The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-03-12
NAVIGATING the Savannah River.

Navigating the Savannah River.
I'm the olden times the common pole or cotton
boats ascended the Savannah and Keowee rivers
as far up as Whitmire's, the foot of locassee
Valley, but never for freight above Pendleton;
and on Tugalo as far up as the mouth of Pan
ther Greek. From the neighborhood of Jar
rett's, now the crossing of the Air Line Rail-
road, considerable quantities of wheat, corn
and -four were carried down the river, and from
Pendleton much of the cotton then raised in
that neighborhood.
About 1872 to 1915 an enterprising gentle
man, of then Old Pendleton District, received
large contract for furnishing the United
States Government with picked pork and beef
for the use of the army. He shipped large
quantities from Shallow Ford, in common cot
ton boats, through to Savannah, making the
trip dewn in about six days when the river was
in good boating order. There the meat was
inspected and received, the boats sold, and the
hands returned on foot. On one occasion he
had reached Savannah, with convoy of three
or four boats, and while waiting to have the
pork and beef inspected, (for it is said there
was some red-tapeisna then as we'll as now,) he
strolled into small crowd near by, and found
an auctioneer trying Justify to sell littlesorrel
mule. To pass the time, he made one bid, soon
found it was sell, and tried to leave the place
unnoticed; but the auctioneer was too sharp
for that, and knocked the mule off to him, and
followed him for delivery and the purchase
money. There was no way of escape, and the
money was paid and the little mule delivered.
He tried to sell or even give the mule away,
but failed, and rode the mule home, making
the trip of 200 miles in less than four days.
The little mule lived for more than thirty
years. and her history was we'll known in the
neighborhood
From that time to the completion of the
railroads to Athens and to Anderson large
proportion of the cotton, surplus corn and -four
within reach of the river was shipped to Au-
gusta-we would suppose as much as 10000 to
$4,000 bales per annum. In those days our
farmers raised their own provisions, and gener-
ally surplus for market; now our meat and
bread is grown for us in Ohio and Illinois.
Many efforts and schemes were talked of and
made to improve the navigation of this river.
Among others, quaint, eccentric individual
announced that he bad invented boat which
would crawl over the shoals like q terrapin. A
boat was furnished and he applied his attach
ment-which he called graphing irons"-
nothing more nor less than two pieces of tim
Der, with iron spikes, fastened to the bottom OF
the boat, and which should drag on the ground
in shallow water, and, if the boat should run
back on the shoals, would stick in the ground
and hold it fast We remember we'll his first
experiment. The boat was we'll loaded with
various heavy articles, and with four stout
hands he started up very long and rapid
shoal. At the very head of the swift water he
gave the signal to let go. Alas! for him and
his cargo. The boat started back, his Crap
pling irons caught, but instead of holding the
boat, broke through the bottom timbers, filling
the boat with water, and he and his boatmeu
barely saved their lives by swimming and
wading to the shore We remember the big
pilot shaking himself and saying, "Pm ID
if that old man experiments with me any
more"
Many were the accidents and disasters at
tending this navigation. Boats broken on the
shoals, cotton scattered for miles, heavy salvage
charged, and -four damaged and ruined. Sc
precarious did it become that merchants very
rarely ventured dry goods or hardware on the
upward trip, but confined the freight to iron
salt, bagging, &c. Things have not improved
for during the present year we met in Augusts
an enterprising merchant of this County who
one fine morning left Browns Ferry in fine
boat with 40 bales of cotton and sundries fol
the Augusta market. He progressed merrily
and all things smooth and safe, until the
"Lively Sally" struck the famous "Trotte'
Ledge" run afoul of hidden rock, and broke
into two parts, and our friend had to ride q
cotton bale or two to shore. When we parted
with him he was anxiously looking for his bag
of cotton to drift down and we guess, aftel
paying salvage, losses, &C., he will not soor
venture another trip down the Savannah.