University of South Carolina Libraries
\ \ l 1 i \ »• Thursday, December 14, 1950 Streams All Froae Over CLAIMS TREES BITTER COLD \ The recent coW spell has caused old timers to think of cold wave* which hit this state in former years. Writing in the Anderson Independent Hamp Acker tells of ane which hit the upper part of the state in 1832. Says Mr. Acker: “There is no challenging the state ment that the weather which pre vailed in January and February, 1832. was the most severe ever experienced in the Up-country. While there is no record of how low the mercury sank, thermometers being quite rare back then, it is believed that the tempera ture dropped to at least five degrees below zero. “The cold struck in the wake of an exceptionally mild fall and month of December. Sap had begun to rise in the trees. This caused many to explode with great violence. The late Andrew Todd once told us that when he was a boy, the wreckage of those trees still was to be seen in the wooded areas around Anderson. “Birds and animals were frozen to death by the thousands. It is said that many of the birds remained on their perches until a thaw came, then dropped to earth as the tendons of their feet relaxed. \ “Among the human casualties was the driver of the stage coach between Abbeville and Anderson. One coM Saturday, 1832, the stage pulled up in front of the Benson House here in Anderson. The passengers got out, but the driver never moved. An in- vestimation disclosed that he was dead, having frozen somewhere along the route. The horses had stopped of their own accord. “Every stream in the Up-country froze over, including the Savannah River. The ice was so thick it cou.d support the weight of a wagon. Some wells were froze. Drinkinc water had to be obtained by melting ice. “Before the freeze set in, wood was available at $1.50 a load here in And erson. The price quickly skyrocket ed to $5 a load, which was quite a sum of money back then. It was worth every cent of it though, for a man cutting, loading and hauling wood underwent plenty of suffering from the stabbing cold. “For 10 days the temperature re- e/eimbeernwfd lcH7 shrdlu ahrdiu THE CLINTON CHRONICLE 1 mained below freezing day and night. Then came a warming up, followed by a snow and then a sleet. The ground remained ice-coated until mid-March. When things eventual ly thawed out, floods cut loose. Many water mills and bridges were washed away; entire communities were iso lated for days. Augusta was mlood-i ed and many people rendered home less. “In February, 1852, came another cold spell which made weather his tory. It wasn’t as severe as the 1832 job, but was sufficiently impressive to cause folks tot alk about it for years. “The year 1899 was also a hard: knocker when it came to dishing out '; low temperatures. February 14 was the coldest day on record until the great weather blitz hit in January, 1940. “Oldtimers claim that folks now adays suffer far more from cold than their grandparents did, although defying conveniences, ranging all the there are all manner of modem cold way from radiant heat to electric blankets. generating foods. A typical winter j “Back in the old days, it is point ed out, people consumed more heat- breakfast for an average family along about the turn of the century, for example, consisted of hominy grits, hot biscuits, fried ham, red gravy, sausage, and even steak, or pork chops. Vittles like this pecked a lot of calories. Nowaways, with ac cent on fewer calories, a typical breakfast usually features fruit Juice, toast, and coffee and scrambled eggs. “Andersonians of yester-year stor ed away great quantities of pork product*, cornbread, turnips, and col lar ds; and into every pot of greens or other vegetables went a generous hunk of fatback to provide flavor. “Many folks still do feast in this fashion, but nutritions experts in re- cent years have made tremendous progress toward convincing members of the younger generation'that they will live longer if they forget about ' mother’s cooking and keep in mind ! what the home economics teachers 'have to say. "The experts know best, no doubt, especially when it comes to denounc ing such things as fried cabbage, but we see no reason why grits shouldn’t be kept on the menu, especially since they are now enriched. And take cornbread away from the average Southerner and you leave him star ing starvation in the face. “One fine old institution we would like to see revived is that of mak ing halt mackerel a must for Sunday morning breakfast during the winter months. Up until World War I, a kit of mackerel was installed in every well-regulated pantry with the arriv al of the first cold weather in the fall. “German submarines, plus man power shortages and government de mands managed to put salt mackerel out of circulation for about fouur years. Most mackerel was then from Norway and Sweden. “Following the war Salt mackerel made a rather feeble comeback, bin was faced with competition from lake herriry: and other fish of th«i type. Then, too, countless thousands of people had gotten out of the Sun day mackerel habit. “World War II once again played hob with the salt mackerel market. The fish still are to be had at any well-stocked food store, but the old days when kits were stacked up by the score in pyramid fashion waiting to be purchased and picked up by the customer are apparently gone for ever. “All which may explain why the weather doesn’t seem to behave like it once did." FINAL SETTLEMENT Take notice that on the 19th day of December, 1950, we will render a Anal account of our acts and doings as Executors of the estate of James Boyd Speake in the office of the Judge of Probate of Laurens County, at 10 o'clock a.m., and on the same day will apply for a Anal discharge from our trust as Executors. Any person indebted to said estate is notified and required to make pay ment on or before that date; and all persons having claims against said estate will present them on or before said date, duly proven, or be forever barred. RALPH L WILBANKS. Executor ERIC BARNES, Executor. November 18, 1950. 14-4cw Grassland Fanning Is Called South’s No. 1 Opportunity Grassland fanning was called the South’s No. 1 opportunity for a bet ter agriculture—with more abundant living and richer land—-by P. O. vice aft Alabama Polytechnic insti- Davis, director of the extension ser- tute. In a speech prepared for the land grant college meeting in Washing ton, Davis said: ‘Any thorough study of farming in the Southern states since 1930 re veals the fact that grassland farm ing base become an important factor in the agriculture of this area; and that gass is gowing better on more Choir Singing j CONTESTi Program American FI TRAINS and ACCESSORIES yer Complete Line Yarborough Oil Co. WEST MAIN ST. CLINTON. S. C. “Your Goodyear Store” PLENTY OF FREE PARKING SPACE FALL SWEATERS and JACKETS In ail the latest styles L. B. DILLARD soils year after year. “Seme of the faots involved are difficult to focus—and all the facts do not harmonize in a casual study —but one fact prevails. It is that Southern farmers have been turn ing to grass and livestock in com bination with row crops, the acreage of which has declined. And the change marches on.” Davis said that basic natural and economic factors are contributing to the switch to grassland farming. These, he said, have been accentuat ed by scientific research and educa tional fores with the help of the pro duction marketing administration program. Davis supported his statements with these figures: “From 1930 to 1936. the land in :otton in the country dropped from 142,000,000 to 18,000,000 acres, or well j ver Sr per cent.” The drop in the South was still more, he said, because the 1956 figure includes the acreage in the Far West which was almost nil in 1930. Two-thirds of the South’s farmers were growing cotton »n 1930 and less than half in 1945. And further de cline has come since 1945 ‘Tobacco dropped from 2,606,000 acres in 1930 to 1,600,000 in 1950 Peanuts, on the cither hand, increased during the period. from 1,400,000 acres to 2,000,000 acre-; “The combined acreage in corn, qotton, peanut* and tobacco in the 13 Southern states declined 39 3 po • cent from 1930 to 1949. Oklahoma led the shift with $4.8 per cent and Texa^ was second with 51 per cent. “Corn in the United States drop ped from 101,000,000 to 83,000.000 acres in 1950, or 13 per cent Whe it dropped from 63,000,000 to 61,000,00(1 acres, or abnost none. “We see, therefore, that Southern farmers made during the period « big reduction m their se of larjd for cash crops grvywn in rows, while the .acreage in com and wheat in the en- 1 tire country was reduced much less WLBG 3:30 p. m 860 kc “YOUR FAMILY THEATRE” Children Under 12 Free First Show at Dusk — Complete Show After 10 FRIDAY-SATURDAY DECEMBER 15-16 MY FRIEND IRMA GOES WEST Starring Marie Wilson, John Lund, Diana Lynn MONDAY-TUESDAY DECEMBER IH-14 GOODSAM Starring Gary Cooper, Ann Sheridan WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY DECEMBER 20-21 DAGHTER OF ROSIE O’GRADY Starring June Haver ( Gordon MacRae NEW 1951 Chevrolet AMERICAS LARGEST AND FINEST LOW-PRICED CAR l MIDWAY Drive-In Theatre NEWEST AND FINEST CLINTON — JOANNA FRIDAY-SATURDAY DECEMBER 15-16 r BOLD FRONTIERSMAN Alan (Rocky) Lane Also Chapter 6--“RIDERS OF DEATH VALLEY” MONDAY-TUESDAY DECEMBER 18-19 LETTER TO THREE WIVES k '• '■ , •• Paul Douglas and Jeanne Crain WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY DECEMBER 20-21 FIGHTING MEN OF THE PLAINS Randolph Scott We now have a telephone in ticket office—No. 564-W ALSO SELECTED SHORT SUBJECTS ADMISSION 40c Children under 12 admitted FREE First Show Starta at Dusk—Second Shaw at 10 PJL ifti TW Simort Ntw StyMin* Da Lwaa 2-Door Soda* i, . _ (jour choice for ’51 - REFRESHINGLY NEW . •. TN0N0UGHLY REIIABLEf Of all cars, here’s your choice for 1951—the your family are looking for . . . including fleet, new Chevrolet—America’s largest, and finest low- powerful Valve-m-Head engine performance. priced car! It brings you all the new things, all And it brings you these things at lowest cost! the pleasing things, ad the proved things you and Come in—see and drive it—today! Only ChtvfUt Bring* You All 7h»m Footuro* At Uwtsr Cost! AMERICAN ftCAUTY DESIGN • AMERICA- PtEFfRRED tOOIES BY FISHER • MODERN-MODE INTERIORS • SAFETY-SIGHT INSTRUMENT PANEL • MORE rOWBFUl JUMBO-DRUM BRAKES —w/tfi Dubl-UU rlvthtt broke linings • IMPROVED CENTER-POINT STEERING — and CtnFor-Poinf Design. PLUS TIME-PROVED POWER 4/lu/e, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION >r pe in the hands of hundreds of thousands of Owners. Optional on Dt Luxe models at entra cost —proved by more than a billion miles of performance MORE PEOPLE BUY CHEVROLETS THAN ANY OTHER CAR! GILES CHEVROLET COMPANY, Inc. Phona 26 West Main Street Clinton, S. C.