The farmer and mechanic., 1915-10-19
BION H. BUTLER.

BION III. bOlLCft"
Rocky Mount, Oct. 16.-Here is a
curious town that is growing so fast
1t has to spread over into two coun-
ties to find room for it's activities. l
do not know what the population is.
but the census of five years ago said
over 5000. In 1890 the place was
credited with something over 500.
Nearly 1000 per cent in twenty years
Is q right progressive advance. The
growth in the last five years means
that the 5000 mark is an old one now
Rocky Mount is still going ahead.
1 say here is a curious town. 1t is
not where it started. I went over to
Rocky Mount from here to see the
place the town moved from. That
gets us back century ago. Over on
the Tar river, which the Indians say
means river Of health, is the old
Rocky Mount, the ridge Of boulders to
which the settlers referred when they
spoke OF the rocky mount, for the
original rocky mount was not a town
or settlement or any thing else than
q prominent break in the surface of
the country. 1t is the outcropping
Of the edge of the Piedmont which
the geologist calls the fall line, be-
cause the coastal plain breaks away
from the higher country on the edge
Of rock, and where streams cross the
rocky edge a cataract Of greater or
less magnitude is generally found.
On the ancient Tar river a mile or
so out from the present Rocky Mount,
the stream breaks over the rocky
ridge, and there a hundred years ago
one Of the forefathers of the present
well known Battle family noted the
possibilities of water-power, and there
he built dam, and there he estab-
lished in 1918 a cotton mill. 1t was
not very big mill, it's equipment be-
ing 2SS spindles which were operated
by force of twenty hands and used
not much more than a bale of cotton
week. On the rocky knob beyond
the river houses were built, and a
small village arose That came to be
Rocky Mount, and Rocky Mount il
stayed for many year. The mill
grew and thrived, and at the present
1t is still in operation, with the name
of Battle prominently associated, EN-.
ploying capital of half a million dol.
lars, working 10000 spindles, usins
twice as many bales of cotton in {
week as the old mill used in a yea1
and employing $50 hands or there
about. The mill has grown ant
thrived. The Tau river has been com
PEELED to furnish much more power
But the rocky mount has changed. 4
solitary house on the top Of the high
est rise is preserved as a souvenir O
the day when the rocky mount was /,
community called Rocky Mount Blu
Rocky Mount as town has gon
away. In 1888, moved by an interest
ing condition of traffic affairs, som
public-spirited men secured a charte
for railroad in North Carolina.
was to be built from a point on tn
Roanoke river to Wilmington. a 10
that was accomplished in March, lS4t
giving to North Carolina one Of tn
first railroads of any length in tn
United States.
State Never Iaggard.
II may be admissible here to d
gress a little just to show that Mort
Carolina has never really been a las
gard. 1t was from 1927 to 1890 ths
the railroad experiments were trie
out in this country, a crude effort
Charleston, South Carolina, a bit {
the Baltimore and Ohio, and one {
Pennsylvania and New England mari
ing the beginning. The Baltimore ar
Ohio managed to open a 15-mile liz
In 1880. That was the real start
railroading in the United States Thr,
years later North Carolina had askt
for charter for the Raleigh and Wi
mington Railroad. from the Roanol
to Wilmington, and in 1885 the Ra
e1gh and CASTOR road was chartere
1t was finished nearly a year befo
the Raleigh and Wilmington roa
both Of which came to the Roanol
at Weldon. In 1848 the road fro
q point in Wayne county to Chariot
was chartered. That is now the Sout
ern from Goldsboro to Charlotte.
North Carolina was among the Fl,
OF the States to plan and build ma
lines OF railroad. and the first o
chartered was the line that has su
seQuently been taken to form the ma
line OF the Coast Line System frG
Wilmington north.
The building Of the railroad frt
the Roanoke river brought it not 1
from the village at the cotton mill
the rocky mount near the Tar ri,
at the falls and a stopping place
the settlement was selected at a DO
some distance from the mill locati
<1aA cxn