The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-03-20
WHOLE NUMBER 202
Georgia Air Limo Rail Road.

crs 10 tne cXtf;:"t below, 1t Is from letter OF
j. Z. Reed, esq, in reference to the Georgia
| Air Line Rail Road" to wkicl: our Legisla-
! tnre as its last session granted 4 charter, Sc
curing its right Of way through this State.
! 10 town lik. ours possessing such capac-
ity for improvement, and which has re-
belved such marked advantages from Rail
Roads, Il letter Ike this Of Mr.. Reed, fur
niShing facts relative to the route and priv
ileges Of one which is to affect us material.
". will we doubt not to lie very accepta-
bic:
"a chartor ha, b4ou granted 10y this
State, comforting ample powers upon tho
, company, to construct their road from the
Georgia State line to the town Of Anderson.
and from thence, i'll any direction and to
any point, they may deem cypcdient
through the territory OF this State, so rs to
form dircct cont.ai line Of commuuic;,-
ton between the great Northern and South
cTn cities of the Cuioa. have said that
powers by the charter in this State are am
pie, and | may indeed add, that they are
very nearly rlenary. Unlike most other
Railroad charters heretofore granted by our
Legislatures it is not cncumb.rcl with mcru
matters Of detail, which are properly left
else and simple form such provisions only
rs 1t Is really necessary 10 provide by statute.
The amount OF stock necessary to secure
the charter, tie time within wh:c', it shall 10
commenced and completed, arc all matters
left to the decision Of the company, and
| Ill Fact the only limi.at ion as 10 time, impo-
sed upon the company, Is that their char
ter is insured to them for the period of only
one h"nd'cd and mincty ye"rs, which is
quite as near perpetual, suppose, as any
! friend OF the enterprises, could desire. Tho
right Of the company to locate the route
Of their Road through the State Of South
| Carolina is quite as ample. The only
polut tnitcly fixed in Tie charter is tho
town of Anderson, from whence they are
permitted to construct road to any poiht,
IN their discretion, in the direction Of
Charlotte. Moth Carolina, or otherwise, if
they should SO elect, Il connecting link be-
| tween the GrccnviI!c a:l Charlotte Railroads
| from the town Of Newberry to the town of
| Chester Thus you VIII sec they have tho
. entire upper part Of tn" State of South
Carolina over which to select the route Of
their Road. But app:chcnl that natu-
| tal anxiety for the early completion of the
great Northern and Southern t,orouchf,ro
III contemplation, will suggest the propfi-
city Of adopting the latter ALTERNATIVES, by
connecting the Grccnville and Charlotte
Roads from Ncwbcrry to Chester. If this
should be the conclusion Of the company,
they will have To construct not exceeding
one hundred aud seventy miles of Road TO
perfect a connection between Atlanta aud
Charlotte, North Caroliua ; estimating tito
distance from Atlanta to Anderson ono
hundred and twenty-five miles, and from
Newtcrry to Chester at forty-fivc miles
which [ feel assured are extreme figures.
The distance from Anderson to New
berry 10y the Road now in operation is
seven,y-tive miles, and from Chester tu
Charlotte fifty miles :; so that you will per-
ceivc the entire distance, from Atlanta to
Charlotte by this route does not exceed one
hundred and ninety five miles The dis
tance between those points by tho several
Railroads now in operation is about four
hundred und sixteen miles, Which mikes a
difference OF one hundred and twcnty-one
miles in favor OF the proposed route or the
Air tine Road. do not know the precise
length OF other competing routes, but feel
that the "Air Line Road" constructed UP
on the route suggested. will be not less
than one hundred miles shorter, between
| Washington and New Orleans, than any
Eothcr either constructed or in contempla.
ton. IF am correct in this opinion, the
immediate construction Of the Air Line
Road, is an object that must engage the CO.
operation Of the capitalists both North aud
South"