Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-11-22
From the Hamburg Valley Pioner.
The ValleV Road.

prize and with your leave propose to sub.
nit IA few remarks to your readers, on that
subject. in attempting to do SO, shall not
waste time to prove the utility Of rail roads.
That question has been settled long ago so
that no intelligent man has any doubt upon
that point.-If he has let him only taken a
trip over the Rail Roads of North and South
Carolina, Georgia, and his doubts will be re-
moved
" hat propose is to ask few questions
such as occur to most minds when the SUBJ
iect is mentioned, and to answer those ques.
lions as concisely and clearly as can and
first, in respect 10 the Valley Road,
Is IT NEEDED!
We often hear this question:, asked and
coupled with it the remark that thereis the
Savannah River on one side, alfording ample
means for r-carriage-which is the
cheapest mode now knowu,-;and the Green
vile Road on the other side, giving its lacil'
ties to travel and more rapid transportation,
and leading also to another market, SO that
all tastes may be suited both as to markets
and modes OF conveyance.
shall not array myself, or attempt to
array your readers against the Savannah
River.-It is noble stream-;i highway Of
natures building, and am glad it has afor-
ded cheap channel Of communication be-
tween the people of the upper districts and
their natural market for so long time. But
it never has been safe or sufficient for the
purpose of traDFc, aud it nerer can lie, with
out Improvement. This improvement we
have long tried to effect, but in vain: :. The
Legislature has been appealed to time and
again for means to remove the obStructnns
from the channel for only few miles, but
for some reason, the me;us were never gram
ted, except the small sum of Five thousand
Dollars in one instance. What was ever
done with that amount do not know. 1t
was.not expended on the River, and if it
had becn, the amount was too inconsiderate
to make any noticeable improvement
In its present condition, it affords no facili-
ties for transporting anything but Cotton. or Or
such -lbings us are lot easily dan4ag.d sbss
water. M travel nor light or fine goods,
pass over it, nor will it ever develope the
resources and energies of the people living
upon its banks by Offering them ready
market for such things us Rail Roads make
valuable Wherever they run or reach. But
your intelligent readers Can easily supply the
various particulars that might be added here,
and therefore pass on to notice the Green.
vile Road-nnr shall attack that institution,
or ATTEMPT to find fault with the location or
construction. 1t sa good Road. ] travell-
ed over Il part of it lately and found it quite
equal to the average of roads with which !
ani acquainted True it is IL little crooked,
but then it thereby reaches and accommo.
dates more Of the people. Nor does this
r;!ct make against the safety or speed with
which, the, trleclHng public may be whirled
over i, i one Of its Engineers is to be heard.
for he assured me that he could "run on Il
curve faster and safer than on straight
stretch" Be that as it may, great and dan.
gerous speed will probably never be fashiona.
ble on our interior roads, and would lain
hope that the "fast" mania of the North
miy yht never reach US Or our children. For
one rejoice that the GreenviIle Road has
been built and would be g lad to see every
other now in contemplation completed and
in operation. The State would then have
few enough and still be far behind her sur.
rounding sisters in the race OF agricultural
and commercial advancement.
Although the Greenville Road is good
one, and answers all the purposes for which
it was designed, so that its builders would
not now be without it for double its cost in
dollars and cents; still it was not built Tor the
convenience of the people on The Savannah
Valley, nor with Il view to afford them the
means of getting to their best-ther natural
market. 1t WAS indeed originally proposed
to be built to Hamburg, (which may say
without any offence to other places, had al
ways been the iavorite market Of the upper
Districts but that place not responding to
the proposition with the spirit it should have
done-Colnmbia and the people east of Sa.
luda bore off the golden fleece. But that
road can never develope agricultural, mineral
and other resources of the Valley; for be-
sides being too distant from the greater por-
ton OF the Country, the people OF which are
now needing and desiring such an improve
ment-it leads them to Il market where there
is not heavy trade-and no competition
and should they desire to send their produce
further, they have 10 choice of markets or
modes of transportation. That road is do
ing its duty in its sphere. 1t has enhanced
the value Of lands and every species of prop
erty, aud opened a domestic market for the
farm. yard produce, wood, poultry, &C., all
along its track. But has it done any thing
of this Ior the Savannah Valley! Can it
cuer do so! or if it could do this, could it
also afford short and cheap road to an ale-
quate market for all the surplu Of the farms
and plantations of the Valley-the Cottor'
Oats. Hay. Fruit, Potatoes, &c. &c, But
all this aud more would the Valley Road do
For in additinn to the advantages thus aftnr'
drd to the people along the line, they would
have all the others arising from the travel
and produce coming over the Rabun Gap
Road.
The immense supply Of Flour, Lard, Corn
and Bacon coming over that road, would he
gin to he distributed, after entering ou,
State, like the water Of the mountain streams
first ferli.izing the valleys of the upper coun
try, and afterwards flowing downwards ove'
the plains and on towards the ocean. 10
effect this distribution will require the united
capacities Of the Valley, the Greenville and
the Ninety-S Six Roads.
Is the Valley Road nectedl Let it be
built and in operation but five years-,hen
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