Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-01-17
OVER IN GAFFNEY.

The people OF Carney, that thriving
little city across the Broad, which has
the distinction of being the county seat
of Cherokee county, are very much an
noyed at the fact that the census did
not put them in the 5000 class" as
almos. every citizen Of the village"
is absolutely certain that the census
department has been careless in its fig
ures, and that they ought at least to
have as much as 500 as the enumer-
ators are alleged to have sent in that
many names; but the census depart
ment sayeth not. But really the mat
ter might be very easily settled, II the
census authorities would authorize a
new count and station enumerators at
the Southern depot at the arrival of an
evening train, the count could be easi-
ly made in just a very few mi' Ites,
and it is possible that the 5,00C line
would be passed.
But Gaffney needn't worry. 1t has
time to grow and there Is plenty OF
room for it to grow in. There are
scores and scores Of building lots, nice
lots too, that are patiently awaiting
the coming of the house builders, and
houses when completed would be great
ly pleased to shelter residents. Yes,
Gaffney has plenty Of room to grow,
and If it keeps on growing, possibly
by the time the next census comes
around it will get into the 5000 class,
which Is some better-20 per cent bet
ter-than the 5000 class"
A representative Of The Enquirer
was in Gaffney Saturday evening, and
while he wasn't quite able to count that
5,700 people they had been claiming, he
did meet some very delightful folks.
One of the first he met was the new
clerk Of the court, Mr.. Tom Caldwell,
and from the way he gave out the glad
hand he must have thought our rep
resentative was in Gaffney to locate,
and he was getting in line on his vote
working hard and Is getting the lines
on his work and will soon have every
thing working in nice shape. He was
willing to acknowledge that a good
portion of the best people Of eastern
Cherokee originally belonged to York
county and that was one reason why
Cherokee was such progressive coun-
ty; but he wasn't willing to say that
all of the good people Of eastern Cher
okee were taken In with the slice of
Of York.
One gentlemen told me that there
was a plan on foot in Cherokee county
to take an additional slice off Of west
ern York-a strip including Piedmont
Springs-but when questioned as to
who was back of the movement what
had been done, what was being done
and other information, he very sud-
denly seemed to forget that he knew
any of the details.
But going back to Gaffnev and her
5000 population that isn't, she Is GER
tainly laying the foundations for not
only a 5000 town, but for 10000 or
more as we'll. The town Is pretty well
torn up just at present with the oper-
ations of the sewer builders, and this
plant will probably be completed within
the next few weeks, and will be ample
for the towns needs at least until the
taking of the census twenty years
hence. Then, the towns water supply
Is being enlarged to fit the growing
needs Of the community for some years
to come. On a high hill, probably a
mile and half outside Of the corpor-
alton limits, a new standpipe, with a
capacity of 100000 gallons, Is being
erected, and this is to be supplied from
a bold creek, a mile or more further
east, and at the creek filter plant
is being built along the most approved
lines of filter construction. The plant
is being built by the Greer Filter Man.
ufacturing company, under the person.
al supervision of Mr.. ]. B. Greer, and
few minutes conversation with Mr.
Greer will convince even a layman that
he thoroughly knows what he Is about,
and is going to give Gaffney all that
it is paying for, If not more. Mr..
Greer told the writer that he made q
bid on the Yorkville plant for $2,3SO,
which was $40 less than the next low
hn 1nn~
details as tc location, etc., were not
completed in Yorkville, he was very
glad that the job was not awarded to
him at his figures, because 1t was only
a small plant, and he has contracts
ahead If him in Texas and Montana,
and it would not suit him at all to
come back to Yorkville for the small
job here The Gaffney plant Is to cost
something like 100000.
Gaffney, like many other towns In
this part Of the country, is really big
ger than the census figures show up.
The city limits from a given center are
one mile each way, and from the busl-
ness portion of the village the center
of corporation is probably one-third Of
a mile west. To the east, barely out
side the limits, there are two or three
cotton mills, which while enjoying
practically all the advantages Of the
municipal government, the inhabitants
of the mill villages cannot be counted
as a part of Gaffney's population. 1t
is just simply up to the city fathers
and citizens Of Gaffney to get to work
to incorporate the mill villages as a
part of the city, and thus get credit
for the population that is really Gaff-
ney. With this addition to her terri
tory, if she just keeps on trying and
improving, in another ten years she
really might hope to be as good a
town as is Yorkville.