Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-03-03
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

The county board of commissioners
met yesterday pursuant to adjournment.
All of the old members were present.
The recently appointed members of the
county boards have only received their
commissions within the past few days,
and up to yesterday had not had an op-
portunity to meet and elect their respect
i've chairmen. Consequently, the old
board proceeded with business as usual.
Mr.. W. E. Harrison, of York town.
ship, appeared before the board with
complaint to the effect that stream on
the Miller estate, below him, had not
been cleaned out in accordance with the
law, and as the result he was being sub
jected to great damage. The board in
structed Mr.. Harrison to call the attention
of the owners Of the estate to the matter,
and if the law was not complied with,
then the board would proceed according
to law. The law requires that in the
event of failure of owners of lands to
properly ditch their streams, etc., the
board must attend to the matter at the
expense of such owners.
Mr.. John M. Spratt, of Fort Mill town.
ship, presented numerously signed pc
tition asking for an appropriation OF SS,OOO
to construct bridge over Catawba river,
at or near Harris's Ferry. The petition
was accompanied by the report Of an ex-
pert setting forth that good steel bridge
could be constructed at the point men
toned for the sum named. The report
went on to say that similar structure al
Dinkin's Ferry, would cost about $4,000.
Mr.. Spratt did not want immediate ac-
ton upon his petition but desired the
board to set day upon which the matter
could be given especial and thorough
consideration. This the board agreed to
do, and upon motion of Mr.. Wilkerson,
it was decided to hold special bridge
meeting on Tuesday next, the 9th day Of
March.
Mai. a. II. White presented a numer-
ously signed petition for a bridge over
Wildcat creek, near Rock Hill. He ex-
planned that the bed of the creek was
higher than the lands on either side, and
that in case of overflow, the ford was bad
ly cut up and rendered dangerous. MIR.
Wilkerson suggested that, under the cir
cumstances, he thought what was needed
most was few rods of macadamized
road rather than a bridge. He thought
that the place should be fixed permanent
ly, if at all, and proposed that the matter
be referred to committee consisting OF
the chairmen of the Catawba, Ebenezel
and Bethesda township boards. The pro-
position was adopted.
Mr.. Porter submitted petition asking
for the opening of a public road from
Cherokee Cotton mills to the Chester
road, at William Wisher's on Kings
creek. He assured the board that the
people were unanimous in their desire
for the road, and that its opening would
be without expense to the county. The
petition was granted, and the supervisor
will at once take steps to secure the open
ing Of the road.
Major White presented the board with
a title deed setting forth the rights and
privileges of the county in the guard
house recently built at Rock Hill, and to
which the county contributed thesum OF
of S4OO. The county is to be allowed to
keep prisoners in the guardhouse until
they can be transferred to Jail. etc., with
out charge, except for maintainance.
The most important development of the
afternoon session was the hearing of the
report of the committee that recently Wis
tied Meek lenburg county to look into the
road working system in vogue over there.
The report was read by Major A. H.
White, and was as follows:
To the Honorable Board of County Com
missioners of York County:
Gentlemen: We, the undersigned, a
committee appointed to visit Charlotte,
N. c., for the purpose Of getting all infor-
nation possible concerning the working
of public roads, etc., respectfully submit
the following:
We have attended to the duty assigned
US. We, together with Mr.. Gordon, su-
perintendent of our chaingang, or county
outfit, visited Charlotte on February Is,
and we are under many obligations to
Mr.. P. NJ. Brown, chairman of the board
of county commissioners, and Mr.. Spratt,
county surveyor, for many kindnesses
and courtesies extended to us, and much
information cheerfully given us by these
officials during our visit. We found that
Mecklenburg county truly has good pub
lie roads, and the good work is still going
on-they are making more. We found
also that in the construction of these pub
lie roads and putting them in their pres
ent good condition, that money, and
plenty of it, plays very important part,
the roads costing on an average Of about
$500 per mile. We can have just as
good roads as these if we go at it in the
right way, and that by system of taxa
ton. We therefore recommend the adop-
ton of the following resolutions, viz:
l. That a special levy of three (3) mills
on the dollar be made by the county at
fund, to be used in the support of the
chaingang work over the county in each
in proportion to the amount
paid by each township.
End. That each township be empow-
cred or authorized to raise fund, II they
see proper so to do, to be used in that in
with and in addition to the
sum to be expended by the county from
the general public road fund mentioned
in recommendation W, said amount to he
by the legally authorized
voters in said township.
3rd. That each township board be ap-
pOlllLeu d w CdtiNoo eiOih ~
spective townships to obtain the voice OF
tie qualified voters expressed as sigma
lures to petitions favoring or objecting to
the carrying out the object as expressed
in recommendations and of this report.
Respectfully submitted.
A; H; WHITE, Committee.
Major White made pointed speech in
favor of the report. He explained its
provisions fully, and summed up his re-
marks in the assertion: "That twist it
and turn it as we may, the only way we
can get good roads is to pay for them, and
the only equitable way to pay for them is