The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-08-10
MR.. HENDERSON WRITES OF
PROPOSED RIVER BRIDGE
Argues That Blairs is the Best Loca-
ton and Gives His Reasons-Asks
Advocates of Bridge to ct
Highway Commission Friday.

Editor The Herald and News:
If you will allow me the privilege
through your popular newspaper, |
would like to say few words in be-
half of our place, Blairs, S. c., as
the ideal and practical place for the
bridge across Broad river between
Newberry and Fairfield counties.
First, we are practically in the
center of the parts of the two coun-
ties that a bridge could be built at
all. and as the bridge should be built
at the point in the counties where 1t
is most needed and where it will Go
the most good. I emphatically state
right here that there is no point on
the river that is so peculiarly sltuat-
ed as our fine ferry. A few years
ago we had a good ferry easily oper-
ated and being of great convenience
to us. But few years ago the great
dam at Parr Shoals was built across
The river a few miles below here and
since then the sand has been grad
ually piling up here until now we
have td cross the ferry only when we
have water enought to cover the sand
in the river bed and 1 would like to
add Just here that l feel that the
Parr Shoals company is responsible
to a large extent for Our condition
and they konw it. And they should
he held responsible for it by our
counties if we only had officers whose
dut;es it is to look after such mat
ters. would take it up with them and
have them do it.
They accepted the responsibility ol
nutting in "the fill" down below Da"-
kins on the Newberry side and the
building of a bridge over some. pack
water at Dawkins on the Fairfield
side And at the time they first put
in the dam they (almost voluntafliV
7 would say accepted the response
bility to keep our ferry in operation,
AS soon as 1 noticed that they haa
effected the water here I wrote them
I'VE had charge of the ferry at that
time) and told them Of the condition
and they sent up here and had an ap-
nliance put on, but it didn't give sat-
isfaction. The matter has stood tnaV
wav until now and we are gradually
oo+t;np in worse shape for crossing
and are in decidedly worse hA tii"n
anv other point on the river at "hien
there is a ferry. They at least nave
water at Dawkins, Strother ana ohei-
ton and we only have it at Intervals
and a peculiar current to the river
which is caused by one Of the mos'
ha.,,+;fnl natural abuttmencS
and approaches for bridge on ''it ~
Fa;rfeld side of the river, makes ~ !,
almost impossible for one man to put
tho fiat over from the Newoerrs W
tho Fairfield side. The lock OF .ne
liver r or hill on the Fairfield SIDE
rises almost perpendicularly from 'he
water and is of granite of the finest les
quality and would eliminate nS snS
huildine of one pier and would neeo
no approaches at all on the fa'rne'u
side. ~, r;vor
The peculiar current Of the river
referred to above is caused by ene
river flowing against that emoa,iA-
Mont that would compare favoraply
with the Rock Of Gibraltar) ana
turning out again toward mldsSream
and pulling against the fiat.
My dear friends, you just ougnt ~
trv putting that fiat across the river
there once to appreciate it.
Now in regard to the sand on the
Newberry side: We will admit thaS
+bere is some sand over there, but
what is anything without sana' ana
there is not an appalling amount oi
sand over there at all and combined
with the Immediately available sup
ply of granite right at the place,
would figure it in as an asset IN inc
matter of concrete construction.
note with humor the remark that my
good friend and neighbor, j. 5. .
Suber, of Strother, S. c., made IN re-
gard to the sand there being halt a a
mile wide and 40 feet deep. Now
want to suggest right here 1of
everyone who believes that Mr., Suoef
has even took the trouble to explore
the depth of that sand two feet deep
instead of forty to send me "one dol
lar"