“Going From Bad to Worse,” Moorefield Says.

CAN DO BUT LITTLE

Continued Rains Add to Seriousness of Situation – Any Dirt Road a Risk.

Eleven state highways are now impassable, according to the latest information received from the state highway department.

“We are in a hell of a shape; going from bad to worse,” was the laconic comment made yesterday by C. H. Moorefield, state highway engineer, in regard to the condition of state highways in South Carolina. Any traveler who ventures out on a state road is doing so with very good change of not getting through, according to the state engineer. Probable showers, which is likely to mean more impassable roads. are predicted by the United States weather bureau today.

The additional roads now impassable, according to the latest reports received by the highway department and announced late yesterday afternoon are:

Columbia-St. Matthews.
Orangeburg-Bamberg.
McCormick-August.
Green Sea – Conway.
Conway-Myrtle Beach.
Kingstree-Andrews (short route).
St. George-Walterboro.
Camden- Cheraw.

The Westminster – Walhalla, the Florence-Darlington, and the Walterboro-Yemassee road are still impassable, according to the latest report.

A long stretch of the Columbia-Sumter road in Richland county is impassable, and travel to Sumter is feasible only through a detour from the Columbia-Sumter road by Eastover. The detour will probably be impassable today, after being traveled a little, according to Information received at the highway department.

Rough But Passable.

The Columbia-Batesburg road is very rough but passable, according to the latest report; and the Camden-Columbia road is passable by a detour between Blaney and Lugoff. A traveler reported that the Hartsville-Bishopville-Camden road is impassable, but this has not been confirmed by an official report.

Both the regular route and the detour of state highway No. 2 between Columbia and St. Matthews is impassable, according to H. N. Sutton, office engineer. Both at this road and on the Bamberg-Orangeburg road, teams were being used to pull the unfortunate traveler out, he said. State highway No. 2 would probably be the best route between Columbia and Charleston today, A. Harwell, state maintenance engineer, said last night.

The Green Sea-Conway road near Bayboro is impassable on account of washouts, and the Conway-Myrtle beach road impassable on account of high water. Traffic was cut off between Savannah and McCormick by a rise in Savannah river, which put Furey’s ferry out of commission.

Travelers between Kingstree and St. Andrews can go through by following state highway No. 31 and a detour.

Each May Be Last.

Just when another state highway may become impassable can not be told, according to Mr. Moorefield. Each automobile that gets through a certain route may be the last, the engineer said; for every car adds to the travel the factor which coupled with the continuous rains has placed the state highways in a very poor condition. The slowing up of travel has been about the only thing that helps, Mr. Moorefield said.

Maintenance workers have been practically helpless except to place a few logs in holes; when a long stretch of impassable road is met, the only course to pursue is to await the cessation of the rain, Mr. Moorefield said.

It is the through now hard surface routes that are probably the most seriously affected, for it is on these that travel is heaviest, according to the engineer.

When a traveler asked about the Columbia-Augusta road yesterday he was told by Mr. Moorefield that he could probably get through.

“You may expect trouble,” the engineer replied, “if you get a hundred feet off a paved road.”