The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-09-04

prosperous for unlike the part of the
State further east, the whites are IN
the majority.
From Newberry we passed through
very fine country to Laurens and
from there to WILLIAMSON, thence to
Greenville Near WILLIAMSON are the
PelZer Mills, which is probably the
largest cotton mill plant in the South.
At Greenvil1e we visited Camp Sewer.
where our North Carolina State Guard
was so long encamped. AT present the
number of troops at that point has
been much diminished. From Green
vile we went to Kings Mountain Sta
ton and thence out eight miles to the
scene of the famous battlefield OF
Kings Mountain, which history says
was the turning point of the Amerl-
can Revolution. 1t was the high Wa
Ter mark Of British aggression and
was one Of the most remarkable bat
ties in history. The men who fought
the battle on the American side came
rom North Carolina and from the
eastern part of Tennessee, which then
belonged to our State, and q few from
Virginia and South Carolina. They
assembled by their own voluntary ac-
zion and organized at Morganton. Ma
jor Ferguson, who had advanced to
Brindletown, three miles north OF
Rutherfordton, hearing of their ad-
vance, fell back hastily 20 Kings
Mountain, ridge about a mile long
with a plateau on top for his army,
and sides as steep as roof. he
proudly boasted that God Almighty
could not drive him from ii. ;" The
improvised Whig commands under
their chosen leaders would charge UP
3ne side and when the enemy would
follow them down, those on the 9TH
er side of the ridge would charge.
After two hours of fierce fighting Fer
guson fell and his entire command
were killed, wounded or prisoners
The United States government has
placed a marble shaft more than one
hundred feet high and ten feet square
TO mark the spot, and lonely grave
in a secluded dell, covered with. rude
stones, marks Il e resting place OF
the British CONN.,
From Kings Mountain we passed
to Gastonia and Charlotte, than
which there is no more prosperous
5r progressive communities to be
found in the South.
On this tour we passed from the
North Carolina line through Marlboro,
which is said to be the best cotton
county in the South. and other agri-
cultural regions in South Carolina.
The crops this year are splendid and
the State is exceedingly prosperous
We travelled probably 500 miles
through South Carolina in an automo-
bile and it increases ones admiration
for the State to see it in this man
aer.
South Carolina, before the war, had
Few industries; today, while it has not
quite so many cotton mills as North
Carolina, it has larger ones and more
spindles in proportion to Its popula-
ton than we.
Like North Carolina, South Caro-
lima has made a good beginning IN
creating a system of good roads, but
it mas committed the same fault IN
that respect as we. They have spent
large amounts Of money to lay out
good roads, but hays not yet ,a&oPfsa
a continuous system Of working the
roads but only when they get in very
bad order. In Europe they have
system by which a number Of miles
is allotted to a man who goes over
his beat every day. from end to end
and keeps it in good condition, for he
is responsible; in this way, the roads
there are Kept in good order. He is
always on the job. With us, we wait
until the roads get in bad condition
and wear out the conveyances and
tempers of those passing over them
and then put them in order at heavy
expense. In Europe, also there is
row Of trees on each side of the road,
the timber or the fruit from which
contributes largely to the expense OF
maintaining the roads, besides, the
trees keep the roads dry in winter
and shady in summer. If paper-shell
pecans were thus plantd along the
roads in tn South. the yield would re-
duce the expense Of road keeping, be-
sides benefiting and shading the
roads
Though South Carolina has, for its
size, more rivers than any other State
in the Union. we found them, as well
as the creeks crossed everywhere by
good bridges The smaller bridges
were Of concrete with iron tube rail
inss like the splendid bridge now over
the Tar River at Louisburg. n. c..
The other bridges are Of iron, except
one ld-faslfioned covered wooden
bridge which we saw over the Broad
River above Columbia. The bridge at
Columbia itself is u fine iron struc-
ture.
On the other hand, we had to use
the antiquated mode Of crossing a rlv-
er by ferry nowhere except in cross
ing the Santee river, on the Sea Is
land route, in the abandoned, desc
lated country between Georgetown
and Charleston The Roanoke in
that part that lies in North Carolina
is the only river Of it's size in the Un-
ion that is still crossed only by the
primitive mode Of ferries. Even that
,.;,,or tho VIRGINIA noit II Is