Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-10-06
TO pREDeE cRoWDER's CREEK.

The progressive people living along
Crowder's creek in CASTOR county, just
across the line, have undertaken an
enterprise that will be watched with
great interest by the people to the
south and which, will no doubt be ex-
tensively initiated after the results
come to be properly appreciated. This
the dredging of Crowder's creek for a
distance of about nine miles, including
seven miles to the west Of the c. & N
w. railroad, and two miles to the east.
In a talk with Mr.. Jim Adams Of
Crowder's Creek, Wednesday, a repre-
sentative Of The Enquirer got some in
formation about the proposed under
taking that will no doubt be Of gen.
eral interest and which will probably
put some Of the more progressive peo-
pie to thinking along the same line
rather earlier than would be the case
| If they were left to get the facts
through the ordinary means by word
of mouth.
It seems that the Crowders creek
people got the idea from some folks up
in Lincoln county, N. C. Creek bot
toms up that way which years ago
poured into the cribs of their owners,
corn crops that yielded small fortunes
each year, had gradually filled up and
become worthless. Where formerly
corn fields had extended for miles and
miles, the rule had changed to a
scattering patch here and there. and
the intervening stretches had become
unfit for anything except pasturage.
Some Of these lands were not even
good for pasturage, for the reason that
mud and sediment left after freshets.
A few years ago, however, the folks
got together, petitioned the North
Carolina legislature to authorize them
to form a cooperative drainage or
ganization, raising the money by
means Of pro rata taxation on the
lands to be benefited, and dredge out
the creek. The work was at length
undertaken and though there were
many misgivings in connection with its
prosecution, the success Of the under
taking was proved even before 1t was
completed, and now the long stretch
of creek bottoms that had been almost
valueless, are far more productive than
they were even in the old days when
they were considered to be at their
best.
There are still living men who re-
member when the particular stretch of
Crowder's creek that Is the subject of
the present enterprise, produced corn
in immense quantities. AS matter Of
fact the old people had corn until the
grain was actually a glut on the mar
ket: but for a good many years these
bottoms have been practically worth
less. There are a few good corn fields
along the creek, but not many, and the
people are convinced that all they have
to do is to carry out the Lincoln coun-
ty trick and they will be sure to reap
the Lincoln county reward.
According to Mr.. Adams's informa-
tion the dredging work Is going to cost
about SIS. 900, and under the states au-
thorized financial scheme the beneficl-
aries are going to have three years IN
which to pay the money. In order to
hurry things along and get the benefit
of the Improvement at the earliest
possible moment, a number or the
largest property owners paid their en-
tire assessments in full in advance;
and as the result the work Is now well
under way.
Our representative was unable to
get a thoroughly satisfactory under
standing of the system that is being
used in the prosecution Of this dredg-
ing work; but gathered the idea that
the digging is to be done by means of
steam dredge. The machinery is in
stalled in a kind of boat which floats
down the stream as the dredge opens
the way for it,
From what Mr.. Adams said, the law
authorizes the dredging and ditching
of the creek bottoms for a mile on
each side of the creek, and the total
area directly affected will include
something like $1,000 or 10000 acres.