The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-04
Young CaroIini.n's Work.

August Kohn In News and Courier.
1t Is very much better to use flow
ers for bouquet than 1t is to weave
them into a funeral wreath ,and in
the same way to write kindly Of our
own people while they are in the full
vigor Of their usefulness. than after
they are gone. Monuments have been
erected to William Gregg, who was
pioneer in the cotton mill business,
but Is it doubtful If anything was ever
written in his praise during his life
time about the work he was doing
for his fellow man.
Mr.. William States Lee would no
doubt be very much chagrined, on
account Of his retiring disposition, If
he knew that l was taking advantage
of the random talks he had with me
relative to his early career, but I take
the liberty, Hoping the history of this
distinguished Young South Carolinian
viii prove an incentive 20 many VINO
read this article ana that they may
follow the path ne has marked cut
with such great success.
Me. Lee was born IN Lancaster
County, s. c., and there Is no Andrew
Jackson question as to whether or
not he is a South Carolinian, be-
cause he and his people are here to
speak for themselves today and say
that he is native Of this State and
very proud Of the fact. When he
was a lad, he lived on the farm and
has a distinct recollection Of his
ploughing experience when he was 9
years old. His people went to An
derson County when he was quite
young and he was appointed a bene-
liciary cadet to the South Carolina
Military Academy, better known as
the Citadel Academy" in 1890, and
1894. He went to the Citadel the
same year that Col. Asbury Coward
became it's superintendent and he has
| great love and affection for 1.-The
Colonel" Mr.. Lee obligated to the
State to teach in the common schools
| for a period Of two years, and so full
Of energy was he that to carry out
| his obligation in full he made an ar
rangement with the Anderson Cotton
l hy W oh no in ~
schools for sixteen months that is,
! he fully complied with the law by
| teaching for two terms Of eight
months without a break, and in that
( way was the first beneficiary in the
! class of 1894 who secured his release
| by fulfilling his obligations to the
much more than teach. He has
built and been responsible for some
! of the most successful water power
developments in South Carolina; he
has made no failure in his engineer
| ing works; he has brought millions
of dollars into South Carolina; he is
| "A "AhiSiho hhoiO HiililOiiS cdSh year, iiS
| has the confidence of those with
whom he is associated and he Is a
most useful and valuable citizen and
has already accomplished much for
his native State although he is only
thirty eight years Of age.
After his school work Mr.. Lee de-
cided to become an engineer In 1896
he took a position as civil engineer
on the Carolina Midland Railway,
then being developed by Col Mike
Brown, and worked there until March
1897, when he went to work on the
dam Of the Portman Shoals hydro
electric plant on the Seneca River,
which installed the first high-tension
generator that was used in this State.
| After this he was with the Pickens
Railway, Of which Mr.. j. Z. Carey is
now the president. Later on he spent
year during the Spanish American
war on the engineering corps of the
United States Government, dividing
| his time in engineering work on Sui
' l'"an'e Te'o~'' sod HiIfon Head in