The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-09-06
u &coNe on ENcOxNce.

IilSt week nlr. IL. IL. llcSlcf anu luullly
with Rev. T.J. Rookie, wife and child went
on u visit to JocasSc beyond the Kcowce
by way of the Chapman ford. There had
been no rain Of any consequence along tho
road, SO 1t never occurred to them that
they would iind the stream swollen. MI.
Hester had not been that way III twenty
years and knew not the low water marx.
But IA n matter of prccantion, when the
! strcnm WAS reached, he told his little son
who was driving mule to the wagon con-
toininp his three little sisters. to wait on
this side till the front team reached the
other shore. They had not gone far before
the mules were aswim, but they lnndcd
safely several yards below the exit on the
other side. In the meantime the mule left
on the other shore became impatient and
unmaragcablc and had plunged into the
stream with the cargo Of dear little chill
drcn, and what must have been the horror
Of the father and neither when they look
ed back to tell them not to try it, they saw
them already i'm The rcsistlcSs and mcrcilcss
current. In a moment more they saw them
+,
and nothing but the spectre Of death
danced upon its waves. There arc times
when reason and judgment hide themselves
away, and love sounds the t0cSin Of action
and clcclrics every fiber Of the mind and
body and inluscs supernatural strength.
Without one thought Of danger, or Of the
fact that ne was not much of Il swimmer,
Hester WAS pllnging to the rescue as if he
had been the leader Of life saving corps.
The children appeared above tho tide cling.
ing to the wagon body, and as he swan he
shouted TO them to hold fast. On down
they went with the fast rolling river, but
he gained at every desperate stroke, and
Just as he was about to reach them, the
precious raft driftcd upon an unseen rock
near tho shore, TO which they were soon
safely carried by Jno Chapman and another
I.who was near by. The mule pulled his
wagon out on the hithcr side but before he
was clear of the stream, the vehicle was
struck by q raft Of logs and the animal
jcrkCd back into the stream and drowned.
The wagon was recovered several miles be-
Kcowcc at this ford is given to such trcach-
cry. There is ali immense and DrccipitouS
wafer shed far up the stream that often
pours its torrents upon the dusty and unsus-
pcciing traveller, caused by such sudden
down pours as frequently occur in tho
summer. The rock from which the Hes
tcrs were rescued, has been the means of
saving SIX or eight lives. Several horses
have been drowned in the stream at that
point. When James Nimmons was in his
teens, returning from mill, he was swept
from his horse, washed down stream and
caught upon the rock and liked to have
frozen to death before he was rescued. The
kcowcc needs about three more iron bridg-
! cs. Ii ought to be spanncd at least by one
third the number that crosses the Saluda.
But we liked to have failed to mention
The fact that the rcsucd children and father
were soon happily restored TO the almost
ovcrjoycd mother, and they went on and
paid their visit to the relatives in JocaSsc
MIR. Fisher lent then, a mule TO drive home
and asked them to have Il shoe tackled on
his left fore foot. Mr.. Hester promptly
had him shod all round, and would have
trimmed him with silver shoes if they had
been any ,bcttcr. They are the best feeling
familN in the Stntn.