The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-02-05

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The annual meeting of the stock
holders of the Sumter Telephone
Manufacturing Company was held last
"Wednesday. The action taken by the
board OF directors at q meeting held
previously. mention OF which has bean
made, was confirmed and the meeting
was of merely routine character.
An effort will be. made to have the
annual meeting of the State Firemen's
Association in this city in the spring,
and hold at the same time the biggest
FiTemen's Tournament ever held IN
South Carolina. The idea is an excel
lent one and should be encouraged by
the business men and citizens general
". The. Association and Tournament
would bring a large crowd to the city
and, liven up things considerably.
Money could not be more pro6tably
spent than in converting the sandbeds
that make all the roads entering this
city so extremely heavy into hard clay
and sand tl1rnpikes. Five miles Of
hard clay roadway on each Of the
public roads leading into the city
would facilitate travel wonderfully
and the business of the town would-be
benefited more than by the construc-
ton of another railroad. A thousand
dollars year for five or six years
would put the principal roads In first
class shape.
President Hyatt, of the Goods Roads
Association, has invited Mr.. G.. W.
Reardon to attend the GOOD Roads
meeting in Charleston for the purpose
of laying before that body his plansfor
the construction of good roads in this
state with convict labor under State
control and direction. The invitation
resulted from correspondence in which
Mr.. Reardon outlined his ideas on the
subject. Mr.. Hyatt writes that the
plan is so excellent that it should be
brought to the attention Of the Good
Roads Association.
The Southeastern Tariff Association
promises to make material reductioss
In insurance rates in this State if the
law forbidding the association to ope-
rate in South Carolina is repealed. A
list Of towns and the reductions in
rates proposed has been published, but
there is no mention of Sumter in this
connection. If reduction is to be
made the property owners of Sumter
feel that rates should be lowered in
this city if anywhere. A great deal of
money has been spent and every effort
made to give protection against FIRE,
and if our water system and IRE de-
partment does not entitle this city to
lower rates. the money and efforts ex-
pended have been IN vain.
A nail, string and piece of rosin,
in the hands Of a practical joker, can
be made to produce nerve rocking
variety of mysterious noises that are,
to the aninitiated, altogether mex
plicable. The string and rosin jokers
have been out on raid several nights
! recently and have been detected In
the act st more than one house. At
one place visited they abandoned the
nail and string, leaving these ghost
raising implements attached to the
Notwithstanding. It is at least posi-
BILE that these facts may suggest rea-
sonable explanation of the ghost story
that has been causing so much talk
and discussion during the past few
days.
The suggestion that the annual
meeting of the State Fireman's Asso-
citation be held in this city and that a
| big Gremen's tournament be arranged
for the same time meets with almost
unanimous approval and if the fremen
will take hold of the matter at once
there will be but little difficulty in
making success of the Firemen's s
Week. The two hose companies
should hold joint meeting and ap-
point committees composed of business
men as we'll as iremen to work up the
tournament and make all necessary
arrangements. The sooner an organi-
zation is perfected and committees put
/ to work the better chances there will
be for making a great success of the
undertaking.