN the family
vault, which stood amid the Towering
shrubs on the bank of the winding
river.
Entering a small gate one sees a
garden covering acres of ground,
which might aptly be termed an earth
ly paradise, so bewildering is the con-
fusion of flowers that bloom in the
springtime beneath the oaks.
They border the sbadowed lakes and |
seem to follow the shining river be-
yond, they fringe the broad paths and
color every vista with their brllance,
in each opening between the tree tops |
is seen the turquoise blue of South
ern sky.
All sounds are distant and mellow,
the rumbling of a cart, the blows of the
ousy hammer, the far-away whistle of
locomotive, the dull throbbing of a
phosphate-washer, a sharp call of one
laborer to another, the occasional low
ing of calfless COW, the rooster's |
shrill crow and the ceaseless chirping
of the birds while busy about their
daily portion.
One is loath to leave the languorous
quiet of such spot, but the time ap-
pointed for visit to the phosphate
fields had arrived, 80 we stepped
across the intervening corn beds to the
narrow track, where small locomo-
tive and empty trucks were ready for
their outward trip to the rock fields.
Comfortably seated in the front part
of the engine, shrill whistle an
nounced the departure and we rush
noisily past the quiet forest trees, low
banks of green moss and ferns, near a
bubbling spring where the work horses
are shaking their thirst; past bare rock
fields, whose yield had been exhausted,
or lies too deep for profitable digging,
thus they are abandoned, with up.
heaved surface, and strewn with up
rooted trees lying prone and dead.
Near the track are numbers of negro
cabins, the dwellings of the phosphate
laborers. These houses have no claim
to the rustic attracLiveness of the days
of slavery. There is now no generous
wood pile nor grunting SOW, with
squealing litter, no scratching, fussy
hen, with brood of chicks, nor the
numbers of fat, greasy, happy little
picaninnies basking in the sun. There
we see only the bare, dingy looking
house, a clothes line across the yard,
filled with ragged garments Tapping in
the wind, a few thin, half-clothed chill
dren, whose mothers are not the erst-
while healthy, well-clothed specimens,
adorned by pleasant manners; instead
of these, are bedraggled women,
decked with remnants of tawdry
flne-y, cunning and surlY in their
looks and ways. Their occupation is
that of cooks and washers for the rock
diggers, charging them exoi bitantly,
you may be sure. These women at
noon stand near the track to sling
their buckets of food on the train as
it rushes by to the rock fields, thus the
negroes in the pits get their dinner.
Further in the woods, may be seen
the cabins of the Italian laborers,
who are brought from the North every
winter to supplement the uncertain
work of the negroes during the busy
season. These Italians are fierce,
wicked looking set of men; they herd
together like rats, and live not much
better than the rodents that they
eat; these, with snakes, buzzards and
macaroni, form the staple of their
meagre fare.
The train runs down to field OF
busy diggers, where the empty care
are left to be filed with rock; then
with change of switch the little engine
ee \ GoIl