Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-08-03
(By Request.)
Blue Ridge Railroad.
!, the Editor of the South Carolruiian.

faYOraDle account Oi Ine progress VI Iuo Olue
Ridge Railroad. Now this is gratifying tc
me for if the State, in the madness of heI
folly, will persist in going on with the work
it is we'll that her money should be judicious-
ly spent for I feel assured that, when the
road shall have been completed, it will prove
but barren triumph Of skill and science
over costly and useless undertaking. When
You speak Of the Stump House Tunnel, as
the lion in the path, the bugbear with which
the adversaries of the road have sought to
avert the sympathies of the people of the
State from the enterprise, you certainly at,
tempt to make an issue which neither myself
or trust those who act with me, ever de-
signed to make The science and practice oil
engineering have taught US that tunnels, like
deep cuts, high embankments aud heavy rock
masonry, are only costly impediments, and
not insuperable obstacles in the construction
of railroad and may so swell up its cost
IS to make it Improbable, or where there
are contending routes, 90 far to determine
the comparative merits of the two; and in
this respect, the selection of the Blue Ridge
over that of the French Broad, is m unior-
tunate feature in the enterprise. Mr.. Edi-
tor, once for all, shall endeavor briefly to
state the true issue between the friends and
the opponents of the Blue Ridge Road. We
object to the building of the road as being,
not only too expensive in proportion to its
benefits, but wholly unnecessary, inasmnch
as the Georgia and Tennessee railroads and
their connections extend into the very region
of country proposed to be penetrated by the
Blue Ridge, and already give us more busi-
ness than we can ever expect from it. Char
lesion, at this time, is connected with Chat
tanooga, on the Tennessee River, with Meml
phis, on the Mississippi, with Nashville, on
the Cumberland, and, in a very W months,
will be with Louisville, on the Uho--one of
the termini of the ever memorable Louisville,
Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad; and,
within the last few weeks the citizens OF
Nashville have voted aid to the extent of
over 100000 to railroad to be built to the
Northwest; thus giving you the commerce
of an area Of country extending from the
Western slope of the Alleghanies to the Mis-
sissppi and Ohio Rivers. What more can
the craving appetite Of State desire? And
here, Mr.. Editor, note the fact, that our
friends and neighbors, in carrying out their
own systems of internal improvements, lave
done the very thing for US, and that, too,
without charge or cost, that the friends OF
the Blue Ridge wish the State almost alone
to accomplish, at an expense of SSS,GOo,OuO.
Why, what a gigantic scheme OF wanioh eX-
travagance with which to saddle State that
has already the benefits OF railroads running
throughout the length and breadth OF her
territory, and whose population has increased
but little through a series Of years Let US
think well of these things lefore we take Il
leap that will load tie State with debt that
it NAV prove onerous to her to meet Re-
member that we have political enemy who,
of late years, has made vast inroads upon our
constitutional rights an enemy who, thl loagh
the action of the Federal Government, has
robbed US of more wealth than even the
fruitless project of the Blue Ridge can return
to us. We know not how suon we may be
called upon to resist this enemy. The times
are ominous. Let us, then, husband orr re-
sources for the emergency, and not throw
them away upon useless and unprotltablc en-
terprises. Above all, let lis remember the
language OF our sagacinus statesman, Mr. Cal.
houn, when Gen. Brisbane last approached
him upon the subject Of tie Rabun Gap.
"Sir," was his grand inquiry, have you not
followed Mr. Clay in his tour throag the
State of New York? Have you not seen
how be has aroused the people-the Seoman-
ry of that immense State} It's politics. not
industry that we must now employ our
selves" Again, "you take up military en-
gineeriDg, instead Of civil, and examine those
weak points on our seaboard, where the SOW
ereign States of the Confederacy have giTen
up to the General Government certain strips
of land for purposes of fortiiication; we may
want to recover these before We employ our
selves with railroads" These were almost
the dying words of this great man, should be
cherished as precious legacy by every Caro-
linian, and 60 far to prove, either that Mr..
Calhoun thought that the Georgia State Road
(known as the Western and Atlantic) had
achieved all that tle Rabun. Gap could ac-
complish, (of which have the most reliable
authority or that, as great as the benefits
to be derived from the Rabun Gap might
prove, they were more than orer-riddcn by
the political aspects of the times. Now, It
is ilnmateria to Inc Which horn OF the prnpo-
sition the advocates Of the Blue Ridge may
take. If they adopt the first, then they must
agree with me that it is a useless and extraVa-
CANT expenditure Of money; and il they
choose the latter, then say it becomes us to
take care of our means, and prepare Tor the
impending crisis. But Gud have digresscd
On the political, aud shall return TO the COM
mercial view Of tile question.
Mr.. Editor, think have shown in the
outset, that the Georgia railroads, with their
connections, have rlready placed US in posses
| sion of the very trade which we are endeav-
orine to obtsin at an enormous cost. But lei
us appeal to tho cts Chattanooga is oply
446 miles from Charleston by railway while
Knoxville, If the blue Ridge ahould ever be
completed, will be 4Gl miles-thc former
having the advantage of distance OF fifteen
miles Let us examine the comparative
| amount of business that now comes over the
former line and what is likely to come over
the latter, should it be completed. By the
report of the officers Of tue Georgia Rail-
road for the past year, it appears that the up
and down freight over that road amounted 10
S755, 900, and of this, the down freight is al
most twice the amount of the up, and the
Superintendent of the road says that up
wards Of 1000 empty cars are annually taken
over the road to Atlanta; thus proving most
clearly that the merchants of Charleston have
the most abundant means Of getting off their
merchandise, if they could dispose OF it. One
of the terlnini of the Georgia Railroad being
at Augusta, q large amount OF its down
freight must find an outlet tu market through
Charleston aud this latter place, no doubt
furnishes very considerable amount OF the
up freight for the road. And what is little
remarkable of the down freight over the
Georgia Road, fifty thousand dollars Of freight
is delivered at and recu lcd from Dalton, one
of the tcrmini Of the East Tennessee ant
Georgia Railroad; and thus showing that {
large amount OF business now comes trou
i ! 4. . IL. 4