Semi-weekly Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1851-1852, 1851-03-04
CuApLGsros, S. .G,si'rb, %, 1851.


To.}eEl;tpes of Tie CoWicr: u ts3aeessss
You will nbligc,uie, injustice to MIR, Rae,
the Engineer. who constructed the camden
Branch, to give publicity to the communication
herewith. received from him day or two since.
lmmedit, t,ly.aftcr the catastrophe in tie Wa
tcree s;w;;aaiip, MIR. McRae, Though engaged in
North. Carolina,) lost no time i'll visiting, the
scene of disaster. lie gives you the result OF
his examinations. Mr. McRae is correct in his
statement, that the embanking Of rs much otthe
Wateree Swamp as would be safe, was origin
Saily. contemplated, and that the trestle wo,k
WAS Elevated and So arranged as to offer tie
.enTrsatsst facilities for embdnking aud at least
cost In my negotiation with MIR. ilemmlhg'
the Engineer of the Wilmington and Manches-
.fer Road, it was expressly stipulated that ne
. must connect with the t-estle on All embank.
-lmeut. and that the South Carolina Road would
-!unite Mt that point with similar work. MIR.
HMcRae understood my views, and seems tohave
communicated them to the new administration,
as work not merely to project, bnt deemed
absolutely necessary, and TO DC commenceo
without delay. Tbsspemintendeut OF The tract
vhad uosinstsuction taTeduce his torce on tne
trestle scctioif; on the contrary, ne well UNDER
stood that that work wou!d require more f's
id supervision during the year 1850 ana uh!,i
the contemplated eInbankment was completed
which necessarily involved All additional poltcH.
sIf decay in the timber began to appear why
Twas it not correctedl | have never doubted
that the breaking down Of a portion OF the wa
teree trestle was occasioned by neglect a tram
of an adegkaie supervision, aud The high speed
eracted Of the freight trains. The reduction
of the road police, when it should have been in.
creased, proves the first, and the published
schedule of the freight trains, snstains the last
Whatever defect Gas stated III the want OF
aorel pins and lemons, y may have been IN the
original construction Of the trestle these could
have been supplied at moderate or small ex-
penditure; and the proper daily supervision oi
the work would have BETRAYED the detect IN
time to prevent the serious disaster which oc.
Cured The substitute, however, is more de-
fectipe, and the recent interruption to the run.
Mug of trains, from the foods threatening to
carry away the new work, shows that we were
not in error in cautoning against that structure
The old trestle could have been re- placed, doar-
el pinned and tenoned, lat the same expense,
while it would have retained the facility Tor en-
banking, which recommended its first eonstruc-
tion. >, This very important p"werls now Tor.
feited, and the embankment of the swamp, IN
whole or 10 part, cannot be executed but at an
expense, treble what it would have cost with
the advantage of the old trestla. The present
.work is exposed to be covered at every fiood,
for the; ,yater, as Mr.. McRae assures 'hs, has
/. Frequently been two and three feet above the
present structure. s,>ss-
- The Wateree logging, for it is no longer
,trestle, and the substitution of a sir ME plane
for the A,ken incline, are. great mistakes aad
time will show the heavy tax they will involve
One word more. As with the trest", SO an
impression is attempted to be made that the
construction of the section oi the Camden
Branch, this side of the Wateree, was deiec-
tive, and would require renewal the next year
A mode of structure introduced Oh other roads,
dispensiue uiih the cost Of cross ties, was tested
there. II it failed, it was only necessary to add
the cross ties, which had been omitted in the
first instance 1t became therefore SIMPLY "a
question, as to the time, when the cross ties
were to, he placed down. If they could not be
dispensed with, then the expense OF placing
them down had to be incurred in 1881 Instead
of lSi7, with the benefit OF All experiment
which would have been very important, hah II
n,tsfailed, as was reported. The Supcrinten-
dent was not ignorant of this fact, as he had
received instructions, as to the mode of repara-
tion should mud sils alone be found not to an
swer. B.
A communication in your paper Of the 24th'
confirms the above views as to the mistake
committed 1t appears that the late nterrnp-
tions to the trains was at the junction OF the
Manchester cm,bankmeEt and the water had
not then attained an elevation within tc''t %!
what had come under the observation OF Vi.
McRae, often interruptug the trestle work III
progress to completion.
Is JAMES GADSDEN.
.,...-- CoNcogD, \. c., Feb. 7, 1851.
The Annual Report of the President OF the
I'D tn the