Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-08-24
Speech of Capt. r. Ward,
DELIVERED Iy COLUMBIA, S. c., on THE CoLUM
BIA AND HAMBURG RAILROAD.

DELIVERED Iy COLUMBIA, 5. u, on THE CoLUM'
BIA AND HAMBURG RAILROAD.
This great public work, that Columbia has
embraced with such hearty goodwill, requires
that every man concerned, should speak freely
his sentiments, that all light possible may be
thrown on the subject. | do most sincerely
hope that you will not have 10 lament when 1t
i, forever too late, an unfortunate location;
propose hen to make few observations on the
different routes proposed My thorough knowl-
edge of every mile of country between this
place and Augusta, entities me, think, to that
privilege.
First. shall speak of the Ridge route proper.
The Ridge" par ercelLence, one of the m"st
remarkable Ridges | ever knew, to run across Il
weII-walerci country for IA miles, and thai at
the head of s. ieambuat navi gallon. All That Sec
ton Of counlry lying between the mouths Of
Santee and Savannah rivers, having cc"St OF
/ l2O OF 80 miles, and running 1T least l2O miles
into the interior. up to The Ridge, not one
stream large or small, from the mountains or
any where else, cuts through this level and r..
markaLIe Ridge. Strange H. it may seem, you
can PISS from your Congarec here 10 Hamburg
and never cross sing e stream or swamp, large
or small, on a route not exceeding 76 miles, cas-
/ y reduced, by passing over few very nslgnl-
frant branches, TO 73 uIiIcs. This Ridge Is ,he
B.uc Ridur to all the country below, that nave
described As lying between the Santee and Sl-
yannah rivers; and, most likely WAS once The
sea coas, and the ocean as il receded, threw p
great sand beds. us it is now doing ut Morris Is
lan.l and other places on the coast. These sand
beds, now called sand hills, constitute the high
sharp ridges between the streams that lake
their rise Just below the Ridge proper, forming
deep chasm, and many hollows: some win Wa
Ter ia them and other, dry, just as you find ;he
hoiIows and streams issuing from the mountains
proper and us my friend Col. F. OF Edsefield
once remarked, are The mountains OF tne low
Cvun.ry Thi, is the lower Route, that some
prono>c to build the Railroad through.
The Ridge route proper, is so beautiful and
level that all he mempers OF Congress-, regular
tra, eiers and merchants, in oldcn times, used TO
express themselves very freely by saying how
reua kable is this Ridge, nothing like i. rom
Boston to New Oreans, such Il beautiful level
road. and nothing they could have said would
be lrucr; and yet there are those who would
give hi, lie ulitul ri!ge the 20 by, some for want
I OF i know ledge Of It's advantages, and Others
from self Interest. Allow me, sir, 10 refer o
the Chief Engineers report, few minutes. A
number Of PERSONS | spoke with, demanded an
air line. could not persuade them the 'hlng
was next TO impossible, until the Engineer MAIZE
reconnoiter, and told them that TO thousand
dollars per mile would scarcely build it. Well,
sns Hsr.sd and %ste sSMssa 70
distinctly understand me, that via Lexington
Z. H.. is not the Ridge proper, though it MAY Oe
advisable 10 pass there, 10 secure Il feeder.
Well, The Reporl,-lsl, at the eighteenth mic
lhc line leave, lhe ridge, (Which here has an e-
eva,lun of 345 feet above the starting p"inI.)
and after cul Of fifteen frcl in depI for hall
mrIe descrnds for Two miles with 4 grade Of
! fii,y-hree feet TO the mile, to Black creek. Why
should all this elevation be losi TO Tet there /!
! Why, sir, mark the report-iiIe next ridge
be- ween said Black creek, and Chinqurpln
creek, is feet higher than the one they leIt a.
the Is ne post, but they cannot make 1t With.
out auo,ncr grade two miles long, % feet 10
the mile, and Il cut one mile in lcns h, part of
wlcn requires TO be % feet deep, across TIC
ridge; then another grade , miles long down 10
| Cu.nqncpIn.
Thus, Mr. Chairman, we have in The short dis
tance Of 10 miles, since we lett our splendid
idge, ihree plains Of 53 lee, 20 tie mlie, m. rs
ou; of ~. and 2 trcsses, eacu 35 fee. high, hen
down Jumping branch oDe,lnd 4 hall miles. then
crosses Rocky, Chnqucpin,. alt'i' NIL creek, Z $;
DMiy's mill pond on lrcs>e again 50 Iret hyn
The heigin over Rocky and Chinqnep'n creeks
is not mentioned, nor the g"'de? 10 aud from
them. but from my knowiedge OF the country.
The grades must be Still. Now, marx Ibis, We
have lefs the ridge rou,e oly II miles in
straight line, and have crossed Black, Light
wood, Rocky, Cni'qucpin, ANA Mill creeks; five
creek, an .lr3e SO ircL gr"dc>, six miles i'll all,
and three ngn trc,sc> aud deep cuts la II miles,
and no II level ZOO on ii. Aud yet, sir, we are
told bv some mcn, taat his is Il splendid roue
for Railroad. Oh! shame where Is lhs blush.
Now all lhis; sit, aud you are sill only about D
miles below life ridge rou.e P opcr, where you
.cuuld, all his Time. have 70 led along Il roa' al
! most us lrvr lis this floor. We'll, sir, We pi,s
on over brukeu, hui dry valley, 10 ano.iir RIDGE
and there they a, JaSt clmc !" miles OF 'ere.
country, 'onvlnink, miles. They were coun ing
on this Wien them. ana cooking To !. lis
the haven OF lIri; Understanding like Napo-
Icons weary army looked forward 10 he pos
session of Moscow, where Ill tllri" troubles
were o end. Like them, sir, they gO1 posses
son.. bur- oh like The poor soldiers, tlley We're
doomed to sid disappointment for when they
arrived nj South Edi>to river, they found Them
selves on one Of our mountain spurs. 300 feet
above The. river, and had to re;race their steps,
aud take Mcrycr creek. abandoning the only
level ground they claimed on The rou:e, and
overcome The 800 feet in miles. Here is amo;h-
er grade, sir, six miles long, fifty feet to ihe
mile and wilen lnerr, Il river and swamp 20 cross
| hall II mile wide, requiring near three thousand
| feet of lrcs-el; The .hcigh not mentioned IN The
| repor.. Mr. Gibbes seems 10 think, part Of
inc swamp may be enbankrd think different
| w. kaow something ct that sire IN, having
huned and Fl he'd on ii for years from lis head
t" Merri..'s bridge. There is between that point,
Mcrri.ts hilyc and The head of Mc'Tyer and
the Edisto ahd its tribu: :arie> between 20 and 80
mfs. and IL miles from McFriu's Jridge would
include hem all, aud nearly all of which are dirt
dams, and II swept away, would produce perfect
sea The first pond above Merritt, bridge, Dr..
Minis, is itself good steamboat nargaiInn. 1t Is
4 lake. and. when 1t breaks, woe be TO all below
il, aud when it goes, most likely al least half
dozen would 90 with ii.
I nm almost induced to think they must have
held some charm over my friend Gibbs, or he
would certainly have lun away about that time !;
but his trouble was far from being over yeC
They crept ou of Edislo valley. and again found
a level mile nr Two, bu, like unto the Other. It,
could no: b. used. So again it WAS up one branch
and down another TO Shaw's creek, more grades
aud tressel. Shaw S creek is itself river, then
on stiff grade TO the ridge. between Shaw's
and Horse creeks, where they again have 10 cut
thirty feet Deep for nearly Two thousand feel,
where they finally get to Grapileville, over
iresscI 81 feet high And here, may remark, is
The first feeder on the whole route, bul unfor-
tunalely, sir, the Charleston Railroad likewise
| III, tI ply