Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-01-21
EDGEFfELD, C., JANUARY 21, 1867.

of politicians; and it would be so badly rinanag-
ed as to be worthless property.
The State of South Carolina has had warning
enough, Independent of those which have
just ci:ed,) toteach her that she should be ex-
tremely cautious how she embarks in public
works.
In 1920 to "a she was largely engaged in
works of internal improvement on her own ac.
count. After expending the sum of So, ,300 900,
she abandoned the work, and that sum has been
proved to be total loss to the State.
In 1886 the people and the State embarked
again, with flourish of trumpets, in an enter
prise to build great railroad from Charleston
to Cincinnati which work was to be completed
in three years. The only serious obstacle that
seemed to be in the way was that the State of
Kentucky refused to permit us to build rail
road bridge over the Ohio River to Cincinnati,
which was to cost only million Of Gellars. The
kentucky opposition was o serious obstacle in
deed; and all eyes were turned to Old Ken
lucky, who thus stood obstinately in our way.
In order to obviate that serious difficulty, one
Of our most talented youngmen, now member
of this House, was sent, at an expense of S5 900,
on o special mission to Frankfort, in Kentucky,
to make an appeal to the Legislature Of that
State. His eloquence was triumphant. The
State of Kentucky yielded-purchased the f.
nest horse in the State and sent our minister
home upon him. Cincinnati was illuminated on
that occasion transparencies were hung up in
the windows representing passenger trains of
cars departing for Charleston, and all reioiced
in the confident hope that as the bridge obstacle
was removed, mountains would give way, and
the gold Of the South would soon create new
state of things in that region of country.
! Two years after that time | made Journey
in private conveyance over. the country near
the lire Of that road. The engineers were
then at work IN the mortAtains. came to the
conclusion that our great work would not be
completed in my day. I was asked while in
Cincinnati how long it would take to finish the
work. My reply was twenty to twenty-five
years! The people could scarcely listen to such
suggestions with any sort Of patience, for they
were living under the delusivc hope that Char
lesion would in ta1o years more have her loco
motives in Cincinnati.
We all know how soon that bubble burst. 1t
was nothing but the $S3,O00,0O0 of individual
subscription that saved the State at that time
from another total loss have clear recol-
lection of the matter, for had subscribed some
thousands of dollars, and worked ten long years,
in common with other private stockholders, to
save ourselves from serious, and we sometimes
thought total loss. there received many prac-
tical lessons on the subject, and think / under
stand something about the embarrassments that
State may get herself into unless she moves
very cautiously in large undertakings like this
One of the first operations of the Cincinnati
and Charleston Railroad Company was to pur-
chase the Hamburg road ,sin order to o:increasea q
subscription to an amount that would entitle
them to State aid. In this way they obtained
twenty thousand shares of subscription in
every S125 was to be share Of stock in the
new company.
When the Hamburg road changed hands, it
was transferred by a Board of twelve Directors
Charleston capitalists--wlo had achieved i'm
mortal fame by building one of the first and the
longest railroads in the world, and put upon it
the second locomotive that ever went on iron
ways. That concern, cruel to relate, went into
the hands of twenty-four directors that knew
nothing about railroads practically composed Of
conspicuous gentlemen and politicians, scattered
from the scaboard in South Carolina to the
banks of the Ohio River. Nothing short of q
general or leading politician was thought to be
in keeping with this gigantic enterprise, not one
of the old directors was placed where he could
have voice in the management of this new
company You will perceive at once that mat
tiers took suddenly 4 new direction. Business
men were thrown out, and the establishment
had assumed political character-or, might
more appropriately have sad no character at
all-for the stockholders had Individually so
little at stake, and were so dispersed over this
Site, North Carolina and Tennessee, that no
one seelne1a to care much about it, and paid it
little or no attention until the company became
embarrassed, and beganto call for instalmcnts.
The Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad Co..
purchased the Hamburg Road, which up to that
time had cost for building and rebuilding, S.
100000, and agreed to give $2,500,000, taking
it. however, with all its assets and liabilities :;
and 1t ultimately cost the new company S3,-
100000, just sixty-thrce per cent. advance on
its costa pretty dear bargain. But it gave
them subscription Of two thousand shares,
and secured State aid.
New engineers were imported, a principal at
O salary of ten thousand year, and some gen.
tlemen strongly advocated salary Of twenty
thousand dollars, on the ground that ten thou
sand was too paltry sum to offer so great an
engineer to take charge Of so great work. The
State was then in for $l.000000 subscription,
and $2000,00O loan.
The new company commenced at Branchville,
and were led away by influences that never
could have moved men who were using their
own capital, to take around-about route through
the Congaree swamps, sixty-eight miles, at an
expense of $300O,000 or thereabouts, 10 reach
Columbia, when they could, by branching at
Blackyille, have obtained direct dry ground
route forty-five miles long at cost of iSSO0,000.
After expending near million on the Broad
River route, the question was seriously enter
tanned whether that route should he abandoned
and the more direct one adopted 1t was then
found that $3.50, 900 had been expended in sur
veys. The route which the engineers passed
over could be readily traced BY the champagne
bottles that were left an the waysida, and VA.
gon loads Of costly engineering instruments,
which were purchased at great cost, were either
taken away by some of the retiring members
of the corps of engineers, or were left to take
care of themselves in Tennessee and Kentucky /;
few of them found their way back to the Office
in Charleston. Such is the history of an enter
prise in the days of young Fremont, who was
an engineer ON that work. The history of the
Cincinnati project is sunoqualed, except by the
getting up Of tho Blue Ridge scheme, its reckless
contracts and consummate blundcrs in the exc
cution of two and a half years operations.
was 10 the Board of Railroad n,,L n;ro,
tors for several ve.1 ,.ls, and afterwards in the
Nh" .. oad Board and lost my seat in both of these
Boards by efforts 10 bring matters into some
thing like business shape; and | can attest 10
e.. ,L,t ,I,o ooyorun ppf nnA onurntiono nf