- Transcription
A. M. SCALES,
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
Greensboro, N.C.
August 5, 1916.
Governor Locke Craig,
Raleigh, North Carolina.
My dear Governor:-
As requested by the Flood Relief Committee, I went up into the Yadkin Valley and have the honor herewith to hand you the results of my investigation.
I found no one or heard of no one suffering from lack of food or of immediate necessities. The neighbors, relatives, landlords and supply merchants in all cases seem to have supplied these, and I think the principal results to the poor people damaged will be seen next winter and spring when they come to make their crops.
I found that most of the land along the river bottoms belongs to people who are able to stand the loss and who would scorn to receive any aid. There is a very serious damage to the land in many cases along the banks of the rivers and creeks.
In North Wilkesboro and Elkin I found great damage to manufacturing and business plants, but in most cases these persons are, like the land owners, able to stand the loss and would not expect aid.
I found great damage to the public in the way of loss of bridges, damage to raods, etc.
My conclusion is, therefore, that the committee's duty is almost exclusively to help the tenant farmers and the few in the towns who will accept aid. In one place along the bank of the Yadkin on one side within fifteen miles I found about thirty families of this type, and on other parts of the river similar conditions. These parties had had the most part of their crops swept away, in some cases their houses and most of their belongings. Of course their belongings were very small in value any way, as they seem to be largely the type that live from hand to mouth. Most of these people are indebted to the supply merchant and to the landlord.
Wilkes County seems by all odds to be the most damaged though, of course, the damage extends along the rivers bank down into Forsyth County.
Where local committees have been formed I visited them and interviewed them as your representative and assured them of our desire to co-operate with them fully. I think there seems danger of some duplication in the work of the committees. For instance, the Winston-Salem committee expects to be very active in Wilkes County and on yesterday began distribution of food up in the mountains by wagon. Then, there is the Greensboro committee which is preparing to distribute food also in Wilkes, and then there is the local committee at North Wilkesboro.
The Winston-Salem committee has shown the most commendable enterprise, but I fear it has undertaken too large a territory. It considers the following counties in its territories: Forsythe, Davie, Yadkin, Surry, Wilkes, Ashe, Alleghany and Watauga. The gentlemen on these committees, however, are anxious to co-operate with the local committees and with the State committee. The Winston-Salem committee had raised about $8000.00 which with the $3000.00 sent by the State committee made their available funds about $11,000.00. At the date of my interview with them they had spent very little of this amount though they were preparing to spend it actively.
At Elkin there is an excellent committee with Prof. Z. H. Dickson, Chairman, and Mr. A. Chatham, Treasurer, with a sub-committee with Prof. Allen as Chairman, which proposes to take care of the people in the country along the river banks in Surry County. This committee had received from the State committee $500.00 and from other sources about $200.00, making $700.00, and had spent very little of this fund. In the town of Elkin there were twelve families stripped of practically everything. Four of these were white and eight colored. Outside of Elkin along the river and creeks of course there were large number of families damaged. The railroads have given employment to a great many of the people, which has relieved the situation. The Elkin committee felt that it would take as much as $2500.00 to properly aid the people in its district; that is to say, in Surry County. I think this is a moderate estimate.
In North Wilkesboro I found a committee with Mr. R. N. Hackett, Chairman, R. W. Gwynn, Treasurer, and J. D. Moore, Secretary. This committee had received from the Greensboro committee $1000.00 in cash and $1100.00 from other sources, making $2100.00 at the time of my interview. They had spent less than $100.00. The committee could at present make no estimate of the future needs of the County. It is only known that they are very great. This committee considers all of Wilkes County as its territory.
At Booneville I found a good committee with Mr. T. L. Hayes as Chairman. This committee considers its territory as lying on the Yadkin County side of the river and running from just below Jonesville to about half way to East Bend. Jonesville is being taken care of by the Elkin committee. This Booneville committee thinks that $1000.00 would be a moderate estimate of the funds that should be turned over to it, and I recommend that the State committee send at once $500.00 to Mr. Hayes.
In Ashe County all my information is that the damage is very great. The roads and bridges were washed away to such an extent that I was advised not to attempt this trip, but I talked with gentlemen who were familiar with conditions in Ashe and Alleghany and I came to the conclusion that there ought to be local committees formed in these counties. I am strongly of the opinion that all other committees ought, where possible, act through local committees as the local men know the people and are more familiar with their needs and with what they have lost.
If there is any further information that I can give to your Excellency, I shall be glad to do so. I, of course, made the trip at my own expense and would not consider reimbursement.
With greatest respect and best wishes, I am,
Yours very truly,
AMS-SG.
