- Transcription
W. F. CARTER
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
MOUNT AIRY, N.C.
August 1, 1916.
Gov. Locke Craig,
Raleigh, N.C.
Dear Sir:
Your telegram of the 31st of July to J. B. Sparger, chairman Board of County Commissioners, in reference to the needs of our people on account of the recent floods has been turned over to me for answer. In answering same will say I am not in position to give you definite information in reference to conditions in this county, but I can give you in a general way conditions that now exist. In the first place as to the town of Elkin: twenty-five dwelling houses were washed away and the occupants of these houses for the most part were laborers and everything they had was washed away in the houses, leaving them nothing and out of employment and they are in immediate need of help. Beside these there are at least 150 laborers who are out of employment on account of the damage done to the Chatham Manufacturing Company and other corporations having their business in Elkin. There are other families in Elkin whose property was greatly damaged and who are not able to repair the damage and have nothing upon which to subsist. These families are at present being taken care of by the municipalities of Elkin, but it is a burden that they are not able to bear, for every business man in Elkin, with one exception, was more or less damaged by the flood. The bottom land on the Yadkin from Elkin to the Forsyth line, a distance of 33 miles, not only was the crop destroyed, but the land itself was washed away, and there is nothing but a barren plain. A great deal of the land was in cultivation by tenants, and these tenants had no other crops except the crop on the river and perhaps a little tobacco. They have nothing with which to feed their stock and they have nothing upon which to subsist and the landlords are in condition that they are not able in many instances to furnish them. The condition in the county is desparate. Mount Airy has raised a fund of about $1000. to aid these sufferers, but this is not sufficient and outside help will be needed.
Mount Airy has appointed a relief committee and this committee will have conditions in the county carefully looked into and definite information will be secured and a representative from this county will be sent to meet with your relief committee on Friday, the 11th instant, at which time accurate information can be placed before the state relief committee.
For immediate relief any sum that your committee might feel willing to donate to this county might be sent to Mr. W. J. Byerly, Treas, Mount Airy, or J. H. Allen, chairman, at Elkin, and it will be properly used.
For some reason I know not why, the Raleigh papers have made but very little mention of the condition in Surry County. The Greensboro News and the Winston papers have made a pretty full statement.
In conclusion I can say that a safe estimate would be that there are 300 people in this county who are now in need of help, resulting from the floods.
Yours truly,
