Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1907-07-31
PAST AND PRESENT Cd T.,,.bs !, !,
R. Williams, ,-an Old Resident Of Sold Mn,
Tells Of Many Things Of Interest,
Salisbury Jnl,, 10

|'Sf'o'o oAo WFl60f or tl1
letter notes the wonderful ad
>vancement North Carolina sha,
made in the world of progress
The writer spent his boyhood
days in Gold Hill with his parents
Rev. John Williams, who wal
manager of the mines there, OF
the advice of Horace Greedy, when
sixteen years of age, we left Gold
Hill for the West. After growing
up to manhood We Travelled five
years with a show as ticket seller
and lecturer with the side-show.
In this capacity we Travelled all
over the south and then engaged
in commercial business, anu for a
number of years sold drilling ma
chimes in every coal mining State
in the Union, hence we deny sue
cessful contradiction when we saw
the State of our youth has fully
kept pace with the world of pro-
gress and for churches and mag
nificent school houses she has set
pace for Others to follow, as in
Concord and adjoining counties
there is two hundred thousand
dollars invested IN tn ese build
ings. Here our mind goes back
to the years of '55 and '65, when
the school houses were log cabins,
1GxlS feet, one log cut out of the
side for a widow, with split logs
for a seat, ten-cent spelling
book, a fifteen cents arithmetic,
a twenty-five cent geography,
slate and pencil was the outfit.
Note today the magnificent school
buildings soaring heayenward, ard
see the average pupil going and
returning from school, five dollars
would-not pay for his outfit of
books, while the seats are of the
very latest improved pattern,
modern and up-to-date in every
respect. A wonderful contrast
between the old spill, log with nd
back to it, where he was compelled
to sit the entire day while the ed.
ucational gun of knowledge was
fired at his mind by sixteen col.
lar teacher.
The writer thinks the women
and ladies get better looking every
year, as there are no women tc
equal the tar heels. In those
days the writer made weekly trips
from Gold Hill to Salisbury, g
distance of fourteen miles, and
can't remember frame house
along the entire distance. Today
after forty-three years absence
we return to find the old log cabin
in the back ground, only a relic
of the past, while on It's former
site we find a magnificent building
erected, modern and up-to-date il
every respect, being of the lates
improved pattern, with splendit
lawns and we'll improved farms
The writer, on Wednesday last
visited Gold Hill, the home of hi
youth, and was led with amaze
ment to note the great activit,
there. We found three mines il
operation and one large stam]
mill going up to the new mines
The writer noted the much i'm
proved appliances there used. Il
mining in the olden days the oil
time drill was used, pounded ON b.
a ten pound hammer while pene
trating the rock, today they ar
using electric drilling machines O
the latest pattern. On passing tn
office we notice the old time Goa
oil lamp long since displaced b
electric lights. On the questio]
of wages paid for labor, it is wit
much interest we notice tn
wonderful advancement that ha
been made in the past forty years
NOR in the days of our youth tn
write> remembers we'll when labo
could V secured in Gold Hill fo
eighteen dollars per month, sixty
nine cents day, and board them
, selves. While there was cheaI
er class of labor known as th
slave, hired by his master at an
old price and his board, whic
consisted of one peck of corn mes
with the bran in it, one pound {
, Coffee, one pint of salt and fou
pounds of salt pork for seven day
rations. The WArcHMAN readel
will note labor lived high in thot
days. Today we are informe
that the same class of labor r