The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-01-10
MisfellQneous.
From he Charleston Mercury
The RAILROADS and Railroad COmpa-
@fes of South Carolina.

6rst Railroad built in the Omitted States
upo>s-<-Sch steam was used, was the Charles.
ton and Hamburg Road. 1t was completedin
October, 1888, and was then the longest Rail
road in the world.
Since that time the progress Of Railway i'm
provemeats in South Carolina ha, been going
steadily on, and, in the meantime, the Char
lotte and Columbia Railroad, from Columbia
to Charlotte, in North Carolina, has been COM
pleted, and is now in operation.
The Columbia and Greenvile Railroad has
also been completed, from Columbia to Green
vile, and is now in operation.
The Wilmington aud Manchester Railroad
is also far advanced towards its completion !;
and the Northeastern and Srartanburg Roads
are both in process of construction.
Besides these, there are other Railroad pro.
jects in contemplation in different sections of
the State, but not yet commenced. But leav-
ing them out of view, it is ascertaned that, on
the first day of January, 1858, there was com.
pleted, and in full operation in the State Of
South Carolina, 500 miles of Railroad, and 2G6
miles under Construction, making together S95
miles. Taking, therefore, into view, the area
of the State in square miles, and the sum to-
tai ofits population, the Railroads in operation
and under construction in South Carolina, will
be found equal to one mile of Railroad to every
81 miles square Of its territory, and one mile
of Railroad to every TAT Of its inhabitants !;
and what is we'll worthy of note, the proper
ton Of Railroads to Territory and population
in South Carolina, is greater than any other
State South Of the Potomac, aud greater than
in any State in the West, except Ohio, Indiana
and Wisconsin.
1t will thus be seer what the progress Of
the Railroad system has been in the State OF
South Carolina for the last twenty years; what
it may be for the next twenty years, may he
inferred from her Railroad connections abroad.
now made, or in process ofconstructon.
There is a self regulating and selfgoverning
principle in trade that shapes its own course,
aud generally leads to its own good and wise
results. This appears to have been eminen,ly
the case in the Railroads and railroad connec-
tons froE, this State. The Charleston and
Hamburg Railroad was the first great original
base line, or main trunk, it may be said, of the
whole Railroad system of the South. The in
stinct oftrade pointed its direction in the be-
ginning, and the same instinct has since deter.
mined the course of those great connecting
lines of railroad communications which are 50
admirably adapted for extending the connec.
tons of the State of South Carolina and her
railroads to regions of country of all others the
most desirable to be connected with
There are three of these grand connecting
lines, all radiatng from the South Carolina
Railroad
The first connects with the South and South.
west through Georgia.
The second is the communication with the
West and Northwest, by the Blue Ridge Rail.
road to Lexington, Louisville, and Cincinnati,
on the one hand, and to Nashville, Memphis
and St. Louis, in Missouri, on the other.
The third is by the Columbia and Charlotte
Railroad to North Carolina.
The area of country covered by these differ
ent lines of Railway and their tributaries, and
the value and extent Of its products and trade
will be readily comprehended from very brief
notice of their various ram6catons.
The first, or Georgia connection, commences
at Augusta, and extends, via Atlanta, on the
one hand, to Montgomery-4s5 miles from
Charleston-and thence, via Jackson, to Vicks-
burg, on the Mississippi miles from
harleston and via Atlanta, on the other hand,
to Chattanooga-446 miles from Charleston.
where it will intersect with the Blue Ridge
Railroad connection. The connection to Mont.
gomery is already complete, with the exception
of January next and from Montgomery to
Vicksburg, the West end of the Road is already
in operation for fifty miles, and the other por.
ion Of it to the Alabama line to Montgomery
is in such preparation for construction, as leaves
little doubt Of the communication by railway
being open, via Montgomery, to Vicksburg and
and Natchez, on the Mississippi, within the
next two years. The connection to Chatta-
nooga by the Western and Atlanta Railroad,
has, as is we'll known, been open for some time;
and, in addition to these connections, the
Waynesborough Railroad, from Augusta to
the Central Road, leading from Savannah to
Macon, is nearly complete. The Georgia
connection, it will thus be seen, embraces in
it's scope the rich Cotton States Of Georgia, AL
ALBANIA, and Mississippi.
The second or Blue Ridge Railroad connec.
ton land the most important of them all, con.
meets with the West and the Northwest, by its
contemplated line direct from Aiken, and by
the line of the Columbia and Greenvlle Road
both leading through the western division of
the State to the Rabun Gap in Georgia, and
thence through that Gap, and down the little
Tennessee river through the State of North
Carolina, to the Tennessee line. From this
point the Road diverges again into two branch.
es-one leading by Knoxville, via Danville, to
Louisville, in Kentucky, and to Cincinnati, in
Ohio, G4O miles from Charleston; the other