The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, February 18, 1919, Page FOUR, Image 4
ESTABLISHED 1844
The Press and Banner
ABBEVILLE, S. C.
Wm. P. GREENE, Editor.
The Press and Banner Co.
Published Every Tuesday and Friday
Telephone No. 10.
Entered as second-class mail matter
at post office in Abbeville, S. C.
Term? of Subscription:
One year ; -? $2.00
- 4 A A
\ Six months i.uu
Three months .50
Payable invariably ift advance.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1919
THE STATE?AND ROADS.
_________ 0
Undertaking to answer the proposition
advanced by this paper that
the roads to be built by the proposed
v twenty-five million dollar bond issue
will not be of any value to those peo-J
pie of the county who do not reside
on the roads connecting county seats,
the Columbia State asks these question#:
"Would the Press and Banner be
content if all the steam railroads ran
around, instead of through, Abbeville
County? Do Abbeville men residing
ten miles from a steam railroad
derive no advantage froiri Tailroad
transportation facilities?
"Are the steam railroads worthless
to any man or to the average man of
Abbeville County?
"How much would the priqf of Abbeville
cotton ba affected if every
bale of it had to be hauled 50 miles
to a railroad station?"
The State is advised that the pro
position, in our judgment, cannot be
successfully argued from premises
which do not exist. The advisability
of issuing these bonds, and of building
these roads, must * be decided
from conditions as THEY NOW EXIST,
and not from what The Press
and Banner might advise, if conditions
were different. The steam
roads are here, and no light is to be
ghed on the road question, by asking
questions about vrtiat any man
would do if these steam roads were
not here. Being here, and connecting
the town of Abbeville with -McCormick,
Greenwood and Anderson,
so that we are in easy reach of all
these places, and being so located
that no man in Abbeville County is
now more than ten miles from one
of these steam roads, the question is,
Would it profit the average farmer,
or the average man', to parallel these
steam roads with roads of our own
construction? Would it profit the
average farmer who lives within ten
miles of a steam road to have one of
(hesejsoncrete roads built within ten
miles 9? bis farm*
That question may be easily answered
from experience v rather than
from theory. A portion of the Green
ville and Columbia branch of the
Southern Railway runs from Greenwood
to Greenville. Some years ago
the Piedmont and Northern Railway
V* iff ? ;*Vy * " ? .
Jiaraheled thla Una by building an?
other line of railway Witwsen thase
points. Every farm/ on tht road
*?^m Abbeville to Due West is with-,
in ten miles of this~ne* railroad. Has|
anyone gvgF advanced the argun^^^
&At the building of thi? licond Jlne
ghve the farmers a better'opportunity
t? fchip their products to Green
ville, Greenwood, or intermediate
points, than they already had? Has
Iki freight rata been lowered, or the
freight accommodations been better?
Can any man truthfully say than an
acre of the land in Abbeville County,
ten, or even five miles from these two
lines of railway, is worth more today
than it would have been worth
had the second line not been built?
We do not think so.
It is not contended by The State
that these concrete roads, if they
might be used for haulinsr freight.
would give us any cheaper freight
rates than we now have. If the
editor of The State baa had any experience
with motor driven vehicles,
he might admit that it is not practical
to haul freight in this way except
for very short distances, on account
of the enormous outlay necessary
to prepare for this kind of. hauling,
as well as on account of the expense
incident to this kind of transportation.
And if passengers may be
conveyed by motor driven vehicles
on paved roads as cheaply as by railways,
will the editor of The State tell
M.y*
S .
- - -,-'4' {
us why, in the city of Columbia,
where the rates for transportation by
motor driven vehicles are fixed by
the city government as we understand,
the rates are five times those
charged by the street railway? Has
anybody gotten rich in Columbia at
the business even at the prices charged?
If passengers may not be hauled
in Columbia on the. paved streets
of that city by motor driven vehicles
as cheaply as by rail, how may we
expect that it can be done in the
country districts where the travel is
so much less?
And though the roads in this section
are bad enough as compared
with the amount of money which we
annually expend for their maintenance,
we think we are safe in saying
that except for a day or two at
a time the roads in this section are
in fair condition for hauling loads
i by motor driven vehicles for about
nine months in the year. There is;
I a comparatively level stretch of
j country from Greenwood to Green-j
! ville. the road following the ridge for'
j most of the way. The cotton mills j
| between Greenville and Greenwood;
[ buy large quantities of cotton at!
Greenwood and nearby points, which j
is delivered to Greenwood for trans-j
porf&tion to these mills. All these |
mills have motor driven vehicles forj
conveying heavy freight, . and the I
roads are in condition for them to
travel for more than half the year,
yet we dare say that there has never
been a load of cotton hauled from
Greenwood to any of these mills by
motor driven vehicles, simply because
the expense of so doing as
compared with freight rates would;
be so great as to forbid it.
The State seems to think that thej
price of cotton will be increased by,
the building of these roads because I
they will bring the farmers nearer!
to a market and make it in some way.
cheaper for them to get their cotton
to the spinners, juBt how is not ex-|
plained. Ninety per cent of the far-!
mers of Abbeville County would be
no nearer markets than they now,
are if fifty miles of these roads were
built in Abbeville county, as The
State suggests will be done, and of
those who would be near enougl\
these roads to use them, only a fev^
,we imagine would be foolish enough
to invest large sums of money in mo-i
tor driven trucks for the purpose of
hauling when they already have'
horse-power, which they are feeding'
for the purpose of doing this work.
It is not denied by anyone so far
as we know that those people whoj
Ifve on well worked and well main- j
tained roads reap an advantage, nor
is it denied that roads which would j
make it easier for the farmers of
l
Abbeville County to reach their market,
which is Abbeville, would be of.
advantage to them, if we do not con-'
aider the expense of obtaining these1
roads; but when we come to consider
the expense of building along
with the advantages to be obtained, j
even when the roads are primarily:
for the jbenefit of the farmers in
'order to enable them to get their
products to market, a serious question
arises as to whether or not the
enormous expenses do not in every
en? thr aW?& to w{
obtained. Wft carindt have thrift I
foftdl without paying the pirie?\ Are
they w-?h the HHce? If are it is1
onl^ whan they fcre c^ftstructed fori
the purposes stat&i--fciiat is, to enable j
the farmers oft fcVe farms to get their
products to the nearest 'market,
which is the nearest railway station.
Now we imagine that The Stat*
and those who are advocating the
| building of these county-seat to
county-seat roads will argue a long
A. 3 1_ Al 111 ! -
lime Deiore mey win convince any-;
body that these proposed roads are;
to be built for this purpose. Mani-|
festly, if these roads were built for
this purpose, they would radiate
from the county seat to every section
of the county whifch has poor
road facilities and frotti which it is
difficult to reach the markets. But
the roads now propdfcfed to be built
are for no such purpose. They arfe
to be built betwefen towns alrfeady
connected by steaiii roads, Where
there are proper transportation facilities,
and for whose benefit^ Manifestly
the roads would be for the
benefit of those people "who desire t^travel
.from one end of the state tfi
.fh'e other, from county-seat to county-seat,
and for the benefit of merchants
in one town who desired* to
ply their trade in other towns, as
well as for the benefit of small manufacturers
in the larger places, who
desire to deliver their products in
i
i
' N - X ' .
nearby communities, such as ice
plants and like manufacturers, who
do not care to wait on the steam
roads. Any effort to convince the
people that these proposed roads are
for the transportation of farm products
from the farm to the nearest
market will fail, we believe.
ABBEVILLE SOLDIER
RELATES EXPERIENCE
(Continued from Page One.)
goes forward to a certain objective,
a second line goes through the "first
line, then the first line advances
j through^the second. The artillery!
j barrage goes ahead of the men while
j the German fire comes across. The
' soldiers advance between the two
1 fires and when their objective is
reached they take what shelter they
i can find. Even the smallest shelter |
seems to afford safety. Lieut. Neuffer!
gives a. vivid description of lying on j
the ground one night and counting
the shells as they burst near himJ
he counted up to fifteen, and when!
asked if he had any thought of home;
and sweetheart while all this was go- j'
ing on, as the story writers always
have it, he replied that his sole j'
thought was, "which one of those [
durn things is going to hit me!" *
Lieut. Neuffer usually had under
his command thirty or forty men and
these men carry four machine guns,
ammunition, tripods, watejr, rations,
picks, shovels, and sand bags. When,
one man falls out another can take'
his place.
I
Lieut. Neuffer was wounded Oct.!
17th, near La Hail Meuerresse at
Meberfaye farm, and when asked;
to tell about it he said there was;
nothing to tell, "a shell burst near .
! ]
me and a piece hit me in the foot.";,
After being hit the young soldier .
lay on the ground and took solace in
I i
a couple of cigarettes and watched
the progress of the fight. The firing
' 1 ' ' '' i '
was so heavy that a sergeant ven-;
tured the opinion that they were "all
going to get killed right there/' while
two of the men who were lying on
the ground in comparitive safety,'
jumped up, ran through the shell fire
and took refuse hphinH n oiv.inoVi
apple tree. When the barrage lifted
Lieut. Neuffer was taken to a first j'
aid station, after which he was.
ino'culated against tetanus, then taken
to a clearing station, then by
train ^o Abbeville, France, where he
spent two days in an English hospital,
then he was taken to England,
Dartford Kent, where he spent five1
weeks getting well. At Dartford he
was under th'e care of American doctors
and nurses and was just two
days too late to see the King and
Queen on their visit of inspection.
When asked what he had to eat, he'
replied, "spuds and beef." The Eng-1
lish call biscuits, scones and at first
he declined them. When asked about
the women, the Lieutenant acknowli
edged to being impressed by their
ugly feet and their very sweet voices
and their heavy chins.
The air planes were an imnre9sive!
and a majestic sight and their sound!
overhead always called the men out
to see wh^ going on. The British
fctijjerio* in the air?and the
Seftnans rarely came out in the dayj
time, but came in bombing planes at|
night. Lieut. Netiffer saw a plane j
brought to earth one day, one out of)
a bunch of ten being hit, ftnd com-j
jng to earth head first. He says it is
no use going \o see what has hap-'
pened to the man, everybody knows j
Sixty-two planes in one squadron was!
the largest number Lieut. Neuffer
ever counted.
When asked about the refugees
Lieut. Neuffer said that one night
going into a small town which had
long been in the hands of the Germans,
they met the civilian population
coming out. The town was being
shelled by the Germans and people
Werfe lfeaving with what they!
could Oitry with them. In the party j
w&S a little three year old girl,
'wounded by a piece of shell, being
1 carried by a doughboy. In the townj
j were many placards, printed in Ger- i
man and French, warning the popula-1
tion how far they could go towards!
the limits of the town. ' J
All the men want a chance to go
into the fight whether it is their
^?rk or not and in this way Sergt.'
Watts, who was detailed for father'
iwirk, went along "juslr for fun" one
j n&ht when Lieut. Neuffer.was carry-!
j ing his men up through Montbrehain. I
They struck a sharp machine gun,
and shell fire and they made their j
way through a small trench filled.
with dead Germans. When they got
to headquarters there was only the
guide, Lieut. Neuffer and Sergeant
Watts, the other men having sought
shelter on the way up. Sergt. Watts
was in hard luck, however, for he
had lost one box of ammunition and
a spade. The shelling was so heavy
that he was warned not to go back
for his spade, but in a. few minutes
he slipped out, took his chances, and
came back shortly with his spade, his
box of ammunition and a good pair
of socks he got from a dead German,
and which he exhibited" with pride.
Lieut. Neuffer saw many prisoners
taken and every kind of man seemed
to be in the lot. One young fellow
about fourteen years old, was in a
broad grin and walked along composedly,
in pathetic contrast to his
companion, an older man, who was
in a panic of fear, both trembling
hands uplifted crying, "Kamerad"
to any one wno wouia listen, rne
Germans were mostly dirty and unkempt
looking, but wer^fairly well
dressed.
All soldiers must go to Paris, of;
course, it is a part of the war. Lieut.)
Neuffer went for a short leave andj
saw all the sights to be seen-in the;
gay city. He found the hotels aboutj
like the American, with the rates and,
*ood about the same. The Parisians]
were in the midst of the long range
bombardment and the morning the
young lieutenant visited Notre Dame
the handsome stained glass windows'
were being taken* out and stored in;
a place of safety. Lieut. Neuffer'
says the women of'Paris are not
pretty, but are stylish and "sporty
looking" and are vivacious.
This trip was made In company
with "Jim," a Greenville boy, who^
has the right idea about visiting a
big city. Jim had looked ahead and
had home folks deposit two hundred
dollars to his credit in a French
Bank. He visited the bank and ask-'
ed for his money, when the teller
isked "You surely do not want it
all?" To which Jim replied, "All!
Hell! I'm going to be here all day!"j
All of which shows that Jim is a genu
ine sport.
Lieut. Neuffer was much pleased,
with the Australians, both as men!
HADD
\
Now tha
are coming
grils will m
I
I
It is our
Spring Suil
to make uj
Give us j
t
\
HADDC
and fighters. There is a saying that
they fight for souvenirs While , the
Scotch fight for the pure love of a
scrap. This was demonstrated one
night when an Indian and a "wild
cat" man from North Carolina undertook
to "beat up" a Tommie. A
Scotchman interposed, saying the
Americans were "company" and he
would attend to Tommie. After he
had attended to Tommie, the Sc<^chman,
the Indian and the "wild cat"
man locked arms and walked peacefully
away together. /
The Australian greets the doughboy
with "Hello, Yank, come in and
have a drink," and anything he has
in his dugout is yours for the asking.
The young soldier has been asked
many questions and he says there is,
one he can answer truthfully and
positively?he does not know when
the Thirtieth will be home.
' One thing noticeable since coming
home, is that while not a prodigal
son, where ever he goes his plate is
piled sky-high . as though he were
about a year behind on good "eats."
I am now ready to
Ford Cars. If you w*
/
future you had bette
now.
\ \
E. F. At
gfiis
)N-WILSO
ON-WII
fCOMFAhT=
/
/
1 V
. .1 1 J
( UIC warw over ?um uu
\ home, our young wome
rant to look their best.
> business to furnish th
ts, Hats, Shoes and all th
) a ladies' wardrobe.
si call for what you need.
BUGGIES AND WAGONS.
\'
W. A. Calvert is advertising in.
this issue a carload of Studebaker
Wagons and a car of Studebaker
Buggies, both of which he sells and
recommends. Mr. Calvert has been. >
in the vehicle business a long time,
and his judgment in matters , of 'thiskind
is worth considering. He asks
for an opportunity to serve you, and
will show you the merits of these vehicles
with pleasure and without cost
to you.
CORP. KENNEDY ARRIVES. ? .
The Sixty-first coast artillery containing
among other troops, some
South Carolina, including the Greenwood
Company formerly commanded
by Capt. Henry C. Tillman, landed in
i I
New York on yesterday. They came
over on the Dante Alleghieri.
Among those who landed on yeaterday
was Corporal W. P. Kennedy.
The friends of Mrs. Kennedy and of
young Pat who "arrived" while his
father was in France will be glajl to
hear of the safe landing of the vessel.
-? ?i;.V
f
\
' \
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> receive orders for
mt a Ford in the near
t place your order
V
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fife -/
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