The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-09

they we're directly on the highway tt
those countries.
A very encouraging letter was ther
read by the President from Mr.. Hay
mond, the great railroad man of Indiana
indicating that when we needed it,
plenty of help could be had for the com
pletion of our Road.
Mr.. R. W. Hume, formerly of Charles
ton, but long citizen of Transylvanis
County, introduced a resolution, which
was enthusiastically adopted, pledging
the people of the French Broad to do al
in their power for the prosecution of the
enterprise.
The meeting was then closed, at late
hour, amid the general rejoicing of the
friends of this great enterprise.
The delegates from South Carolina
were-invited to remain over day and
enjoy the pleasure OF a boat ride down
the French Broad a few miles, to see the
progress of the work now being prose.
cuted, by means ofjetties, dredging and
blasting, to so deepen the minimum
depth of the stream, SO that light
steamer could ply safely up and down
the river for soma 80 or 40 miles. In.
deed, it is proposed to prosecute the work
to Asheville, but the Long Shoal, some
25 or 80 miles below Brevard, is thought
by the Superintendent to present diff
culties of too great magnitude to be un-
dertaken. 1t is proposed to get depth,
at low water, of three feet, which, it is
said, will be sufficient for light steamers.
This important work is the result of an
appropriation, by the last National Con-
gress, of $4,000, to be devoted to the
Improvement of the French Broad River.
For this the people are mainly indebted
to the exertions of Gen. Vance, their
popular representative. We South Car
olinians, after seeing the effectiveness Of
the work on the French Broad, have re-
turned home fully impressed with the be.
lief that the same thing could be done
elong the bed of the beautiful Savannah
and its tributaries. We may yet live to
see the day when steamboats, will run
the Savannah, Tugaloo and Seneca a
considerable distance. So mote it be-
The party composing the excursion con.
sisted of Gen. Vance, Capt. Clayton,
Capt. Kirk, Col. Pickens, Col. Russell
Capt. Hume, Capt. Averill, the CHIEF
superintendent of the work, and boat
hand. Capt. Averill did everything he
could to make our ride pleasant and in.
structive. And the memory of Capt
Hume will ever be fresh in our hearts
for his kindness in getting up this ex.
cursion.
A THRILLING TRADITION.
As we glided smoothly along the beau.
tiful waters of the French Broad, Capt
Clayton related a thrilling story of a
little war that took place on its banks
perhaps century ago, of which history
gives no account. The territory lying
along the banks of this River was once
claimed by the Georgians, and they &C
tually laid out county, calling it Wal.
ton, which was stoutly resisted by the
tar-heels, finally resulting in battle be.
tween the parties, in which one man was
killed and several captured. The North
Carolinians, after obtaining reinforce.
ments, returned to the charge, and, in
the second rencontre, got the best of the
Georgians. Finally, the dispute was
amicably adjusted, and this beautiful
French Broad Valley became part and
parcel of the old North State.
THE PROPOSED TERMINUS.
Capt. Averill proposes for the present
the mouth of Mud Greek as the terminus
of steamboat navigation, at which point
he desires a junction with the Spartan
burg and Asheville Road. This is about
% miles from Brevard. He will not be
able to prosecute the work longer than
the middle of October, as the weather
will then be too cold for the hands to
work in the water. They are in the
water the whole time up to their crotch,
and yet there is no complaint of sickness.
Water hands get one dollar per day, and
work eight hours; the other hands get
seventy-6ve cents. There were eight
double teams employed in dredging the
bottom of the French Broad with the
common iron scoop. Other hands are
employed in blasting. In three feet
water they will drill the holes with the
utmost precision, and, after a sufficient
number of drills have been bored, they
are all charged with dynamite cartridges
waterproof, and fired by electricity
The electric battery is placed a safe dis.
tance away, and connected by wire with
the charge. AS soon as the battery is
charged the explosion takes place, throw.
ing the loose rock and sprays of water
some ten feet above the surface. Gen.
Vance was afforded the opportunity oi
firing off one blast, which did consid.
erable execution. Capt. Averill has q
floating hotel and blacksmith shop, which
follows the hands closely in their opera.
tions. The jetties are something like, in
a small way, the Fades jetties, which have
done such great execution in deepening
the bar off New Orleans harbor, and are
now being tried on the Charleston bar
They are constructed of pens of heavy
logs, some 6 feet wide by 10 to Is feet