The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-22
'Twas.,Master Claude Bar
bee Did 1t.
RALEIGH TO THE SEA
Auspicious Beginning of the Work
Speeches byssFrank Ssronach and
]. M. Turner---Raleigh and
Pamlico Sound R. r. a
Reality.

Here is what the man up tree a
little way the other side CT Neuse river,
just off the Milburnie road, would nave
seen yesterday: Three great canvas tents
on the edge of a pine thicket close by a
cotton field, group OF earnest-looking,
substantial seeming men, and some car
riages, buggies, horses, and several wa
CONS, and close by lot of snovels, spades,
picks and other tools. Some OF the meE
were busy apparently getting ready for
something, and others were standing to-
gether in groups, talking. All seemed IL
excellent humor; they were cracking
jokes and laughing. Among them was a
little boy, who called one of the mel
<'Papa"
Pretty soon, about dinner time. there
came fling along the path through the
WOODS. two by two, column Of men in
prison stripes. Nearly all were negroes,
but there were. a few white men there,
too. There were about fifty in all. Be-
bind them were several guards, with guns
ever their shoulders.
rs soon as the convicts got to the camp,
they began under the direction of some
of the men to busy themselves getting the
camp in shape, some getting out the bed
ding from big bundles and putting it IN
shape, and others getting cut the cooking
utensils and all the 'impcdiments' COM
mon to camp life Then others took axes
ard began to cut down and clear away
the underbrush all around the camp, ard
cut firewood. In little while some be-
gan to cook dinner on the camp-stove.
oil az NV IIr
In the meantime the little group OF
white men had been augmented by fresh
arrivals who had driven up. alighted and
unhitched their horses. Now there was
a goodly gathering of prosperous looking
citizens, and with the life about the camp
it all made cutie an animated scene.
After the convicts had all eaten. a
squad of them took UP shovels and picks,
and was marched across the cotton field
to a corner by a dead pine tree. Just
after they started all the citizens who
had driven out, took up shovels and fol-
lowed the convicts The little boy took
shovel, too, and went along among the
first.
When they got to the corner by the
old pine-tree, there were two stakes in
the ground with line stretched from ore
10 the other. The convicts with their
picks and shovels all stood back. and the
citizens gathered about the line, with the
boy in the midst of them.
Finally the boy put his shovel into the
ground Just by the line and threw out
shovelful of dirt The citizens clapped
their hands, and one of them stopped
down and picked I'D a handful of the
dirt thrown out by the hoy. and carefully
placed it in an envelope and put it IN
his pocket.
Then one of the citizens ran to a stump,
mounted it and made a speech to the
others, who gathered around and clap2ed
their hands and appauded When the
speech was over, the orator got down off
Of the stump, and then all the citizens
commenced to dig and throw out dirt along
the line between the stakes. IN few
minutes they stopped, and the conv:cts
followed them, throwing out earth along
the line. Then, after little time the
citizens began to hitch UP and start bach
tie way they had come, carrying Their
shovels away with them.
That little boy was Master Claude
Earbce. the eleven -yearold son of Mr.
Claude B., Barbee. of this city, and that
shovelful of dirt he threw out over there
in the corner OF that cotton field by the
Gcad pine-tree was the first earth broken
for the Raleigh and PamlCo Railroad, to
run from Raleigh to Washington. n. c,
That line between those stakes marked
the place where the track will be laid.
That citizen that made the speech from
the stump was Nj Frank Stronach, of
Raleigh. That camp is the convict camp,
ard those conviets arc the hands from the
States Prison, who will work on the rail-
road. These citizens were Wake county
aGd Raleigh folks who went out to see
The first dirt thrown and take hand
themselves in the work that has started
one of the greatest factors for the future