The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-06-17
OLD KING SPUD DRIVES
EVERY WHEEL AND SAIL
Working Night and Day on Land and Water
to Market Million Dollar Crop; What Will
We Do With The Cash This Year?

Not 4 motor truck to be
hired; every rolling thing al
ready in service. Crcakin% old
wagons. rusty from disusc,
haze been dragged out OF the
barns. Ieakv old tubs
sch0oncrs, sloopS. SharpicS,
.sl,ipiackS. some with tender
canvas. slack guy ropes and
shroudS, banging boomS. and
humping ruddcrS. Crafts. like
some old salt waiting for
hauduut. useless two weeks
a"u. drifting idly at their
muoringS. unable to make
living Tor 4 crew.
Gigantic li@htrrage >c'w>. some
of them new ones from ChrSapraEc
Bay. biz enough To carry lsH bar
rrlS of ANYTHING. Two and three of
them hrhind Il putting tug boat.
crcrpin. slowly up the rivers. and
over the sounds. Like some great
fleet humcward hnund fr ~ the
fishing banks are old sails ON
either hand. stretching timi;lly up.
ward To the breeze: kc"lS that Cncc
were clippers. again valianily out
distance the hullS the tugs are drag.
sing.
Not Il hit nf room left at the lunc
wharf of the railroad. Twenty-Five,
even thirty vessels at IL time hug
tightly to the wharf. and others
that cannot reach it hang tightly Ia
their sides. awaiting their turns to
reach the wharf and discharge their
cargueS.
StraininS muscles. bending backs.
cXultant chanieyS. Crcaking,
Sgueakimg. screaming tackle: $hrav-
eS of wood and steel pinchcd tight
ly 10y hawSerS stretched and strain
ed ny heavy barrels.
Such activity at the wharrcS as
has not been witnessed i'll many
a day, ut least not since the good
roads program began i'll this sec
tirn.
On wharf. ashore. and i'll the
freight yards, barrels rolling slid
ing. slipping. everywhere. Putting,
painting locomotives hurriedly rat
tin. the loaded cars way from the
>idin"S. and banging alUu@ back in
Il hurry with empticS. Rushing.
singing labOrcrS. Il job for every
body in town who isn't crippled.
Putting. painting lads. tryin. to
keep up, Juggling pals rf ice water.
and bottles of cold >odaS /" tempt
the laborcrS. and demand Il share If
their wages.
out in the fields. black folks,
white folks. children. Young girls
lend hand. LabOrcrS making
nine dollars Il day. growers 81 anXi-
ou< To keep the SpudS moving.
Empty barrels waiting owe" many
broad acres. Eyes strained upward
fearful of rain. 1t wont last but
q week or 80 longer. Get the good
prices while getting is good.
The Irish potato is king in Eliz-
ahcth City. the metropolis Of north
eastern North Carolina. the center
of the Potato District, and now deS-
igmated by Uncle Sam even. aS the
potato center Of the country. Ten.
twenty. thirty thousand barrels Il
day. rolling in from the fields.
makes il he potato center, and
Elizabeth City is proud Of its title
this year. Three hundred thousand
barrels are coming from the fields
before the season ends.
It's been Il long time becoming"
king in northeastern North Caro-
lima, but Il million dollar King this
time. Tradition has it that the rich
OdOr of the roasting root, drifted
down upon the eager noStrils Of
hungry settlers sent hcrcabOutS by
Sir Walter Raleigh. That being the
case. it is fitting that Elizabeth
City. headquarters for the Raleigh
country, be and remain the center
Of the industry, which flOuriShed
best and most prolific in the light
sand lands that feel the breath of
the Gulf Stream.
Money coming in. lots of it. Bet
ter prices than in many Il year.
Automobile dealers rushing, pushing,
trying to get the attention of men
who cannot pause from daylight till
nearly midnight, 50 eager to get
every potato rolling to the markets.
Money means nothing much right
now however. 1t falls upon north
eastern North Carolina us OH Il well
ditchcd field. AS fast us it comes,
it goes to the banks, to the supply
houses, the dealers who financed
J these and preceding paintings. For
three or four years, the potato has
been king, he has driven his sub
JectS relentleSSly but he has col
lert"d no tribute from other pcu-
pie.