The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-07-11
DRAINAGE.

~. "a. HOGeotLb.
e5 ! DRAINAGE.
Mr.. EDITOR: Since it. is. reasonably
certain that We shall have comparative.
ly quiet political canvass in the approach.
ngcampaign, ublicattention mightvory
properly be turned to lohal questions, af-
fec!ing their dearest inta=essss even The
vary lives of our citizens. A few years
ego, under the pressure OF great public
necessity, drainage law was passed for
Anderson County, which, in it's practical
operation, has fallen short Of public ex-
pectatioa. And, g ;s usua. in ell gneh
cases, where the public expectation has
been disappointed, instead OF enquiring
patiently into the cause 6f the failure and
applying the proper remedy, the public
pulse swings to the opposite extreme and
cries ont for its repeal. That the law
ought to be and can be amended so "a to
ebviate all reasonable objeGtions, there
ca1n doubt. ysf::s-ss.s.s s..a Eestncisy.
two of tho oldest and most respectable
States in the Union, have drainage laws,
and no State needs such law moro than
South Carolina. The health OF any COM
munity is Of the highest moment, and
no principle is moro thoroughly es1ab-
lished in medical science than that thor
ough drainage Is essential to tho public
health. AEsd !. P-cRor+.on e .he sohhea
and wet condition OF the lands to be
drained is the necessity. for thorough
drainage. II these propositions be true,
then instead Of abandoning the idea Of
promoting drainage by suitable legisla-
ton, on account Of partial failures here
tescrs. e e enlv she more necessary &C.
strive TO ASCERTAIN the cause OF failure
and remove the same. Recent surveys
On seversi of our streama, even tho most
sluggish, have shown the fact that there
Ia ample natasal fall TO dry even the wet
test. why, then, tie failure In any cage3
Simply because the fail was not carried
from tie starting point to the head OF the
stream. IF this had been done, to-day
there would have been no complaint OF
failure from any quarter. Is this the
faI1lt OF the law. even as It now stands?
It was made the duty Of the County Com
xnissioners, in cases where the fall was
obstructed, or refused, to proceed 10 let
out the contract for the necessary drain
age. by digging the main canal and as
sessing the properties benefited tho pro
rata expense. In other words, the County
Commissioners should have let out the
contrf,A for ditch.ng from the mouth to
the head, with rigid specifications, and
then have assessed the lands benefited
the amount expendsts. But was this,
.doief Only after q fashion. They re-
quired the several ownens to ditch their
own lands, and thus each individual
owner, for the most part, only cdtried
such all through his own lands, not car
ing, whether 1t was sufficient fall to ena.
BILE the iandhold lders above to drain theirs
or not. On the contrary, In many casea,
the fall was purpcsaly, dropped az they
appresoy,cd their upper lines, to prevent
the flowing OF sand through their ditch,
from lands above. Is ie strange that
with such o short-sighted policy, each
landholder being his own Judge, that
failure: would naturally sensne7 MOI az
all. No defect in the law here, but oy.ty
. defect lin the administrations Tho min
imum OF fall nc where has been found 10
be less than six feet to the mile. md in
eonie cases IL amounts TO abop. sfifteen
Teet 70 the mite. dnd this on Iiao Is :I7nroe
and Twenty Creek, one OF tho M. lug
.gish stseafns in our County. 1.-The
fall is amply SUFFICIENT, II props.Sy hus-
banded. 10 make the present law effee-
tive, 1t should be amended 80 as to r6-
IsI.zs -. ,.s .st - - -
streams and ditei:>>- Slear of all obstruc.;
tions, whether from floods or otherwise.
IF this Is not done so that the sand may
aow of readily, no amount OF tiitchine
win be effective. so that the duty OF onr
next Legislature is not to abandon the
idea of 8 drainage law altogether, but TO
amepd the old law, or substitute It by q
new one, much moro effective. 3
. And then again, any law, even the most
perfect, Iiu5d5 the hearty oo-0p5fatt ts tsuIi of
the epeople themselves to make it eTact4ye.
Take the drainage law for instanee. Tho
great difficulty 70 be overcome in any
system OF drainage, Is to provide for the
carrying Oh, or preventing, partially, the
flow OF sand from the hiu-sides on ocoa-
sions OF heavy rains. There are thou
aallde OF gallies and small riFulets lining
Tall our main streams, witosa channels
carry nillinna nf tans .eg 40 ;,ss,r
sslaisa bitches, and thu8ifeeq eequehtly choke
then9 to overflow. How easy would 1t
be for our farmers generally TO obstrucs
those chnnneIs with Pine brush, which
would avert the flow OF iarge quantities
OF sand. Tho writer, fsw months ago.
tIiraw few bresh into gully as d fence
crossing. whici was asi deeP al q MANS
head. Now the gully ID slsyei fdIl OF sand.
And then 70 would bo tsalI an aII sa,lr ,koa.,
hiiI-side5 lining the eseeE botsotls to let
them k-ow up In grass and bSSs,ies: and
trees, and thus preyent .he washing OF
those lands by atopping theie cultivation.
Thus In many ways can each individual
farEsssss sscnlrlbptn his u,isa "a the astas,
iiHkment OF 50 great q public good.
MI. 1EsPER SpuSs.
&.