The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1859-08-03

lnduStrN, that we must now employ our
selves" Again, you take up military
engineering instead of civil, and examine
those week points on our seaboard, where
the sovereign States Of the Contederacy
have given up to the General Govern
ment certain strips of land for purposes
of torlfcation we may want % recover
these before we employ ourselves with
r0jirouds These were almost the DIV
ing words Of tins great mau, aud should
be cherished us "A precious legacy by eve
/ ~ Caronlau, and 90 far To prove, either
7 that Mr.. Calhoun thought that the Geor-
+ ia Sla'e Road (known as the Western
and Arlan,ic) had achieved all tha, tho
Ruban Gap could accomplish, COT which
/ | have the most reliable authoritvO or
/ that as great AS the benefits to be derived
! from the Rabun Gap might prove, they
/ political aspects of the times Now. it is
| immatcral to me which horn of the pro
! position the advoca' eS of the Blue Ridge
may take. If they adopt the first. then
| they must agree with me that it is use.
less and extravagant expenditure of NOR
ey and if they choose the latter. then !
say II becomes us to take care Of our
means, and prepare for the Impending
| crisis But | find have digrcSsed on the
! political and shall return to the CONNER.
caI view OF the question.
| Mr.. Editor, ! think have shown in the
| outset, that the Grorgir railroads, with
! their connections, have already placed MS
! in possession of the very trade which We
are cudeavoring to obtain at an enormous
cost, But let us appeal to the facts
! Chattanooga is only 4 6 miles from Char
le5tni 10y railway; while Knoxville, If the
| Blue Ridge should ever bc completed,
will be 4Gl miles-ihe former having the
! advantage of distance Of fifteen miles,
! Let us examine the comparative amoun;
Of business that now concs over the for.
mer line, and what is likely TO come over
the latter shomId il ever I've cOmpeIed.-
! BY the report of the officers of the GeOr.
gia Railroad for the past Year, it appears
that the up and down freight over that
road amounted to 1855 900, and OF this,
the down freight is almost twice the II
mount OF the up aud the Superintendent
Of tie road SAYS that upwards OF 5000
empty cas- are annually taken over the
ROAD to Atlanta ; 'lu> proving most cear
" thnt tie merchants uf Charleston have
the most abundant means of getting oil
their II 'haudizc. # they could dispose
Of 1t. One OF the termIuI OF The Georgia
RAILROAD being at Augusta, u large II
mount ni ils down freight must find an
outlet to market through Charleston aui
this latter place, no doubt, furnishes
very considerable amount OF the up freight
for the road. And what is little remark
able Of the up down freight over the
Georgia Road, fifty thousand dollars of
freight is delivered at and received from
Dalton, one of the termiuI of the East
Tennessee and Georgia Rairoad and
thus showing that large amount ul bus
| mess now comes from the very region des-
tined, perhaps, To be the terminl ot the
| Blue Ridge Railroad. Now let us exam
me the amount Of business that is likely
to come over the other line OF railway.
And here, Mr.. Editor, must invite YOU To
turn TO map and explore the length and
breadth Of the valIies Of the little Tenues-
see and lis tributaries this modern Egvpi
| the trade Of which is to enrich the State
of South Carolina, 10 make a great city
OF Charleston, and, above al, To cnnsumi
| mate tha; direct trade 70 Europe, which,
like an igmis tdtnus, we have been pur
SUNG for the last twenty years. Let this
/ rhetorical flourish pass as the idle wind
and to the facts. The operations OF the
East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad
amounted to S264,OOO tor the wear 1853
and of this only Sl34 900 was for freight
and II ia to this alone that we must look,
as the exponent Of the business that is
likely to come over the Blue Ridge Rail
road. The amoun: of passenger fare
must depend upon the character Of the
road, As to whether it passes through n
rich and densely populated country, or
may be on the line Of travel North and
South, East and West The general pov.
erty Of the country along this of railway
| aud its position, answers the question IN
stronger language than any that ] could
utter. The East Tennessee and Georgia
Railroad ia like the top Of the letter L. 1t
! collects the products Of the yales OF the
little Tennessee, Uolston and CIinch Riv.
ers, aud, should all of these products pass
down the Blue Ridge-which is the stem
Of the etter-the freight would oaly a.
mount to $4,000 But you must bear
in mind, that this road has two other out
lets 10 market, besides tho one furnished
by the Blue Ridge. The one ty Dalton
to Charleston and Savannah and the
other from Knoxville to Richmond, Ca
distance of 456 miles, aud you may rest
assured that portion Of the business of
the road will take these lines. But let us
be charitable-nay, even liberal-aud
give it the whole income from freiphts.
Sl34,00O, aud let us suppose that this
mountain region along the line Of the road
shall DO able to swell the whole income
Of the Blue Ridge up 10 100000, and
even this will not be sufficient to make il
self sustaining road, Let US aualyze
the proposition. OF the 100000 OF is
come, at least 81 10 900, or 45 per cent,