The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-06-11
E. w. DABBS DESCRIBES
INTERESTING TRIP

Readers of the Item and Watchman
and Southron may be interested in an
account of our trip to Asheville and
Bi,tmore Z few days since. Taking
lunch we left Warrior mountain at
10 o'clock, at Il O'Clock we We're at
the entrance to Biltmore estate,
about 40 miles from here. The road
in Henderson county beginning just
!:beyond Saluda is not SO good as the
roads in either Polk or Buncombe
counties. Between Saluda and Flat
Rock we have TO cross two streams,
a branch and Green River-very
winding, but SO Well graded that
one may go down by gravity-:f his
brakes are ood, and up in high gear,
if meeting other cars does not require
slowing down. The road is too mar
row and one is always in dread OF
meeting car at one of the short
turns. But a more picturesque road it
would be hard to find especially
where it winds along a hundred or
two hundred feet above Green Riv-
er Some Of our party said il had
nothing on the road from here to Mel
rose up the Pacolet gorge. At the
Buncombe county line we came to the
paved road, cement, in 20 or 80 IT. sec
tions IS or 20 feet wide. Big signs
at intervals forbid a speed of over 70
miles per hour tried to keep within
the speed limit and only exceeded it
when coasting down long straight
grade But several cars both going
up and returning passed me and must
have been going at 40 miles per hour.
The drive through Biltmore Of 3
spent dollar and a half of our trip.
The roads are we'll nigh perfect, the
shrubbery. flowers, natural forests,
lakes, pastures and cultivated fields
TO say nothing Of the $50 room castle
with its courts and snnken gardens
with splendid views Of the Pisgah
range of mountains. close views OF the
French Broad and Swannanoa rivers
have ON the retina Of the mind pano-
ronas of beauty that will never be ef-
faced.
We had with us three school
marnls. Miss. Lide of Salem school
and Misses Bitner and Dabbs recent
Iy CT Flora Mcdonald college n
they have mental pictures that will
be translated to boys and girls many
miles away from the mountains.
The rules of admittance forbid yisi-
tors in cars from stepping on the
ground at any places but the dairy
barns 1t was our good fortune to
reach the main dairy at one o'clock
when the herd OF beautiful cows We're
being driven in from the pasture that
lies between the barn and the French
Broad river. It was a wonderful
sight to see hundreds OF cows march
each to her own stanchion and begin
her midday meal. They. use milking
machines driven by electricity. Each
cows has two gallon water receptacal
with false bottom so arranged that
as she presses her mouth down TO get
the last of the water valve is open
ed that lets in more water until she
has all she wants. Three immense
silos of about 200 tons capacity each
are so built In the side Of the hill
that they are easy to I'LL on the upper
size, and easy TO get QUIT he silage
on the level Of the COW floor. The
cows are MIXED at s p. m. and q.
m. each day The milk is taken over
to the cres merry by an aerial >trarp-
way. There the butter is made, Ger
titled mill separated milk and butter
milk put in sealed bottles. They have
an ice plant and were putting in an
ice cream plant. We bought both
milk and butter and ate our lunch
there. Both were good. but except
for coming off ice no nicer than the
milk and butter Mrs. Dabbs made at
home.
Mowers were at work cutting the
fine vetch and wheat into hay. Sew
eral fields were dotted with hay cocks
covered with yard squares of canvass
weighted at the four corners. l no.
ticed a hay tedder to loosen up rank
swaths Of wheat and retch hay to has
ten its curing.
Gangs Of hands were at various
places cutting out bushes, hauling
crushed rock for the roads and grav-
el from the river bed for some pur-
pose. They use a big street sweeper
propelled by steam or gasoline sweep
one half Of the roadway clean-the
other half was strewn with piles Of
crushed rock. just after sweeping a
big outfit was spreading boiling tar
on the swept side. and hands were
shoveling the crushed rock over it.
To pass we had to drive over the piles
Of crushed rock. The foreman warn
ed me not to run my car on the hot
tar and rock as it would ruin my
tires.
On account Of Mrs. Vanderbilt hav-
ing gone that morning to her Mt.
Pisgah lodge we were permitted to
drive through the gates just in front
of the castle where an attendant gave
us quite bit of interesting informa-
tion. II Mrs. Vanderbilt had been
at home We would have been sent by
the overlook" where from greater
elevation and at some distance we
could have looked down on the house
and grounds