The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-01-16
POrtman News.


'ays tine voice Of many waters" is not
! rhetorical figure, but q substantial.
lact. The heavy rains have filled the
streams throughout the country, and
the commlngling voices, like harmon
i0us strains pitching their tones from
the sonOrous keyboard of the dam pro-
duce the sublime oratorio: Seneca in q
storm. Seneca, apart from its poetry.
is now mjestically sweeping
stream. 1t has not the breadt! Of the
Mississippi, nor the length of the Mis-
souri,. hnt it he's the tremendous mean
ing of a Niagara.
Those who have crossed Niagara
Falls, New York, in tho "maid of the p
mist" touched upon the American side
and felt the keel of the little boat churn
In the violent caldron of waves, strug-
gllng with it's wondrous machinery,
ana filliag its passengers in the mist
with terror, know in n larger degree
the vibrations Of tho shore, the volcano
or steam OF spray, which make the fall
otfortman shoals in high tide an i'm
pressivc spectacle.
Seneca is che cmbodiment of MANY
waters; the keowec river, 12-mile riv-
er, Little river, 1s-milc, %, ee-mile,
and.Deep Greeks. The Keowcc heads
in the Blue Ridge, near J0cassee, in
Oconee County; 12-mile river heads in
Pickcns County, not far from Pickens
Court House; Little river in the Blue
Ridge at Highlands, N. c.. 19-mile
II 10 II. T..
emptying into the Seneca about three
miles above P3rtman shoals; 23-mile
Creek heads few miles Southeast of
old Pickensville; 2G-mile heads by
Shutdown and Pisgah Church; % and
26-mile Greeks run together, close to
the old Earlc's Bridge road, leading to
Anderson. Seneca is not Seneca river
till 12-mile and Kcowee rivers meet
and flow together, near Clemson Col
legc.
SO forceful is tho descent ut the foot
Of the dam that during the last high
tide few months ago, the fall broke
in two large rock, and cast the Sec
tions, each measuring 12 or Is feet
square by II thick, to n distance of 30
or 40 feet down stream. Sometimes
sections of the new dam arc loosened
by the concussion and require rebuild
ing.
Deep Greek bridge, leading from
Portman to Anderson, was the basin
for small lake andnot river. Teams
and their drivers crossed by faith and
not by sight. Yet on Saturday last in
march that from its salty was evil
IDENTIFY not military drill, 90 wagon
loads of ooment from j. S. Fowler in
Anderson crossed over in procession,
rendering assurance to others doubly
sure. A mule with its wagon and
occupants waited almost an hour for
the presence of horse whose reason
ing faculties would decoy the faithless
mule over. The horse came, driven by
lady in her buggy, the man requested
the privilege Of following in her train,
remarking intelligently, 80 mule is
such fool, and horse aint."
The bridge crossing 23-mile creek,
between Portman and Asbury, would
be sacrificing no beauty to it's utility,
were it to completely drop into the
creek and out Of sight. 1t is tho bette
''o're, as the French would say, of all
travellers that way, lest-having no
other pass by which to go-they find
themselves much like the Egyp tians in
the middle of the bridge and the CEN
tre of the stream the samo time. At
it's best in dry wenthcr, the traveller
says his prayer or counts his beads be-
fore crossing, feeling his head filled
with the unwilling belief that the bot
tom of the bridge, like tho keel of
boat dipping in the water-or almost
dipping for 30 long-must surely be
mouldy or rotten. This impression is
strengthened by the bridge being sunk
en- on one side to almost the waters
level.
Saturday, 18th inst, n meeting was
called ut Asbury to decide upon q loca-
ton for school building, and see
whether n now school house should be
built or the old retained which seven
or eight years ago wasnew, and rcmOv-
ed in the interest of the graded school
ut Denver. Since the removal of this
school, tho people Of large vicinity
have been sadly lacking in school op-
portunitics. Three townships are
ready to combine with Asbury-Rock
Mills, Pcndlcton and Ccnterville; the
nearest schoolhousc to all these is
Zion.
The school commissioner, Mr.. Sam
George, says: Go ahead and build; he
sees ample claim upon public school
fund from so large section, and in
tends they shall have it. Already.thir4
ty or forty scholars ara awaiting their
inalicnable right to public education.
The whistle Of Mr.. John A. Bolts