The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-25
IT. E. Wickerl.

on every county campaign meeting.
The Whitmire meeting on Saturday
last was almost repetition Of the
meeting at Mount Pleasant the Sat
.urday previous. A heavy rainfall the
evening before that reached in every
direction for miles and miles around.
tore up roads and raised streams AMI
swept away bridges making it diff
cult for the candidates and others to
reach Whitmire on Saturday.
Numbers of auto transfers and
automobiles left Newberry we'll load
ed and those that left early reached
Whitmire in good time as the meetins
was not scheduled to start until z
o'clock p. m.
The editor OF The Herald and News
and the reporter accompanied by
Messrs Pope Tompkins and John E.
Franklin left Newberry in the editors
car at 1850 and reached Whitmire
a little after 8 o'clock. This length
of time was required on account OF
high water at Indian creek and at
Duncans creek.
At Indian creek the editor, who was
at the wheel decided that if Fora
couldn't ford the sheet of water be-
fore us it was not worthy of being cal
led a Ford, so we plunged in. Every
thing went swimmingly until "a deep
place was reached and the engine was
drowned.
The editor didn't say anything bus,
the expression on his face was trans
lated to mean volunteers wanted
Pope Tompkins was the first TO
translate the meaning and imme-
diately shucked off his foot gear and
rolled up his pants far above his
knees and stepped out into the water.
AS the carburetor was above the
water Mr.. Tompkins endeNored to
crank the engine. He cranked some.
and prospired some and bIowed some
but the engine wouldn't even grunt-
Then Mr.. Tompkins gave it up and
began feeling around in the water %
see of he could find some young
Fords disporting in the stream.
About this time Mr.. J. W. Epting,
candidate for Sub Supervisor, came
meeting us. He had given up hopes
of reaching Whitmire and was>return-
ing 10 Newberry. Mr.. Epting revers'
ed his car and pulled US out.
Thence we sped on sometimes on
3 cylinders and sometimes on 4 until
we reached Duncan's creek about one
and a half miles this side Whitmire.
Here We found a veritable flood run
ming around the bridge. Leaving oui
car on the hill as several others had
done already we caught horse
drawn vehicle and were carried across
to the bridge over the main stream
where we were picked up by another
autor ooile and carried on to the meet
Ing.
The speaking was concluded about
5. O'Clock and as "a large black cloud
began to slowly loom up with in
creasing proportions as it advanced
and giving warning of it's approach
by an occasional roll of distant thun-
der the crowds began to disperse,
the Newbery contingent making
drive for Duncan's creek to get across
before the rain arrived.
At the creek there was a busy scene.
There were those on foot who had
left ther cars on the other side, and
there were those VINO were In their,
cars andwanted to find some means Of
crossing without getting stuck"
in the water between the
bridge and the bluff which the road
an this side must ascend. Then there
we're others in buggies and wagons
and these were the saviors Of the day,
for the pedestrians found passage
in them over the swollen waters ana
the autoists following the rule Of
safety first cranked their engines
and tied on to the rear of the wagons.
In every instance, the motors came
out "alive' and rearing to go in spite
of the fact that the water ran freely
around the hoods of tne motors. The