The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-12-09

her OF "hoboes," had run away from
'heir work and sought, by their tales
oi slavery" to justify their leaving.
several or these men had them
serves interviewed for newspaper pur-
poses but later, when il came to maxi
ing afhdavits as to the truth of their
statements, they were forced to recant
woesuiiy and to admit they were we'll
treated While working on the KEYS.
when the Florida East Coast ex-
tension was projected. the F1or,ds
state authorities offered to the rail-
roao' which has done all its own con-
struction work without sub-letting a
single contract the use of every CON.
Wet under sentence. Had this offer
oeen accepted the road would have
had sufficient number of men ar
work at forty cents day without the
importation OF single bit OF labor.
When the proposition was outlined
to Mr.. Flagler by his representatives
he declined to build the road by anv
hands other than free American labor
and the work Of bringing in this labor
was begun. At first the men were
paid $1.25 a day and had to make
their contributions toward their own
commissary department. This. as was
found early in the proceeding, was un-
satisfactory and within a short time
the railroad was paying a minimum
OF $3.50 a day to its men and was pro-
viding them with their food and quar-.
ters. Figures connected with the work
show that 1t has cost the company
$1.OS day to feed each man employ
ed and both Generals Shattuc ana
Brooke Of the United States army, on
tours Of inspection Of the work. de-
clared that the sanitary conditions of
the camps and OF the commissariat
for the men were better than was to
be found in the regular United States
army.
1t is significant fact that while the
so-called peonage cases were pending
In the United States court fully 300
letters were received by the men In
charge OF the construction work and
OF the litigation. written by men who
had been engaged in building the
road and who voluntarily offered their
services as witnesses to tell of the con-
ditions Of the camps and of the\ work.
The government. on the other hand.
had to pay expensive mileage charges
and expense accounts for various wit
nesses that its attorneys brought from
long distances, without even establish
ing SO much as semblance of SUBJ
sanitation for its charges.
1t is noteworthy, in connection with
all that has been said and written
concerning the work On this great line.
that each fall, when construction work
Is resumed after the hot summer
months. more than fifty per cent. Of
the men who go to the camps are
men who have worked on the line
during previous winters.
The camps in which the men live
are provided with well-built bunk
houses, each consisting of a large
sleeping room with two tiers OF bunks
extending down the center and along
each side. Each bunk is supplied
with clean bedding and a clean mat
tress filled with cut sponges, and is
covered with mosquito netting.
There is janitor employed at each
house to make the beds and keep the
place clean. Then there is a camp eat
ing-house where fresh meat is served
at least twice a week, although in hot
climates meat cannot be eaten so
heartily as in the north.
The houses of the superintendent
and of the engineers are located in
the camps and there also are libraries
well-stocked with papers and maga.
zines to which the men have free ac-
cess, and hospitals, in charge of sur
geons, where all minor cases of illness
or injury are treated. The more seri-
Gus cases are sent to the main hos
pital OF the road at Miami. All If
these institution are maintained by
the railroad. which already has spent
upwards Of $4,000 for medical SER
vices.
What this vast enterprise will mean.
when completed, to commercial Gu
ba. belongs to the realms of fancy.
but 1t is doubtful IL its importanss
could be exaggerated. Its utilization
also would give the United States a