The farmer and mechanic., 1915-05-25

Dnnn. May 22.-In several respects |
this is one OF the most interesting |
spots ever met up with. You talk
about bubbling over with enthusiasm
but Dunn carries the pressure, with a
Niger sitting on the safety valve and
bunch of them stuffing lightwood
into the furnace. Once in a while in
modest way l have been in the
habit OF entertaining some of my
friends with stories about Tom HOl-
drrs experiences in Moore and Hoke
counties Tom Holder has gone to
Mississippi, and | am sorry, for he
was a rema rkably observing historian.
ltr brought up from his farm one
YEAR with another many interesting
bits of curious history, but | am of
the opinion that these Jarvis county
folks have seen some marvels that
would interest Tom Holder.
| will say right from the start that
if into this story should creep any
thing that sounds out OF the Ordin
airy nobody should be surprised, for
/ have these things from men of in
telligence and of the strictest integri-
~. But / will confess that Jarvis
county strikes me as being a wonder.
~ - lOlu that Il w man
was in Dunn one day, and he walked
up and down street and sized up the
budding place Finally he stopped
in front of the opera house and look
ed both directions and sort Of said to
himself $50 this is the bushleaguer
that pushed Wilmington back onto a
branch railroad line. Wouldn't it make
you wish you had died when you was
little TO have a saw mill burg like this
Eet YOU in the solar DloXuS =
Product of Railway.
But that is the way it came about
To tell the story Of a man or q COM
munity you must go back and get a
bit of his ancestral rating to indicate
his character. Dunn is descendant
of the old "Puffing Billy locomotive
that undertook to put the horse out
of business by introducing a strange
system Of hauling wagons by steam
on iron tramways.
After that thing was tried in Eng
land some folks at Baltimore anC
some at Charleston built a railroad al
each place, and presently North Caro-
lima got the infection. In 1888 the
Raleigh and Wilmington railroad wa:
incorporated, the first railroad to b,
chartered in the State. 1t was bull
from the Roanoke river to Whining
ton. This was the pioneer north ant
south railroad of the country, and it
opening to Wilmington was grea
event, taking place in 1910. In tim
the Raleigh and CASTOR road, ais
one of the pioneer roads, was extend
ed southwest from Raleigh, continu
ing the line which had been bull
from Raleigh to the Roanoke river
and the roads that became the Pied
mont Air Line in the western par
of the State were gradually built an
gathered up to in time become tn
southern.
On The Short Line.
Wilmington was on the first of tn
roads that ran southwark in tn
United States. To be set off on
branch road by Dunn after nearl
enough to make the Wilmington ma
say coarse things about this town
And this is the way it happened. Raj
roads built as railroads will, and i
course Of time the Wilmington an
Weldon road came into the hands
the Atlantic Coast Line company. an
about 1886 the consolidating interes
concluded to build a short line frol
The North to Charleston, Columbi
and Florida.
The Florida trains were beginnir
20 lSurc in freight and paSSengt
business, and it was too much of
eetour to haul everything to Wilmin:
ton, then west to Florence, then tu1
south. SO the short line was bui
rom Wilson to the Pee Dee river, ar
wilmington was handed it's cup
wormwood
fayetteville was on the Cape Fe;
ah,' 1adkin Valley road. 1t was S
put on the main line Of the Goa
Line, and it put some new shingles {
me houses and spruced up it's law