Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1936-09-25

ate and costly overflow will be pre-
vented, as the drainage project,
through cutting lateral bitches,
deepening the creek channel, and
directing the course of the water,
provides a safe course for these sur
plus flood waters. 1t is recognized
not only as a safety but also as an
economic measure.
Three large, floating dredge
boats, p by 81 feet, each with
shovel dippers of l IL yards capa-
city, are operated On this project.
They u sixteen hours a day, rain
Or shine, and are stopped only by
high water. They are manned by
laborers, oilers, fireman, cranemen
and operators. The dredge boats
are supplemented by two drag lines,
whose huge masts and buckets as
sist from either bank. In the wee
small hours of the night the watch
mans song and whistle m;ngle with
the croaking of the frogs and the
lonesome chirping of the swamp life,
while his Pickering lantern reflects
its yellowness in the waters Of the
creek. Already lands drained by
WPA and thus reclaimed for agri-
culture, have been put under cult
walton and a bumper crop reported.
Thus WPA is saving for Rowan
farmers thousands of her most
beautiful and most fertile acres,
upon which they and their families
can live in safety and with profit.
SCHOOL DAYS AND WPA
With schools opening all over the
county, our thoughts naturally turn
to school children, school houses,
and school books. What is WPA
doing for them, you ask? Under the
heading of Women's and Profess
sional Projects comes the Rowan
Library Project. This project has its
headquarters in the Rowan County
Public Library, but it also has
groups at work in many of the Sal
isbury City schools, in the Spencer
school, and is hoping to place work
ers in the county consolidated
schools where possible. Since up to
the present, it has not been practi-
cable to place workers in the county
schools, because of the problem of
transportation, still the county
consolidated schools have had their
share of the benefits of the WPA
book-mending program. Early i'll
the summer, the supervisor of the
project visited the various countv
school principals and arranged to
have such of their books as needed
mending sent in to a central work.
shop in Salisbury. Accordingly,
boxes and bundles, with books by
the hundreds, poured into the pro-
ject workshop from every section
of the county. AS large a group
of book members as possible was
assigned to these county books, and
as a consequence when the county
schools opened, their text books and
library books were in first class
order, thanks to WPA. In view of
the rental ext book system, book
mending is proving of greatest
value and economy.
WPA has had several school
ground projects, notably those at
Dukeville and at Price High. Last
year red mud On the Dukeville
school ground was most %objectional
not to mention the fact that gullies
and washes made the grounds I'M
disable for play. Top soil to the
thickness of 4 inches, contributed
by the community, was placed over
these grounds after grading. Grass
sewed is growing nicely, and the
appearance and usefulness of the
play grounds are now a delight tt
the patrons of the school. At Price
High play grounds were properly
drained and graded, and a standard
athletic field built.
ROWAN SANITARY PROJECT
Both WPA and Rowan Count,
Officials are gratified at the results
of the Community Sanitary Projec,
undertaken some months ago by
WPA. This is a countrywide pro.
gram to provide sanitary toilets fol
rural communities. 1t will benefit
urban centers as we'll, for in this in
stance, as in most instances, the
welfare of one of us concerns the