The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-02
A STORY IN FIGURES
Business Of 1895 Compared with
That of 1904. How the Flames
Have Helped to Beautify the
City. Banks, Business
Houses, the Mill.
BY III. Il. HARDY.

ressive little city the question: What
is going on ." I did not at first un-
dcrStand his answer-"The town;
bat after sojourning here two days an&
looking around, l came to the conclu-
sion that the citizen ave me a cor
rect answer to my question.
Yes the town of Rocky Mount is
fast going on continuing in growth
and Improvement.
When / was here last May work
was just. begun to rebuild the Ma
sonic Temple Bank of Rocky Mount
and other buildings which had been
burned. 1t is often said and with
much truth that fire always helps a
town and this may well be applied to
Rocky Mount in this instance, for
every new brick building now COM
pIeted, and all others rapidly nearing
completion are much more commodi-
Gus ana add IA great deal to the at
tractive appearance of this section of
the place.
The new temple will be muchlarger
than the old. 1t now extends through
from East Railroad street to Wash
ington. 'Tis Il handsome edifice of
three stories costing over $4,000. CO
the ground floor is the post office
and two large store rooms; on the Sec
ond floor is one of the most comfort
able, up-to-date opera houses for its
size i'm the State. The scenery and all
other necessary fittings are of the lat
est and best quality. Upon the third
floor is the lodge room and a ban
quoting hall This building has cleo
trio lights. water. steam heat and al
other modern improvements. South of
the temple are the handsome brick
stores of Taylor & Cuthsell, Rawlings
& Avera. Il. p. Bullock's up-to-date
furniture store is on the north sida
of the temple. The new brick bank
of Rocky Mount containing ore OF the
very best and latest improved vaults.
and its furniture and other equipment
are all that could be desired.
/ know of no town in the State that
fer it's size has better banking faciii-
ties than Rocky Mount. Besides the
one described there is the Planters
Bank The Savings Bank and The First
National. This proves that capitalists
abroad as we'll as here at home have
faith in the future growth and deVei-
opment of Rocky Mount or they
would not put their money In the bub
mess.
Mr.. ]. D. Bullock is doing much
TO improve what has always been
known here as Gays corner. or the
Five Points" He has torn down the
old frame building which for SO many
years occupied this lot and is erecting
a large two story and basement brick
DulluI1S Ill WHICH, t1ltIt Will NC tNO
store rooms one of ~hich will be used
as a drug store, this building is located
on three streets. with three ronts. or
Rose, Tarboro and Washington streets.
Vestal and Thorp are building 4
new brick building of two stories, or
West Railroad street diagonally across
from the Coast Line freight depot
The lower floor is to be used by the
Southern Express Company; the upper
for offices.
The new oil mill and sinnery just
outside of the limits of the town is
new independent industry recently
started up. The mill is 20 ton ca
pacity.
There have been over 600 bales OF
cotton ginned by this gin up to date
for this season. The most of STOCK
for this plant is owned by farmers.
ex-representative to Legislature and
one of the best farmers of this sec
ton, Mr. E. L. Daughtride is president
of this plant The paid in capital
stock is $4,000. This mill is The
Planters Oil Mill.
A fertilizer company has been or
ganized here with r. II. Kicks as
president, and Jno. d. Odom secretary
and treasurer.
The Planters Oil Mill will make the
goods for this company and the output
will be about 50 tons per day.
The new knitting mill with a paid
in capital of $4,000, is another new
enterprise here that will aid much in
giving employment to bread learners
and pushing Rocky Mount forward.
Mr. j. c. Budswell president of The
Planters Bank, is also president of this
mill.
The Coast Line is building large
additions and making large extensive
improvements to their already large
shops at South Rocky Mount just one
n
am reliably informed that when the
new shop is completed, the present
force will be doubled from what it
now is and the monthly pay roll will
be increased from 81 $4,000 to at least
$4,000.
While the acreage of tobacco
around Rocky Mount was largely de-
creased this year as compared with
last tobacco men here tell me they
will sell from about seven and half
to eight million pounds this season.
The tobacco now selling on the Rocky
Mount market is of better grades than
has been sold up to this time and the
prices are good, averaging about Il
cents.
Over 5000 bales of cotton have been
sold on this market up to date. The
farmers from all this surrounding sec
,ion are unauestionably in much
better financial condition than for
good many years.
WIN other street improvements GO
ing on mere at this time the work VIII
500" begin of putting down granalith-
ic sidewalks
Including just outside of corporate
limits people who really belong to any
town Rocky Mount now has a popula-
ton of from 1000 to 5000. 1 have it
on good authority that rne Coast Lire
handles daily at this point 9. 600 cars
as compared with $50 in 1895. Local
freight receipts in 1895 were s144-
600, in 1904. $95O.0OO. Post Office re-
ceipts in 1895. $4,000. and un to oct.
/, 1904. $11,500. Taxable property in
1895 was $S21,355, for 1904, $1,000
600.
The above will suffice to Show tfx
growth and increase of some of The