Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-06-25
YORKVILLE, S c., THURSDAY, JUNE 25,
PARTING OF LEE AND HIS GENERALS.

I y y IN u 20, 100
PARTING OF LEE AND HIS GENERALS.
The final parting was in front of Lees
mansion in Richmond, two days after Apo
mattoX. Lees house is an ordinary square
brick, standing alone on Franklin street,
one square from the Capitol. All the other
houses on the square are connected. Upon
surrender, people were surprised to see come
riding up the street from the south a COM
pany of Confederate horsemen. They were
unarned. Their gray uniforms were worn,
soled, and often tattered, their trappings old
and patched. They wore slouched hats, and
here and there was feather remaining of
the once smart and jaunty dropping plume
of the Confederate cavalrymen, They were
bronzed and Drowned and bearded. They
sat erect and came on with the splendid
horsemanship for which they were noted.
Upon the collars of some of the gray jackets
could still be seen the faded and tarnished
gilt stars, the emblems of the wearers': rank.
In front of them rode Lee. His two
hands held the loosely swinging reins and
rested on the pommel,, His head was bent
and his eyes were looking straight ahead
from under his doWncast brow, but they
seemed to see nothing.
AS the troops cantered up to his old home
his horse stopped at the gate, and he ar
reused himself suddenly, as from a dream,
and cast his eyes upon the familiar Win
doWs and then around over the group Of
gallant soldiers who had followed his fort
unes for four bloody years and gone down
in defeat under his banner.
The end of all had come at last. He
threw himself from his horse, and all his
companions followed his action. They stood
hat in hand, with an arm through the bri-
die rein, while Lee went from man to man,
grasping each hand looking intently into
each face as though he would press it upon
his memory forever. Then he turned and
walked through the gate and up the steps
to his door. AS a servant opened the door
he paused with his left foot on the veranda,
his right upon the last step, and looked
back for, the last time. Not word had
was no sound heard but that of sobs as
these unkempt and grizzled heroes of hun
dred battles leaned their heads against the
shoulders of their horses and wept.
Lee gave one look, and broke down at
last. His hands were over his eyes and his
frame shook with sobs, as he turned quick
ly and disappeared into his lonely house.
With the closing of the door behind him
ended forever the dreams of the Southern
Confederacy.-CI Cincinnati Conn., Gazette.
CRossr1Es.-The report made by F. B.
Hough, of the Department of Agriculture,
on the Durability of Crosstie Timbers,''
is important both to the railroads and to the
owners of woodlands. The crossties needed
for railroad construction are heavy draft
upon our forests. In France and England
the country does not raise sufficient timber
to furnish ties, and they have to be i'm
ported from abroad; and in Mexico and
South America, Notwithstanding the great
forests many ties were similarly imported.
In this country, on the other hand, we are eX-
porting them; but the time will soon come
when the demand will test the supply. 1t
requires 17,000,0 900 acres or 26,500 square
miles of forest to furnish the present de-
mand of the railroads, and at the rate of
progress in building new lines 10000 square
miles of forests will have to be set aside for
this purpose within decade.
The principal timbers employed for rail.
road purposes are the following, given in
the order of their use !: Oak, pine, chestnut,
hemlock, cedar, tamarack, cypress, elm,
ash, cherry, black walnut, fir, spruce,
beech, locust, redwood, maple, butternut,
coffeenut, mulberry and mesquite.
The oak lasts seven and half years as a
cross tie, and costs fl cents per tie. Red
oak, however, lasts only five years and
black oak four and a half. Southern pine
is good for six and a half years, and costs
81 cents; white pine has the same durabili-
ty, but costs less-31 cents.
Cedar shows the greatest average dura-
b:lity of twelve years, with cost of "a cents,
but it is too soft to bear heavy freightage
and is consequently not much used in rail-
road building.
California redwood is also very durable
and lasts eleven years, but this, it must be
remembered, is in the dry climate of Cali
fornia, where all kinds of timber last well.
Cypress makes good crosstie, lasting
nearly nine years, where white and black
ash rot in four years. Finally, all hewed
woods are much more lasting than when
sawed.
The present price paid for crossties in the
United States-an average of 30 cents-is
phenomenally low in comparison with
other countries, and is due to the fact that
so many of our railroads traverse we'll wood
ed districts. 1t is inevitable that with the
destruction of our forests their price will
rise, and that our railroads of the future
will find cr0ssties among the most expen-
sive articles of construction.
JOHN ANDRE.-What American school
child is not familiar with the melancholy
fate of this unfortunate man? "Born in
London, 1751, hung as a spy. at Tappan,
Rockland county, N. Y, October 2, l7S9."
Thus history chronicles him. Disappointed
in love affair, he entered the English
army, and was taken prisoner by General
Montgomery, in Canada, during the Revo-
lutionary war. Afterwards he became aid
de-camp to General Clinton, in which capac-
ity he engaged in a secret correspondence
with General Benedict Arnold for the pur-
pose of securing betrayal of the American
cause. Arnold held command at West
Point, on the Hudson river, the 'most i'm
portant post in the United States, and the
key of communication between the eastern
and southern States" To surrender this
post into the hands of General Clinton,
whose headquarters were in New York, re-
quired personal interview between Andre
and Arnold. This was arranged for.
Returning from this secret meeting, and
bearing a permit from General Arnold to
pass 'the lines," Andre, to insure his great
er protection, disguised himself as citizen,
but was arrested within mile of Tarry-
town by three American soldiers. Search
ing his person they found within his socks
traitorous communications from Arnold, be,
traying the American cause. Refusing An
dres offers of money for freedom, these
patriots, John Paudling, David Williams,
and Js.ar Van \Nart cOnvpvpd him to Tan