The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-07-15
Meeting of the S. C. Press Association
at White Stone Springs.

Q1GS S6Oue SpI1uSS, coiy AA'
The South Carolina Press Association,
which convened here on the 7th has
completed its sessions, parsaken Of the
BANQUET and adjourned subject to the
call of the president after voting un-
animously to come back to White Stone
for the next annual meeting in 1904.
This meeting, which has been one
'of the most largely attended in the
history of the Association, has also
been most pleasant occasion, both on
account of the interesting and enjoy
able business program and the elegance
of our headquarters and the overflow
ing hospitality of ssSunny jim" Har-
ris. The new hotel lately built here
by Mr.. Harris is a three story brick
building with 14s rooms, all of which
have preferred position" top Of CO.
lumn next to reading matter In
fact there is not an inside room in
the house. It is Lighted by electrici-
sy and supplied with modern con-
yeniences and comforts. A trolley
line takes passengers to and from the
railroad station to the hotel. and by
next year it is promised that this line
will be connected with the Spartan
burg trolley system at Glendale, SO
that guests car visit the city of Spar
taburg, the factories and other places
of interest at their pleasure. Mr.. Harris
has already spent about $1,000 on
this place, but he is still going on,
and he says that when we return here
next year we Will not know the place.
He has several plans for improving
and beautifying the grounds. Among
these he mentioned an artificial lake
to be made by building dam across
the creek above the spring. and the
construction Of a White bridge"
from the hotel portico across to the
high hill beyond the spring, where a
club house is to be built. The natural
situation of the grounds is extremely
pretty, the hotel being on the point of
q ridge that slopes on three sides, and
is surrounded. by thick grove of trees
of original growth, mostly oaks.
A large business is done in shipping
the White Stone Lithia Water, and
/ am told that as mach as s400 worth
has been shipped in one day, and that
the regular shipments average $500
per day. The first building that Mr..
Harris erected. near the spring. proved
to be too small for the bottling bust
ness, and a new one has been built
short distance down the creek where,
by conveying the water of the creek in
a trunk fall Of about 25 feet is OBJ
tained, and an overshot wheel furnish
es the power necessary for the bottling
works as well as to operate pump
that forces the water into large tank
on hill from which the hotel is sup
Piled. He employs IS hands in the
bottling works.
The White Stone Spring is on the
side of the creek and comes out OF
solid rock, which forms the bank OF
the creek on that side. A pipe has
been fixed into the rock, and the ma
S1ral pressure of the spring forces the
water up into a marble basin over
which rustic pavilion has been built
on rock and cement foundation.
The overflow of spring water is con-
veyed in pip, from this basin to the
bottling works.
Before the purchase of this spring
by Mr.. Harris it was known as the
Kirby Spring, and had quite reputa-
tion for the value of the water. When
I visited this. place some two years
ago before Mr. Harris began his de-
the water of this spring
was running through a, pipe set into
the rock and that stood up some s or
10 feet above the rock, the top Of
the pipe being crooked over so as to
direct the water into a bucket which
vas rugged on wire that extended
to the farm house On top Of the hill
some 75 feet above and about l75 yards
away from tie spring. This bucket
made regular trips from the house to
the spring and back conveying the
water. The source Of the sp-ing IS
some distance above the creek, so
that the height to which the water IS
forced by natural pressure, Mr.. Har-
ris says it is 20 feet makes the spring
as now arranged above any food of
high water and accessible at all times.
There has been but one opinion ex-
pressed by the members Of the assoca-
ton, and their families-that OF ad-
miration for the hotel and its appoint
ments and surroundings, and the at