Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-08
GOING TO THE MONUMENT.

striking features in connection with
yesterdays celebration, was the man.
ner in which the roads to the noun
tain were crowded, and the existence
Of conditions Of highway travel that
are seldom seen in this section twice
In the same generation.
There are no less than five different
highways that lead to and across
Kings Mountain battle-ground from
various directions. Ordinarily, they
are but little travelled, and going over
any one Of them on any day a week
ago, the chances were that the driver
Of a buggy would have observed that
his vehicle was the first to pass along
that way. But the man who made the
first track along any Of the roads yes
terday, must have started early.
The representative Of The Enquirer
had accepted kind invitation from
Mr.. Louis Roth Of Yorkville, to make
the trip with him behind his hand
some thoroughbred race horse. The
opportunity was peculiarly happy
one, for the circumstances Of the oc-
casion necessitated fast travelling both
going and coming, and the ambitious
fiery racer, impatient Of restraint could
not stand the idea Of horse or buggy
in front.
People had been leaving Yorkville
all during the night, and Mr.. Roth and
the newspaper man started at about
6 o'clock yesterday morning. Before
he got well out of the corporate linn
its. Mr.. Roth began to pass vehicle
after vehicle, and by the time he
reached the battle-ground, he had
passed eighty-one buggies and wagons
by actual count. The distance of fif-
teen miles was made in less than two
and half hours. including stops for
Jams in the road that could not be
avoided for lack Of room on either side.
| At nalf dozen or more places,
1t was necessary to pass long strings
Of buggies, following each other in
close order, and at no place in the
whole distance was there point from
which buggies and wagons could not
be seen in both front and rear. A half
hour later the caravans were longer
and less broken, there being numerous
strings Of buggies each q quarter of
a mile in length. This stream Of We
hicles continued for hours.
On the way back from the noun
tain, the first watering place is at
Clark's Fork in the Oates bottoms.
The approach to the creek Is down a
long, steep hill. Hundreds and hum
dreds Of horses had been without wa
ter during the day and all had to stop
at the creek Each horse requiring
from a quarter to a half minute to
drink, the result was another tremen-
dous blockade Of buggies and wagons,
that extended back for more than a
mile.
There had been a light sprinkle Of
rain Wednesday night and as the re-
suit there was but little dust during
Thursday morning; but the sun hav-
ing come out hot later on, the after
noon trip was accompanied by clouds
Of finely powdered dust that coated
the grass, bushes and trees for twenty
or thirty feet on either side of the
road
Inquiry at the battle-ground. devel-
oped that all five roads leading to the
mountain were crowded in the same
manner as the Yorkville road, and the
average speed Of the different process
sions Of vehicles was hardly more than
three or four miles an hour.
Considering the nature Of the coun-
try, the road from Yorkville to the
battle-ground was in good condition,
and reports are to the effect that the
same can be said Of all the other
roads.