Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-08-24
Speech Of Can't. R. Ward,
DELIVERED IN COLUMBIA, S. C., or THE CoLUM
BIA AND HAMBURG RAILROAD.

r embraced with such hearty goodwill, require
!, that every man concerned, should speak treel
e his sentiments, that all light possible may
| thrown on the subject. do most sinccrel
:. hope, that you will not have 10 lament when
F., i, forever too late, an unfortunate location;
, propose hen to make few observations on til
different routes proposed. My thorough know
edge Of every mile of country between thi
! place and Augusta, entities me, think, TO thu
privilege.
/ First | shall speak of the Ridge route rrors,
The " Ridge par erce!Lence, one of the mo,
remarkable Ridges ever knew, to run across
wcI-walcrcd country for II miles, and thai Il
The head of eamboat navigation. All that sec
ton Of country lying between the mouths I"
Sanlee and Savannah rivers having Il cc%st o
l2O OF 80 miles, and running nj least l20 mile:
into the interior. up to The Ridge, not one
stream large or small, from the mountains OIL
any where elsc cuts through this level and re-
markab|e Ridge. Strange IL it may seem, you
can pass from your Congaree here 10 Hamburg
and never cross Il single stream or swamp, large
or small, on route not exceeding T6 miles, cas-.
lily reduced, by passing over 4 few very insigui-
ficant branches, 10 IS ues. This Ridge is .he
Buc Ridge TO all the country below, that nave
described As lying between the Santee and Sl-
/ rannah rivers; and most likely WAS once the
sea coast and the ocean rs it rcccded, threw up
great sand beds, rs it is now doing ut Morris Is
and 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 holluws: some win Va
Ter in them and others dry, just as you find the
. hoiIows and streams issuing from the mountains
prnper, and us my friend Col. +. Of Edgefied
once remarked, are The mountains OF inc l0w
Cvun.Ty. 1hi, is the lower Route, that some
prono>e to build the Railroad through.
The Ridge route propcr, is so beautiful and
level that oil lhe melnpers OF Congress, regular
tray elecs and merchants in oldcn times, used to
express themselves very freely by saying, how
rclna kable is this Ridge, nothing like i. from
Boston to New Orleans, such beautiful level
road. and nothing they could have said would
be trucr; and yet there are those who would
give this le uliful ri lge the 20 by, SOME for want
OF L know ledge Of its advantages, and Others
from self interest. Allow me, sir, 10 refer o
the Chief Engineers report, few m,nuIes A
number Of persons | spoke with, demanded IN
air line. could not persuade them The ,hiug
w 4S4t + Rg2Esls unit! !hs Engiaeer m.ds
distinctly understand me, that via Lexington
Z. H.. is not the Ridge proper, though it may Oe
advisable 10 pass there, 10 secure ieeder'
Well, The Repor,-lsl, at the eighteenth mile
the line leave, The ridge, (Which here has an el-
ovation of 3l5 feet above The starting p"'n,.)
aud after cut Of fifteen feeI in depth Tor hall
mile, descrnds for Two miles with grade OF
fi;y.threv feet to the mile, to Black creek. Why
should all this elevation be Ios to ret here!
Why, sir, mark the report-liie next ridge
be,wecn said Black creek, and Chinqurpn
creek, is 5 feet higher than the one they left a.
the Is nnIe post, but they cannot make 1t With
out ano,nrr grade two miles long, 50 feet 10
the mile, and cut one mile in lrng h, a part ot
wnicn requires to be 25 feet deep, across tie
ridge; the another grade miles long down 10
Cnnqmcpln
Thus, Mr. Chairman, we have in the short DIS
tance of 10 miles, since we lefl our splendid
I;Ire ihIre plains of 53 lee. 20 lle niie, IN, e,
ou Of 10. and , trcsses, eacu 35 fee. high, Then
down Jumping branch one;.r,I {, halt miles. then
CROSSES Rocky, Chnqucpin, :'lil' MI creek, a;
DaiIy's mill pond on rcs,c' again so Iect hlg"
The heigiI, over Rocky and Chinanep'n creeks
| i, not mentioned, nor the g"ie, 10 aud from
them. but from my know'cngc OF toe country.
the grades must be still Now, mark This, we
have lefs the ridge rou,e o'iy II miles IN 4
straight line, anJ have crossed Black, Light
wood, Rocky, Cnlqucpin, and Mill creeks; tve
creek, AMI .nr:e 53 ,ect gr"de>, six miles III all
and three nig!l ,scl nd deep cuts li IL miles,
and no, II level FOO on il. Aud yet, sir we are
told bv some men, tnat his is Il splendid rou'
for Il Railroad. Oh! shame where Is iht blush
Now all lhis; sil, and you are sill only aO0nl >
miles below life ridge rou p oper, where you
could, all Ibis lime. have r0 led along ro;ai-
= most as level lis this floor We'll, sir we p ,s'
On over broken, but dry valleys o anoi'ri ridge
and there hey a, last came !" miles OF 'r'r'
country onIvtirink, 6 miles. They were coun In9
on this w,rn ! saw them. and cooking To !. lis
the haven Of tIri: understanding Ike NapO'
Icons, weary army looked forward 10 he pos
session Of Moscow, where All tIIrl" troubles
were o end. Like them, sir, they go1 posses
son., bur, oh like te poor soldiers, tIey Were
doomed To sud disappoiAl ment. for when They
arrived nj South Edislu river, they found lheln
selves on one of our mountain spurs, 300 fee
above The river, and had To re;race Their steps
aud take Alc'rycr creek. abandoning The only
level ground they claimed On The rou;e, an'
overcome The 800 feet in miles. Here isano;h
er Grade, >ir, six miles long, fifty feet to th'
mile, aud when lnerc, river and swamp 20 cross
half Il mile wide, requiring near three thou>ant
feet of trcs-el: ;he. Height not mentioned in ,h'
repor,. Mr.. Gibbes seems 10 think, u part
,hr swamp may be embanked /; ] ,hnk different
Iy.j knuw something OF that sire IN, har;nl
: hunted and f he'd on it for years from lis heat
To- Merri. > bridge. There is between that point
Merits bridge, and the head of McTyer ant
the Esto aad It's tribu: aries, between 20 and 81
mfrs and ~ miles from Mcrriu's bridge wouIt
include ,hrm all, aud nearly all of which are Dur
dams, and il swept away, would produce periec
sea. The first pond above Merritt, bridge, Df
Minis, isi,sef rood steamboat navigation. 1t L
= q lake and, when 1t breaks, woe be 10 al! 1eio"
i. aud when it goes, most likely al least nal
duzen would 80 with ii.
T nm almost induced to think they must have
held some Charm over my friend Gibbs, or HI
wnnlI ceruinIv have run away about that time
Inn his trouble WIS far from being over ye
Thrv H crept out Of Edislo valley, and again foun'
. l.y.I mile or Two. bu, like unto The other. il
ronld no: B. used. So again it WAS up one brancI
and down another to Shaw's creek, more grade
and tresse Shaw's creek is itself river, lhe
on stiff grade to The ridge. between Shaw
and Horse creeks, where they again have 10 CO
thirty feet deep, for nearly two thousand fee
where they finally get to GraniteviIle, over
iresse 81 feet high. And here, may remark,
The first feeder on the whole route, but unfor
: tunalely, sir, the Charleston Railroad likewis
passes Granitevie, so the only populated rour
Try on The whue route, is, where this lowe
route passes close 10, or very near the Sout
; Carolina Railroad, viz: from Aiken to Ham
; burg, and nearly all their trade is and will re
main with Charleston. The rest of the cour