Men using mule drawn dirt pans in 1907.
Photo courtesy of J.A. Bolton
Work at the Blewett Fall dam was going good until 1907. That particular year a flood coming from a hurricane caused the Pee Dee River to crest way above its regular level causing parts of the new construction of the dam to be washed away. Also, that same year the Roosevelt Panic, as it was called, caused investors to tighten their pocketbooks and the whole country’s economy slowed down.
Work at the dam nearly completely stopped in 1907 and men were not working or getting paid. Mr. Isaac (Ike) London, working for W.R. Bonsal, was still in charge of a work crew and one hundred mules. Seems it costs just as much to feed a mule that wasn’t working as much as if they were working.
London managed to hatch a workable plan if the laborers and management would all go along. London told his crew if they agreed to continue to work, they would be fed, supplied with tobacco, small change and their time would be kept and would be paid as soon as the dam was back under construction. They all agreed, mainly because there were no jobs to be had and they had nowhere to go.
The next day London mounted his mule and rode the fifteen miles to Mr. Bonsal’s office in Hamlet. Bonsal listened to the plan and agreed to go through with the deal. Workers started back grading the canal on the following Monday while all other work at the dam was at a standstill.
One of the most remembered fights at the dam site was in 1908. It wasn’t two men fighting over a women or gambling debt no-sir. It involved the financial and legal struggles between Hugh McRae and his New York investors for control of the land on which the dam was being built.
Back then ‘possession and occupation’ was nine-tenths of the law and McRae thought he had that. But it was on a Wednesday in November 1908 that a representative from McRae’s New York investors arrived in Wadesboro. His name was John P. Jones. Before Jones left Wadesboro that day, headed to the dam site, he purchased a cook stove, articles to set up housekeeping, lumber and even rented a mule and wagon to carry these building materials.
Early the next day Jones began building a small residence near the powerhouse at Blewett Falls. Asked why he was building this new residence; his reply was that he had leased the land from Hugh McRae and Rockingham Power Co.
When news got around about this stranger and what he was doing, mind-you, this did not go well with Rockingham Power Co.
The next day strong armed men would tear down what Jones had already built and forcibly eject Jones and a J.C. Gitting of Baltimore, who had arrived with Jones.
The very next day, Jones went to Laurinburg, and represented himself as a McRae employee. He met with Superior Court Judge Long and obtained a court order restraining both sides from interfering with each other until the entire legal snarl could be settled in court.
On the next day, other McRae representatives told the judge that their men had torn down the shack on the disputed land that he had signed the restraining order on. The Judge then told Jones to rebuild the shack but not to occupy it.
The following day, Jones, a Harold Chase, and Gittings preceded to rebuild and finish the house. All-while several R.P.C. employees were standing around for the purpose of preventing the three from occupying the residence.
When the house was finished, Jones and his companions stepped inside the door and gave notice to the power company people that they were going to stay where they were.
Well hearing this the power company employees told Jones that he and his friends would be forcibly removed.
Jones, Chase and Gitting then said that they would take on any three company employees that were sent against them, but the offer was declined.
Suddenly, six R.P.C employees including a (W.A. Leland) and other representatives from Federal Construction Co., rushed the residents.
As they went through the front door Jones kicked Mr. Leland in the stomach and the gentleman fell back. Next another company employee, (Mr. H.F. Dixon), tried to enter the house through the side. He was kicked in his shin by Chase and retreated.
All Hell broke loose when more than twenty-four company reinforcements arrived with two bull dogs on scene and rushed the house. They overpowered the three men and drug them out of the building but not before several black-eyes, knocked-out teeth and other slight injuries occurred.
Some said it was a sight to behold but when the fighting stopped all the men shook hands and patted each other on the shoulders.
So, why weren’t the many deadly weapons like guns, knives, brass knuckles and razors used during the fight. It is said that camp police required the reinforcements to lay down their weapons and pile them in a pile before the in-famous fight. All in all, eighteen people were arrested that day on charges of Malicious injury to real property, forcible trespass and of course assault.
Things were all going downhill for McRae and Rockingham Power Co. and at noon July 14th, 1909, the property at the dam was sold to the highest bidder at the courthouse in Rockingham under the order of a federal court. Only one qualified bidder was present, D.H. Thomas, representing the bond holders. Even though there was over $150,000 in claims and liens the bid was knocked down to one million dollars.
The sale was made final in Sep. 1909, but McRae people were still trying to fight this in state court. McRae was still claiming ownership of a large portion of land in the forebay at the falls.
McRae finally lost out to the “wolves that had led him like sheep to the slaughter,” as McRae expressed it.
In part #4 we will find out who ended up with the land and finished the dam, also about the shootout in Rockingham as the powerlines were run.
J.A. Bolton is author of “Just Passing Time,” co-author of “Just Pssing Time Together,” “Southern Fried: Down-Home Stories,” and just released his new book “Sit-A-Spell” all of which can be purchased on Amazon or bought locally. Contact him at ja@jabolton.com