The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-12-05
interesting Letter from Pmtman Shoals.


ties oi :ine old imrr. Thc yalle>s arc
jnycncscent with ferns. wildflowcrs,
snug garden plats, compiaccnt aspects
OF wholesome crops, peaceful Hooks
and herds, that iattrn in their own
lnnOcuOuS ease, or GrOT graceful In the
dignity q. labor. Trclliccd pOrtic0s,
and simple frame cots, laughing chill
sink their white feet in the cddying
sands. Springs that gus!I from the
mountain side, then
''Sparklc out among the fern
To bickcr down n valley
Songs Of birds and the velvet zone of
the butterfly on his way to the acacia,
or orange groves. The peace, the sun
shine Of Il happy valley,
But the valley, the Portman valley
where winds the Seneca River between
mountains of rock and the mndulatlny
contours OF oak, walnntand pine, there
is the agitation Of incessant turmoil,
the means and gnomcs oi unrest.
Here is the dam of the Anderson
Water, Light and Power Company.
Here, siirting the dcclivitous heights, IL
wooded patch tlctour> along he stakes
of the Black Diamond Railroad still
pointing to the fact tilat Il steel rail was
TO bear the laundering engine in he
rapi! speed :.lun@c ~" cch"i!.G river.
Here inclo>'d in Il basin OF sound The
SalIit OF 81 to 100 voices daily repro
ducr and confuse each other in !lar-
inony with the tliscOrtlaIit resonance of
picks. hammers. slcdgcs, drills pullcys,
WindlaS>cS, lioiSiings, coverings, steam
Whistles. engine Sllrccks. Five der
Kicks point their tall, gaunt fingers to
pull and haul those clamoring chains;
lift with oppressed breath their pom
drOus burden in the air, cinch their
iron tllOnS in their mammoth prey,
soar and deposit il in the massive cyric
OF masonry.
The diabolic achievement Of cxplo-
slvcs, under whatever name, as much
at times rs fifteen hundred pounds to
the single blast, tear such gigantic sec
do violence to nature. The concussion,
sharp and sudden. beats double quick
into the steps of all who prefer and are
safer Ill viewing the havoc from u
distance.
Tho pondrous fall Of the water over
The dam; its "l'reak, break, break, on
the cold grey stones" is an unccnsng
m0nody Of unrest.
The night is never still, the day is
disturbed; lines of cumbrous wagons
lonuing and unloading, Il Centaur con-
fusion OF horses and men, n pandcmO-
mum OF voices, Il Kaleidoscope of things
animate and inanimate, Il detail of
realities, quaint and pcrcmptory as the
feat of Il tevered dream.
The old dam was built about three
years ago. Its incapacity for the re-
Gnlr.ments OF A. ID. 1900 occasioncd
the thanking upon it Of the present new
Geo. .. Tcnny, of Spartanburg, con-
tractor; the company employing VIM.
i. Lee, OF Piedmont, as civil engineer
and inspector. by January /, 1901,
900 cubic yards of masonry were to
be laid. At completion, the structure
will be unique, Il solid compact of new
and old, and the highest dam in South
long, IL feet high on the spillncuy;
abntmcnts 10 feet higher, BOZ feet thick
ut base and feet thick ut top.
Through the gates water enters to
create Il force that operates j, 900 horse
power electricity to the city OF Ander-
son. Maclincry is now en- route. pre-
paratory to agcncrntOr, which shall add
10 the sum one unit more.
Mr.. Frank Mayes. chief attendant, is
the gentleman long and wOrthlly ilcn-
titled with the mechanical success of
the Electric Power Company. Mr.. X.
Il. Long, general Overscer, is probably
us well known, useful and uDiUuitOuS
as the telegraph poles.
The Anderson Water, Light and
Power Company comprises gentlemen
Of the highest financial integrity, OF
whom DR.. Samuel NJ. Orr OF Anderson,
is President.
rORTMAN NOTES.
Among the guests ut Iortman Hotel
Thanksgiving Day, Mr.. and Mrs. Joe
Busby entertained Miss Sammie Earle
h,, IL az
son, and Mr.. and Mrs. WIN. +. Lee, of
Piedmont, now residing ut portman
Messrs. }. ~. Brock. X. T.. Ligon,
Dick Ligon, j. l.. Tribblc-gentlcmen
of Andcrson-visitcd the dam and
power hcusc Thanksgiving Day.
MIR. David l.. Arthur, of philadcl-
phia, Pa. MIR. Tenny's general snperin-
tcndcnt of the works at portnan, has
returned to his home. lIcis Temporal
rily replaced by Mr.. Copeland.
DR.. S. NJ. Orr and Mrs. Orr visited
Portman last week, taking II pleasant
ride on the river in their motor launch.
About two weeks ago Mr.. II. II. Long
attended the sad event of the burial OF
his sister, Mrs. Leila Spcarman, who
died at Ncwbcrry. $. &.
Mr. and Mrs. buchanan, of Autun,
recently visited Mrs. Joe Busby, Mrs.
Bnchanan's sister.
4iA. ONiitttI tCOl SC anu w llC, Ol LUX
ington, visited for Il few days their
brother, MIR. Will. ID. George, ut Port
man Hotel.
Mrs. NJ. X. Anderson and son. of
Fort Hill, en- route to Hollands Store,
remained II few days with her sister,
Mrs. n. O. Farmer.
Mr.. and Mrs. John G. CAN'T, of Hart
we'll, Ga, visited Mrs. Gantt's mother.
Mrs. Pickerell, who is very sick.
The Methodist community OF Nc
Clure Circuit regret the depnrture, be-
cause of his wife's illness, of their
worthy pastor. tho Rev. - Burgess.
The pastor and his family leave behind
many pleasant and sad memories, but
the saddcst is the newly made grave of
Il little sevcn-year. old boy.
Second Sunday in january, at II n.
m, the Blind Boy Preacher will be
heard at Asbury.
Mrs. VIM. Bolt was one of large
circle, of friends who frightened
Thanksgiving cheer at the residence of
w. S. Elrod. Denver. Those boys who,
as guests, contributed to the Thanks