Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1855-01-03
MAI. GWYNN'S REPORT
Of tho Sx,esys Of the North Carolina and Weste'r
Railroad.


Railroad.
was appointed to make the surveys for this roae
in July, 1853. On the 10th Of August following, &
party of Engineers WIS organised and the survey
was commenced ut the mouth Of Silver creek. Be
fore the close of the season, hne was run 10 tne
Tennessee line through the Swananoa Gap, and the
valley of French Broad River. Field operations were
then suspended, and were not resumed until Aprli,
when two parties were sent INTO the heid
For my guide in the discharge of the important
duty confded to me- [ have kept constantly before
me the requirement of the act of the Legislature 10
make "a survey of the most practicable route lot
Railroad from some point on the North Carolina
Railroad at or near the town OF Salisbury, across
the Blue Ridge to the Tennessee line"
The typographical features OF the country lnoi,
cate four routes for the proposed railroad which Will
he best designated by the nomenclature of the noun
tain passes, viz The Watauga Linvlc, Swananoa,
and Reedy Patch Gaps. All four routes are COM
point the ridge, dividing the waters
OF the Yadkin and Catawba; from this point the
route to the Watauga Gap, would be separate and
distinct from the Others which would continue to
occupy the ground to the valley OF the Ca
tawba, where the Rcedy Patch Gap route would FORK
to the South and the Swananoa and Llnvlile zap
routes would continae together to Lnville river
where they would separate, the Swananoa Gap route
pursuing the valley of the Catawba and the Lnvlie
Gap route the valley of Lnviile river. The W a
tauga Gap route strikes the State line IN the Faiicy
of the Watauga river about forty miles from Jones'
boro', and thirty;hree miles from the camp ground
said to be an eligible point for forming connection
with the East Tennessee and Virginia railroad. Inc
length of this line from Salisbury the starting point
of all the routes to the Tennessee line, would be
about lei 77-l00 miles. The Linviiie Gap route
terminates the State line in the valley OF Doe
river; its length would be about 1857 miles Inc
Syrananoa and Reedy Patch Gap routes strike the
State line at the Paint Rock in the valley OF the
French Broad river, distant about so miles from
Grecnre on the East Tennessee and Virginia Raii-
road. The length of these routes are respectively
1S6 rs 100 and 1863 miles.
\ reconnaissance of these several routes led TO
the determination TO survey the Swananoa and " a
tauga Gap routes. Rccdy Patch route, besides OPP
posing great difficulties i'll passing from the valley
of the Catawba that of Broad river, presents the
iusupcrable objection in the passage OF the Blue
Ridge 1T resort to Jice iuuHjned Planes, which 1t
would be necessary to surInout by stationary pow
CT the grades too steep for the most poweif"
engine to work with proper effect This Is the IAN
guage employed by Gen. William q. Mcneil In his
description of the Recdy Patch Cap in his report on
the 50 70; the Louisville, Cincinnati, and Chall -
Railroad in 1887. For this reason, Gen. McNeili
discarded it from his list of practicable locomotive
routes, and for the reason L decided against
applying the limited means at command to survey
Of it.
The great and Leading objection to the I.inv!e
Gap route presents itself in the valley of LinviIe
river, which for distance of about twelve miles is
shut up in crooked gorge between the Lnville and
Short-oif mountains, which opposes at almost eve
cipiccs rendering the valley hardly accessible to
the tread of human foot. This difficulty might be
avoided by ascending Canoe Greek, which heads on
the cast side of Table Mountain but the passage of
that it is doubtful whether it would be pract
cable than the valley of the IinVile.
These considerations determined me- although
entertained strong doubts to the practcabiiy OF
the Watauga route, arising from the great eieva-
ton of the mountain pass very disccrnablc to the
eye, to select it for comparison with the Swananoa
route.
Discarl;ng, therefore, any farther consideration of
the other routes shall proceed as briefly as possi-
bic ia present the results of the surveys.
Commencing with the Swananoa Gap route, which
for convenience of description will divide into four
sections viz:-The Western, Mountain Piedmont,
and Eastern sections.
THE WESTERN SECTION.
From the Paint Rock to the mouth of Flat Greek, IS
miles
The liT@ traced the south side of the French
Broad river Tor distance of p miles, it then
conducted across to the north side, and continued
ON that side to the mouth Of the Swananoa, which
river it asccis u its junction vi Flat Creek. In
order to avoid abrupt mcanderings i'll the
Swananoa river, and the preclpitous Cliffs which
conine the river ia IFS sasouS course at two points,
thought advisable 30 leave the valley aud cut
through the narrow ridges lying in the bends; with
these exceptions, the line is traced along the side
slopes across the bottoms and around the cliffs,
which make into the French Broad and Swananoa
alternating between cliffs, steep hill
sides, and bottom lands minute description of the
line would be continued repetition of details pre- |
scented in the accompanying tables marked A Is q
and d. and in the dencaton of the line on the |
Sheets numbered from to g. inclusive. The tables
give the localities of the bridges the rate of grade
curvature, Sc An examialt ion Of these will |
show that at point ia the valley of the French
Broad the grade is 81 feet to the milc and in
ing one of the bends of the Swauanoa above men |
Toned it is Increased to G8 feet per mile; that the
least radius of curvature is Ga feet, which, well
as the grade is within the limits found some Of
he principal roads laid the western slope of the
Blue Ridge.
The cost of this section is estimated at ST ,i30,. |
9l9.
H.-THE MOUNTAIN DIVISION.
From the mouth of Flat Creek to the mouth of |
Crooked Creek, 90 6S-1O0 miles
After several trial lines the mountain, one
passing through LaqueyS Gap, description Of
which and the causes which led to their abandon
nent, would only tend to confuse and embarrass the
ubject the line selected the most feasible pass
IS up branch of Flat Creek ascending at the rate
# 26 and 6S feet to the mile to level grade 800
eet in length from the end of this grade the noun
ain will be pierced with tunnel 22O feet below the
summit, through which there is grade descending
It the rate of 100 feet per mile. The length O: the
unne is 1900 feet from the eastern portal; the linz
continues very direct for about two miles, it then
urns southwark and is laid along the eastern slope
# the main mountain, meandcring around Young's
Creek and other branches of the Catawba tunneline
md cutting through the ridges which divide Them
Until crosses and arrives the south side of Al
Sons creek, of the main tributaries of the Ca
awba mountain; thence it follows alternately the
lopes spurs thrown out from Mendenhal's Ciark's
nd Edmonson's until it reaches Crooked creek
These ridges all by cuts except oppo.
lite the mouth of AlsonS creek where q tunnel of
foot 30 lyici A..