14 



went out, and four or five pounds was done each time. Evi- 

 dently these old, old planters knew how to economize time. 

 The tirst gin made to be worked by animal (»r water power 

 was the "Eaves," and several followed, all modilicatious of 

 the Eaves, but none stood the test and were tinally given up 

 for the old foot gin. 



In my boyhood, days I remember seeing at my aunt's/ 

 place. Walnut Grove, the negro women ginning on these 

 gins, so you see there is scarcely a half generation between 

 the clumsy negro power gin and the beautiful steam work- 

 ing one of this day. 1 remember, too, on Mr. McClellan's 

 l»lace, where Mr. G. Leland's house now stands, was a 

 building with gins in room above turjied by mules walking 

 in a circle below, and: many a ride did we boys take on the 

 beam as it went round. The price obtained, as near as I 

 can learn, was from 5U to 75 cents per pound. No doubt 

 somie will ask where, did these old pioneers get their lum- 

 ber. Well, in days gone by they did their lumber business 

 as crudely as they did everything else, but they came out 

 on top everytime. After the pole and blockhouse period had 

 passed: they began to get boards and lumber, planks, etc., 

 by laboriously hewing with the axe, and I have seen some 

 of this hewed stuff on trunks and negro houses not long 

 ago, and then the saw pit was used, why it was so called I 

 do not know, unless originally a i)it was dug for the lower 

 man to stand in, for it was above ground and made of ten 

 large poles, or six or eight posts on each side four or five 

 feet apart, parallel and connected with stout bars. The 

 log to be cut u}) was i)ried up to the toi) of these, and one 

 man stood above and one below working what was called 

 a whip saw u}* and down until the log was cut into lum- 

 ber. The task was one hundred running feet per day. This 

 mode was used in the i)arish up to and even after the 

 Civil War, and I have now several of the old saws. Saw 

 mills began to be erected in this Parish shortly after the 

 Revolutionary War. There was one at Millbrook on Wam- 

 baw Creek, T know, and perhaps there were others of which 

 I am ignorant. I have it from good authority that the pro- 

 prietor at Millbrook, Mr Gaillard, nearly lost all the prop- 

 erty he had there, and had to give up to save himself. Some 



