Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-10-17
TUESDAY, OCTOBER II, Ie11.

fected were classed under the other
three divisions on the same basis; an
estimate was made Of the entire cost
of the work per mile, and an assess
ment was levied on the lands In just
proportion to the benefit to be deriv-
ed, and the schedule Of payment was
distributed over period Of several
years so that the burden would not fall
heavily upon anybody. That all COM
pleted, the matter Of collecting the
taxes necessary to provide the COM
mission with means to prosecute the
work, was turned over to the sheriff.
Under this arrangement, Of course
1t would have been a year or more be-
fore the actual dredging could be COM
menced; but most Of the people who
were able paid their entire assessments
in advance, and a steam shovel or
dredge was purchased at a cost of
about $1,000. Then all that remained
was to commence digging. Only three
or four hands being required to oper-
ate the shovel, the objective task is
merely a matter Of following the gen.
eral course of the creek. They do not
follow the channel exactly; but try to
keep in as straight a line as possible,
often cutting through great loops to
this end.
The dredge boat is about fifty feet
long and fifteen feet wide. It Is equip
ped with great steel dipper, operated
over a derrick by means of a power
full engine. The first step is the dig
ging in the channel of the creek pit
about ten feet deep in which the boat
Is floated with the water from behind,
and the big shovel or dipper makes a
channel for the boat as it slowly but
steadily progresses down stream. OBJ
structions Of stone are blasted out
with dynamite, but the shovel Is
abundantly able to take care Of all OBJ
structions of every other nature.
"The big dipper," said Mr.. Wilborn,
was at work when we got there. 1t
would go down into the creek bed, get
a yard Of sand at a time and throw 1t
first on one side Of the creek and then
on the other. They were making the
creek channel full ten feet deep, and
was surprised to notice that fully 80
per cent Of the material clear to the
bottom was nothing but sand. Occa-
sionally the dipper would bring up
little blue mud; but only occasionally.
While we were watching the dredge
ran upon a fallen tree buried deep
down under the surface. The manip-
ulators Of the dredge made a pass or
two at the tree; but In minute or
two lifted 1t out and threw II out on
feet or more through, and which had
probably fallen across the channel Of
the creek fifty or hundred years ago.
THE people told me-" Mr.. Wilborn
went on, that when the ditching
commenced, there were acres and acres
of bottoms that were unfit even for
pasturage because they were so wet
during the greater portion of the year.
This land was absolutely worthless
for any purpose whatsoever. The
ditching had not progressed far enough
the first year to warrant any attempts
at planting; but last spring crops of
corn were planted all along and the
yield has been astonishingly large.
Where two years ago the land could
not have been sold for SO an acre, now
the people would not take SIS or 500
an acre"
Mr.. Wilborn said that since the re-
turn of the party from Lincolnton, he,
Mr.. Willis and Mr.. Allison had been
talking to people living along Fishing
creek with a view to taking the neces-
sary steps to dredge that stream after
the North Carolina plan. AS yet the
matter has not been laid before all the
people interested; but those who have
been approached are right In for 1t,
and he thinks 1t will be go. Begin
ming at a point up about the Lincoln
road and extending down to the Ches-
ter line, there are thousands of acres
along Fishing creek that are all but
worthless, and thorough dredging Of
the creek would add several hundred
thousand dollars to the value Of these
lands. In Mr.. Wilborn's opinion 1t
would be the proper thing to extend
the dredging on into Chester county
as close as possible to Lando, and he
believes that the Chester county people
will gladly join the York county peo-
pie in the promotion of the enterprise.