The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-02-06
Portman Letter.

Zero weather, sharp winds and bad
roads have been the order of the past
week. Weather and wind of any sort
Will nase from the mind here as it passes
from the sky, leaving the mental atmos.
lhere clear; but the roads s-;he memory
OF bad ioads-never. There arc no clear
post, marks or chalk lines about those
roads-beiore or after bad weather. In
The first place there are no roads--only q
place where the roads ought to be, some
places poor attempt even at that, as
clvi! engineering. whether in mathemat-
ics or In the brain, has made woeful mis-
takes az to location, making a man and
his vehicle travel twenty miles where
they should have travelled fifteen or 80,
and tediously drawing them over hills
where they could as we'll travel around
the foot; but that was-or is-the engi-
neer's affair and not the business Of an
idle wanderer.
Speaking Of the roads-what miserable
troughs Of boggy, soggy, cloggy clay!
What roads for Indians, much less for
white people! The writer Is q stranger to
roads OF this sort, and can truthfully say
this portion Of South Carolina takes the
BOBBY prize for rem arkable roads. With
out understanding the inner workings of
outer effects or the private purposes Of
public creatione, and being expressed In
wisdom, the correspondent innocently
expected an answer to the question:
"Who is 1t fault for these roadsf'' 1t
seemed as II every man had his hand
pressed against his mouth, lest he should
answer, and the foolish questioner found
the interrogation had struck hornNt's
| nest. The roads and public improve
ments seem 10 bo closet skeleton, and
SO many are required TO hold the door to
lest the odor escape, that it Is presump-
tious to expect more than glance of pa
tienco from the custodans. The Ques-
toner, therefore, relapses to the Yankee
recreation OF "guessing."
Men sometimes arc more ashamed to
confess to mistakes Of judgment than to
errors Of action, and from what the writ
or can observe, the mistakes expended
in the matter Of good roads, were they
| converted into macadam, would supply
tue country with highways fit for a
king.
! To write further Of these highways
would draw tears from the eyes of suf-
fers who have had their hearts jolted out
through their mouths. A situation; but
then they have endured it 80 long, and
why not continue? Life Is as cheap one
! way as another-by jolts and fresh air as
| by perpetual seclusion within doora,
Portman is the terminus Of bad roads In
! one direction, Anderson in another, and
| perhaps few survive that trough OF
yellow dough at Watkins Mill, on the
Piedmont road.
| The electric com pany mere at Portman
are now conveying piece of machinery
from Pendleton, laying and shifting
| their own plank road in the way hetors
the thirty-two horses who unitedly are
drawing the load. It Is one-half an arm
eture weighing $4,000 pounds. the 9TH
or half, weighing "a, 900 pounds, remains
at Pendlete~ for future transportation.
An energetic official like Mr.. Long, un.
der the directions OF DR.. Orr. will see
J that future and present shall have es lit
tlo space as possible between, but when
we think the present piece of machinery
has been two weeks coming about fve
miles we must be patient and sympa.
thetic. When the entire machinery is in
working order, 1855 horse power more
Of electricity will be supplied the mills Of
| Anderson.
| The new school hcuae at Aabury is
about finished and calls for the applica.
ton Of a good teacher.
Mr.. and Mrs. VIM. F. Lse have retura-
ed from e tip to their home at Piedmont.
Mr.. w. 8. Lee, engineer at Columbus,
| Ca. and his bride, visited Portman.
Mr.. and Mrs. Arthur Buchanan. of
Autun, remained last Sunday with Mr..
end Mrs. William Bolt, Mrs. Buchsnan's
parents. r. RI