The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-07-27

ba river via at. Lawn and Great
Fails Stopped at Great Falls to
gsee one OF the three dams across
athe river, but. did not go into the
! fine looking cotton. factories there.
From Great Falls TO the neR pow
fer plant IA miles above Camden
Ia distance OF 80 miles the old road
has been covered With back water
, !, IN so many places, that the South
lern Power Go. has built new
road that for hairpin curves can
not be: surpassed between here and
Pat Rock. They had several
EEangs OF wheel scrapess and four
mule teams. hauling top, soil on
the road sand widening the fills to
iIhe bridge approaches. When
}eompIetad it. will, be one Of the
Rbest built roads in the state. Eut
Ion account OF the many curves and
Egrades and bridges that are now
tfgom one TO three feet below the
dirt canSeWays 1t Is not safe to
speed on. My speedomeSer shows
&c is. 81 miles shorter from the
ECOlumhia. road marked RidgeWay
Ito Chester than by Ridgeway, and
occupants OF a car other than the
idriYer have splendid views: of the
Immense lake 25 miles long and
several wide In places that has
been made by the lowest dam on
the Wateree river. The driver
sTshonld rot dare OFT axe. his eyes
aoH the Eoad. 1t is a desolate coun-
TRY, very hilly Once all cleared.
faoW covered with scrub second
5groWth from which all the tim
| her of many sizes has been cut.
Patches of poor crops and poorer
Icabins. 1..s
Flop Eye so named be-
tcause of the peculiar droop OF the
teYes Of a .bygones owner, a. suburb
Ipf Great Falls, the Southern Pow
Ter Co. haEe.a splendid farm with
time dwellings, barns, etc
4 We stopped at the power plant
nearest Camden. The dam is .72
feet high, 5 immense turbines
drive ave 20, ,000 b. p. generators,
| q total OF 100, 900 b. p. "a hours
I0f the day. 365 days Of the year.
| Ny readers will have some idea
lof the bigness of the plant when
tI tell them that the solid steel
shafts that connect the turbines
with the generators each weighs
tons. A machine. in front of
leach generator steps the cuM ent
from $500 toz1 10000 volts. The
main foor OF the power house is
I208 feet above sea level.
I m r6Gdg freM sne NORTH and
South Come togathef IN a Sharp Y
lOnGRa nile from the, power
houe, so that one is apt to, run
down tot he rive: unless on the
watch for the turn. It is Well
worth spending Is minutes or an
hour looking. over. Nine men in
three shifts of s hours each have
aeharge. T. found the one I met
very courteous. 1t must be lone
lSoIie life. No village, just homes
For the few employees. The dam
backs water to he. Rock Greek
poWer plant. 8 miles below Great
Fails. When the river is UP the
back water reduces the efficiency
of the Rock Creek plant Two
Inches OF water flowing over the
dam raises the water in the race
IWay 4 inches and lowers the power
fof the turbines. From the new
dam We travelled the old road.
fabOpt Is miles below we came into
Ehe Ridgeway road. Going north
the roads fork at little church in
a grove of small oaks about five
miles from the Columbia road.
Crops along there and on
Through Camden to Boykins' Mill
tneed rain or needed it last Satur-
fday and Wednesday when we re-
turned. Just above BoykinS' Mill
lcreps are, much better, and from
tthere on home show up better
than any whore up this way.
There are two bad pieces ofroad
| in the 200 from here to Saluda.
Abont six miles from Lockhart
Ferry to Wilkesboro IN Chester
county, and about six miles from
this side of Boykins' mill to the
ISnmter county line. And from
ffhe Knox place to Sumter and out
Black river the road is nc.. near up
fe the other stretches OF the road.
From Great Falls to Chester are
| the longest tangent?? and easiest
grades. I have found in the up
On this road and the
sroad out of Chester 20 Lockhart
There does not seem to be enough
lcorn planted to feed the stock that
l3cnltiyated the cotton crop one
month. It is not in sight Of the
troad. But ten miles southeast of
leicester there is some fine fencing
Iand beautiful alfalfa fields. The
Icern about Boykins and between
iDalzei1 ard Myers store is the
Imost advanced on the road.
{ Saw lunches Of hands picking
Ebell WeeTil squares at several
lpiaces. One girl just over the
fKersnaw line from Sumter had a
Edish pan half full at $50 Wednes-
kday.
There was cloud burst at
4anarum Thursday evening. ! do
s lot think have ever seen more
in a public road than in
: street OF Landrum. 1t
1T wide and foot deep,