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your questions and do the best I can.
"So you want me to start at the beginning. Well, 1 first
saw the light of day May 17, 1889 in Ogletnorpe County not far
from Athens. I was fifth in a family of eight children.
My feta*r was a farmer and had two plantations. All during the
Civil War rumors were rife that all land was to be confiscated
by the government. Trying to evade suon a calamity my father
sold his property for Confederate money. 01 course, when the
war closed he was flat broke and tied a large family to support.
Those were indeed aard days.
"1 have often heard my mother tell of the days of privation
that followed the war. They rented land and ay father worked so
nerd trying to got another footnold. as was unsuccessful and
finally, broken in health and spirit he died when he was only 48
years old leaving my mother with eight children.
"Where did you obtain your education ar. Clarke?" I asked.
"Well," he answered. "This will no doubt surprise you, but
my entire sohooling was crowded into about six months. This was
scattered over a three-year period, two mouths out of each year
between crops. Then we would get up at 4 in the morning, feed
the stout, eat breakfast and take our tin pails and walk spout
three miles to the one -room log house that was used for the school.
Most of the time our lunch consisted of bread and syrup.
"When I was 14 years old I went to klorida and got a Job at a
sawmill that paid me 3:). 1/4 cents an flour. When I had been there
seven months I had saved 4250. At this time my mother was in
desperate /ailed and I could hardly wait to get home to give it
to her.
"ky father was sick for about seven months. In those days
farmers were extended sufficient credit by the landowners to
furnish commodities for their families. This was called a
grocery run and was payable when crops were gathered. With all
of the extra expense brought about by fataer's illness we were
unable to pay for our run and they took everything we had.
Includod were a yoke of oxen and two horses, which deprived us
of the means to cultivate our land. They also seized four cows
and six hogs that had bean killed and salted ready to ours.
These constitutsd our winter meat supply. You can readily under-
stand what my *250. meant to al mother just at this time.
"Next I got a job with a cousin of mine who was a contractor.
Be promised to let me start at 'lb cents a day and as soon as I had
learned enough so he could leave me with a job he would raise me to
a dollar a day. ;:inmohow he never paid me but 75 cents a day. I
got tired of waiting and left him. I got a jab with a railroad
foreman, who was building trestles, at +1.50 a day. AS soon as By
cousin heard of it be went to my boss and told him that I was only
an apprentice and taat 75 cents was all i should be paid. So the
foreman laid me off.
"I, was 2Z years old now and decided that advancement was too
slow in the country, so I made up my mind to come to Augusta. ky
first city Job was in a grocery and bar at +25 a month. liter
few months another man offered me *lb a week to take charge of his
place at the corner of tleventh and 6road 6treets. I worked with
him for more than a year and then beeame ill. I soon realized
that a boarding house was no place for a sick man and I wanted
my mother. 1 thing a part of my trouble was homesickness so I
went home to stay until I was well.
"When i came back to Augusta my employer had put seasons in
ay place and then, too, he was planning to sell out. Bofors very
long I got a Joe with the Bell Telephone Company. The work was
hard, the hours long and the pay was very small. I had to run
lines and tote polls.
"When someone wanted a phone cut in, we had to walk with a
big coil of wire over one shoulder and carry our tools and the
phone. After doing all of this when we arrived at some of the
places the people would say they bad decided they couldn't afford
a phone. This was very discouraging as we were paid on a oommis-
sion basis.
"Often, when I would get up in the morning my hands were so
sore I couldn't close than until I had bathed them in hot water.
"Later on the company runt/Maid a horse and wagon and the
work was a little lighter. I had the privilege of listening in on
the first long distance call from Atlanta and was filled with
'fonder. I can still recall how proud i was to have had a part in
bringing it about although i was only a lineman.
"Inside or another year I agreed to do carpenter work for a
man who was builaing one of Augusta's large hotels. To obtain
the prevailing 41.50 wages I had to join tn. union. In just a
short time there was a strike that delayed the notel's comple-
tion for more than five months. I wasn't teen on strikes and
as the union was either on a strike or planning for one, I
decided to take up another line of work':
"This desire led as to a livery stable and I got a job sell-
ing mules and horses in Richmond and the adjoining counties on a
commission basis. i saved a little money and bought a pair of
mules for myself for 00. Then I bougnt a 2 -mule wagon, paying
45.00 down and agreeing to pay the balance as I could.
"Now I was in a position to work for myself. I secured a con-
tract to haul poles for the city. I worked early and late most of
the time and did the loading alone. every morning I just had to roll
out of bed I was too sore and stiff to raise up. But I soon paid for
my mules and wagon.
"I was trying to get enough money ahead to open a barroom for
I knew there was good money to be made selling whiskey. After a few
more months 1 bought.an established business for 4400.
"I had a mixed clientele but as the liquor the man had on
nand was no good trade began to fall off. Knowing what toe trouble
was helped a lot and I got busriNmsdiately. ieirst I tore out all
of the old fixtures and replaced tnem with modern ones. I fixed
the place up generally and restooked it with good whiskey.
"The man from whom I had purchased the business advanced the
money taking a mortgage on the place. Trade began to pick up at
-6
once. Within three months I took up the mortgage and then believe
me, I really started to make money.
'But my troubles were not over. You see, I was buying my
labels from the former owner and I round out later tnat la* was
selling me printed labels when I should have been using lithograph-
ed ones. When the Upper Ten Wholesale house found this out they
prosecuted as. Upon learning that I was purchasing thou tArough
someone else they wanted me to turn State's evidence. I refused
flatly to turn against the man who had set me up in business so
it cost me 41400. I didn't mind, however, for at that time my
sales were averaging from 490U to 41000 a,month and 50* of that
was clear profit. In those days you could really make money sell-
ing whiskey. You can't do muoh now because there's too much
revenue.
"Shortly after trite i moved to the corner of Jackson and
Sills Streets and opened one of the best barrooms in the city.
The fixtures cost 41b0O and I carried the very highest grade of
whiskey, wine and beer. My stock was valued at from three to
four thousand dollars. It was at tnis location that I was honor-
ed by having dx-President :raft come into my place for refresh-
ments during an intermission at the old opera house, watch was
just across the street.
"No, he didn't drink whiskey he had a ginger ale and when he
finished he told me that I certainly uad a nice place. I thanked
him and he went back to the theater."
*Were you hard to get along with after that honor mr. Clarke?
Did your hat still fit you? 1 asked.
"Well," he laughed, "I admit that I was proud of the honor
but I was still Jack to my friends.
"4nd tuen mane the 18th Amendmentl I had to close up and
the fixture* wouldn't nave brought a quarter at a roman sal*.
I had to fall back on my side -line which was .a Job as caretaker
for the o'avannah laver Lumber Company. This firm owned a lot
of land along the river and they told me I could use all of it
I wanted.
"So I started to frm. I )3ought 4 mules and for the next 2
years I made goad crops of corn and other produce.
"Then war was declared; all my Negroes left me, and I had
to make another change. I made a bid on clearing the land for
Camp fiancook and got the contract.
"1 dad 8 mules and 4 wagons. 1 received 44 a day for each
team and the same for myself. ior a tine I rode a saddle horse
and superintendad the work but later 1 bought a car. The work
lasted for six months.
"kien this was over I received an appointment as labor kient
for tlis government. I got 49 a day for the use of my ear with
gas and oil furnisaea and my salary was also a day.
"Just what were your duties in this position 'i" I wanted to
know.
"1 went through the country employing help for the camp.
I tell you I never saw so much money. 1 had one little Negro
that I paid 43 a week just to carry water. I stayed until
the camp was dismantled and the last nail was pulled.
"I had saved a good part of wnat 1 made and a friend and
I went into partnership operating a concrete contracting busi-
ness. te paved many of the streets of 1Luguata.
"Then I graded fairways for the Forest hills, liunicipal,
Country Club and Bobby .ones Golf Courses.
"Next, people began to talk depression and work or any kind
was hard to get. Those who had money were afraid of their
shadows.
"By a good turn of fortune, about this time I was awarded
a contract to build 5 miles of roadbed for the Georgia and
Florida Aailroad. The work was centered around Keysville,
Georgia.
"In some way the news got out among the Negroes and even be-
fore 1 was able to secure bond they came by the hundreds asking
for work, saying they would take it for anything 1 would pay them.
I could hardly understand it for up to this point it was hard to
get a Negro to work for less than 50 cents an hour.
"I selected 50 from about jUO of them and sot -up camp near
4eysville. 1 took this joo with absolutely no experience. 1
had never even seen a wheeler before. 1 just believed i could
do it and 1 did.
"But let as tell you I huh more than one kind of experience
on this job. Just about this time the road went into the hands
of a receiver. *hen next pay day cAme tnere was no money to
pay off tne hands. i really odlieve tne man would nave work-
ed right on for we were feeding them. ilowever, 1 Imo,' that
wasn't the proper thing to do. 1 had 12OOu on hand and
offered it as a loan to tn. road. They accepted and I deposit-
ed the money to their creult in the Georgia Railroad Bank.
"The rest of my money was in the Merchants,' Bank. Just a
few days after 1 had made the loan to the Railroad, the Mer-
chants' dank 01i:wee its doors and I lost every penny or my
442,GOO that was on deposit there.
"This was a terrific blow but it was no time to give up.
Kept on with my work ana when the job was finished I haa
paid for my 6 mules aria wneelers and had °leered •2b00.
"Within tne next few weeks I got a job wit.n the Charleston
and Western Carolina Railroad at hattiesville, Jouth Carolina,
grading arid working gravel pits. I °leered 440C.) but while I
was in camp I took malarial fever and came near dying. I had
to coma home and it was several weeks before 1 Was able to work.
"When I had recovered fully J. worked with one of our local
construction companies, just taking jobs when I could get them,
Catch wasn't very often.
"There is an old saying that trouble never comes singly and
it certainly was the case with us. ky wire took sick just about
this time and sue was ill for more Wawa a year before she passed
away. The loss of my companion and the extra expense came near
putting me out of business.
"I owned 28 mules. We had no work and they were eating their
heads off. I had made several unsuooessful attempts to sell them
so there was nothing to do but keep them. 3nortly after this I
lost l mules, that Clad cost 4200 apiece. Some of them were kill-
ed and the others got sick and died.
"Then the Savannah liver went on a rampage and while I lost
three more mules, it netted me a Job. I bought 3 trucks and got
a contract to help repair the levee. The weataer was bad, we
couldn't work regularly and when the truck payments came due I
couldn't meet them. I lost the trucks and the 4500 I had paid
on them.
"In order to complete my contract I was forced to hire trucks
for which I had to pay 41.00 an hour. I finished the job in four
menthe but did not realize any profit. In other words I lost money
and was down to my last dollar when I learned that the Gulf Refin-
ing Company had bought the house and lot an the corner of 1:5th and
Broad Streets and that the building would be torn down.
"I got in touch with the manager immediately and ofierod him
4200 for the building. This was his answer.
"'Clarke, if you will move the building, it belongs to you.'
"I got a bunch of kiegroes together, tore it down and sold
the salvageu lumber for 0.000.
"About this tilAto I married again. ky second wife was anxious
for us to try a soft drink and saudwion shop and with the little
cash i had, I think it was about 4150, I rented a place on the 800
block of broad trest for *96 a month.
"It wasn't long after we opened that my health failed complete-
ly and we were forced to aloe.. I stored my fixtures and went
home for treatment. it took Zi months for me to get on my feet
again and we reopened tne shop and stayed there for 2 years. My
wife and i both worked. We managed to make a living but very
little extra money found its way to the bank.
"I decided my overhead was too heavy, so we moved to the 5QO
block or Broad Street. When we were there just a snort time our
place burned up. We only had 200 insurance and we thought it
wen about time to quit the soft drink business.
"And now we only have this 10 -room house. We rent furnished
rooms and furnish meals to those who want them. Y03, we are mak-
ing expenses but toe cnief responsibility ia on my wife and I want
to make the living for my family.
"Pm planning to mako a oome-back. juot how I aou't know but
as I said in the beginning, believe I'm still man enough to take
a man's pleas in the world and also have sense enough to make my
own living."
"Well, kr. Clarke;" told him, "I am sure that with your spirit
ano determination, you can't fail."
"You don't need me to tell you that the World War oaused the
depression. it was Only 4 repetition of history. You see, I
suffered terribly from the effects of the Civil War, but it
was a whole lot worse this tint! because I had so much more.
"People in general it it more beoause they didn't
;realize what they were up against. Most of them tnought it
was only temporary and would soon pass. Prior to the depression
folks bought automobiles and lived far beyond their means.
Suddenly money ceased to flow like water. Then people
were unable to pay their deuts aua of course they couldn't buy
anytning. The marobants were overstocked 4nd couldn't meet
their notes when they were due. Property values dropped and as
many of the banks had sznausted tneir reserve, they had to close.
You couldn't borrow a dollar from your own mother and I believe
the country was on the verge of a revolution when President
Roosevelt was inaugurated. k has saved the people in one way
and in another the W.P.A. ruined them.
"Take me for instance, 1 am a contractor and my business is
and
excavating, hauling/ grading. I can't evea get one contract:
Why's' decause every city and county contract is awarded to the
"Well," A. said, "You will nave to admit that while the W.P.A.
has hurt you it has at the same time given employment to thousands
of people who without that work would have been hungry."
"I do know that," ne said, "And I am glad. I may be forced
to ask then for work myself some day, but not until I have tried
everytning else first.
"I will be 71 years .old in May. And get this again, I am
coming back! And soon. Some day before very long I will again
be able to write a fair-sized cneok and the bank will honor it."