The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-08-06
LAKE C|TY'S RAPID GROWTH.
BIRDS EYE VIEW OF A BUSY
COMMUNITY.
The Coming Tobacco Market Of the
Statc-Some Things Seen and
Heard That impress Visitor.


communities in this part of the
State for this season of the year.
There are few loafers congregated On
street corners and the sight of crowds
of negroes blocking the sidewalks
a spectacle too common in most
towns of our low country-is CON-
spicuously lacking there. Yet there
is generally good crowd in town
and the merchants seem to be doing
a brisk business. Every now and
then a bell rings out and a crowd
gathers in one of the tobacco ware
houses where sale Of leaf tobacco
is taking place. These auctions are
held in turn at the several ware
houses daily, SO that the intervals
between the sales are very short. TO
the uninitiated tobacco sale is a
novel and interesting sight.
The census Of 1900 credits Lake
City with population of 375, but
from the number of dwellings and
business houses one can See with
half an eye that the actual number
of inhabitants must be nearly double
that shown by the official tabulstion,
and it may be inferred either that
the sus-taker over looked u num-
Der of house-holders, or that the
town. has enjoyed the wonderful in
crease in population of about 100
per cent within the past three years.
It,was as a truck-growing centre
, chat Lake City first attracted atten-
,:on commercial way. Some years
ago a few enterprising citizens as an
experiment planted few acres of
rawberries for market. Last sea-
son there was produced in Lake
City and the surrounding country
$4,000 worth of berries alone, to
say nothing of cucumbers, beans,
cantelopes, lettuce, ETC., all of which
brought good prices.
BY their productive industry and
tireless energy the thrifty denizens
of this wide-awake community have
approximately eliminated the dull
season that obtains in so many towns,
there being few months Of the year
when people who work have not
something to sell and a good market
for their produce. This of course
stimulates every line of business and
feeds all the arteries of trade.
Three years ago Lake City hung
out her shingle as a tobacco market
with one warehouse.i The patronage
received was so encouraging that last
year another large warehouse was
built, and each of the two did a
bigger business than the single one
of the year before Now this year
still another has been added and
to-day Lake City stands in the very
front rank Of tobacco markets in
Sonth Carolina. Last year this
market handled .oyer 100000 lbs
of tobacco and the prospects are
that the sales this year will exceed
100000 lbs. 1t is a fact not gen.
orally known that on the basis of
last years sales only three markets
in the State handle more tobacco
than Lake City. The warehouse
men are now much better prepared
than ever to handle tobacco and farm
ers who bring their product TO this
market may be assured of the very
top of the market in the way of
prices. For storing the tobacco
there are two pack houses 40 X 100
feet each, and one and-a-half stories
high.
Tobacco has been moving rather
slowly up to this time, but large
crop has been made and the market
will be in full blast during the
present month. Prices on good to-
bacco are looking up and prospects
seem encouraging. On good grades
the price now ranges l0c a pound
and inward. Buyers represer TING