The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, December 14, 1950, Image 17
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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
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Also Chapter 6--“RIDERS OF DEATH VALLEY”
MONDAY-TUESDAY DECEMBER 18-19
LETTER TO THREE WIVES
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WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY DECEMBER 20-21
FIGHTING MEN OF THE PLAINS
Randolph Scott
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