Fort Mill times. (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, April 14, 1921, Image 1
Established 1891.
ROAD BOND RESOLUTION
INDORSED BT CITIZENS
Public Meeting Approves Plan
Galling for Decision at Polls
by Township.
Following the conference of a
number of Fort Mill citizens with
the board of county commissioners
and the county legislative delegation
at which the promise of
$30,000 of county funds and $10,000
federal aid for the building of
Fort Mill and the Catawba river
was secured, a meeting of about
50 reDresentutivc citizens of the
township was held Saturday afternoon
and a resolution introduced
by Col. T. B. Spratt calling
for the circulation of petitions
asking the board of county cotu'
missioners to order an election to
determine whether the the township
would agree to a bond issue
for permanent road improvements
was adopted.- In the resolution it
was recited that the township
was now in position to get substantial
aid for road work fr in
the county and federal government,
but that no ?none> would
be forthcoming from either source
unless the voters of the township
agreed to tax themselves to aid in
the proposed improvements.
In explaining the resolution,
Col. Spratt stated that while he
thought all were anxious to see a
permanent road built between
Fort Mill and the riv?r that it
would be manifestly unfair to t-u\
the citizens of the township generally
to improve tha* road only
aim tnui me plan o: ini.se vno
drew the resolution w is not only
to vote a sufficient amount of
bonds to care for the money the
township would have to put in
that project, but to make the
bond issue large enough to build
two sand-clay roads to the North
Carolina line and a sand-clav road
from the town to Bailes' bridge
.to connect with the improved
highway Lancaster county soon
is to build to the bridge. Col
Spratt said he thought the improvement
of tin' various roads
would necessitate a bond issue of
from $00,000 to $70,000.
W. B. Ardrey objected to the
resolution. He said he was not
in favor of the township surrendering
its rights under the Stewart
road law for a mess of pottage.
"We have been waiting for
a long time to have the county
build a sand-clay road from the
river to the North Carolina line,"
said Mr. Ardrey, "and if we
agree to the proposition of the
legislative delegation all we will
get will be $20,000, which, in my
opinion, is much less than the
county is due us."
Short talks were made by L. A.
Harris, Dr. J. L. Spratt, Maj. W.
\V. Boyce and C\ P. Blankenship,
following which Mr. Arderv's
motion to reject the resolution
was put aftd received one vote
besides Mr. Ardrey's.
J. J. Bailes presided at the
meeting. He was authorized to appoint
a committee of ten to solicit
the signatures of qualied freeholders
to the petitions for the
bond election. The committee is
to meet within the next few days
and at once begin a canvass for
the necessary signatures to the
petitions.
The act to enable York county
townships to issue bonds for
roads, passed at the 1919 session
of the Legislature, provides that
whenever one-third of the qualified
freeholders residing in any
township in the county shall present
a petition to the board of
county commissioners praying for
an election upon the question of
issuing serial or other eounon
bonds for the. construction of
public highways in such township
it shall be the duty of the board
to order an election to determine
the question, the amount of bonds
not to exceed 8 per cent of the assessed
taxable property of such
townshipR, and the bonds to run
for not more than 20 years and to
bear not more than 6 per cent interest.
The election shall be held under
the laws governing general
elections and if a majority of the
ballots are for issuing said bonds
a board known as the township
highway commissioners, to be appointed
by tl>? governor upon the
recommendation of the - legislative
delegation, shall dispose of
(Continued on Ptfge 3.)
! |
The F
BIG FIRE ANNIVERSARY.
Fort Mill Visited by Disastrous
Blaze 27 Years Ago.
B. Henry Massey a day or two
ago reminded The Times that last
Saturday, April 9, was the 27th
anniversary of a fire which destroyed
five Main street stores
and the postoffice and a cottage in
Fort Mill. The fire originated in
the second story of an unoccupied
building which stood on the
site of the present postoffice building.
The flames quickly spr>ad
to a small store room to the cast
ami to the postofliee building in
the rear, facing on Confederate
street.
The next building to catch fire
was on tin1 corner now occupied
by the .Tones drug store. From
this building the flames were
communicated to a large twostory
building, a few feet away,
which was erected about 38 years
af?o l?v ?lw. loia BI u "-II. 1
-r- -v .... u.ir >? . n. iinn iiim
used by himself. Springs B*os.
and others as a store room. An
obi barroom building, in which
The Times was first published,
was next in the path of the flames
and it. with a shingle-roofed Mostory
brick building which also
had seen service as a barroom,
was quickly consumed. Meanwhile
a cottage on Confederate
Street likewise had gone up in
smoke.
There was no fire department
in Fort Mill in those days?just
as there is rfo fire department
here at present?and in a short
time about half the business section
of the then village of about
600 people was destroyed. A negro
named Ilvder Wylie was mispected
of starting the fire and he
was arrested and held in jail for
several days for investigation, but
in/ incriminating evidence against
him was produced and he was
turned loose. Mr. Massey. in
speaking of the tire, said his opinion
always had been that it was
due to the carelessness of a party
of white men who had been gambling
in the building in which it
originated.
PENSION MONEY COMING.
Confederate Veterans Soon to Get
State Allotment.
11. F. Jackson, pension clerk in
the office of the comptroller general
in Columbia, last Friday* informed
The Times that he was
working day and night on the
pension rolls in an effort to get
the pension money out to the various
counties for distribution
among the Confederate veterans
and the widows of Confederate
veterans at fhe earliest possible
moment. "I realize that the veterans
especially are anxious to
get their money."" said Mr. Jackson.
"and 1 am hurrying with all
possible speed. There has been
some delay in sending out the
money because the pension commissioners
of four counties have
failed to send in promptly their
lists. Until all the lists are received
by this office it is impossible
to prorate the money among
the various counties, but the missi
I?ir lisitu UP.1 ?.? ......?... I ?
-- e, - .. ? i A|irru'u III a ll*\>
days and tin* money will then be
forwarded to the county auditors."
Mr. Jackson said that many
new names had been added to the
p< nsion lists by the county boards
and that instead of an increase in
the amount to be received this
year by the individual vet era u
he feared there would be a slight
decrease. Mr. Jackson also fears
that the new pension law allowing
the county boards to designate
the amount of pension.each veteran
shall receive will not work
with entire satisfaction.
Train Kills Unknown Man.
A white man. apparently 50
years old. who seemed to be unknown
in this community, was
struck by Southern passenger
train No. 28 Saturday night two
miles north of Fort Mill and instantly
killed. The man's face
was terribly lacerated by the impact
and both his legs were broken.
Sunday an inquest was held
over the body by the coroner. No
blame for the man's death seemed
to attach to the engineer or
other member of the train crew,
There were no papers in Ins pockets
by which he could be identield.
The railroad company took
charge of the body and buried it
! in the Fort Mill cemetery without
I funeral exercises of any kind.
ORT B
FOET MILL, S. 0., THURSDJ
MORE SOLDIERS' BODIES
ON WAY TO FORT MILL
Remains of Three Members of !
Local Company Expected to
Arrive This Week.
The bodies of three more members
of the Fort Mill company, ^
118th regimentt, 30th division, who
were killed in action in France in
October, 1918, have reached Ho
boken, N. J., from France, and
are expected to arrive in Fort >
Mill in time for funeral services
to be held Sunday afternoon.
Corpl. Carey L. Faris, Corpl. Fred
T. Miller and First Class Private
Clyde W. Stevens are the soldier
boys whose remains are to be
brough baek for final interment.
Services for Corpl. Miller and
Private Stevens will be held in
Confederate park under the auspices
of Fort Mill post. American
Legion, and the interment will be
in the post's plot in New Unity
cemetery; but the services for
Corpl. Faris will be held at Flint
Hill Baptist church, in Fort Mill
township, and the buriul will fob (
low in the churchyard.
Corpl. Carey L. Faris was the
son of Mr. and Mrs. I. L. Faris of
Fort Mill township. While doing
outpost duty in front of the lines
o i October 6. 1918. he was struck
by a piece of German shrapnel
and instantly killed. He was the
first Fort Mill hoy to lose his life
in action overseas. He had a good
record as a soldier and was held
in high esteem by his many
fiiends in the community.
tl rr? *?:n ? 1
V UI |H. r mi 1. Miner s noine
was at Lamlo, in Chester county,
and he was a son of ('. F. C. Miller
of that community. He joined
the Fort Mill company while it
was stationed at Chester doing
guard duty, lie lost his life in
action on October 17. 1918.
First Class Private Clyde W.
Stevens was killed on October 8. ,
1918. in the terrific engagement ,
in which so many members of the
30th division were killed on that (
date. He was a son of Dallas W. ,
Stevens of Fort Mill and like the (
vast majority of the members of
the Fort Mill company, did His (
duty as a soldier.
Miss Frances Massey to Marry. 1
An engagement of interest to
n\any Fort Mill people is that of ,
Miss Frances Eugenia Massey of j
n i ?*? - ? ? - - 1
rwx'K imi to Kugene N. Lachlcotte
of Waverly Mills. The marriage
will he at the home of Mr.
and Mrs. Julian S. Starr In Rock
Hill on April 2S. Miss Massey is
the daughter of the late Mr. ami
Mrs. S. F. Massey, who lived in
Fort Mill many years ago. and is '
a niece of R. Henry Massey of
Fort Mill. She is a graduate of
Wlnthrop college and for some 1
time has held a position with the
Rlue Buckle mills in Rock Hill.
Mr. Lachicotte is a member of a
well known low-country family.
For several years he * has been
connected with the Anderson
Motor company in Rock Hill.
Indorses Concrete Road.
Vorkville Knquirer.
That is a commendable move
on the part of the people of Port
Mill to continue the concrete road
that runs from Winthrop collage
i . n ? i ? ~ ~
10 i axawim river, on to Fort Mill.
The road between the river n"*1
Fort Mill is bail and it will probably
never be much better until
it is rebuilt in concrete. The concrete
way is probably the moat
expensive way ^ far as first costs
are concerned, but it is the cheapest
in the Ion}? run and the building
of this road should not be delayed
a moment longer than is
necessary. The proposition of the
Fort Mill people, too. as offered
h\ Col. Spratt and others, ia liberal
enough.
Flags for Boy Scouts.
A public meeting of the Fort
i Mill troop. Boy Scouts of America.
will be held- in the auditorium
of the graded school next
Tuesday night when George Fish
will formally present to the-troop
a handsome United States flag
, with necessary poles, etc. At the
meeting several recruits will take
the Boy Scout oath and be enrolled
as tenderfoot scouts. The
parents of the scouts are extended
a special invitation to be present
and the scoutmaster. Bruce
H. Stribling. says others interested
in the scout movement also
will be welcomed to the exercises.
%
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lllLl} '
LY, APRIL 14, 1921.
PORT MILL OOTTON MILLS
RUN DESPITE STRINGENCY
/
Machinery at Local Plants Kept
Going in Face of Acute Condition
of Cloth Market.
Considering tlie financial stringency
that has been upon the
Country for several months and
the consequent depressed condition
of the cloth market, which
has become almost acute, the
management of the two cotton
mills of the Fort Mill Manufacturing
company is to be congratulated
upon the fact that the mills
here are still running. Progress
and success. 011 the contrary, are
indicated by the fact that the
management now has under way
ttl.i -C ...... >
I.tv i/Uimii livi mil U1 <1 IIC? HIIU
modem dye house. 104 by 84 feet,
of one story, and a wuste house
and cotton opening house of two
stories 100 by 80 feet, the erection
of which will involve important
and improving changes in the
plant of mill No. 1.
In 1914 the two mills were
making standard gingham, with a
combined equipment qf about 20.000
spindles and 750 looms. Plans
for enlarging ami improving the
mills were put on foot in 1916
when additional building was
done and the old plants entirely
remodeled. The equipment of
mill No. 1 is now 20.000 spindles
and 806 gingham looms, while
mill No. 2 Iujb 22.000 spindles and
400 Druper looms of widths running
from 60 to 90 inches, Included
in the general improvements
were a number of modern
ami comfortable homes for the
operatives.
Yesterday (ieorge Fish, general
manager, told of the genenal
progress of the mills since he as
stimed charge of % them in tlanunrv
mix ...i..... ?i.~
? , ? .w, Ml iu\ nun Hill"! I 111*
plans tor the enlargement and
improvements were assuming definite
consideration. Mr. Fish
came to Fort Mill from Pawtuoket,
It. 1. He has been in the cotton
manufacturing business most
of his life. Labor problems have
come up here us elsewhere, but
during the trying days of the past
few years little, of the machinery
of these mills has remained idle. 1
He has studied the needs of the
operatives and has supplied them
us far as possible. The result is
that there are now good streets :
in the mill villages, well lighted
at the mills' expense, the operatives
houses have beep improved
and made more comfortable and
desirable to look upon, and are
supplied with running water and
lights at no cost to the operatives.
A gratifying condition to the management
is that each family, at
least at mill No. 1, now has a
thriving garden, 'the seeds and
plants for which were supplied at
the expense of the mill,
Mr. Fish expresses himself as
-1 ? i
gn-aujr pioaseu mat the general
character of the employees is '
much improved and that they arc '
disposed to cooperate with the 1
management for the success of
the mills. There have been wage
reductions here as at other mills,
but is is believed that the reductions
at the local mills have been
less than the average for this section.
It is said that the operalives
have accepted the reductions
almost without dissent, knowing 1
the stringency o? the times and
I hi condition of the cloth market,
Mr. Fish is optimistic of the 1
future and hopes that both the (
mills under his management may
be able to continue operations,
lie has plenty of help. M When
we get through with the work
now under way," said Mr. Fish.
"I do not know whether we will
build another mill here or not."
Entertainment Pleases Many.
The auditorium of the Fort Mill
graded school was filled Friday
night by an audience which had
gathered to eniov an pn*prt?iin- !
ment by the pupils under the direction
of Miss Edna Tindal and
Miss Dorothy Bergstrom. The
entertainment was replete with
amusement and several numbers
elicited great applause and laughter.
Perhaps the most entertaining
number was a "Tom Thumb
Wedding." in which the parts
were taken by Mvrn Kimbrell,
Lydia Boyd, Emily Meacham, Ha rah
Bouknight, Jasper Kimbrell,
John Hutchinson. Wm. ft- Brad* .
ford, Jr., James Elliott, Murray
Mack and John Ardrey, the latter
acting as minister.
\ 4
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Time;
NEWS OF YORK COUNTY.
Current Items of Interest Found
in the Yorkville Enquirer.
The Aragon cotton mills, Rock
Hill, were to resume operations
Monday, it was stated. Work is
being resumed with a reduction of
wages of employees, made necessary,
it is said, because of the gen
eral business depression.
Although there appears to be no
satisfactory explanation of the
reason, quite a number of business
people of this section are
willing to testify that they observe
more freedom in the circulation
of money since the first of
April than during the first 12
(lavs following the first of March.
Dr. J. B. Johnson, president of
the York county' branch of the
American Cotton association, said
Monday that he was not yet sure
whether he wold be able to attend
the convention of the world cotton
conference in Liverpool, England.
Dr. Johnson has been appointed a
delegate from the American Cotton
association.
Advocates of a bond issue in the
town of Clover for the construction
of a sewer system have abandoned
their petition to the town
council asking for an election on
the question. It developed that
the advocates of the proposition
orignally had a 'majority of the
white freeholders on the petition
asking for an election. Later sev.
eral names were withdrawn. Sigmiturnu
of ?1?1 *
.......vn i.i iicpiu iiwiioincrs were
not solicited. Duo to tho fact that
so much opposition to tho proposition
developed it was decided best
to drop tho issuo.
Tho Rock-IIill Yorkvillo road
is in fine shape again, with tho
exception of numerous bninpv
places. However, according to
motorists one has no trouble in
making the distance in threequarters
of an hour. Road forces
in Ebenezer township have been
busy sanding the road and tilling
up the low places during tin* last
few days and there is little complaint
to make about it.
Mrs. 0. II. O'licarv of Yorkvillo.
treasurer of the King's Mountain
chapter. 1). A. R.. has recently
made n trip to the battleground
for the purpose of inspecting the
conditions there. She found the.
situation about as recently reported
in the Yorkville Enquiivr
and her chapter has tin- work of
repairs under way. The bulge has
been restored except the missing
benches will not be replaced, because
they will only be carried
nway again. Arrangements have
been made to repair the broken
railing around the new monument
but the lock will not be replaced,
because past experience has at 1 ready
demonstrated the use lossless
of such replacement.
Noting the published statement
I 1 ft II f Mil ww.r.
? i'.. v.-ui in i(if amountItilf
license tax collected in York
county amounted to .$14.r>.'18.80
;ilid that the apportionment was
hemp distributed, the Yorkville |
Knquirer sent a representative to
the office of the county treasurer
to learn whether the amount had
been received. It developed that
the money is not beinp divided
that way. Instead all the money
that is being sent to Columbia on
account of automobile licenses is
beinp kept there and paid out to
the county treasurers bv warrants
on the State treasurer as expended.
The county treasurer deposits
the warrant in a local bank, gets
the money and pays t?ie bill. If
this is the law. the law ought to
he repealed, and if it is not the
law. it is a very high-handed proceeding.
Why should not. such
portion of this money as belongs
to York county be sent to the
county treasurer to be deposited
in York countv banks where it
can be used by the people until it
la ?*??
,.c., nil IIH- rutins l v> 11V SIIOUM I
the Columbia banks have the use
of York county's money? ft is |
bad enough to have our roads
worked from Columbia without
the local people having any say:
but when it comes to the point
where the county authorities are
not to be allowed the custody of
the county's own money, that is
petting to he a little too much.
Draw Heavy Fines.
Hugh Wisher and 44Bud" Hunter
pleaded guilty in Magistrate
.1. H. Hade's court yesterday afternoon
to carrying concealed
weapons and each was finfed $100.
- $ '< ,' '
W1" < , iV- .V ' '
r J V \
m
$1.60 Per Year. ^
SHORT NEWS STORIES
FROM MANY SOURCES
Current Events Gathered Here
and There and Boiled Down
For Times Readers.
Large tracts of land in Phillips
county. Ark., which were transferred
to Mississippi by a sudden
diversion of the Mississippi river
in 1848 were returned Monday by
the supreme court of the United
States'to Arkansas.
The first pardon issued by the
Harding administ rut ion went to a
bootlegger when executive clemency
was extended to John C.
Zebry of Newcastle. IV... ser\ intra
live months' term in the Hane'ion
county jail in Cincinnati. Ohio,
for distributing rum.
Brig. (Jen. ('has. (1. Dawes. \.ho
recently "cussed'' his way into
public attention while testifying
before a committee of Congress,
has been drafted by Prey idem
Harding to head a commission of
11 men to investigate the whole
piobleni of-relief for World war 4
soldiers.
Angered because his mother refused
to hasten breakfast in order
that he might engage in a
ball game Hermit Brow n. 11 years
old. of Poutiae. Mich., shot and
killed himself. He put the muz
zle of a shotgun against his breast
and pulled the trigger by means
of a string.
While being tried for his life
at Lake Charles. La.. Joe Berry,
negro, fell asleep. An hour la.er.
the jury, after seven minutes' deliberation.
returned a verdict of
guilty, which carries the death
........ D .. 1 ?
i>< ii.iuv. nerrv whs cliargeil Willi
slaving an si1 one-legged negro
w ill) an axe ami also ?-11??p|>i11an
obi woman ami a hoy with l In*
a.\i\
Tim value of llm most import
si lit products of tin' Philippine islands?
rice, sugar. Iienip, corn,
eoeoanuts ami toluieeo for I lie
year 1!hJ(). amounted to approximately
:I4 I million dollars, according
to the preliminary annual report
submitted hv the secretary
of agriculture to the governor
general. Praneis Burton Harrison.
Although lie fell It! stories
down the shaft of a Broadway
skyscraper in New York eitv. Peter
Bihlerc. a carpenter, still is
alive. Slipping from a scaffohting.
he eltitehed all elevator cable
and slid several floors before the
burning oi* his hands forced hint
to lot go. Thru lie hit a pin it k
protHiding into tlio shaft ami
lamlotl at ho hottoiu conscious.
Tito Amorioan dollar and tho
old niokol aro coming hack into
tlioir own. Tho dollar today will
hay Id pounds of sugar. Tho dollar
of 1 illiO bought only d II-1
pounds. Tho dollar now hays 'JO
pounds of rice as against six
pounds in 1 ! !*<); (?() pounds of potatoos
as against 11 1-'J in 10-0;
four do/on eggs as ag-iinst one
dozen a yoar ago; three pounds
of hotter as against one pound a
year ago, according to figures sent
out from Chicago.
Two hundred and liftv foot
ahovo tho street, I tig lion, the
most famous clock in lie world,
hooms out tin* hours to all London.
Its great hron/.c hells whoso
mechanism takes five hours to
wind, can ho hoard all over tho
vast expanse id' London. Tld*
clock has four dials, each 2o fool
in diameter, which are illuminated
at night. Tho higgest hell, named
liig Hon. after Sir Hcnjamiu Hall,
the huilder. Weighs LI tons. The
clock tower rises to^i height of
.'IJO foot and is at the north olid
of tho Parliament building and is
In ant ifully frescoed.
Federal Aid for Township.
Moot ing in Columbia Tuesday,
tin State highway commission approved
tho recommendation of
the hoard of commissioners of
i ork county that $10,000 federal
aid lie allowed for tlx* rebuilding
ol the public road hot worn Fort
Mill ami Catawba river. It is'
presumed in Fort Mill that there
will ho no hitch in the approval
of the project hy the a:litliorilios
in Washington and that the fund
'ill I<0001110 available as soon -as
the county authorities and the
people of Fort Mill township
reach a definite understanding as
to the obligations to he assumed
l.v\ each in financing the work;
' />is*
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