Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-01-02

ross Creek, at or near j. ID. Isbell's,
in Oconee county, be, and the same
is hereby granted to and conferred
upon The Oconee Water, Light and
Power Company, together with the
right, power and privilege to acquire
by purchase or by condemnation pro.
ceedings all lands which may be nec-
essary for rights of way for the con-
struction and maintenance of wires,
pipes or other contrivances for the
transmission of water, light and
power, or that may be necessary in
the construction and maintenance of
wire or other contrivances for the
transmission of power under the
power and authority conferred. by
this act: Provided, There shall be
provided suitable fishways and the
fore-bay and tail-races shall be pro-
teoted by suitable wire gauze of not
larger than one-half 9) inch meshes,
80 as to prevent fish going into the
water wheels.
"Sec. 3. That the power of con-
domination of lands uhieot to be over
flowed shall be exercised in the same
manner as now provided BY the laws
of this State for the condemnation of
lands for railway, canal and turn
pike purposes.
"Sec. 4. That the said power com.
pany shall have the right and power
to operate as well as to build and
erect cotton and other mills, and TO
engage in the manufacture and sale
of cotton goods and other goods.
E"Sec. 5. That this act and said
charter shall remain of force until
amended or repealed by the General
Assembly of the State.
"Approved the 22d day of Febru-
ary, A. d. 1905"
This bill passed with Mr.. Verner's
consent as above stated, and there
can be no reason to object to the
powers therein conferred, because
the same powers conferred upon this
company by this bill are conferred
upon railroad, telegraph and tele-
phone companies and others to con-
demn rights of way for public use,
and that is all that this bill seeks to
give. 1t will be observed that the
condemnation proceedings must be
the same as those for railways, etc.,
and that is not done by two or three
friends picked up in the community.
1t must be lone by jury of twelve
men empaneled by the Clerk of the
Court, and the compensation, which
is fixed by them, must be paid before
the right of way can be used. 1t
might be well to state in this con-
nection that our Constitution forbids
the taking of private property for
any other than public use. There
fore the use which the right of way
has to be put must be public use,
such as water for the community or
town or lights for the town.
In 1906 Mr.. Thompson informed
me that they had been unable to ac-
complish anything in the way of
development, and that they had cer-
tain property rights at point on
Keowee river and atee point on
Whitewater river, and asked me to
80 amerd the Act of 1905 as to allow
this company to develop power at
these points if desired. l had the
Act of 1905 copied, inserting these
two places on Keowee and White
water rivers. There was no other
change in the bill, and it stood ex-
actly as it reads above. This last
bill passed the Senate and was in the
House several days when Mr.. Lof-
ton, of Charleston, informed me that
the committee had left it to him
to act upon this bill, and asked me
to appear before the committee at
certain hour. On the same after
noon the Railroad Committee, of
which was member, had very
important meeting, and was obliged
to attend it until after the hour of