Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-12-24

iH"1 Ri consequence OF the luliurG OF tho
/ Company to obtain aid from the Legislature,
at the last Session, it became necessary to re-
strict the work of construction on the road
within the limited means which remained Mt
the disposal of the Board These were so
small IL amount that immediately after the
adjournment of the Legislature the Board is
sued orders for general suspension of work
on the road
! The construction of the road was accord
ingly, wholly discontinued in Tennessee, and
also in Georgia, with the exception of very
heavy bankmcnt known as the Whitmire
7 Fill The work on this enbanknent was
continued because it would require at least
year longer to finish it than any other part of
the grading in Georgia., and because it was
necessary that SO large an cmbankmcut should
have time to settle. The masonry and the
! War Woman and Dicks Creek Tunnels were
entirely suspended.
! In North Carolina no work has ever been
done.
In South Carolina all the grading was sus-
pended, except the embankment over the
Seneca Bottom, and the deep cuts known as
the i4nmaXs and Lawrcnccs The contract
ors on these sections of the road, and also on
the Wntmre Fill, were permitted to continue
work on their conscnting to reduce their force
so that their estimates should not exceed
prescribed amount. 1t should not be unno-
ticcd that Mr.. James Lawrence, with genor-
Gus zeal for the enterprise, offered to continue
the work on his contract, without any demand
for payment, until tho company should be in
funds and Mr. Robert A-MaXwel consented
TO demand payment only for halfof the amount
of his estimate, and to wait for the payment
of the balance. The aggregate of the work
done during the past year on these portions of
the road was 10000 cubic yards.
At the time the work was suspended, the
heading of the Middle Tunnel was driven
through, and in a few weeks it could have
been finished Twenty per cent of the Sad
die Tunnel was done. Mcssrs. Humbird,
Hitchcock & Co., continued the excavation
of the Stump House Tunnel ur'ler rcstric-
ton that their monthly estimates should not
exceed ten thousand dollars. The difficulty
and hardship of dismissing the large number
! of worklnen, whom it would be necessary to
discharge in order to comply with this condi-
ton has prevented its exact performance The
length of lic Tunnel is 5,SG8 feet. 1876
| linca feet ol heading were doneat the date of,
the last report. Since that time, employing
a little over one-third of a full force, the con.
tractors have done |, 1887 lneal feet of head
ing, leaving only 900 feet to be done. The
masonry at Twenty-six Mile Creek and Seneca
River was continued without any restriction
The laying of $50 cubic yards, since the
date OF the last report, has completed the ma
sonry at Sepcca River, and the masonry for
} the viaduct over the valley of the Twenty-Six
Mile Creek has also been finished by the addi-
ton of 3,543 cubic yards This is the most
difficult and costly structure of masonry on
the line Of the road. Indeed all the other.
structures of masonry, except for the HoIston
Bridge, are easy to complete, and are compar-
ativcly of light cost
[iIerc follows tables showing the amount of
work to be done, by cubic yards, such as .ra-
ding, tunnclng, bridge and arch masonry, &C.,
which are not given because of their length
and from tic fact that the information therein
contsiincd is stated in round numbers else
where in the report. 1t was also published
in 1858.
From these tables it appears "that the
grading ilr South Carolina are more than
double the grading in Tennessee, with the
same length of road and is nearly equal to
the whole grading in North Carolina and
Tennessee, one hundred and twcnty-six miles y,
Thc tunnciling III South Carolina exceeds all
the tunnels on the line; and the bridge and
arch masonry in South Carolina and Georgia.
which is 10 miles in length, and thirty five
per cent. Of the distance to Knoxville, is fifty
eight per cent. of the estimated cost Of the
Hhc whole road"
IF the quantity of grading, masonry, and
ttnncling which has been done since the Ist
of November, 1883, be added toshc Quantities
set out in the preceding statement, it will ap.
pear that of tho grading of the entire road
from Knoxville to Anderson, A per cent, has
been done; and. of the tunnclling very nearly
so per cent. while in the State of South
Caroline, more than 81 per cchEref The grading,
and more than 60 per cent of Shc bridge
masonry, and nearly 70 per cent, Of the tu,'
pcl heading have been completed.
Thirteen miles Of the road have been fin.
shed from Anderson to Pchdlctop. 1t has
jecn the policy of the Directors to apply the
hnds of the Company to the completion of
tie tunnels and bridge masonry, and tho
leayy cuts and embonkmehts, so as to have
item finished cotcmporahcodsly with the light
! gading Of the road The most difficult and
cdtiy part of the construction Of rilo road &c.
cTs in the first sixty miles from Anderson,
| within that distance the Blue Ridge is SUR
| mointed Beyond that, an inspection of the
tabes of "Y work to be DONE" will show that
the constructions will be easy. When tho
Rann Gap is reached, the construction OF
the road can be rapidly advancedrto Knox
| vilis J'he difficulties OF the work occur at