Newspaper Page Text
Nov. 21,1917.
SOMETHING ABOUT AUGUSTA W
Augusta is one of the oldest cities in
Georgia, being settled in 1735. It war laid
out by General Oglethorpe, who founded
the state. It was at first designed for
an Indian trading camp, at which point
traders from the Carolina and Georgia
coasts would come overland and by the
river to meet the Indians from the west
and exchange white man’s goods for the
things the Indians had gotten out of tfr'j
forests. The first settlements were down
on what is now known as lower Broad
Street. The city was named Augusta in
honor of the granddaughter of George 11,
King of England, who was about two
years old when the city was founded.
The city has a population of about 60,-
000. of which 35,000 are white and 25.000
negroes. Its principal industry is that
of cotton manufacturing. Os the 35.000
white people, probably 15,0<t0 are en
gaged in the mills or else are dependent
upon them for their support. The com
bined-output of cotton thread of the Au
gusta mills is sufficient to go around the
world once every thirty minutes. The
mills spin enough cotton thread to reach
to the sun and back again once every
years. The Sibley mill is built upon the
spot, and, in part, of the brick that was
the old Confederate powder mill. In front
of the—Sibley mill there is still standing
the drying stack of the powder mills,
which is left there as a monument to the
old industries of the South.
The Augusta Canal is one of the great
est of all its civic enterpries, being own
ed entirely by the city of Augusta and
built at a cost of several million dollars.
It contains more water for its length
than any other canal in the United States.
It is nine miles long and reaches up to
the locks, at which point the water is
diverted from the Savannah River into
the canal to operate all of the cotton mills
of Augusta. The water is sold for J 5.50
per horsepower per year, which is the
cheapest waterpower in the United States.
Augusta is the second largest inland
cotton market in the United States. Mem
phis being the largest. We annually han
dle about half a million bales of cotton,
which is about one-twentieth of the en
tire crop of the South. Immense cotton
presses are in Augusta, which compress
the cotton bales into very small areas for
storing inthe holds of trans-Atlantic
steamers. It ix interesting to visit these
cotton presse;. and see how a bale of
cotton is reduced to about 18 inches in
thickness and become a hard as stone.
Augusta is situated at the headwaters
of navigation of the Savannah River,
about 135 miles by rail and 30b miles by
water from the city of Savannah. It is
a matter of historic interest that upon
the Savannah River, in 1802, an inventor
by the name of William Longstreet first
operated successfully a steamboat, which
preceded the Fulton steamboat by five
year's, Longstreet’s boat was a very crude
affair, but it did run by a paddle operated
by steam. The newspapers of that day
state distinctly that it ran down the river
for about a mile and ran back again and
was tied up to the dock amid the cheers
of the assembled crowd. Longstreet was
a poor man and not a very pushing in
ventor, and after demonstrating the fact
that a steamboat could be*run, he let it
THE
MERCHANTS BANK
Extends a Most Cordial Wel
come to Soldiers, Visitors
and New Citizens.
Our ample capital, favorable connections, conve
nient location and large corps of efficient assistants
who are trained courtesy and the transaction of
business in the simplest, most direct manner enable
us to offer a most satisfactory service to those desiring
to transact banking business, large or small.
Accounts, subject to check, large or small, are
invited. We conduct a Savings Department in which
we pay interest at the rate of 4 per cent per annum,
compounded. Deposits are accepted in any amount
from SI.OO up.
We have a large number of safe deposit boxes
which we offer for rent for storage of valuables and
other papers, at very low prices, ranging from $3.00
to $25.00 per year.
Please remember our bank is located at No. 821
Broad street, in the center of the city.
MERCHANTS BANK
AUGUSTA, GA.
CAPITAL AND SURPLUS $300,000.00.
ALBERT S. HATCH, . E. E. ROSBOROUGH,
President. Cashier.
Wm. H. BARRETT, B. H. ELLISON,
Vice President. Assistant Cashier.
TRENCH AND CAMP
stay at the dock for a while, after which
it became damaged and was thrown on
the bank and nothing further was said or
done about his invention.
The Augusta Arsenal was built in 1836
and has been an ordnance department
ever since that time, being one of the
oldest, though not one of the largest of
the departments, in the United States.
An interesting historic relic in Augusta
i.t Meadow Garden, an obscure little
house on the banks of the canal, which
at one time was the home of George Wal
ton, signer of the Declaration of Inde
pendence from Georgia. It was at this
place that George Washington was en
tertained upon the occasion of his visit to
Augusta.
The Richmond Academy, on Telfair
Street, in the rear of the Court House,
is one of the oldest boys’ high schools in
the United States, founded immediately
after the Revolutionary War, and has
been in continual existence for nearly 110
years.
Three miles below the city is the famous
Sandbar Ferry, which has been in opera
tion since the Revolutionary War. It is
an old-time ferry, very interesting to see
in its operation. On the South Carolina
side is the famous Sandbar Ferry duelling
ground, upon which a number of duels
have been fought in past years. It is the
most famous of the duelling grounds
south of the one on the Potomac River,
and is almost as famous as the one on
the Hudson River, where Hamilton and
Burr engaged in their famous duel. The
-Sifts of the old duelling ground is almost
obliterated since duelling has gone out of
practice. There has not beep a duel at
the Ferry in 40 years.
In front of the Court House, on Greene
Street, stands a monument to the signers
of the Declaration of Independence from
Georgia. The three signers from this
state were George Walton, Lyman Hall
and Button Gwinnett. Walton and Hall
are buried underneath that monument.
Gwinnett was killed in a duel in Savan
nah and so buried that his grave has
never been identified.
On Broad Street, in front of the Albion
Hotel, stands a monument to the Con
federate soldiers. On the four corners
stand memorial statutes of four Confed
erate generals—Generals Robert E. Lee,
Stonewall acksonj, W. H. T. Waller and
T. R. R. Cobb. The last two named were
generals from the state of Georgia. On
the top of the monument stands the
figure of a private soldier.
In front of St. John’s Church, on Greene
Street, stands the poet’s monument, to
the four Southern poets: Ryan, Hayne,
Lanier and Randall. Ryan was the au
thor of “The Conquered Banner,” and
Randall was the author of "Maryland,
My Maryland.” Both of them were resi
dents of Augusta at one time.
Crossing the canal at Fifteenth Street
is the Archie Butt Memorial Bridge, built
by the citizens of Augusta in honor of
Archie Butt, an Augusta boy, who be
•came the confidential aide of President
Taft. Upon returning from a mission to
Europe, he was drowned in the disaster
of the steamship Titanic. Near the
bridge stands a simple monument to
Dennis Cahill, a citizen of Augusta, who
several years ago lost his life in an at
tempt to save a child who had fallen into
the canal.
Not far from the camp. General Joseph
E. Wheeler was born. There is a road
known as the Wheeler Road, that leads
from Augusta to the neighborhood where
he was born. The Wrightsboro Road
leads from Augusta to the old town of
Wrightsboro, some thirty or forty miles
away. Over the Wheeler Ropd. President
McKinley came when he visited the camp
at Augusta during the Spanish-American
War. That camp was situated where
Camp Hancock is now.
It is also worthy of note that President
Wilson spent several years of his young
boyhood in Augusta, when his father
was pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church. The home in which Presklent
Wilson lived still stands at the corner of
Seventh and Telfair Streets, diagnoally
across from the Presbyterian Sunday
School building.
The people of Augusta have always
tried to be hospitable to the stranger
within their gates, it is an old Southern
town of the typical sort, wide streets,
many old Southern homes, old Southern
customs and Southern ideas. Many of
the families that live in Augusta date
their -ancestry back to the early history
of the state and have carefully cherished
the traditions of the town for many gen
erations. Among those traditions is to
extend the “glad hand” of welcome to
those who sojourn with them or near
them, and to express to all sojourners and
comers their earnest hope that their stav
in Augusta will be one of profit and
pleasure.
VFanfec/ Secretary
To Buy Him Dice
One of the Camp Hancock secretaries
had an amusing experience recently.
While visiting a sick man, he was sur
prised to hear the invalid say:
“Say, friend, will you buy me a set of
dice?’’
The secretary was busy at the time and
said: “Sure I’ll buy you a set of dice.
Wait a minute.”
W’hen the secretary had finished, he
went to the sick man and asked him for
the money. He was handed one dollar.
"Is that ail you have?” he asked.
“It won’t take a dollar to buy them,”
said the invalid.
“The kind I’m going to buy you will
cost much mo>e than one dollar,” an
swered the secretary.
Before he left tbe sick man’s bed, he
had taken every cent of the man’s money
—so? safe-keeping—and got a. promise
that he v uuld write to his mother—the
first time In two years.
SOLDIERS HURT'
Sergeant Grady Lynch and Private C.
Mundeleit of Camp Hancock were severe
ly injured last Thursday night, at 7:30,
when their motorcycle and side car col
lided with a touring car on the Milledge
ville road. Mundeleit had his leg broken
and Lynch suffered a dislocation of the
knee. They were taken to the University
Hospital. Both machines were damaged
badly.
Pennsylvania
Home Restaurant
Ninth and Walker Streets, one Block from Post
Office. Near Union Station.
U’ "THE PLACE TO MEET HOMEFOLKS.”
Special Dinner
Cream of Celery Soup
50c Roast Chicken with 50c
Dressing
Roast Tenderloin of Beef
Mashed Potatoes Green Peas
Stewed Tomatoes
Corn Muffins
Waldorf Salad
50c Tapioca Pudding 50c
Coffee Tea Milk
Special Turkey Dinner 75c
“Come in and get a Real Pennsylvania
Welcome.”
PNEUMONIA AT WHEELER
Pneumonia has claimed many victims
at Camp Wheeler, the most prominent to
succumb being Major Richard Weil, chief
of staff at the base hospital, who died
Monday. He had been ill for eight days.
Two other deaths occurred the same day.
The Augusta
Herald
Delivered to Your
Company Street
At Camp Hancock.
Afternoons and
Sundays,
60c a Month.
Phone Your Order
to 2036 Augusta.
Notify Herald
Wagons.
Write a Post Card
and say, Send Me
The Augusta Herald
Daily Sunday
Evening Morning
Page 13
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