Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-05-23
The North Carolina Railroad.
To the President aud Directors Of the
Nnrfh nnrnLi,,n RnH RnnH

To the President aud Directors of the
North Carolina Raj Road:
RALEIaH, May 9Th, 1851.
Il have the honor to submit the following
report the and ress the surveys for the North
Carolina Rail Road.
ceeded organize four parties of Engineers To give eff
cheney these parties, devove due responsibility and in
audabe emulaton to each party acting under
nv instructions separate and Independent charge, and to
this end the line divided into four divisions
The First Division commences at the Wilmington and
Raleigh Railroad and terminates six and half miles Vest
of Raleigh The Second Division commencing at the last
named point extends to the Guilford County line. The
third Division Lexington and the fourth Division
from Lexington Charlotte The duty of surveying and
e~ M S G MdRae Mr. L.
Gregg, and Mr. John McRae with the rank of Principal
Assistants. Craftsmen. Rodmen: Chainmen. and Axemen
Mr. Provost sent to the field the 2ls of August,
Mr. John c. McRae on the 10Th of the same month, Mr.
Gregg the 18th September and Mr. John MeRae the
The aggregate number of miles by these parties in
Guiding the experimental the approximate and final
location amounts to 1894 miles When it is remembered
that the period of their employment embraced the ncement
Of the late fall months and the winter and early spring
months the amount of labor they have performed
but prove satisfactory and fully attess the energy indus
try and fidelity the part of the heads of the respective
The conditions imposed by the Charter make Raleigh
and Salisbury intermediate points in the line of the road
By resolution of the stockholders at their meeting held in
Salisbury the 18th of July. instructions given
Towns of Hsboro', Graham Greensboro, Lexington and
Concord all things considered would be the prac
them however as imperative only far respects the
quement of the Charter, Railroad from
Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad Uia Raleigh and Sails
bury to Charlotte, and only absolute under the directions
of the stockholders to ascertain the practicaby compar
Hisboro, Graham Greensboro, Lexington Concord
and not by restricting the location to
which does had auson those towns been made in
the proceedings of the stockholders explored
egh Railroad and Charlotte via RALEIGH and Salisbury
which thought at all feasible and surveyed every line that
the most practicable route and the results of those
tons 1t is now my purpose as bry may be to lay before
cripon of the lines which surveyed to Submit few
remarks upon the general features of the intermediate
on the location An inspection of the map of the State will
shew that straight line between Raeig h Salisbury is
their almost innumerable tributaries embracing among the
mostconspleuous, with their branches, New Hope Rocky
and Ghare rivers Any who has travelled
road from Raleigh to Salisbury by and ASHORE
must have ndelbly impressed his mind many ups
and downs which he encounters and it
to him when slowly climbing the hills which
rise before how much the might be improved by
winding around them through of the ravnes
wch constantly themselves the hand the
other. These hills which much obstruct the common
road and the graduation of which to easy grades would
render 1t so serpenne and devious and carry much
of the direct would affect in much greater degree
the route of railroad no line of any either level
OF given inclination to the horizon could be maintained
without resorng continued
and filings and an infinite series of abrupt many
places the ridges and hills that would be crossed
posed of gravel ntermxed with and not
they are formed entirely of rock which would add greatly
| to the expense of graduation.
The extent Of these difficulties may be re arded as nlimit
ed on the South towards which the that
crossed foW In search of route the North there
medium short of the nearly so the principal
tributaries above mentioned of the Haw the Yadkin-
BENG satisfied therefore, that line could be obtained
the direct route without such frequent reflections as would
make quite long that it would be costly and OBJ
ectionabe both and curvature than the
around the heads of the water before mentioned that
intermediate route could be found and that survey Of
the direct would be attended with no better result
to abondon it at once and make the deour of the ridge
route the railroad which shall now proceed to describe
under four separate heads corresponding to the four dvs
ions of the line here FIRsT Te h1TIs1o1
4 This Division unites the North Carolina Railroad will
the Wilmington and l Rasgh Railroad thus forming
State and reducing to realization the long deferred hopes
Central Railroad
The Charter requires that the Railroad shall will
the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad where the SAM
passes over the Neuse" The bridge of the Wilmington
and Raleigh Railroad the Neuse is united to the mail
land each side by treste work extensive low grounds
subject frequent n%ndations which affords sit
sion of the charter evidently to unite the
road with Steamboat Navigation the Neuse, and thu
extend its dement's anu of its odvonaoes t.
the lower Neuse have of the objections abov
assigned to strict compliance with the letter of the charter
road by way Waynesboro which affords the neares
eligible site to the point where the Wilmington and Raeig
washes the base of high bank which rarely
flowed aordng facility for transhipment
three lines from station 29, four and half mile
West of Goldboro, to the Wilmington and Raleigh Rail
road by the way of odsboro and thence to Waynes
boro making Waynesboro the terminus of the Road. On
by Waynesboro to Godsboro' direct, and by Waynes
boro' intersectng the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad
II miles South of Goldsboro'.
These lines are all laid down the accompanying map
the order here referred to- let cred A B. and c. and
parison of their cost length and grades will be found
sheet hereto annexed upon examination of which it vii
be found that the line passing through Waynesboro and in
tersectng the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad Il mile
South of Goldsboro designated the map is So
feet shorter and will SO PIT less than line A while
stands next in the comparison Commencing at station 22
the point of divergence of the above described
lines Mount Auburn ten miles East of Raleigh
one crossing the Neuse river at Smheld the other
ing the lands of VIM Wilson's four miles above Smith
$l 900 in cost in favor of the line by Wilson's the rate
grade and length of straight line is also in favor of this route
therefore selected the basis of the estimate and
+ designated on the map by the red line
From Mount Auburn, after most thorough examinatiO
and survey of the country with the of obtaining tn
best through the city of Raleigh three lines
Middle and North lines The South line down Will
Cat branch Walnut creek Holemans bridge
the Governors and Judge Camerons residences and theme
in the vicinity of the lsboro road to the end of this div
: sion. six and half miles West of Raleigh.
with Wainnt creek and after crossing Walnut cree nea
Mr. Hutchng it ascends along the slope of the ridge be
Walnut and Crahtree to its summit in the fet
thence follows nearly the ridge passes out
Mr. Atkinsons and through Raeghby Hargett
its reunion with the South line at Judge Cameron's
The North line is identical with the Middle line until
reaches point between the race-fed and Mr. Akinsons
then little South of Mr. Akinsons and through Lar
street by the Raleigh and CASTOR Railroad Depot back
the Female Seminary, and with the Middle
Southern line the Haywood road the lands of
l. Cook.
1t appears from comparison of these lines exhibited
the accompanying table, that the South line is 1875 fe
shorter and that the cost graduation and construction
fhoN linz thaf