The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-03-27
HOW THEY DIG PHOSPHATE.
NEGRO LABORERS in TIL II
ROCK FIELDS.
a Winters Day at an Old Desert.
cd Plantation Home and Il
Visit to the Phosphate Rock


Visit to the Phosphate Rocl
Fields.
Arthur Jane, in Charleston Sunda
News.
The sunlight falls on a low cottage
whose tall white Ghimneys ant
ovelhanglng red roof bring to mind 4
Dutch picture. The view from its
vine-clad porch opens Oh 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 sentincls I, seem guard,
ing the approach TO colonial mansion
now i'll ruins.
In sunshine and shadow, in rain, in
storm, or fair moonlight, these oaks
arc ever grand and beautiful. In the
stiffness of dawn they stand motion
less, but for the quivcring of their bill
lion leaves, which seem to nod and
shake and say: We arc alive, and
have been here for ages; we know 50
much, oh, so very much! We know
the joys and sorrows of the many gen.
erations who have passed under our
arms; we know Iaturc's secrets that
you poor m0rtals arc yet cropping blind
ly to find out"
We are as God made us, while
you, who are made in HIS image, are
ever dcfacing His handiwork in your
natures 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 a
smooth, wide lawn, with shaggy sheep
browsing on dry tufts Of glass. 1t
horses for the chase, here the children
gambolled, welcomes extended and
farcwclls said. Here the slaves were
gathered to receive largess in the
Christmas season, here burned the
bon fires which celebrated the births
and marriages of the children Of the
house, and hence wcndcd 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 bcwildering is the con-
fusion of flowers that bloom in the
springtime beneath the oaks.
They border the sbadowcd lakes and
seem TO follow the shining river be-
yond, they fringe the broad paths and
color every vista with their brllancc,
in each opening between the tree tops
is seen the turquoise blue Of South
ern sky.
All sounds arc distant and mellow,
the rumbling of a cart, the blows of the
busy hammer, the far-away whistle Of
locomotive, the dull throbbing of a
phosphatc-washer, a sharp call of one
labOrcr TO another, the occasional low
ing of calfless COW, the ROSTERS
shrill crow and the ceaselcss chirpino
of the birds while busy about their
daily portion.
One is loath TO leave the lansuorous
quiet of such a spot, but the time ap-
pointed fer visit to the phosphate
fields had arrived, 80 we stepped
across the intervening corn beds to the
narrow track, where a 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
nounccd 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
arc shaking their thirst; past bare rock
fields, whose yield had been exhausted
or lies too deep for profitable digging,
thus they arc abandon ed, with up.
hcavcd SUI face, and strcwn with up
rooted trees lying prone and dead.
Near the track arc numbers of negro
cabins, the dwellings, of the phosphate
laborcrs. These houses have no claim
to the rustic attractivcness of the days
of slavery. There is now no generous
wood pile nor grunting SOW, with
squealing litter, no scratching, fussy
hen, with broot of chicks, nor the
numbers of fat, greasy, happy little
picaninnics basking in the sun. There
we see only the bare, dingy looking
lloucS1 " llilS ttSIooo thS 0ul'
filled with ragged garments tapping in
the wind, a few thln, half-clothcd chill
dren, whose mothers are not tho erst
while healthy, well-clothcd specimens
adorned by pleasant manners; instead
of these, arc bcdragglcd women
dcckcd with remnants of tawdry
lincry, cunning and surly in thci
looks and ways. Their occupation il
that Of cooks and washers for the rocl
diggcrs, charging thcm cxol bitantly
you may be sure. These women a
noon stand near the track to slim.
their buckets of food on the train a
it rushcs by to the rock fields, thus th
negroes in the pits get their Dime,
Further in the woods, may be see
the cabins OF the Italian laborcrs
who aIc brought from the Nor,h ever
winter to supplement the uncertm
work of the negroes during The bus
season. These Italians are free
wicked looking set Of men they her
together like rats, and live not muc
better than the rodents that the
cat; these, with snakes, buzzards an