The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
Wednesday. June 10, 1889.
The Clearing of our Streams.

While the city Of Augusta is striving to de-
wise ways and means to save the CITY
from destruction by the constantly 1ncreas-
ing freshets, the people and the laws o'
South Carolina are earnestly striving 10
do that which will most certainly add TO the
perils of our neighboring town.
Our lawmakers have assumed to be wiser
than the Almighty, who, in his infinite WIS
dom, laid out the winding courses Of our
streams and himself put immense beds OF
granite as barriers in places where great
falls or descents occur in their serpentine
routes to the sea. If any our streams were
made straight, and all RATS, trees, logs ana
brush, together with the granite founda'
tions) were taken out Of the current the
streams so worked on would cut immense
chasms along their courses, and soon the
deep cut would confine the swollen torrent,
which would in It's increased speed ruin
everything in its course. If the Mississippi
river were Strengthened and its descent 10
the sea made more direct the wisdom OF man
could not predict the destruction which
would follow. But, as at present, It's winding
course lets the volume Of water down to the
sea in q manner so gradual and so gentle as
flows and the immense bodies Of still water
which are found in the bends and edies along
the stream hold the water back, until it may
leisurely move away, doing the least possible
damage. The hint is merely suggestive.
Now, let US come nearer home, and look at
the effect which the cleaning out OF our
streams would have on the city OF Augusta.
Take for instance, Hard Labor creek which
runs from Greenwood across the County fol-
perhaps twenty-five miles. The bed OF this
stream is shallow and the lands along It's
route are low. In times of freshets-half'
dozen times during the year-the stream will
average, in width from head to foot, at least
Ave hundred yards, and in depth from six
inches to six feet outside the channel. This
immense volume Of water, except in mar
row current, in a majority OF instances, Is
either at q stand-still or It's movement Is
very slow, while the current may be moving
at the rate of three mile an hour. Straighten
that stream and remove the distractions and
the water will move at the rate of fifteen OF
twenty miles an hour, cutting out immense
channels that would confine the current, and
thus do away with the miles Of flats and
edies which now act as reservoirs to hold
back the water for its more leisure flow to
the Savannah, and to the sea, preventing the
spread of the water to the adjacent low lands,
where 1t is now k kept back for time, but by
hurriedly, by sending the immense volumes
of water down every branch, creek, and river
to the Savannah, the danger of freshets would
be increased hundred fold.
BY Strengthening and clearing out our
streams, the last vestige Of bottom lands
would disappear. Even if the soil was not
washed over the precipitous banks, the lands
would become valueless in few years after
the overfiows are prevented. The fertility
of all bottom land is largely destroyed by
preventing the overflows, and in no case is
bottom land, without overflows, more valua-
BILE than any other fiat lands, and in many
instances the fertility of the soil is entirely
dependent upon the overf1ows.
Then, let US straighten our streams, and re.
move the RATS, so that the floods may des-
cend at furious rate. Our own bottom lands
would be completely destroyed, and the
mighty rush Of waters would destroy every
thing along the banks OF the Savannah.
II such state of things be desirable, let
US all 60 to work. The damaging results will
be sure to follow.