The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-05-30
BRIDGING THE SAVANNAH

A week or two ago a delegation
from Abbeville attended meeting in
Clinton looking to the construction
of road from Raleigh to Athens,
connecting at each end with other
roads, one leading North and the
other to Southern points. The build
ing of this road contemplates the
spanning Of the Savannah with a
concrete and steel bridge which
would tend to bring us into closer
touch with the good people who re-
side across the Savannah, in the En-
pire State of the South, and with
whom we would gladly be neighbors.
If the building of good roads in Alb
beVille County shall result in the
construction of this bridge, we shall
be willing to say that the good roads
movement has accomplished much.
And this is not all that the move
ment may accomplish along this line.
The people in Augusta, and at points
in South Georgia, are anxious that a
road be built from Augusta North
ward towards the mountains of
North and South Carolina. The road
has been talked of these many years,
and just now there is chance that
it may speedily be opened. Already
Mccormick County has constructed
system of top soil roads, though
they have not yet been topsoiled.
TlEse roads are to be continued to
Savannah River, touching the river
atg Fleury's Ferry. Across the river
at this point is a fine road leading
directly into Augusta. The McCor-
mick road from Fleury's Ferry, lead
ing through the town of Mccormick
connects with the road to Abbeville
at Clatworthy's Cross Roads, and
from Abbeville the road will lead
through Due West, Donalds and
Honea Path, and on by way of the
Anderson and Greenville roads to
the fine mountain roads of North
Carolina. These roads are already
built or will be built the present
summer. And there is nothing lack.
ing therefore to the completion of
this important highway from Augusta
to the mountains except the bridging
of. the Savannah at Fluery's Ferry.
The building of bridge across the
river at this point will make Able
vile ten miles nearer to the city of
Augusta and will make Augusta ten
miles nearer Abbeville, each of which
results is as pleasing to contemplate
as the other. 1t will move Augusta
ten miles nearer the mountains of
North Carolina and ten miles nearer
the towns of the Piedmont section of
this state, with which towns there has
always been most friendly feeling
on the part-of the people of Augusta
as well as like feeling on the part
of our people.
We know Of no road the building
of which would mean more to this
section of the state. We have been
cut off from the people of Georgia
almost as if by Chinese wall. There
has been no way to reacht the coun-
try across the Savannah by private
conveyance except by flatboats, and
one may who crossed this way, in ad-
dition to complaining of being de-
layed for an hour or two at each
crossing, was wont to say that he
had crossed the Atlantic Ocean many
times, but that he preferred the dan
gerssincident to three trips across the
Atlantic to those of one trip across
the Savannah in a flatboat. There is
no reason why we should not be con-
nected more intimately with the peo-
pie of Georgia, and why the peoples
who live in stones throw of each
other should not be neighbors and
friends instead of strangers.
To Abbeville the construction of
this bridge and the opening of this
road would mean a great deal. It
would mean the opening of the Au-
gusta markets to the people Of Able